“So forget it.”
“Thanks.” Zac stood up and began tucking the bottom of his shirt into his trousers. He felt disheveled. “You’ll repay the favor next time you come Down Under, no doubt.”
“No doubt.” He looked at his friend. “You okay to drive?”
The corner of Zac’s mouth lifted. “You’re concerned for me or your Porsche?”
Adam chuckled and slouched back in the chair again. “The Porsche, of course. I’ve only got two automobiles. And with Cassie driving you all around the place I’m not sure you’re used to driving on the right side of the road.”
“You mean the wrong side, don’t you?”
“Buddy, no matter what side, I figure it’s easier to get another friend than replace one of my precious cars.”
Zac knew they were back to normal. “I’m touched.”
“Yeah, in the head.”
Zac laughed.
Adam laughed but then frowned, looking somewhat absentmindedly now. Then, as if an idea had clicked inside him, he sat up straighter. “Listen, perhaps I could take Erin off your hands and show her the sights? It’ll keep her busy so she doesn’t have time to think about you and Cassie.”
“Lend her a shoulder to cry on, you mean?”
Adam shrugged. “Sure. Why not?”
Zac’s hands stilled briefly. It was a good suggestion but why was his usually happy-go-lucky friend not so happy-go-lucky right now? Adam was always the life of the party. They both were, usually.
He looked at his broad-shouldered friend. “You think those wide shoulders of yours can handle it?” he joked but tempted to see just how much Adam’s sense of humor was missing.
As if back to normal, Adam’s mouth began to twitch with amusement. “Why? Jealous?”
Him jealous of Adam’s shoulders? “No way, mate. I have a set of my own.” And they weren’t too bad looking, if he said so himself.
His friend grinned, but he had a light in his eyes that made Zac wonder if he’d been talking deeper here. Had Adam meant Zac himself was being jealous about Erin and Adam together? Crazy! Erin was a one-man woman. Or had been. She wouldn’t even look at Adam. Of course, the same couldn’t be said about Adam. He liked women. Lots of them.
“About Erin,” Zac began, feeling like he had to protect her, like she was a kid sister or something. “You’d better be careful how you handle her. She’s vulnerable right now and might take any sympathy as something more serious.” He paused. “You wouldn’t want her on the rebound, now would you?”
The smile left Adam’s face and his brows drew together. “I never thought of that.”
“Then perhaps you should,” Zac warned, hoping he’d put an end to any carnal thoughts his friend may entertain about Erin. The last thing his ex-fiancée needed was a womanizer like Adam playing with her emotions.
The other man looked up at him wryly, as if he’d realized what Zac was doing. “Shouldn’t you be on your way to Cassie’s?”
Zac grimaced inwardly. Adam had always been a hard one to fool. “What? Oh yeah, sure.” He scooped up the car keys from the coffee table. “She probably thinks I’ve deserted her.”
“Buddy, watch out if she opens the door with a pair of scissors in her hand.”
Zac gave a slight smile. “Don’t worry. I’m wearing my armor-plated boxer shorts.” He went to walk to the door, then stopped. “Listen, about Erin…”
Adam waved a dismissive hand. “I’ll look after her. You just concentrate on Cassie. She’s your woman now.”
Scowling, Zac shut the door behind him and left the apartment. He suddenly felt irritable with his friend. Adam seemed to assume that just because he was involved with Cassie, he needn’t care about Erin. And that simply wasn’t true. Erin held a special place in his heart. She always would. A place Adam could never supersede.
* * *
Once his buddy left to go to Cassie’s, Adam turned off the lamp and sat in the dark, cursing himself for giving too much away. He’d been in love with Erin forever, or so it seemed, and if Zac knew that he’d probably punch him in the mouth.
