Billionaire Undaunted: The Billionaire's Obsession ~ Zane (4 page)

Ellie spent a lot of time sleeping the next few days. Her mom came to see her, and they had a very joyful but short reunion since her mother had a business to help run with her husband back in Montana. Knowing her sole parent had experienced more than her fair share of poverty in the past, the last thing Ellie wanted was for her ordeal to force her mom back into financial difficulties. Her mother still lived from day-to-day financially, never knowing how much the business was going to make that month. But Ellie was glad her mom had a warm home to sleep in, food on the table, and a husband who loved her. Her mom was finally happy, and Ellie didn’t want to do anything to take away that contentment.

Aileen, the Colter matriarch, was a frequent visitor, as were Tate and Lara Colter, Chloe’s youngest brother and his wife.

Chloe’s sister-in-law was in the process of setting up counseling sessions for Ellie with the same therapist that she’d recommended to Chloe, a Dr. Natalie Townson. Apparently, she was one of the best psychologists in the world for women with domestic abuse issues.

Ellie wasn’t sure how
domestic
her experience had been, but it had definitely been traumatic and violent. Even now, she could still see James’s evil face, hear his harsh, brutal words pushing their way into her head, and remember his powerful blows. It was hard to close her eyes without seeing him, remembering everything. Little by little, her time as a captive was all coming back to her. The images were vivid at times, so real that she struggled to convince herself she was safe.

Sometimes she wished the memories had stayed hidden or vague within her brain, but whether she liked it or not, she
was
remembering. Recently, her nightmares were so intense that she woke up terrified and gasping for breath. Luckily, she’d never made much noise during her bad dreams because Zane never woke up, though he slept in the other bed in her room every single night.

Some nights, she wanted to reach out to him, but stopped herself. She’d always taken care of herself. Maybe money was tight, but she’d managed, both emotionally and physically. It was important that she get back to where she was before: a self-sufficient woman who did just fine being alone. That meant she had to learn to deal with her own issues, even the nightmares.

During the busy days of visitors and treatments at the hospital, Ellie ate just like a woman who had been deprived of food for months. Starting off slow, she’d finally progressed to solid food, and she was constantly starving. Unfortunately, the hospital food left much to be desired, but she ate every single bite, her remembered fear of going hungry and thirsty still haunting her.

Zane’s constant presence was the only thing that made her feel safe. He was always around, always present. He slept in the bed next to her, his protective company easing some of the fear she felt when she woke up abruptly and was terrified. Just seeing him in a bed beside her was enough to calm herself down.

I can’t cling to him. I can’t get used to him being around.

She sighed as she turned off her Kindle, a gift from Zane to keep her from going stir-crazy, and set it beside the bed. Today had been quiet. Her mom had gone back to Montana, and no one had come to visit yet. Even Zane was strangely absent.

I can’t expect him to sit around here and baby me forever. He’s an important man with a very large company to run.

Just as the thought ran through her head, Zane came through the door, closing it behind him.

“What’s that?” She nodded to the enormous bag in his arms.

“Contraband,” he answered with a rare grin. “We both know hospital food sucks.”

Her breath hitched as she watched a mischievous look cross his irresistibly handsome face. When Zane smiled, it was nearly infectious. At least it was for her. He was always so serious that his naughty expression made her heart skitter and warmth spread through her entire body.

Ellie watched as he pulled out several large containers of Chinese food, then some junk food, and finally a bag of her favorite specialty chocolate. He pulled paper plates from the bag and loaded one up before he placed it in front of her with plastic utensils. “Eat,” he insisted as he dropped the candies next to her plate, and then pulled out a soda and opened it for her.

The smell of the Oriental cuisine made her mouth water. Chinese was her favorite. “How did you know?” He’d ordered her favorite dishes.

He hesitated before answering. “You and Chloe used to go for Chinese a lot. I figured you liked it.”

“And the candy?” It was her favorite, and she didn’t buy it often because it was pricey.

He shrugged. “It’s chocolate, right? You like chocolate. Or at least you did when we were younger.”

Ellie was convinced that it was his scientific mind that had led to a couple of very good educated guesses.

“That’s my favorite, too. Thank you.” Unable to wait any longer for her first decent meal in months, Ellie picked up her fork and prepared to dig into her food. “At least I won’t have to feel guilty about eating a ton of carbs and chocolate.”

Zane frowned at her. “Why would you feel that way at all?”

She rolled her eyes. “I used to be fat, Zane. If I keep eating like this, I’ll gain all that weight back.”

