This, I didn't know. And yet, I had to say it again. "So?"
In a quieter voice, Zane said, "So I didn't like it."
"Why?" My tone grew sarcastic. "Because you were worried I'd ask for overtime?"
"No. Because I didn't want his fucking hands on you."
Well, that was unexpected.
Trying to make sense of it all, I said, "So you did what, exactly?"
"Nothing."
I gave Zane a no-nonsense look. "It was more than nothing."
"All right. It's late Friday, and he tells me he's gonna see if you're busy."
"And?"
"And I told him you were. With me."
"So you lied?"
"No. I had you work late." At my confused expression, he added, "You remember."
Now that I thought of it, I did remember. He'd had me wait by the phone in case a certain newspaper called. I didn't recall the newspaper's name, but I did recall how annoyed I'd been.
And now? Well, now I was oddly touched.
Was I sap or what?
I said, "But why'd you give him that impression at all? I mean, I would've just told him no, anyway."
"Maybe. But I didn't want him hassling you."
At any other time, the statement would've made me laugh out loud. And why? Because nobody on this Earth had ever hassled me more than Zane. Oh sure, it wasn't sexual harassment, but he was the biggest hassler I'd ever met.
Short-tempered.
Foul-mouthed.
Stubborn.
And yet, I heard myself ask in amazement, "So you did it for me?"
"Hell no," Zane said. "I did it for me."
I drew back. "You? Why you?"
"Because I didn't want the distraction."
Obviously, I was missing something. But I had no idea what. I asked, "What do you mean?"
He loomed a fraction closer. "All right, you wanna know something?"
I sucked in a short breath and tried not to notice for the millionth time that his eyes were an amazing shade of green, and that his mouth looked annoyingly delicious, especially now, that he was so achingly close.
I heard myself murmur, "I don't know."
Zane's gaze met mine, and he was silent for a long moment. Finally, in a voice that was almost raw, he said, "I don't like how you make me feel."
Suddenly, I was finding it hard to breathe. "And how do I make you feel?"
He leaned another fraction closer. "Out of control."
The way he talked, he didn't like it. And yet, he wasn't moving away.
Funny, neither was I.
As I stood, silently staring up at him, my emotions swirled like a hidden tornado. I didn't even know what I was feeling – anger, betrayal, and an embarrassing amount of lust.
It made no sense. But there was something raw and compelling that was drawing me in. As much as I hated to admit it, it had always drawn me in, right from the start.
Shit. He wasn't the only one out of control.
Almost without thinking, I leaned closer to him and tilted my head just a fraction. His lips looked so kissable, so soft and full, and so very close.
But not close enough.
Chapter 51
I don't even know who moved first, him or me. But soon, our lips met in a kiss so sweet, and yet so savage, that it took my breath away. I felt his hands on my back, and then in my hair, sifting through its tendrils as his mouth claimed mine.
I lifted my arms and wrapped them around his neck. His body felt warm and hard, and so incredibly perfect that I couldn’t help but press myself even tighter.
He was a great kisser, but of course, I'd always known he would be. I felt his teeth graze my bottom lip, teasing and tantalizing, before I felt his tongue brush against mine.
I gave a muffled moan and shifted my hands lower, sliding them down his back. Through the thin cotton of his shirt, I felt his lean muscles shifting slightly with the motions of his own hands as they moved to my waist. He yanked me closer, and I felt the proof of his excitement pressing hard against my hip.
In the back of my mind, I couldn't help but ponder the fact that just last night, I'd stood in a different doorway with a different guy. But everything now was so dissimilar that it was beyond silly to even consider comparing them.
With Zane, I wasn't pulling away. Cripes, with the way he made me feel, I couldn’t pull away, even if I wanted to.
And heaven help me, I didn’t want to.
What on Earth was wrong with me? I knew this was a bad idea. I knew that we didn't even like each other. I knew that he went through lovers the way some people went through napkins or paper plates.
