Page 64 of The Doctor

“So, she and Paulo…”

He nodded, his cheek rubbing against mine. “He’s loved her since they were nothing but kids.”

“But they were both married.”

Still holding my hand, Zee pointed to the solid line between Paulo and Summer O’Brien, his ex-wife and the mother of his daughter, Queenie. “Summer showed up pregnant with his child, and Nadia’s uncle”—he moved his hand along the line—“sent her away to Italy.”

“Why?”

Zee shrugged, somehow gathering me in his arms as he did. He pressed a kiss to the side of my head. “You want my opinion?”

My smile split my face, and I turned in his arms. “Of course, I do.”

He cupped my cheek with his palm, then ran his thumb over the corner of my lips. His eyes stayed locked there while he said, “He didn’t want a member of his family messing things up with the big man on top.”

I tilted my head to the side, not to press my face into his palm, but because the words he said didn’t make sense to me. Not with the rest of that family tree. Not with the secrets Zee had divulged by simply writing down the proper lineage for me to see.

But Zeno didn’t take my head-tilt as curiosity and questions. He leaned forward, actively pressing his lips to mine for the first time since we’d made love.

I would have stayed there, controlled by his kiss forever, if he hadn’t pulled away.

“Come on.” Zee strung his fingers between mine. “Let’s go pick them up and get them settled.”

Zeno’s affection was tempered the moment we arrived at the airport. Not once did he hold my hand or put a hand on my back to guide me along. He was attentive, of course. He’d been overly so since that night. But it was more like how he monitored my moods and watched me take my meds than how he’d made sure I orgasmed before he did.

Even with the meds stabilizing me, I still felt a scratching at the back of my head. I didn’t like it, and I’d learned from years of dealing with it that it wouldn’t be long before it became too much.

I just hoped whatever I ended up doing wouldn’t hurt the tenuous peace that Zeno and I had fallen into.

“Zeno? Is that you?”

Zee turned, bumping my shoulder with his. That brought the grand total of times he touched me at the airport up to… one.

“Nadia?” His face broke into a gorgeous smile bright enough to make the blazing sun outside look dim.

Immediately, he opened his arms, and my stomach dropped when he pulled the beautiful woman into a long embrace.

I wanted that.

I wanted his hug. His touch. His hug. His touch. His—

Stop it! I screamed inside my head. Stop it, stop it, stop it!

My mind swirled and spun, and I drummed my fingers on my collarbone five times.

Then five more.

And five more.

“Clara?” Zee’s hand upon my back startled me right out of my mind and tossed me back into the middle of the airport corridor.

I was surprised not to find myself knocked on my ass.

“You okay, kid?”

My face twitched into a smile, but I shook my head. “I’m sorry, what was that?”

Zeno pursed his lips. Then, taking my arm with the caution you’d give someone who’d lost their mind, he tugged me his way.