Not that Erin had ever given him any encouragement. He’d taken one look at her on a trip Down Under a few years back and had fallen like the proverbial ton of bricks. Yet it had been a hopeless, one-sided love from the beginning. And it hurt. To compensate he’d thrown himself into dating more women than ever before, never allowing himself to get emotionally involved. Hell, he couldn’t have gotten emotionally involved with another woman even if he’d wanted to. His heart belonged to Erin Dempsey. And she’d been his friend’s fiancée, for God’s sake. He’d known nothing could ever come of it, not even after she and Zac split. She’d gone off to get her life in order, and if that made her happy, then he was happy for her.
Hell, he could have lost her altogether in that accident! Thank God Zac’s mother hadn’t told him about it until after it was all over and Erin was out of hospital and on the mend. Otherwise he’d have been on that plane to Sydney like the lovesick fool he was.
Would he have her on the rebound? Sure he would. He’d have her any way he could. And now she was here in his apartment, and she was free, and he’d just taken the pitiful step of telling Zac he’d show her the sights of Chicago so he could be close to her. And if Zac knew he had the hots for her, Adam was sure his friend would be madly jealous. After all, there was this friendly rivalry thing between them. By fair means or foul they’d both tried to outdo the other when it came to girls.
Except now they weren’t talking about women…
One woman…
And Adam still wasn’t sure Zac wouldn’t want Erin just to be able to win the girl, no matter how much he was involved with Cassie.
Just then, a light filtered down from the hallway as the spare bedroom door opened. A second or two later, the lady in question entered the living room and padded across the carpet toward the kitchen, wrapped in a shroud of moonlight.
Adam’s heart jumped inside his chest as his gaze slid over her clinging t-shirt and baggy pajama bottoms. His hands itched to cup average-sized breasts that were far from average, and a pert little butt that would know how to tease a man.
And it was all for Zac.
Sudden anger rose inside him. She was only humiliating herself now by throwing herself at her ex-fiancé. “You’re wasting your time,” he said, just as she was reaching up to open a cupboard.
She spun around. “Wh… what?”
He flicked the lamp switch, then decided he would have been kinder to himself to have left it off. “Zac’s gone out.”
She blinked in the light and lifted her hand to shade her eyes a little. “I was only getting a drink of water.”
He swallowed hard at the sight of dark nipples shown clearly beneath the white stretch material of her top. What would they be like to suck? “Yeah, right.”
She stiffened, but her eyes were more than a little confused. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He didn’t want to hurt her, but someone had to make her see sense. It was obvious Zac hadn’t been able to. “Erin, as sexy as you look right now, Zac’s involved with Cassie.”
A glazed despair spread over her face. “I know about Cassie, but why…” Her eyes widened as she looked down at herself. “Oh. You think I came out here dressed like this deliberately.”
“Didn’t you?” he rasped, knowing he was being mean to the woman he loved but unable to stop himself.
Her chin lifted. “No, I didn’t. I told you. I wanted a glass of water.”
“There’s water in the bathroom.” This was crazy. He’d always acted friendly toward her, in a neutral sort of way.
“But is there a glass?” she quipped sarcastically, and without warning all his anger disappeared as quickly as it had come.
His lips began to twitch. “Yeah, but it’s got a pair of false teeth in it.”
There was a moment’s silence before her shoulders relaxed and the corners of her mouth curved a little, as if pleased they were
back to normal. “Yours?”
“No. I keep mine beside my bed.”
She giggled, then, “Are you always so protective of your water?” she teased, her Australian accent sexy enough to eat.
“Only when a beautiful women’s involved,” he murmured before he could stop himself. He held his breath. Would she realize…
“I’m not beauti…” Her face screwed up. “Zac doesn’t think I’m beautiful anymore,” she moaned, and burst into tears.
Swearing under his breath, Adam jumped to his feet, strode over and pulled her into his arms. “Sure he does,” he said, shushing her. “But he’s involved with Cassie. You have to accept that.”
“I’m trying to, but…” She took a shuddering breath. “We had such fun together back in Sydney, Zac and I. And now it’s all gone wrong.”
Adam had to squash a spurt of jealousy. “You had fun with me too, didn’t you?”
