Page 27 of Keeping Zita

Seeing how hard he was working to hold on to his temper, Zita swallowed what she was going to ask—namely, if he was all right; it was obvious he wasn’t all right—and didn’t resist as he walked them toward the hallway where the restrooms were located.

He didn’t stop. Just kept walking until he’d pushed open an emergency door, and they stepped out into the dark night.

There weren’t as many lights out here as there were in the parking lot, but it wasn’t dark either. There was a bright light over by the dumpsters, which lit up most of the area behind the building.

Sage leaned a shoulder against the building and pulled Zita in front of him. He turned her so her back was against his chest, then wrapped his arms around her, holding them together. Zita put her hands over his and leaned against him. His chin came down to rest on her shoulder, and she could feel him taking deep breaths.

She had to admit, she approved of the way he’d removed himself from a situation that was uncomfortable instead of lashing out. Instead of saying something he might regret. She had no idea if he’d learned that from being in the military, or from being one of the best pilots in the country, but she was impressed with his self-control.

“You know I had nothing to do with her being here tonight, right?” he asked, after a long moment.

“Yes.”

“I might’ve been a bonehead and invited you on a group date, but I wouldn’t invite that woman to join us even if my career as a Night Stalker depended on it.”

That surprised her.

Zita turned so she was facing Sage. She put her hands on his chest, liking how his arms stayed around her, now clasped together loosely at her back. At any time, she could break out of his hold, but she was happy where she was.

“I’m enjoying our group date,” she insisted. “I like your friends. You all complement each other perfectly. I can see why you like working together so much, why you’re so good at what you do. It almost seems as if you can read each other’s minds at times.

“And I know you didn’t invite Carmen. I mean, she admitted that she knew you’d be here because of gossip on set. She’s also right that there are no secrets on a film. I’m not sure why everyone seems to want to know what everyone else is doing, but it’s always been that way, at least on the movies and shows I’ve worked on.”

He nodded but didn’t look any less stressed. A muscle in his jaw ticked as he obviously still struggled with controlling his anger at the unwanted interruption to their night.

“What do you need me to do? Would it make things better if I left? So you and your friends can deal with her without me there?”

“No!” he said immediately, his arms tightening around her, as if to keep her from leaving.

Zita caressed his chest lightly. “Okay. You want me to go back in there and tell her off? You can circle around to the parking lot and take off without having to deal with her again tonight.”

“You think I’m that big of a coward?”

“Not at all. Just giving you options. I could beat her up. Well, that probably wouldn’t go so well for me with Gigantor at her side, but I’m thinking I could get in a few licks before he stopped me.” She was kidding, she wasn’t a violent person, but she would say whatever it took to get Sage to relax.

He stared down at her for a long moment before saying, “Don’t ever put yourself in danger for me. I can fight my own battles.”

“I know, Sage. I never doubted that you could. I just…I hate that you’re upset. That she upset you. She’s not worth it.”

“She disrespected me, but more importantly, she disrespected you. If she heard the gossip, then she knew I was taking you out. And even if she didn’t, your hand on my leg should’ve told her that we were together.”

“I’m sure there’ve been plenty of men who’ve been swayed away from their dates at the prospect of being with Carmen St. James.”

“I’m not most men. And it’s fucking rude.”

Zita nodded, feeling all tingly inside. When had a man ever been so upset on her behalf? Never. And the fact that he was dismissing a famous actress made it even more meaningful.

Sage took a few more deep breaths.

“So, what’s the plan? What do you need me to do?”

“You’re doing it.”

Zita chuckled. “Sage, I’m not doing anything.”

“You are. You’re here with me. Letting me have a moment to control my irritation. You’re letting me hold you. You’re not freaking out that she’s here.”

Zita could feel herself blushing. Thank goodness the shadows were long out here, so he couldn’t see. “What do you think your friends are doing? Or saying?”