Seducing Zeb (Tarnished Saints Series) (7 page)

And her seat was right in front of the bathrooms with a line of people halfway up the aisle of the plane
all breathing down her throat. She never felt so trapped in her whole life. She closed her eyes and tried to just block out everyone and everything around her, but it wasn’t working.

“Hey there, sweetie,” came a man’s voice and she opened her eyes to see an elderly man smiling at her. He was obviously hitting on her as he waited to use the bathroom. She closed her eyes again, not wanting to deal with this right no
w. The fat woman next to her started snoring and the little kid kept kicking the seat in front of him with his foot. “How would you like to sit on my lap and I’ll read you a nice story?”

“
What?” Her eyes popped open wide at that comment and she was about to tell-off the dirty old man when she realized he wasn’t talking to her, but to the little boy instead.

“Ok,” said the kid and instantly he stopped crying.

“If you’re good, I’ll give you a piece of gum if your mother here says it’s ok.” He sat down next to Cat and put the boy on his lap.

“Oh, I’m not his mother, she is,” said Cat pointing to the woman across the aisle.

“Thank you,” the woman silently mouthed the words to the man, seeming relieved. The old man opened up a storybook the boy had on his seat and read. His voice was soothing and the little boy fell asleep after the first few pages.

“That’s all he needed was a little attention,” said the man with a chuckle. “My name is Earl,” he said introducing
himself to her.

“I’m Cat,” she said with a smile.

“I remember you from when I boarded the plane. You’re the wife of that jerk sitting next to me up in first class, aren’t you?”

Cat recognized him now as well. “Well, I’m not sure what jerk you’re talking about,
but if he’s six-foot-four, has black hair and bluish-grey eyes and acts like he’s God’s gift to women, then yeah, that’s him.”

“Well, you deserve someone better than him, sweetheart. Especially after what he’s doing to you.”

“What do you mean? Did he tell you how we accidentally got married?”

“I’m talking about the fact he’s married to you and has those rings in his pocket. You know, the fact he’s
got . . . a girlfriend. If I were him, I’d look no further - having a wife like you.”

Cat just smiled, knowing the man meant well, but was really putting his nose where it didn’t belong. She also knew he was talking about the rings that James bought and Zeb had in his pocket earlier
and had also returned to his brother.

“Well, sir, if I had a husband like you . . . ” she smiled and batted her eyes, doing what came naturally when she wanted something from a man . . . “I’m sure I’d be sitting up in first-class next to you instead of back here by the bathrooms.”

“Well, darned right you would. And that’s where a pretty girl like you belongs,” he told her. “Now you go right on up there and take my seat and I’ll stay back here in yours for the rest of the trip. Just tell the flight attendant what you want, and if it’s anything that’s not included, tell her to just put it on my bill.”

“Really?” she asked, feeling a sense of relief wash over her. “Well, that’s just too kind of you, sir.”

“Please, just call me Earl. Now go on, as they were already serving the food and you don’t want to miss out. They serve a half-way decent seafood salad on this flight.”

“Thank you,” she said, climbing
over him to get to the aisle, almost hitting him with her big carpetbag that she’d dragged out from under the seat. She reached up and popped open the overhead compartment to get her wheeled suitcase.

“Son, get that for the
young lady,” the old man told a young guy standing in line for the washroom. The guy took it down and gave it to her.

“Thanks again, Earl,” she said, hurrying to the front of the plane with the bag on her shoulder knocking into everyone and the suitcase thumping along behind her.

“Hello, husband,” she said now standing next to Zeb. His chair was in a reclining position and his eyes were closed, but popped open as soon as he heard her voice. The look on his face was worth more than the ten grand he’d lost to his brother. She smiled and settled herself next to him, now looking forward to the trip to her new home.

Chapter 6

Zeb had just drifted off to sleep and started to relax on the flight home when Cat’s voice woke him. “Cat, you can’t sit there, that is someone’s seat,” he said, quickly raising his own chair to a sitting position.

“I know. It’s mine no
w,” she said, handing her wheeled bag to the male flight attendant who eagerly offered to help her. “Earl gave me his seat and told me to order whatever I want – on him.” She pushed her carpetbag under the seat in front of her and kicked off her heels. “Wow, it is roomy up here. No wonder you didn’t want to be a gentleman and give up your seat to your wife.”

“Something to drink, m
a’am?” asked the attendant.

“I’ll have a glass of white wine,” she said, gla
ncing quickly over to Zeb. Then she looked back to the male attendant and Zeb groaned when she gave him her best smile. “And I hear you serve a nice seafood salad, so I’d like some of that too.”

“Well, we’ve already served the food . . . but I’d be happy to get it for you,
ma’am.” Then the attendant started away, and Zeb stopped him.

“Bring me a double vodka martini – shaken not stirred,” he said.

“Right away,” the man said and hurried to the small compartment that made up the kitchen section of first class.

“Shaken not stirred?” Cat jus
t rolled her eyes. “Okay, James Bond.”

“No, sweetheart. I’m James Taylor, and not the singer. It would do you good to know my name now that we’re married.”

“Oh, stop it. You’re just upset that I’m up in first class after you denied me the privilege.”

“And what did you have to do to get that seat, darling?”

“Nothing. Earl was kind enough to offer it since he said you were being a jerk to me.”

“Me a jerk? Hah.” The attendant came back and gave them their drinks and
then gave Cat the seafood salad as well as roasted hot nuts and a large chocolate chip cookie, followed by a hot, moist cloth napkin.

