It was a strange sensation, having a guy feed her, but she opened her lips and sucked in the round chocolate, the explosive taste of sweetness making her bite back a moan of pleasure.
Finally, Zane answered, “Because I didn’t want to believe it, Ell. Until I had positive proof that you were gone, I wasn’t going to stop looking for you. It’s as simple as that.”
The use of his shortened version of her name surprised her. Nobody had ever called her that but him, and not since they were teenagers. She’d always kind of liked it when they were young. Ellie looked up at him, mesmerized by the fierce expression on his face. Zane was a scientist. Of course he would have wanted to find her body for her family and Chloe, but she sensed his reasons were somehow…different. Like a personal mission he wasn’t willing to stop. “But there was no hope.”
“Bullshit. I always had hope, Ellie. I know you well enough to know you’re a fighter, and so does Chloe. Neither one of us ever believed the bullshit assumption that you just left in your vehicle and never came back. It made no sense. Both of us discounted that theory as soon as the police threw it out.”
Thank God for that! If he hadn’t been so tenacious, she’d be dead by now.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “I’m grateful you never gave up on finding me.” If he had stopped looking for her, she wouldn’t have lasted much longer alone. Her doctors had told her bluntly she probably couldn’t have survived another day without water, food, or warmth.
“I would have never given up,” he grumbled.
He fed her another chocolate, preventing her from responding. Eventually, they needed to talk about his plans to take her home with him. Until then, she’d savor both the sweet treat and the man who had given it to her.
His desire to help her, and his gruff tenderness, were a side of Zane she’d never seen before. Of course, she’d seen little of him since he’d left for college, and he’d turned into one hell of a grown man. She’d just never spent enough time with him to realize just how special he’d grown up to be.
However, he’d done enough for her, and he’d eventually see the sense in her staying with Aileen until she was fully recovered. The media would find another story and stop hounding her after a while.
She knew she’d have to stop depending on Zane. He’d been her rescuer, and that was enough. Somehow, she’d pick herself up and recover from the damage that had been done to her body, mind, and soul.
As he offered her another piece of candy, she shook her head. She was going to have to learn to resist temptation. Somehow, she was pretty certain that avoiding chocolate wouldn’t be her most difficult test in the near future, but it was definitely a place to start.
Two days later, Ellie still hadn’t convinced Zane to be more reasonable or sensible. Exactly when he had become so hardheaded and bossy she wasn’t certain, but he could be relentless and uncompromising when he really wanted something, or thought it was the best solution.
She knew she had to either cut her ties to him now, or she’d end up needing to see him every time she was afraid.
“I’m not going home with you,” Ellie told him stubbornly as a nurse pushed her toward the elevator in a wheelchair after she was discharged.
“I’m afraid you don’t have much of a choice. I’m your ride out of here. The media is still camped outside the hospital. I guess you’ll have to stay,” Zane answered matter-of-factly as he walked beside her wheelchair.
Ellie crossed her arms and glared up at him. “You set this all up. Aileen hasn’t answered her phone, and I haven’t seen Tate and Lara in two days.”
Zane shrugged a little too innocently. “Maybe they’re busy.”
Ellie liked Zane, but he was being unreasonable and somewhat manipulative, too. “I used to like you,” she mumbled under her breath.
“Did you say something?” he inquired politely.
“No. Look, you know I want to go back to Rocky Springs. You’re probably needed here in your lab. It makes no sense for me to stay at your place alone. I don’t even have a car anymore, and I need to be able to get around. I have to look for a job, straighten out everything that was left undone. This isn’t even reasonable. You’ve done enough for me, Zane.”
“Until you’re better, I’ll be there, Ellie,” Zane rasped as they exited up a ramp and onto the rooftop. He plucked her out of the wheelchair, nodded to the nurse, a woman who had been completely silent and disappeared just as quietly.
Ellie was confused as Zane deposited her into a sleek helicopter, dropped her bag with what few belongings she had with her in the backseat, and then hopped into the pilot’s position.
“We’re really flying home?” she squeaked, still stunned as he put on a pair of headphones with a microphone attached, and carefully placed another on her head.
“It’s a long drive. I’m not going to make you go through the media mob and then have you sit in a vehicle that long.” He methodically buckled her in, and then secured his own straps. “I told you we’d fly out.”
She startled as she heard his low, husky voice through the headphones. Zane had told her that he’d fly her from a helicopter off the roof, but the reality of that scenario had never registered with Ellie. Because Chloe had been her friend most of their lives, it was easy to forget just how ridiculously wealthy the Colter family really was. For being ultra-rich, most of the family was down-to-earth. Sure, they owned a large amount of property, but none of them acted like wealthy snobs. Chloe was the sweetest woman Ellie had ever known, and she hated the lives of the super-rich. Her friend would rather be with her beloved horses than at a party with other rich people.