“Good. You were never fat. Eat,” he insisted.

She
had
been overweight, but she wasn’t right now, and she actually needed to put on some pounds, a novel experience for her since she had been chubby since she was a child. Being able to eat without guilt was the only bright spot in this otherwise nightmarish experience.

As she shoveled food into her mouth, she could feel Zane watching her, but when she looked at him, he looked away and started filling a plate for himself.

Between bites, she told him, “God, this is either really amazing food, or I’m so hungry that anything more edible than hospital food tastes good.”

“It’s good,” Zane confirmed, seating himself in a chair next to her bed and starting to eat. “It’s the best Asian food in the area. I’ve tried every one of them. It’s one of my favorites, too.”

Ellie watched him covertly as she ate, her heart flip-flopping just as it always did whenever she saw Zane. Now that he was her rescuer, it made her youthful infatuation spring to life again.

It’s hero worship. It has to be. Zane was responsible for saving my life. I absolutely am not really attracted to him.

Irritatingly, Ellie had to acknowledge that she wasn’t totally convinced her desire to devour
him
along with her food wasn’t all about the fact that Zane saved her.

Something about Zane Colter had always attracted her like a giant magnet. She’d never figured out whether it was because he was amazingly smart, or if it was the fact that he was the hottest guy she’d ever seen. His dark hair was a little too long, and occasionally some of those black tresses fell onto his forehead, making him seem more approachable. He had the trademark Colter eyes, gray and ever-changing in shade, depending on his mood.

She could say Zane was nice, but one would never know it.
She
knew because she was acquainted with him, but he was often distracted or quiet, not because he was a jerk, but because he simply had nothing to say.

Ellie was pretty sure he didn’t give a damn about status, or what kind of clothing he wore. Mostly, she’d seen him in jeans and flannel shirts. In the summer, he opted for a T-shirt. His big feet were usually in a pair of hiking boots, and his hair had no semblance of order or even a definitive cut.
Nope.
He definitely wasn’t a guy who spent a lot of time
trying
to look trendy. He never had been. Maybe that’s why she’d always liked him. He was naturally hotter than hell, but never acted like he knew it.

He had been as socially awkward as she had back in high school. While people said he was shy, she’d never seen him that way. Problem was, Zane was too smart to be happy having a conversation he thought was irrelevant. He’d been too busy trying to figure out every scientific mystery that existed on the planet. Most other high school guys had just wanted to get laid.

“I’m stuffed,” she groaned as she pushed her plate back.

He looked up from his plate. “You hardly ate anything.”

“My stomach is smaller,” she informed him.

“You’re too skinny,” he replied gruffly.

Ellie laughed. “I’ve never had that problem before.” She was still thin, but now that she was being pumped full of nutrition and hydrated, it probably wouldn’t take long for her to gain weight. It never did.

She smiled at him, liking the fact that he was blunt and always said whatever he was thinking. His words were rarely censored, and he didn’t seem to care whether they were tactful or not.

“They’re going to let you go home in a few days. I thought we could go to my house in Denver, but it’s a media circus outside. I think you’d be safer in Rocky Springs. My property there is secure, and if they set one foot on Colter land, they’ll be arrested. We can take off from the helipad on the roof.”

“Zane, I can’t go home with you. I’ll stay with Aileen for a while if I need to, try to figure out what I’m going to do. You’ve already lost enough time trying to find me and then taking care of me. I’m going to have to get my shit together pretty fast.”

“You’re staying with me, even if I have to toss you over my shoulder and take you to my house. Mom’s home isn’t secure. Hell, she doesn’t even have an alarm system. My property is fenced. I have a small lab there, and it needed to be secure.” He took her plate and started to finish off her food after dumping his own empty dish into the garbage.

“My apartment—”

“It’s been rented. All of your stuff was sent to my house, and the furniture was put in storage.”

Ellie’s heart sank. “I didn’t think my landlady would evict me.”

In a kinder voice, Zane answered, “Nobody believed you were even alive anymore, Ellie. You were gone seven months. She didn’t exactly evict you.”

You believed it, or you wouldn’t have kept searching.
Ellie still wondered why Zane had kept searching when even the police had given up hope of finding her alive.

She sighed and started plucking at the white blanket nervously. “I suppose. Life moved on without me.”

“Not for everybody. And never for me,” Zane told her in a graveled voice as he dumped her now-empty plate and opened the bag of candy.

