Zane (Alluring Indulgence)

by Nicole Edwards

  V nodded her agreement, afraid that if she so much as inhaled deeply, she’d break down. She couldn’t afford to break down. There was too much to think about. And she fully intended to think. Later. Much, much later.

  “I’m going to follow you until just outside of town. I want you to call me when you get to your mother’s.” Beau took a step closer, then pulled her up against him in a hug so fierce, it threatened her resolve in an instant.

  “He loves you, V. I’ve never seen him love someone that way before.”

  The tears began streaming down her face, but V held back the sobs. She wrapped her arms around Beau’s trim waist and buried her face in his chest for just a minute. When she managed to dry up the water works, she took a step back and reached for her suitcases. Before she could get them, Beau hefted them both in one hand and carried them out the front door.

  V hurried through the rest of the house, shutting off the lights and grabbing her purse and her keys. Just when she thought she’d have to face the terror of her front porch alone, Beau was back, taking the keys from her hand and helping her the rest of the way to the car, locking up behind them.

  When V noticed the headlights of Beau’s truck disappear from view just a few miles outside of Coyote Ridge, she reached for her cell phone and dialed her mother’s number.

  “Can I stay with you for a few days?” V listened to the welcoming sound of her mother’s voice, grateful when she said she’d be thrilled to have V there for as long as she needed to be there. With that, V hung up the phone and drove.

  Chapter Thirty

  ♂♀

  Vegas was exactly as Zane expected it to be: loud, flashy and crammed with people.

  After checking in at the hotel, Zane and the rest of the crew, except for Kaleb and Gage who were waiting for Zoey and V to land, left their luggage in their room and spontaneously went in search of food. That idea was effortlessly squashed as soon as they noticed the more than plentiful bars that dotted Las Vegas Boulevard. Within minutes, they were inside Diablo’s Cantina, listening to some kind of loud, screaming music and laughing about the trip in.

  It didn’t take long before they were flocked by a group of women who looked barely old enough to drink, but more than eager to party it up in Las Vegas with their small group. Zane glanced around, laughing at his brothers who were eating up the attention as though they didn’t spend most days inundated with strange women. Travis, Sawyer, Greyson, Brendon, Braydon, Aaron, CJ, Jaxson, and Blake didn’t seem to mind the attention at all.

  Zane, Beau, and Ethan were managing to keep their distance, although he wasn’t sure who Ethan was staying away from. He had a feeling his brother had absolutely no interest in the women, although he did seem to show quite a bit for Blake. Not that he was going to ask. No, Zane was quite satisfied with the idea of getting drunk for the next two days and staying that way.

  Surprisingly enough, Zoey and V took a separate flight from the rest of them, and that meant Zane hadn’t seen V for almost an entire week. He hadn’t talked to her or texted her either. She hadn’t reached out to him at all, and the thought still hurt like an anvil sitting on his chest. He was doing his best to pretend he wasn’t affected by the easy way she’d shunned him, turning her back on him at a time when he thought she might actually need him.

  He’d been wrong.

  Somehow Zane managed to keep himself busy though. When Travis returned from Dallas, he did as he promised himself he would, meeting with both Travis and Sawyer to lay out a plan for the new clubs in the resort. They agreed to work with Sierra Sellers on the design, and they put a rough drawing together of the layout for both of them. That’s what he spent most of his time doing.

  Another pain filled session with the physical therapist could also be scratched off, and he was pretty sure that one had been worse than the first. Obviously his little therapist wasn’t fond of being ignored. Twice. Why the woman would’ve thought telling Sawyer and the twins that she was mad at them would’ve made a difference, he wasn’t sure. Hell, the twins hadn’t even remembered who she was. Not that he told her that.

  He and Beau had spent countless hours in the gym, which aside from detailing out his plans for the resort, was the only thing Zane had looked forward to. Somewhere along the way, he’d managed to gain four pounds and was working his way up to the standard three hours a day workouts. At least for the time being. Once he packed back on an additional sixteen, or so, he’d be happy. Until then, he had frequent dates with weights and protein.

