“Keep it,” I say, shrugging it off my shoulders as I stride toward the front door. I’ve just reached for the handle—my breath frantic as I wrap my fingers around the steel—when Blair calls out.
“I need you, Zane.” Her pleading voice freezes me in place, and my shoulders drop in resignation. I haveneverbeen able to deny her when she begs, and she knows that.
I inhale deeply but don’t turn around. I’m not sure she realizes what she’s asking. That bringing up S— I flinch, my head aching at the thought of her name. Bringing up mysisteris likely to break me, and I’m not sure either of us is equipped for that.
“You said you had alcohol, right?” I ask, still unable to face her.
“I did.”
“Fine.” I turn to find her sympathetic gaze locked on mine and it makes me feel worse. “Where do you want to do this?”
“My bedroom?” Her voice shakes. “You know, in case Cade and Jenna come back?”
“Good idea. Lead the way.”
I swallow the lump in my throat and gesture for her to go first, since I have no fucking clue which room is hers, and Blair hesitates for a beat before pointing in the opposite direction.
“The kitchen is through there. Why don’t you get a bottle of something out of the cabinet above the fridge. I’m going to get changed.”
“No.”
“No?”
“Keep the pajamas on.”
“Why?”
“Because if you’re getting something out of me, I deserve something in return.”
“And that’s me in my pajamas?”
“Skimpy, silk pajamas. And yes.” Honestly, her being naked and vulnerable would actually put us on a more even playing field, but I’m not that harsh, so I’ll take the pajamas.
A little crease forms between Blair’s brows as she contemplates my request, and after a beat, she smiles knowingly. “Okay.” She brushes past me, seemingly on the way to the kitchen while my mind runs wild.What the fuck does she know?
She’s barely gone a minute, and when she returns, balancing the alcohol, sprite and glasses in hand, I’m still in the same spot she left me, lost and confused. Which is apparently fucking hilarious because Blair bursts out laughing. “Oh, Zane. I promise I won’t go too hard on you.” She brushes her thumb across my cheek, but that’s not where I feel her touch. I feel iteverywhere.
My cock twitches at her proximity, and I run her words back through my mind. I would love for her to go hard on me. But down, boy… that’s not what she meant. Far from it. But once again, my brain is trying to protect me.
“Lead the way,” I say again, and when she does this time, I regret it. Her silk shorts are so tiny the curve of her ass pokes out from the bottom, teasing me.
And if I didn’t know it already, I know it now…
This talk is going to be hell.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Blair
My arm shakes, a nervous energy coursing through me, as I hold the door open for Zane. I smile through it, pretending I’m okay, and gesture for him to enter. “You can sit wherever you like; make yourself comfortable.”
There’s really only two options—the bed or the leather armchair by the window—and no matter which he chooses, I’m taking the other one. I need to put some distance between us.
Zane takes the bottles from my hand as he walks past me, his expression telling me he sees through my veil, and my shaky arm turns into a full-body shiver. We’ve been this close since reconnecting, but having him in my space—albeit my temporary space—feels much more intimate.
When Cade first told me that Zane was on his way, a sea of emotions raged through me. First came the anger.“Tell him to fuck off, Cade. He can’t just show up whenever he feels like it.”Next came the denial.“I don’t want to see him. He’s the last person I need right now.”Followed by the reasoning and begging.“Can’t you see this is a bad idea? Please convince himnot to come.”And finally, the resolve.“Maybe seeing him won’t be such a bad thing. Maybe seeing him one last time will help me come to terms with everything that happened.”
In the short space of a few minutes, I’d convinced myself that it was going to bethateasy to move on from my past. That I’d be able to start fresh again. Whether I took the job near San Francisco or went back to Jacksonville. Hell, I could move somewhere completely different. I’ve always dreamt of an apartment in New York City.
