Page 57 of Ruin Me Sweetly

“Vegan?”

“Yes, it’s a food choice where people don’t consume animal products. Some may consider it a lifestyle.”

Silence.

The car moved.

“Well played,” he muttered.

I smiled as he drove up the driveway.

Zach’s Audi was parked up. He was home for the May half-term break. We’d had so much fun at Easter.

“Zach’s mum came to my office again,” Luke said, parking the car beside Amber’s.

I was banned from driving mine for the time being.

“What did she want this time?”

He sighed.

“Money, publicity, and my dick.”

I gasped and turned to face him.

“Hey, my dick is one hundred percent yours. She’s banned from all Newbury Global Technologies buildings. She reminded me of Sadie.”

“How on earth does she think you owe her anything?”

“She tried to say it was a business loan, and when I said no, she asked if I could open some doors for her in the media. That’s when she tried to come on to me.”

“What the hell?”

“I didn’t punch her, like she claimed. It was more of a gentle push. It wasn’t my fault she was wearing inappropriate shoes.”

And it just kept getting worse.

I groaned into my hands.

“Should I tell Zach?” he asked quietly.

I lowered my hands and unclipped my belt to kiss my husband on the cheek.

“He cut her off. Leave it. He doesn’t need to know. It will just embarrass him.”

He nodded, and his face cleared.

“You should have pushed her harder, though,” I muttered, opening the door.

He chuckled as he came around to help me out of the car like a toddler.

Chapter 28

Luke

Amber was in her room studying, and Isabella had dozed off on the couch, but the surprising thing was that Zach still sat with us in the living room. The television murmured on in the background, the volume low, and it was strangely nice just sharing a beer with him.

He could have gone anywhere in the house—there was a games room, a home theatre, an entire wing he’d barely explored—but he’d stayed here, feet propped on the coffee table, the lamp beside him casting a warm amber glow over the room as the light outside faded to full dark.