  Stopping in to check on Ethan again had been an exercise in futility. His brother was clearly still pissed, but Zane was glad to hear that Blake had asked to come on full time. Things were working out well because of it. Not that Ethan would admit it.

  Although it hurt like hell, Zane also kept an eye on V’s house while she was gone, making sure Jake didn’t pull any shit. After a couple of follow ups with Sheriff Endsley, Zane learned they hadn’t seen Jake at all. Zane knew he was still there. He could feel it. He just didn’t let it bother him. The man would have to show his face eventually, and when he did, Zane was going to be ready for him – tire iron or no tire iron.

  Zane even managed to score a wedding gift for his brother and his soon to be wife. That was saying something because Zane was not one to shop, even if it was all done online.

  “How’s it going, man?” Beau clapped Zane on the back, effectively breaking him out of his thoughts and reminding him that he was in Vegas to have a good time.

  “Never better. You?”

  Beau frowned at him, then busted out with a smile. “So, this is Vegas, huh?”

  “That’s what I hear.” Zane looked around at the small bar and restaurant. They’d commandeered most of the bar, or at least one entire side of it anyway. With a beer in hand, although it was barely noon, Zane watched the hordes of people moving along the sidewalk on the strip.

  A deep laugh had Zane turning to face Sawyer as his brother moved closer. “Hey, bro. That was Kaleb.” Sawyer was referring to a phone call if Zane had to guess. “He’s bringing Zoey and V over here in a few minutes. Just thought I’d let you know.”

  Zane nodded his head in understanding and then glanced over at Beau. “You interested in gambling?” Downing the rest of his beer, Zane knew he wasn’t willing to stick around. Not right now. He wasn’t ready to see V. He wouldn’t be able to avoid her later, but for now, he had no intention of getting all worked up for no reason.

  “Ready when you are.” Beau knew him better than anyone. Thankfully, he didn’t question his motives.

  After letting Travis and Sawyer know that he’d catch up with them later, Zane headed out of the bar.

  ♀♂

  Ten minutes after they stepped foot in the airport, V had already decided she wasn’t a big fan of Vegas. She much preferred the quiet of the country compared to the overwhelming noise. Everywhere she turned there were people and lights and sounds, all of which she was ready to get away from.

  A limo had been waiting for them, which was nice. Now that V was in her hotel room, unpacking the few things she brought, she felt almost lonely. With Zoey staying with Kaleb and Gage, V had been left to her own devices. Not that Zoey hadn’t tried to convince her that they could share a room. She had. V refused. Now she was alone for a few minutes which didn’t help her mood any.

  She knew what the plan was, and she knew at any time she’d come face to face with Zane. She’d missed him fiercely during the time she was at her mother’s, but she hadn’t called him and he hadn’t called her. On numerous occasions, she found herself wanting to text him just to see how he was doing, but she managed to refrain from doing so. According to Zoey, Zane was doing fine. She needn’t worry.

  As much as V missed her mother, after the second day, she’d begun to question her sanity. No, Regina didn’t have a strange man in her life. Somewhere along the way, her mother not only found comfort in her dog, she also found comfort in church. Not that V minded that at all, but listening to the
constant preaching from her mother had nearly sent her into hysterics by day three.

  There was no doubt in V’s mind that Regina was on the right path, but V was just grateful to be going back home after this little Vegas stopover because she was more than ready for her regular routine. Not to mention, a little quiet. The only thing she hadn’t missed while she’d been with her mother was the panic attacks. Without having to go home and relive the events of that one fateful day over and over again, V was finally able to relax.

  A sharp knock on the door had V scrambling to toss her things into a drawer. She opened the door to see Zoey, Kaleb and Gage smiling back at her.

  “Ready?” Zoey grinned from ear to ear.

  “For?” V had no idea what they were planning to do, but she knew she wasn’t going to be able to hide out in her hotel room for the duration. Although it wasn’t a bad idea.