“Would you care for a pillow, m
a’am? Or maybe a set of headphones would be in order?” He glanced over at Zeb and Zeb knew he meant because they were fighting in public.

“No, that won’t be necessary,” said Cat. “I plan on getting to know my new husband on the way home.”

“You’re newlyweds?” The male attendant opened his eyes wide in shock.

“Something wrong with that?” asked Zeb.

“No sir,” said the man, heading away quickly. Zeb turned to look and saw the man whispering to another attendant and pointing in their direction.

“Ok, I’ve had enough of this
,” said Zeb stirring his martini with the plastic stick holding the olives. “Something needs to change here.”

“I agree
. Stop ordering shaken martinis if you’re only going to stir them anyway,” said Cat taking a sip of her wine and moaning her approval, only sounding to Zeb again like she was having an orgasm. Or maybe everything she said or did sounded like that to him because she was so damned sexy that he couldn’t be around her without thinking about sex.

“Look, Cat,” he said, “
we need to stop the squabbling.  And when we get home we’re going to have to have a serious talk about . . . living arrangements and all.”

“That’s right,” she said with a smile. “If we’re going to be living together, then we really should try to at least get along.”

“Who said anything about us living
together
?” The thought had Zeb’s mind going in several directions at once. If they lived together, then that meant they’d have to sleep together. Or at least in the same house. And bathe and change their clothes and . . . he couldn’t think about this right now. “Wake me up when we get there,” he said, leaning back in his chair and putting his headphones in place.

“Looks to me like you’re already up,” he heard her say, and glanced over to see her staring at his groin.

Damn, this was going to be a long trip home. And he had no idea what he was going to do with her once they got there.

* * *

Cat struggled in her high heels to keep up with Zeb as she pulled the wheeled suitcase behind her and tried to ignore the fact the strap from the carpetbag was digging into her shoulder. He led the way to the luggage claim, after having slept the whole way home, probably just so he wouldn’t have to talk to her.

She’d never known a man she couldn’t charm – before now. Zeb Taylor was one tough cookie to crack. And though she’d been trying
to act happy, she was scared inside and very uncertain.

Everything had happened so fast.
First the wedding to Zeb, and then Denny firing her and throwing her out. Denny had been so angry that she’d been caught cheating and even angrier when he’d heard that she was married, that he’d thrown all of her things out into the hallway before she even had a chance to explain.

Thank goodness for Aunt Cappy
coming to her rescue. The woman had lent Cat her own suitcases and helped her pack her things quickly. And then she’d even given up her plane ticket. And although Cat thought James would have wanted nothing to do with her, he was acting more of a gentleman to her after what happened than Zeb was – and he was her husband.

“Hurry up,” Zeb said over his shoulder. “My brother is picking us up and I want to get my luggage and ge
t out of here quickly. After all, he’s taking time off work to do this.”

“I can’t walk any faster in these heels,” she complained. “And this bag is heavy and digging into my shoulder.”

“Give me the bag,” he said snatching it from her shoulder. “And why the hell didn’t you wear a pair of flats to travel in?”

“Because I don’t own flats,” she said, thankful to give him the heavy bag.

“Everyone owns flats. That doesn’t make any sense.”

“It makes just as much sense as you wearing an Armani suit to Vegas.”

“I like wearing suits.”

“And I like wearing heels.”

They got to the baggage claim and Zeb grabbed his bag and was turning to leave when Cat stopped him. “Wait. That is my bag right there,” she said, nodding her head toward a large green suitcase on the conveyer belt.

“More luggage?” he grumbled and grabbed
the suitcase for her.

“And that one and those two
smaller ones next to it as well, she said, pointing.”

“What?” he asked with a scowl on his face. “How come you have so much stuff?”

“Because it’s all I own, or have you forgotten? When you think of it that way, it’s barely anything at all.”

“Hey there,
” she heard someone call out and saw a cop heading their direction. She was afraid at first that Zeb was going to have her arrested, but then she saw the oddest thing that made her laugh.

The cop had a ba
by carrier in his left hand and a small baby was sleeping soundly inside. His right arm was in some kind of sling and it also looked as if his chest was wrapped up in bandages under his clothes.

“Judas, thanks f
or picking me up.” Zeb just nodded since the man obviously couldn’t shake hands. “I hope this isn’t too much for you since you’re still recovering.”

“
Hey, I’m tough, I bounce back. It’ll still take a while to fully heal but the doc says I’ve come far in the past few weeks. Now, come on, let’s get your luggage and go before Matthias wakes up. He’s between feedings and I need to get him back in time for Jaydee before her breast milk starts leaking.”

Cat started laughing aloud, and the
man named Judas looked over to her and then back to Zeb. “Is she with you?” he asked softly from the side of his mouth.

“Yep
,” said Zeb, flagging down a porter with a cart to bring their bags to the car.

“I’m Cat,” she introduced herself, si
nce it didn’t seem as if Zeb were going to do it.

“I’m Judas, Zeb’s brother.
”

“So what happened to your shoulder?”

“Took a bullet to save my daughter’s life, that’s all.”

“Wow. You are very brave.”

“Just part of the job, plus I’d give my life to save my daughter. So tell me, did you two meet in Vegas?”

“We did. And that’s where we got married as well.”

“Married?” Judas said it so loud that the baby woke up and started crying. Judas jiggled the carrier back and forth trying to shush it, but it wouldn’t work. “Zeb, you didn’t tell me on the phone you were married.”

“Guess I forgot to mention it,” he said, following
the porter out to the passenger pickup area.

“Well,
welcome to the family, Cat,” said Judas over the crying of the baby.