She pulled back and looked up into his face, her beautiful eyes awash with tears. “Ye..yes.”
“Then why don’t you let me show you around my hometown? We can have fun too.” Christ, he was pathetic.
Her frown said she hadn’t considered what she’d do now. “Er… I’m not sure. I was thinking I might head back home, instead of staying and going back with Zac.”
“Don’t you dare,” he growled, not wanting to let her out of his sight now. Surely he was entitled to some compensation for being in love with her for so long? “You’ve got to stay and play tourist.”
She bit her lip. “I suppose so.”
“Don’t put yourself out!” he snapped, hurt.
She winced. “Sorry.”
He forced himself to recover quickly. “I’ll forgive you, but only if you let me take you to lunch tomorrow.” He remembered what time it was now. “Or should I say today.”
She stared at him for a moment too long. “That would be nice,” she said, a strange look in her eye that didn’t tell him a thing but made his heart jump a beat anyway.
“Terrific.” He dropped his arms and let her go before she realized his body had hardened even more at the touch of her, at the fresh scent of her. She smelled of soap.
His soap.
God, had she run that slippery bar all over her pearly skin? Had it touched places on her body that had touched his?
“Adam?”
He swallowed. “Um… yes?”
“Thank you,” she said huskily, and went back to the bedroom without getting the water she’d wanted.
Adam watched her leave and suddenly he knew that there was something - no matter how small on her part - between them. And he knew then that he couldn’t - wouldn’t - let her go back to Australia without giving a good ol’ college try to win her heart. And if Zac decided he wanted her back after all? Tough. He didn’t believe Zac loved Erin anymore anyway. Not after the way he’d been acting over Cassie lately.
No, it was time for him to take a stand for the woman he loved.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The buzzing of the doorbell woke Cassie from a restless sleep at one-thirty in the morning. She knew straight away who it was, but she wasn’t feeling particularly friendly right now, not after waiting half the night for him to drop by. She was tempted not to open the door but Zac wasn’t the type of guy to give up so easily. Besides, Mitzy was yapping and would wake up the building.
Heartsore, she wrapped herself in a bathrobe, quickly grabbed Mitzy, and made her way down the hallway just as the doorbell rang again. It was time to play the game out. Time for them both to get on with their lives.
Separately.
She took a deep breath and thrust open the door, determined to put on a brave face. And it was as well she steeled herself. He looked gorgeous, his jaw shadowed by a day-old beard, a lock of dark hair falling over a high forehead, his wrinkled shirt and creased trousers more than a match for each other.
He looked like a man who’d tumbled straight out of bed
- and the arms of his ex-fiancée - to come here and get something off his mind. She’d been through this with Steve and would be foolish not to know the signs.
Turning, she walked down the hallway. “I’ve been expecting you,” she said coldly.
Silence, then a moment later she heard the door close behind her. Once in the kitchen she put Mitzy in her crate, then turned to face him and waited for him to speak. He owed her an explanation.
“Can we talk?” he said, standing in the doorway as if he wasn’t quite sure he should come in further.
“As friends?” she snapped, still stung by his comment to Erin that they were only friends.
He winced. “No, as friends and lovers.”
She crossed her arms. “You told Erin we were friends.”
“We are.” He paused and shot her a questioning look. “Aren’t we?”
She didn’t feel very “friendly” toward him right now. “You wanted her to believe that’s all we were.”
He sighed. “I know but --”
She tried not to react to the growing pain. “At least you can admit it,” she cut across him.
He stiffened. “I didn’t want to hurt her, okay?”
“Yet it was all right to hurt me?”
“No!” He took a few steps into the room, then stopped. “I didn’t want to hurt you at all, but she would have been humiliated in front of everyone.”
“And what about my humiliation, Zac? You don’t think I felt embarrassed in front of Leon and Adam?” Oddly enough, saying the words out loud made her feel selfish. Naturally she wouldn’t have wanted the other woman to be embarrassed. And certainly Erin’s humiliation would have been far worse than her own.
