Zach dropped his hand and stepped back. Something was all sorts of wrong here. Rowan was pale and shaking. Just minutes ago he’d watched her latch onto Graham and hold on for dear life. It’d be one thing if she wanted Zach to leave, but Graham, too? That didn’t make any sense.
Speaking quietly to her, like he would to a spooked horse, Zach said, “It’s all right. I’m backing off now. No one is going to hurt you here.”
“It’s not that ... Just give me a minute,” she said, already sounding a little steadier.
Zach glanced at Graham, but Graham looked just as confused by her one-eighty.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart? You weren’t scared of me before. And you didn’t look too scared of Graham just now. What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?”
“It’s nothing. Just a bad memory.” She looked up and met Zach’s gaze. “I’m not a slut. I don’t know if I’m wearing a sign that’s only visible to guys that says: ‘Loves long walks on the beach and gang bangs.’ But I’m really not like that.”
Graham spoke up. “We don’t think you’re a slut. Or into gang bangs. Zach was just joking around. He’s a jackass. Ignore him.”
That statement pissed Zach off, but now wasn’t the time to argue. He hadn’t been joking around. He liked this girl. Liked her spunk and her attitude. And Graham clearly liked her too, as was evident from the way he was letting her hump his leg when Zach entered the room. Zach and Graham had been sharing women since that crazy night they graduated boot. Hell, they’d picked up a woman at the bar together just a few weeks before the grid went down. It worked for them. Graham didn’t have to actually speak to the women, and Zach charmed them while capitalizing on Graham’s dark and dangerous vibe that never failed at luring them in. Most women said it was the most intense sexual experience they’d ever had. It wasn’t like Zach didn’t bag chicks on his own. But he wasn’t entirely certain Graham did. Which made what he had walked in on all the more surprising. And honestly, it had made him happy as hell. Graham had never formed an emotional bond with any woman they’d been with. Ever. Zach supposed that being abandoned in a cheap motel room by your mother as a kid might stunt your ability to form emotional connections with women. But apparently not with this one. This girl, who’d been dropped into their lap only hours ago, seemed to have already gotten under Graham’s skin. Which worked for Zach, because even before the world went to hell, Zach had wanted a woman. A woman who he and Graham would permanently share. Zach knew Graham had been aware of his desire, but never verbally acknowledged it and certainly never displayed this level of interest in any of their hookups. But this girl could change everything. She could be the one who finally got Graham to give an actual relationship a chance. Hell, they were all envious of what Jonah had with Allison. And the little rugrat they were raising. Zach wanted that for himself, and he wanted to share it with his best friend. But Zach had yet to find a woman who could entice Graham into a relationship. Until Rowan. And that was why Graham’s comment pissed him off.
Zach gave Graham the look his comment deserved. Fucking asshole.
If his plan had a chance in hell of working, he needed to understand what had set Rowan off. So he would take a risk and hope he didn’t freak her out again. He moved closer and sat on the end of the bed. When she looked at him and didn’t jerk away, a flare of hope warmed him.
“Why would we think that, sweetheart?”
“Because of what you said.” Her voice was strong and sure now.
“And you said not again.” Zach didn’t like the ideas that were swirling in his head. “Did someone ... hurt you? Or make you do something you didn’t want to do?”
Zach saw Graham move closer and was shocked when he sat down on the bed next to where Rowan was sitting against the headboard, arms wrapped around her knees. He was more shocked when Graham reached for her and pulled her close to him.
Oh yeah, G was already in deep with this one, whether he’d admit it or not.
“You give me a name, and I will make sure he dies slowly,” Graham said.
“That’s not necessary, really. I think karma will take care of Charles and Evelyn.”
“Wait. What?”
“Charles ... and Evelyn?” Zach asked.
“Look, it was a seriously fucked up situation. And before the shit hit the fan with the rest of the world, that situation was basically responsible for destroying my life. What you said just brought back something I’d rather forget.”