“Why didn’t you and Chloe give up? Why didn’t you just assume I was dead or gone?” Ellie knew Zane was analytical and realistic. He was a scientist. After seven months gone, the likelihood of him finding her alive had been pretty much nil. A brain that was as rational as Zane’s should have told him to quit looking.

He pinned her with his intense stare, his eyes smoky and dark. He took one of the chocolates he’d unwrapped and held it to her mouth.

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.

T
wo 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.

As the aircraft started up, she asked him curiously, “Can you really pilot this thing?”
Didn’t most rich guys have a pilot?

He shrugged. “Of course. It makes it more efficient to get around. I have a pilot for my jet, but I generally fly myself in the helicopter and small planes. I might not be the hotshot pilot that Tate is, but I’m competent enough.” He started doing checks, and communicating with what she assumed was some kind of air traffic control center.

Ellie had no doubt Zane was skilled at everything he did. When they finally lifted off, her stomach felt like it had dropped to her feet. “Oh, God. I’ve never flown before.” She put a hand to her belly.

“Are you going to be okay?” His voice sounded concerned.

When they leveled off, Ellie’s fear started to drift away as she looked down at the scenery below after they left the Denver metro area. “Yeah. I mean, I’m not going to get sick or anything. This is just…different.”

“Hang in there. It’s not that long by helicopter.”

“Take your time,” she said breathlessly, overwhelmed by the experience of viewing Colorado from so high up. “It’s kind of amazing.”

“You’ve really never flown before? Not even in a commercial plane?”

“No. I’ve never been out of Colorado.” Honestly, she’d never gone far from her hometown. “When things got really bad and I was sure I was going to die, one of my regrets was that I never got to see much outside of Rocky Springs.”

“What other regrets did you have?” he asked hoarsely.

That I never got to kiss you!

Ellie wasn’t about to reveal all of the epiphanies she’d had when she thought her time on Earth was done. “Lots of things. It’s strange what you think about when you suddenly realize how little you’ve done in your life, and you’re pretty sure you’re going to die.”

“What?” he persisted.

Ellie sighed. “I was just starting a small side business when James abducted me. It wasn’t doing a lot, but it was slowly growing. I was sorry I hadn’t started it earlier so I could see how people liked my products.” She paused before adding, “And I’ve never really been in love, or had a guy who was crazy enough about me to actually romance me.” She’d never gotten flowers or even a romantic dinner. “And I’ve never been kissed so passionately that I could forget the rest of the world and come out of it breathless,” she admitted reluctantly.

“You’ve dated,” Zane argued.

“Some,” she conceded. “But it was all pretty casual. I was overweight, so I wasn’t exactly attractive enough to turn many heads, and the guys who wanted to go out with me got bored pretty quickly. I don’t exactly lead an exciting life, and I was usually more interested in working on my new business than going out.”

“You’ve always been beautiful, Ell. What kind of business?”

There was that intimate nickname again, and his casual comment about how she looked surprised her.

“Just a little online thing. I make candles, essential oils, lotions, and soaps. I dabble a little with personal fragrances, but most of it revolves around aromatherapy.” She looked out the window, noticing that they were getting into areas with sparser populations, and she was awed by the view of the snow-covered peaks of the front range of the Rocky Mountains. Even though she saw them all the time, they looked different from the air.

“You believe in the healing powers of scents?”

Ellie couldn’t tell if Zane was laughing at her or just curious. “To a point,” she answered honestly. “I don’t think it’s actually a cure for diseases, but I think certain scents can affect moods and create a sense of well-being. It’s something I’ve been interested in for years, and everything I know is from self-study. But I love making the products. I love making people feel…happier.”

“You did all that from that tiny apartment?” Zane started to descend once he reached the valleys in between the peaks.

“Yeah. It wasn’t easy. I’m pretty sure all of my supplies and equipment are gone now.”

“They will be at my house,” he assured her. “Nothing got thrown away.”

“I’m sure I got hammered in emails by a few customers since there were some orders that I didn’t deliver since I was…” She swallowed hard. “Unavailable.”

Zane expertly maneuvered the aircraft onto the small airstrip and set them gently down on the ground.

“Everything will be okay,” he said confidently. “Give it time, Ellie.”

She pulled off her headphones, wondering how Zane always seemed to know what she was thinking. Her insecurity must be showing, because she still felt lost. And for some odd reason, Zane seemed to sense it.

Someone must have dropped off his vehicle, because he shifted her directly from the seat of the helicopter into a black SUV.