And yet, I still couldn't pull away.
But too soon, he did. He pulled himself back, and held me literally at arm's length, as if determined to put some space between us.
Without his body against mine, the corridor felt cold and lonely, and I stifled a shiver. I glanced past him, into his room. It was only morning, and yet, I couldn’t help but glance at the bed.
I never did this.
I never wanted to do this.
But I did now.
I wasn't even sure why.
Oh sure, he was beyond sexy, and he obviously knew what he was doing. But it still made no sense. I was smarter than this.
Maybe it was the aftermath of the thing with the senator. Maybe it was some sort of primal response to a guy who'd literally assaulted someone on my behalf. Maybe it all boiled down to some caveman thing that I would never understand.
Or, maybe, he was just too irresistible.
The silence between us stretched out longer than I might've expected. This was fine by me. After all, the voices in my head were practically yelling for me to run. But to him? Or away from him?
This is where the voices disagreed.
Finally, it was Zane who broke the silence. "Fuck leaving," he said, more to himself than to me.
I gave a little shake of my head. "So you're not flying out?" I was insanely relieved – and scared as hell.
Stupid voices.
Zane replied, "That depends."
I gazed up at him. "On what?"
"On you."
"Me?"
Zane nodded. "Now, say yes."
Almost in a trance, I felt myself nod. His gaze was warmer than I'd ever seen it, and I knew that no matter what he was asking, I'd find it utterly impossible to say no.
With his gaze locked on mine, he said, "Spend the day with me."
Even now, I wasn’t quite sure what he was asking. But it didn't matter, because I already knew the answer, and I'd already given it with that simple nod.
Still, I felt a sudden urge to tease him. "Are you sure that was a question? It didn't sound like a question."
"I'll take that as a yes." He glanced past me, toward my room. "Get changed. Throw on jeans, shorts, whatever. I'll be knocking in ten minutes." He leaned tantalizing close. "And if you don't answer…"
I was smiling now. "What, you'll leave?"
To my surprise and delight, he actually smiled back. "No. I'll bust down the door. And make you say yes."
There were a million things I might've said in response. I might've pointed out that the owner of the hotel might be unhappy if he trashed the place. Or, I might've reminded him that the doors in this establishment were even stronger than they looked. I might've even suggested that as the hotel's owner, he surely had smarter ways to get inside without resorting to brute force.
But his suggestion – of actually going out instead of staying in – was so unexpected that all I could do was nod again. I had no idea what I was getting into, but I was too far gone to turn back now.
And the way it looked, I wasn't the only one.
Chapter 52
I was running a final brush through my hair when my cell phone rang. I grabbed it and glanced at the display.
It was Charlotte.
I hit the answer button and said, "Hey, I'm really sorry, but I'm on my way out. Can I call you back later?"
"Sure," she said, "if you don't mind waiting for scoop."
I paused. Scoop? As in news? "Scoop about what?"
"Not what. Who."
"Then who?" I asked.
"Your boss."
Now, that got my attention. "You mean Zane? What about him?"
"Oh, well," she said in that breezy way of hers, "I know you're in a hurry, so I'll just tell you later."
I felt my gaze narrow. "Now, you're just teasing me."
"I know," she said. "It'll build anticipation, right?"
Wrong.
I was literally on my way out with the guy she supposedly had news about. If I didn't find out now, I'd wonder all day. I asked, "Can you make it quick?"
"How quick?"
"I've literally got like two minutes."
"Oh, all right," she said, not sounding thrilled to be rushed. "You'll never guess who I ran into."
"Who?" I asked.
"Naomi."
"Naomi who?"
"You know," she said. "Your former co-worker? From the catering company?"
"Oh. That Naomi." The last time I'd seen her had been on the night of Zane's party. "But wait, how do you know her?"
"We ran into her at the coffee shop? Remember?"