  “The boys are across the street at a little bar. We’re heading over to join them,” Zoey explained.

  The boys. Right. V almost forgot that half the town came to celebrate with them. That also meant that Zane was likely one of the boys Zoey was referring to.

  Nodding her head, V ran back to the dresser, grabbed her purse and her room key and then met up with them in the hallway. Ten minutes later the four of them were joining up with the band of merry drunks – or very close to it – at a cute little restaurant on the strip.

  When V walked into the restaurant, she was instantly aware of the delicious aroma, but more so, the sound of rock music blaring in the background. The many voices of the patrons were battling to see who could actually be louder, and V wasn’t sure which was winning.

  She and Zoey took two empty seats at the bar while Gage and Kaleb stood beside them, the rest of the bachelor slash bachelorette party crew closing in on them. With as much discretion as she could muster, V glanced around to see where Zane was, but she didn’t find him.

  “He left,” Sawyer offered helpfully. Obviously she hadn’t been discrete at all.

  She bit her tongue before she could do something stupid like ask where he was, instead asking the bartender for a margarita. She needed it. In a bad way.

  Either no one seemed to notice that Zane wasn’t there – not likely – or they just didn’t want to bring it up with V around, but no one spoke of Zane or Beau or questioned where they were. For that V was grateful. She wasn’t sure where they were, nor would she ask, but her curiosity was killing her. She had wanted to see Zane, almost as much as she wanted another margarita. He was noticeably avoiding her, not that she could blame him.

  “We should go out and hustle some pool together,” Brendon’s deep voice rang in V’s ear, making her smile.

  “Not in this lifetime,” she answered. Not in Vegas anyway. There was no way she was going to risk something like hustling in a city known for its gambling. There was no telling who they’d come up against.

  “Sore sport,” Brendon teased, but then patted her on the shoulder and V wanted to cry. He was trying to cheer her up, which meant her mood was obvious. She was here to support her best friend, not to wallow in her own self-pity. If Zane didn’t want to have anything to do with her, well, she’d brought it on herself.

  Beau warned her, and yes, she spent the better part of the week thinking about him and what she was going to do about whatever this was between them. Unfortunately, she hadn’t come to a decision.

  If she were honest with herself, V was ready to settle down. No, maybe she hadn’t spent the last ten years of her life sowing her wild oats, but that’s because she didn’t have any to sow. She never wanted to mess around with more than one man. Hell, for the most part, she hadn’t wanted to mess around with any man. What happened between her and Zane was unexpected. The fact that he pursued her for so long still didn’t seem real. Now that he wasn’t, was a little painful as well. She just didn’t know which hurt more.

  “You ok?” Zoey asked in that sweet voice that told V she was concerned.

  “Huh? Oh, yeah! Great!” Again, this was not the time or place for self-pity. “How about a shot?”

  With that, V and the guys managed to get Zoey and Kaleb fairly intoxicated.

  ♂♀

  By the time Zane and Beau made it back to their hotel room, it was two o’clock in the morning. Blessedly wasted, Zane passed out as soon as his drunken ass hit the pillow. This morning was an entirely different story. He’d already had to yell at the assholes banging on his hotel room door three times. He knew who they were, so he didn’t bother to get out of bed. Glancing at the clock on the nightstand, he knew he wasn’t going to be able to waste much more of the day away.

  Forcing himself out of bed, Zane noticed that Beau was already gone, so he shot off a text to find out where he was and then jumped in the shower. Fifteen minutes later he was dressed and ready to head out. Picking up his phone, he noticed Beau hadn’t gotten back with him, so he sent a note to Kaleb. The response he received was almost instant, letting him know they were in the restaurant downstairs.

  Zane made his way through the massive hotel and onto the casino floor. His brain was sluggish, and he felt like shit, but he figured food was in order and definitely water. Once he reached the restaurant, he let the hostess know who he was meeting, and he was led to the table at the back. The instant he saw V, their eyes meeting briefly, his heart stuttered in his chest. Considering the only empty chair at the table was the one next to her, Zane turned around and walked out, ignoring the disruptive shouts from his brothers.

