Wicked as Lies (Wicked & Devoted #3) - Shayla Black Page 0,29
I saw!”
There was no hope for this guy, and Zy was done wasting his breath. “Well, she’s not going to see you tonight, so you need to turn around and—”
“Who the fuck are you to tell me what to do?” Cash poked him in the chest.
Zy glared down at the asshole’s finger. “Don’t touch me.”
Cash did it again. “What are you going to do about it?”
Squash your drunk ass like a bug. But Zy refrained. “I’m here to protect Tess—”
“From what?”
“You.”
The guy scoffed dismissively. “You can’t touch me.”
“If you try to barge in here and force Tessa to see you, I will. So you can either leave peacefully…or you can leave in pieces. Your call.” Zy smiled tightly. “Make good choices.”
He looked shocked. “This is bullshit! Women claim they want honesty, but when I was honest with her—she totally looked like the side of a barn before the baby was born—she got all pissy. Was I supposed to lie?”
“Did Tessa ask you for your opinion about her body?”
“Well, no, but—”
“Then maybe there’s a good tip for future reference. Don’t volunteer your opinion, especially about something so personal. Be honest when she asks you something. Use more discretion when she hasn’t.”
Cash nodded like he was considering that. “Okay. I’ll put that tip to use.” Then he scowled. “You never answered me. Are you banging her?”
Before Zy could reply, a familiar voice beyond the halo of the porch light answered. “He’s bodyguarding.”
Tessa’s drunk ex whirled around so fast he almost lost his balance. But the footsteps in the darkness finally brought the unseen man closer, and Caleb Edgington stepped into the light.
“Why are you here? You’re her bo—” Cash shut up for a blessed but too-short moment. “Oh, this asshole is one of yours?”
“Yes.”
He looked Zy’s way again. “You’re one of those dangerous guys who supposedly knows twenty ways to kill me with your bare hands?”
More than twenty. “There’s no supposedly about it.”
“Exactly.” Caleb gave the guy a friendly pat on the back. “Time for you to go.”
“Not until I see Tess.”
“Now.” The colonel squeezed the back of Cash’s neck until the drunk stiffened.
“Okay. Okay.” The asshole twisted and shrugged until Caleb let go. “I’ll go. Tessa has a nice ass, but her piece of it isn’t worth all this. And I don’t know who the fuck you are, but if you’re banging her, she’s all yours.”
With a curse, he shouldered his way past the colonel and headed toward his truck at the curb.
Zy opened his mouth to say something, but Caleb shook his head. “Don’t worry. After Tessa called me, I called the cops. They’ll stop him before he drives anywhere.”
“But they won’t arrest him.”
“Probably not.”
That was just reality, and Zy thought it sucked. “I gotta say, I’m worried about her fending off this guy.”
“I am, too. That’s why you’re here. And despite Cash’s charming parting words, I don’t think we’ve seen the last of him.”
Zy nodded. “I think I should stay with Tessa longer.”
Before the colonel could reply, the bedroom door opened, and Tessa poked her head out. “Is Cash gone?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh, thank god.” She turned big green eyes on Zy. They had the impact of a battering ram to his chest as she rushed across the room and clutched his arm. “Thank you.”
He cupped her face. “I was more than happy to send him packing. You okay?”
“Fine. If you hadn’t been here, I don’t think he would have left with so little fuss.”
The colonel, still standing on the porch, blocked by the open door, cleared his throat.
Zy pulled the door wider. “And I got an assist. Would you like to come in, sir?”
His boss stepped in the house. “For a minute.”
“Thank you for helping.” Tessa smiled. “It’s good to see you.”
“You, too. After your call, I thought I’d stop by.”
“I appreciate that. Now that Cash is gone, we’re good.” She managed a smile.
But Zy didn’t miss the way she said we. And judging from the colonel’s expression, he hadn’t missed it, either. Just like he hadn’t missed Tessa gripping his arm in gratitude or him touching her face for reassurance.
Fuck.
“Where’s Hallie?” Zy asked.
“On her activity mat. She’s fine. But I was worried about you. Cash sounded so angry.”
Zy tried not to wince under the colonel’s watchful stare. “Nothing I can’t handle.”
“Still coming back to work Monday?” the older man asked.
“That’s the plan.” She tried to smile. “I haven’t managed to leave Hallie at daycare for more than a few hours without completely falling apart, but it’s just new-mommy jitters. I’ll