into my tea. “I know you’re making Zoe’s life better.” Crosby flinched, and I straightened on my stool, my fingers tightening on the handle of the mug. “What’s wrong? Is she okay?”
Crosby’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “She’s going to be fine, but she was removed from her foster home.”
“What? Why?”
He rounded the counter and pulled out the stool next to mine, sinking down onto it. “I didn’t have the best feeling about her foster parents. The way she talked about them just didn’t sit right. So, this afternoon, I made a surprise visit.” Crosby’s knuckles bleached white as he settled his hands on the countertop. “They had her in a closet. They made her stay there after school until bedtime so she was out of the way.”
The rage that lit in me blazed bright and fierce. I stood, nearly knocking my stool over before Crosby caught it. “Where is she? What is wrong with social services that they approved people who have the potential of doing something like that?”
I was moving before Crosby could answer, heading for my bedroom. Pulling open a drawer in my dresser, I grabbed a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. I didn’t even think about the fact that the door was wide open, I simply shucked my spandex shorts, leaving me in nothing but my thong and workout tank.
“Whoa. Not that I don’t love the show, but what are you doing?”
I whirled to face Crosby, who leaned against the door, his gaze trained on where my ass had been a second before. “You’re going to take me to wherever Zoe is right now. I need to see her. I want to make sure she’s all right.”
Crosby crossed to me in three long strides, his hand slipping under my hair, tugging at it so that I was forced to meet his gaze. “That fierce exterior, it’s guarding the most tender heart, isn’t it?”
Air constricted in my lungs. “I care about her.”
“I know you do. Love that Zoe has that in you. But we can’t go see her right now.”
I stepped out of his hold. “Why the hell not?”
“Her social worker and I just got her settled before I came here. This place…I got nothing but good vibes. The parents are caring, attentive, but they don’t push. They’re doing everything they can to make Zoe feel safe. You showing up, ready to set fire to the world, is only going to freak Zoe out.”
I took a deep, steadying breath. Crosby had a point. But desperation clawed at my insides, a need to see Zoe, to make sure she was okay. “Do you think I could see her tomorrow?”
Crosby’s expression softened, and he pulled his phone from his pocket, typing out a text. Within a few seconds, there was a ding that said there had been a return reply. “The Wilsons would love for us to join them for breakfast tomorrow morning. We can see Zoe before she heads to school.”
My shoulders relaxed a fraction. “Okay.”
Crosby stepped closer, and I let my head fall to his chest. “She’s going to be okay. We’ll make sure of it.” I nodded against his sternum. Crosby trailed a hand up and down my spine. “You okay?”
“Yes.” The vital warmth that radiated off Crosby seeped into me now, heating the places I’d never thought could feel warm again. It should’ve terrified me, but I only wanted more. I pressed myself closer to him, my arms going around his waist.
Crosby’s hands dipped lower, ghosting over the curve of my ass, sending the most delicious sparks of sensation across my skin. “Do you need me?”
“Yes.” My answer came out breathy, but I didn’t care one bit. I was beyond the point of pride. I needed to feel alive again, to forget all of the bad things that were swirling around me, and lose myself in sensation, in the buzz of energy that only Crosby could provide.
Before I knew what was happening, Crosby sank to his knees. My head snapped down, the sight in front of me so enticing that my muscles clenched. The top of Crosby’s head, his dark hair gleaming, his eyes focused solely on the apex of my thighs. His finger slipped beneath the lace at my hips. “I’m partial to you in lace. I might just have to keep these as a reminder of this picture. So damn pretty.” He rubbed the tip of his nose over the lace covering my center. I couldn’t hold in my gasp.