His Jaguar Tattoo

An Offer She Can't Refuse

One and a half days Drew was gone. He returned a little after one o'clock that Thursday, much sooner than Zuri ever expected. In spite of the way Ajax teased her about having affection towards her fiancé, she did find herself glad to see him again. She was hoping he would move them out of this house soon.

The three of them—Ajax, Zuri, and Elle—were all sitting at the kitchen table when Drew's car rolled up. They looked at each other, confused and surprised. Zuri felt nervous, for some reason. He walked into the house a minute later before entering the kitchen. His broad form seemed to take up the whole space.

"You're back," Zuri remarked, sounding relieved.

"Yes." He attempted to smile, but the gesture was miserably off. "Zuri, will you give me a minute with Ajax and Elle?"

Nodding, she rose from the table and headed through the kitchen towards the front door. His hand brushed hers as she strode past, and warmth diffused through her body.

Once outside, she sat on the end of the porch and dangled her legs off the side. It was a particularly hot day, the kind where people sweat just from being outside. She picked at her shirt to help the air circulate through it. Her mind wandered to some old country song about blazing summer days, a pickup truck, and a country girl.

The door squeaked open, pulling Zuri from her head. She turned to see Ajax and Elle leaving the house with their belongings. Her legs were lifting her up before she realized what she was doing.

"Where are you guys going?" she asked.

Elle ignored her and continued on towards the white SUV. On the other hand, Ajax paused mid-stride to glance over his shoulder. His mouth opened to speak, but Drew emerged from the door and beat him to the chase.

"I asked them to leave," he told her.

Zuri felt her face brighten. "Are we leaving, too?"

"Uh." He scratched his head. "Just come inside. We need to talk."

"Okay..." She dragged the word out in reluctance.

As she strolled over to where he stood, holding the door open, she briefly paused to glimpse the two departing. They'd already loaded their suitcases and were in the car. If she was seeing clearly, it looked like Ajax was almost giving her pitying eyes through the windshield. Yet he was driving away too quickly for her to be sure.

Drew wrapped his arm around her shoulders while she entered the house. Her gaze lifted to his.

"What's going on?" she prodded, more concerned now.

"I'm...you'll see." He led her towards the stairs. "Follow me."

Although she wanted nothing more than to get answers, she obliged and followed him up to their bedroom. He motioned for her to sit on the bed before digging through a tan shopping bag.

"When did you go shopping?" She would've laughed if her nerves weren't shot.

"This morning," he answered, fishing out a lovely royal blue dress. "Will you put this on?"

"Uh...sure," she said, eyeing him skeptically. Once she had the dress in her hands, she let her fingers brush over the soft fabric. "It's pretty. Thank you."

Drew was suddenly two inches away. He tilted her head back to look at him. "I would buy a hundred more if you wanted me to. I'm going to start dinner. Come down when you're ready."

Mouth agape, she watched him go. Considering the fire incinerated all my clothes, maybe I should take him on that offer. She grinned to herself. The grin faded when her worries returned.