"Right. Sorry." As I spoke, I took another look in the mirror. Outside, it was a beautiful summer day. Zane had suggested wearing jeans or shorts, which meant that we'd probably be wandering around the city. In the spirit of his suggestion, I'd thrown on navy shorts and a white short-sleeved shirt with little buttons down the front.
Would he like it? I liked it. But was it too casual?
On the phone, Charlotte said, "Hey, are you still there?"
"Uh, yeah. Sorry, I'm a little distracted."
This was a massive understatement. Just across the hall, Zane was waiting for me. I had no idea what I was getting into, but I did know that it was too late to turn back now – unless, of course, Charlotte told me something horrible about him.
I bit my lip. Knowing Zane, this was a distinct possibility. I pulled my gaze from the mirror and braced myself for whatever she was planning to say.
"Anyway," Charlotte continued, "you'll never guess what she told me."
With more than a little trepidation, I said, "What?"
After a long, dramatic pause, Charlotte said, "You weren't the only one who was fired."
My stomach sank. "So Naomi lost her job, too?"
Like an idiot, I'd assumed that Zane would've been satisfied with only getting me fired. Turns out, I'd been giving him far more credit than he deserved.
Crap.
I was almost afraid to ask, "Was anyone else fired?"
"Nope," Charlotte said, sounding annoyingly cheerful. "Just the two of you."
I glanced toward the door to my hotel room. Was I seriously going to hang out with that guy? I wanted to. But I also wanted ice cream for dinner every night.
Absently, I mumbled, "Well, that's good. I guess."
Charlotte laughed. "You guess?"
I sighed. "Well, knowing Zane, it's a wonder he didn't have everyone fired, huh?"
Because he was just that awful.
What the hell was I doing?
"See, that's the thing," Charlotte said. "It wasn't him at all."
I did a mental double-take. "Wait, what do you mean?"
"I mean he wasn't the one who complained."
"Then who did?"
"Well, according to Naomi, it was some guy named Robert Hunt."
I sucked in a breath. "You mean Bob?"
"So you know him?"
"Not really. But I know who he is…except, from what I saw, he seemed like a pretty nice guy."
Charlotte gave a snort of derision. "He wasn't that nice. Get this. He stiffed them on the catering bill."
I winced. "He did?"
I couldn’t help but recall listening from inside the van as Bob complained about the cost of the party. At the time, I'd been worried he might not pay. But soon, I'd gotten so distracted by my own troubles that it completely slipped my mind.
In hindsight, it made me feel just a little ashamed.
On the phone, Charlotte was saying, "And it gets worse. Wanna guess who he blamed, for not paying, I mean?"
Knowing what I overheard, I actually had a pretty good guess. I said, "Zane?"
"No," she said. "You."
"Me? Why me?"
"You and Naomi," she clarified. "Get this. He told the catering company that the two of you trashed one of the serving stations and ruined a super-expensive rug."
I felt my jaw drop. "What?"
"And that's why he refused to pay. Because of the damage."
I felt my gaze narrow. I knew I hated that stupid rug. "But that's a lie," I said. "We didn't trash anything. It was Zane and Teddy." I paused. "At least that's what I heard."
"Who's Teddy?" she asked.
"You remember," I said. "The guy who was drunk?" When she made no response, I added, "You know, Zane's cousin? The guy on the plane? The one who thinks I'm a ho-bag?"
"Ohhhhh," Charlotte said. "Him? He sounds really annoying."
He was annoying – and from what I'd seen, he was a terrible judge of character. It was one of the many reasons I'd come to believe that his theories about Zane were just a little far-fetched.
Oh sure, Zane could be a hard-ass, but a cheat? And a slimeball? And hell, even a killer? I wasn't seeing it.
Or maybe, I just didn't want to see it. After all, I was so drawn to the guy that it was dangerous.
I blew out a relieved breath. "Wanna hear something funny?"
"What?"
"I was sure you were going to give me bad news."