Reflexively, she briefly flinched as he swept her into his strong arms, a knee-jerk reaction that she hadn’t been able to completely lose when anybody touched her. Her heart lurched as she relaxed and put her arms around his neck, her face so close to him that she could get drunk on his masculine scent. “I am capable of walking, you know,” she told him nervously. The feel of his powerful body cradling her in his arms felt way too good, way too safe.

He scowled down at her. “In those flimsy shoes? Not happening.”

What she was wearing was little more than slippers, but there was no snow on the runway.

She didn’t argue as he put her in the passenger seat of his SUV as some guy she didn’t know came jogging out of a hangar to take care of the helicopter. Most likely, he was an employee. Since she had spent zero time at the airfield on Colter land, she wasn’t sure.

Zane’s vehicle was running and warm, and Ellie was starting to get overheated from the layers of clothing Zane had insisted she wear because it was a cold day. She pulled the hat off her head and unwrapped the scarf around her neck, placing both items in her lap before unzipping her down jacket. They were all items Zane had brought with him to take her home.

Zane slid into the driver’s seat and quickly closed the door. “We’ll be home shortly. Are you okay?”

“Fine,” she reassured him. “But I don’t really have a home anymore.”

“You have mine,” Zane growled as he put the vehicle in motion. “You don’t have to be so damn stubborn. It’s the safest place for you to be right now.”

“I’m not trying to be stubborn or morose. It’s just really disorienting to know I really have nowhere to go that’s actually mine anymore. Can’t you understand that?”

“Yes. It’s understandable. But it’s one thing you really don’t need to consider right now. You’ll get better, and then you can take on the world.”

Ellie sat back in the seat, knowing she was going to have to accept her temporary home with Zane. Obviously his family was in agreement with his plan, and had cooperated so he could get what he wanted. Although she was angry because Zane was so highhanded, she was still grateful that he cared enough to open his home to her. How many busy, rich guys would make the time for her that Zane had?
Why
he was taking so much time and effort for her she still didn’t understand, but she couldn’t just discard his kindness. “Thank you.”

“It’s no trouble. I have to be here for the rest of the holidays, and I have a small lab here where I can work.”

“You work here, too?”

“Yeah. Mostly personal projects, things that are going to take ongoing study and replication.”

“Like what?” she asked curiously. “Do you like what you’re doing? I know you were obsessed with changing the world with science when we were younger. Are you still?”

Zane shrugged. “Pretty much. But I was pretty naïve, even when I was in college. I didn’t realize how much crap can go along with science.”

“What?” Scientific study had always been Zane’s life. Ellie had never heard him talk about the downside.

“Irresponsible studies. Bullshit reports. Some places putting out supposed scientific studies without enough evidence and no replication. No real control groups and not big enough groups to even be accurate. So many scientific studies are badly conducted just for sensationalism or monetary gain. Just because a single test on mice or rats shows something that’s a possibility doesn’t mean it’s always true for humans, but the media will blow it up until everything is skewed to be taken as the truth.”

“But businesses want to be profitable, I suppose,” Ellie mused, touched by how seriously Zane took his profession.

“My lab is very profitable, but it can be profitable and ethical at the same time,” Zane said adamantly.

“So my being at your home won’t really make you wish you could be at your main lab because you have one set up at home?”

“Even if I didn’t, my priority is to see you recover. Nobody deserves what happened to you. And you were completely faultless. Wrong place at the wrong damn time.”

“Why are you doing all of this? I don’t understand,” she finally asked. “It’s not like we’ve seen much of each other since you graduated from high school. We really aren’t friends.”

“Because I want to,” he answered enigmatically.

“Why?” She leaned her head back against the headrest, feeling both emotionally and physically tired.

“
You
may not consider
me
your friend, but I’ve never stopped thinking of
you
as
mine.
You’ve helped me in the past. You never treated me differently in high school even though I was a weird science nerd. You helped me organize some of my high school research projects, and you were always nice to me. I never stopped being your friend just because I moved away,” he said huskily.

Ellie’s heart melted as she sensed the insecurity in his words. Zane had been a loner when he was a teen, mostly because he was more interested in science than people. But not many of the kids at school had really gotten to know him. Deep inside, Zane had been a kind, quirky, intelligent adolescent, and as he matured, he obviously hadn’t changed. Granted, he’d become a lot bossier and determined to have his way. But the heart of the young man she’d known hadn’t really altered.

“I never stopped thinking of you as a friend, either,” she admitted, knowing she had thought about him a lot more than she should have over the years. “You were always nice to me, too, even though I was overweight and not very popular in high school. It meant a lot to me.”