  Fuck them.

  Zane wasn’t playing this game. Not with them, and certainly not with V. Without looking back, Zane made his way to a small shop around the corner, grabbed a sports drink and a protein bar and then perused the casino.

  It wasn’t that he was trying to be a dick. He just wasn’t going to be the one to approach her about where their relationship stood at the moment. She held all the cards. It was her turn, and if she chose to fold, Zane would walk away. It was going to hurt like a mother fucker, but he wasn’t going to chase a woman who didn’t want to be chased. He loved her; there was no doubt about it. He just wasn’t willing to let her go back and forth anymore. She had a decision to make and as much as he prayed she’d choose him, he wasn’t going to beg.

  Ever since that very first night when they’d talked at Jaxson’s party, Zane had known that what he would feel for her was going to be significantly different from any other woman he’d ever met.

  V was so damn pretty, especially when she was flustered like she was right at that moment. He’d even tried a cheesy pickup line on her just to see what she’d say, and it’d worked like he hoped. Now, as she stared back at him, still trying to figure out whether he was or was not trying to pick her up, Zane couldn’t help but smile.

  “Need another drink?” he asked, noticing the small cup in her hand was empty.

  V glanced down, then back up at him, but she didn’t smile. That didn’t stop him from laughing.

  “What’s so funny?” Clearly she was not amused with him.

  “Nothing. Come on, let’s go outside where it’s quiet,” he told her, taking her free hand in his and pulling her along behind him. To his surprise, she moved with him, not trying to pull away like he initially suspected.

  As soon as they stepped outside of the overcrowded house, Zane felt like he could breathe better. He’d grabbed two beers on his way and handed one over to V as they moved away from the house. The night was warm, and only a few people were mulling about in the front yard. Noticing Beau’s truck was parked out front, Zane made his way over to it while V followed along behind him. He lowered the tailgate and patted the seat beside him as he dropped onto it.

  V glanced down as though the truck might bite, but apparently she decided it wouldn’t because she climbed up beside him.

  “How’s your mom?” Zane asked, not surprised in the least when V flinched like he’d hit her or something. He didn’t know everything there was to know about Vanessa Carmichael, but he knew e
nough to be dangerous.

  “She’s fine.” V sounded completely uninterested in the conversation, so he moved on.

  “Zoey and Kaleb, huh? Who’da thought they’d finally wake up and see the light?”

  That garnered a laugh from V and Zane decided right then and there that he liked the sound. A lot.

  “I don’t know what took them so long,” she admitted, still laughing.

  “What about you? Who’re you seeing?” he questioned her, taking a long pull on the beer he was holding.

  The glare she sent him was amusing and so damn sexy, Zane felt a twinge in his groin. He didn’t say another word, just listened to the sound of the wind as it hissed through the trees, picking up a little more than earlier. The night was dark, due to the clouds covering the moon, and the music that billowed out through the open windows of Jaxson’s house was a nice addition to the comfortable silence between him and the beautiful woman sitting beside him.

  “What’s with all the questions?” V questioned a few minutes later.

  “Just trying to get to know you. Is that a crime?” he chuckled, then downed the rest of his beer before chucking the bottle into the bed of Beau’s truck.

  “You’d be smart to go find someone your own age, Zane Walker,” V whispered, sounding serious and not at all interested in getting to know him.

  “And how old do you think I am?” He wondered if she even knew or if that was her first attempt to cock block him.

  The thought made him smile.

  “You’re just a baby,” she replied.

  “You’re what? Twenty-nine?” Zane couldn’t hide the irritation in his voice. One thing he hated was when people used age as an excuse.

  “Thirty, thank you very much.”

  “Well, there you go. Just a few years older than me,” he retorted.

  “Maturity counts too,” V whispered, and Zane barely heard her. But he did.