His to Protect: Book 1 in the Bound to Him Series by Sandra Antoni (the reading list TXT) 📗

“Zeke says that you are here on vacation?” Brady asked me and I nodded.

“Yeah, not a very good first day, huh?” I replied, and he flashed me a smile.

“Just day one? And how long are you staying?” he asked next.

“I go back home on the seventeenth. Two weeks here, but I have a feeling that I won’t be seeing much now thanks to this ankle. I’ll probably have to find some crutches somewhere, and I won’t be able to drive. Whenever I get my rental car back, I guess I should just have the company come pick it up,” I told him, suddenly feeling depressed at that thought.

Maybe the resort had a shuttle that could take me somewhere. I really did not want to be stuck in my room alone for two full weeks.

“Well, your car is outside. Zeke called me last night and asked if I would help him find it. We picked it up already and brought it back here. If you want to go ahead and call the rental company, you can have them pick it up here. Zeke will be more than happy to give you a ride back to wherever you are staying,” he told me.

He seemed confident in what he said, and I wondered how long he and Zeke had known each other. I wondered if maybe I should ask Zeke first about a ride, but considering the two of them had brought my car back here while I had been sleeping, I figured he would be okay with it. He was definitely a nice guy.

I leaned back against the couch and felt some of the tension of the last twenty-four hours dissipate. Having my car situation settled was a relief for sure. Grabbing my phone, I called the rental car company. Brady gave me the address here and they said they would pick it up later this afternoon. I would leave the keys in the glove box.

It was just a few minutes later that Zeke walked back into the room carrying two plates. He handed me one and then sat down beside me on the couch with the second plate in his hands.

“Brady, you’ve got two good feet and I only have two hands. You can fix your own plate,” he said with a grin. Brady stood from the chair and gave Zeke a playful punch on the arm and left the room.

“Brady said that you might give me a ride back to the resort where I’m staying. I hate to ask for any more favors from you, but I obviously can’t drive. The rental company is picking up the car here this afternoon,” I told him hesitantly.

“Of course. That’s not a problem. What resort are you staying at?” he asked, and I gave him the name of the resort.

“I guess I’m going to be a shut-in for the next two weeks. Maybe I can find some crutches somewhere. At least then, I can get around my room and possibly see some of the resort,” I replied, once again feeling my disappointment at my sudden change of plans.

“There’s no reason that you can’t still see Tucson. I can make a pretty good tour guide if you are interested,” he surprised me by saying, but he seemed sincere.

My first reaction was, there was nothing more that I would like than to spend the next two weeks with Zeke showing me around. However, he had done quite a lot for me already, and I was hesitant to impede on his hospitality any longer. My fall was not his fault, and I did not want him to feel responsible for me. He spoke up before I could even form a reply.

“I can see the wheels spinning, so let me just butt in. You have no transportation, you are visiting my city, which I love, and I would be doing this wonderful city a great disservice if I let you leave here without seeing at least some of the sights. With that being said, will you do me the honor of letting me show you Tucson?” he asked with an adorable smile on his face.

I felt my heart skip a beat at the intensity of the expression on his face. Wow, what this man did to me! There I was again, drowning in the depths of his piercing blue eyes. I had to force myself to take a deep breath before speaking.

“Well, since you put it so eloquently, I would be a fool to resist,” I replied with a chuckle.

The flutters in my chest returned, and I took a quick bite of the scrambled eggs on my plate before he could see the effect that he was having on me. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to survive two full weeks with Zeke. Jessica might get her wish after all because my pussy just got wet thinking about it.

Just then, Brady joined us with a plate in his hand and sat down in the chair across from us once again, and I was grateful for the distraction from my thoughts. Zeke and I both turned our attention to our food, and I hoped that he had not noticed the color in my cheeks.

“Did you have any specific things that you wanted to see while you are here?” Zeke asked me a few moments later. I was glad that I had my emotions under control. Swallowing the food in my mouth, I raised my eyes and looked up at him.

“Well, I have to admit, the majority of things that I had in mind won’t be possible now until this ankle is healed. I had wanted to see Sabino Canyon, the botanical gardens, Saguaro National Park. I wanted to see the nature, and I had been hoping to do a lot of hiking while I was here,” I replied softly. Unfortunately, that was definitely not going to happen with me on a pair of crutches.

I saw a