“Your fiancée made me wear this,” she said. “You know how she is. She won't let me.”
“You think she'll let me? She dressed me too.”
Oh, Kira knew someone not very innocent was behind this shirt. That explained it all.
“You'll just have to control yourself,” Zayne said. “I can't say I changed because my cousin can't stop staring.”
“I did not stare!”
The look on his face told her that he definitely saw her looking. Heat spiked in her chest. Couldn't he be oblivious for once?
“Listen, you arrogant jerk. I just don't want to see all this.” She waved her hand over his torso. “Because you're so stupid and ridiculous.”
“That doesn't even make sense.”
“And I'm offended by sluttiness.”
“Obviously, you're not.”
Kira gasped. “Did you just call me a slut?”
“No, but you called me one.”
“You did too. What else could that mean?”
“Fine. Your skirt is slutty and short. Happy?”
Kira moved closer, brows twisting. “Take it back. It's cute.”
“And slutty.”
They both frowned at each other, standing closer than she first realized. Kira focused so intently on his face to keep from looking at his shirt, and her heart beat out of control, wondering if he did the same thing to her skirt. Hoping he did and yet hoping he didn't. Wanting his admiration but being too scared of the pain of not having it.
“Yeah,” Zayne said, voice gravelly. He turned away, ripping the towel off the counter. “I take it all back. It's not true.” Quickly drying his hands, he practically vanished from the room.
What just happened?
Kira leaned against the counter and groaned before picking up a dish to pummel it with the sponge. Ten minutes of cleaning the dishes alone didn't alleviate her stress. And everyone else went outside. So, she begrudgingly followed even though Zayne first suggested it, and she didn't want to do anything he told her to do.
Luxurious padding covered the stone pathway, littered with plush pillows that ranged from tiny to bigger than Kira. Small tables were built into the padding, and two telescopes were positioned at the edge of the courtyard.
“What do you think?” Mellie lifted her hands.
She'd decorated the perimeter around the padding with strings of flowers hanging from creamy lights. Kira couldn't believe all this work went into one night of looking at the stars.
“Zayne told me he needed to work, but I said if he didn't come we had to spend the whole weekend at my parents' cabin in the mountains.” Mellie giggled. “He'd do anything to get out of that.”
“It's very luxurious.”
She leaned into Kira, eyes on Brock. “I know he's not the man you had the one perfect night with, but he's very sweet, and you should think about it.”
A rush of blood thrummed in her temples. When she told Mellie about that night, neither of them knew it was actually Zayne. She noticed him talking with his mom in the darkness.
Now Kira realized it was the other woman's fiancé, while she had no idea. What a mess.
Mellie hugged Kira's arm. “Oh, and you were right. I shouldn't worry about Zayne. He made me breakfast this morning just like he used to. I need to give him time is all.”
Swallowing hard, she nodded. “That's really good, Mellie.” Then she walked toward Brock, if for nothing else than to escape hearing about them waking up in the morning together to have breakfast. Sharing a bed and life.