But then she remembered this wasn’t only about Zac saying she was merely a friend. This man had gone back to his old girlfriend without giving her the benefit of saying a proper goodbye.
That meant he cheated on her.
Just like Steve.
Her lips tightened. “Is that why you welcomed her with open arms, Zac? So she wouldn’t be humiliated?”
He swore softly but there was a helpless look in his eyes that caught her attention. “What else was I supposed to do, Cassie? Tell her to back off until I got permission from my new girlfriend?” He ran his fingers through his already messed hair. “Look, I’m sorry. I was hoping you’d understand.”
Cassie had just started to see where he was coming from -– until he said that. He sounded so like Steve. “Don’t try and twist things around and make me out to the bad guy in all this, Zac.”
“No one’s the bad guy.” He shot her a considering look. “Anyway, why are you ready to believe the worst of me?”
Ignoring his question, she tilted her head at him. “Answer me this, Zac. Did Erin spend the last few hours in your bed?”
Surprised flashed in his eyes and there was a slight hesitation before he answered. “Yes.”
She’d thought she was prepared to hear the truth, but the pain that ripped through her made her sway. She didn’t see him coming but suddenly she was pulled into his arms.
“But I wasn’t in it with her,” he said fiercely, giving her a little shake.
She wanted to believe him so much. She blinked and stared into his eyes. “You look like you just got out of bed.”
“I slept on the couch. I’ve been waiting for Adam to come home from his date so I could come here and explain. I didn’t want to leave Erin in the apartment by herself.”
She could feel herself melting in his arms. Could it really be true? “So… nothing’s going on between you and Erin?”
“No. I’ve told her I’m involved with you.”
Oh, she so wanted to believe him - and she did - but there was something going on here that she couldn’t put her finger on. Perhaps he was just feeling guilty? Yes, that was probably it.
Relief washed over her. “How did she take it?”
His eyes filled with what looked like remorse. “She was a bit upset at first, but she seemed to accept it fairly quickly.”
> Poor Erin. She’d come all this way only to be told it had been a waste of time. Cassie could easily understand Erin’s pain. And Zac’s guilt. Still… “You couldn’t have called to tell me nothing was going on between the two of you, instead of leaving me to think the worst?”
He sent her a wary glance. “Would you have believed me over the phone?”
She pulled a face. “Probably not.”
“See.” He tucked some strands of her hair behind one ear. “Besides, I had some thinking to do.”
All at once she felt nervous. Really nervous. Despite everything, was he going to say he preferred Erin after all?
“Aren’t you going to ask me what about?” he said, watching her.
Her throat turned dry. “Do I need to know?”
“I was thinking about where we’re heading.”
Why? Was the guilt over Erin getting to him? And was it enough to send him back to his ex-fiancée? If so, what could she do about it? Did she even want to try? There was nothing more humiliating for a woman than to cling to a man who didn’t want her. That was another thing she’d learned from experience. No doubt Erin had learned the same thing tonight too, if Zac had managed to convince his ex-fiancée he really didn’t want to go back to her. Right now Cassie wasn’t so sure. If Zac had doubts, surely Erin had picked up on them?
“Nothing to say?” he asked, watching her.
Apprehensively, her gaze dropped to his chest. She didn’t want to give too much away about her thoughts just now. She may well be paranoid. “Zac, it’s late.”
He sighed. “You’re right. I should be getting back to Erin.”
Erin.
Not Adam’s.
So he did have an attack of the guilts.
She suddenly had the feeling she might not see him again. The thought made her panic. She wanted to be in his arms. She needed to have him hold her against him. Feel his heart beneath his own. Make them one. “Come to bed with me, Zac. Let’s make love.”
His blue eyes pinned her to him. “You’re doing an Ethel again and hiding behind sex.”
“Am I?” Didn’t he understand this wasn’t about sex? It was about being with him.
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