She laughed. "I know. That's what made it so delicious."
I felt myself smile. Zane's lips were delicious – all warm and wonderful, like a sweet tantalizing dream. Would I be kissing him again?
Yes.
Or, at least I sure hoped so.
Into the phone, I said, "Thanks for letting me know, but I really do need to get going."
"But wait," she said, "there's one more thing."
"What's that?"
"Guess who finally paid the bill."
"Who?"
"Your boss."
Now, that surprised me. "He did?"
"Yeah, and he told the company flat-out that they had to hire back anyone who might've been fired due to the misunderstanding."
"Really?"
"That's what Naomi says."
I had to point out the obvious. "But they didn't hire me back."
"Right. Because you weren't part of the deal."
"Why not?" I asked.
"Well obviously, it's because you already had a job."
Yes. I did. Working for him. And it had been a roller-coaster right from the start. Again, I glanced toward my hotel room door. It was funny how many times my feelings about him had shifted.
Did I hate him? Or love him? I froze at the mere thought. Love? Of course, it was ridiculous. I didn't love him. It was only that, well, I didn't hate him nearly as much as I used to.
I might even like him a lot more than I cared to admit.
It was a terrifying thought, especially with the way he operated. And yet, only a minute later, I was off the phone and crossing the hall.
Whatever happened now, I vowed that I wouldn't regret it.
Chapter 53
As we walked along the city sidewalk, I asked, "So why didn't you tell me?"
Just like a regular couple, we were holding hands while we took in the sights. Obviously, the sights weren't terribly new to Zane, but they were new to me, and I was enjoying it like any other generic tourist – even if I didn't feel totally anonymous.
Why? Because around us, people occasionally stopped to stare.
Zane ignored them, and I did my best to ignore them, too. And yet, I couldn't deny how surreal it was to be out with him, pretending that he was just a regular guy.
Oh sure, in his jeans and university T-shirt, he
was dressed like a regular guy, but he wasn't fooling anyone, me included.
No. Zane was anything but ordinary. He exuded confidence and power, the kind that you couldn’t fake or hide, even along a crowded sidewalk in a city full of movers and shakers. On top that, he was practically a household name.
As the person who monitored his news coverage, I'd definitely know.
But at this particular moment, my job was the last thing on my mind. I'd just told him what I'd heard from Charlotte, and I was dying to hear what he'd say in response.
So far, he'd said nothing.
When the silence became nearly unbearable, I said, "So when I came to your house, why didn't you deny it?"
"That I got you fired?" he said. "I'm not gonna deny what's true."
I didn't quite understand. "But it wasn't you who complained."
"Maybe. But it was me who got the ball rolling."
In a roundabout way, I saw what he meant. The night of his party had been crazy in more ways than one. His fight with Teddy led to the catering station getting knocked over. And shortly thereafter, his argument with Bob had surely been a factor in Bob stiffing the catering company, even though we had nothing to do with it.
Still, I said, "But when I showed up, you didn't have to take all the blame."
"That's what you think," he said. "You scared the piss out of me."
At this, I couldn’t help but laugh. It was too ridiculous to take seriously. "Oh, stop it. You weren't scared. You were annoyed."
But Zane was shaking his head. "You want the truth?"
More curious than ever, I felt myself nod.
"Ask me later," he said, "and maybe I'll tell you."
My jaw dropped. "Maybe?"
His lips curved into the hint of a smile. "Maybe," he repeated.
And no matter how hard I tried to talk him into it, he never would elaborate. And yet, it did seem to break the ice. Soon, we were just two tourists, enjoying a day in the city.
He was a different person, and so was I. Already, I'd thrown caution to the wind and was determined to simply enjoy the day for whatever it was. As for Zane, he was more civil than I'd ever seen him.
From what I could tell, he was treating this as an actual date. He told me a little about his family – meaning his parents, not anyone associated with the hotels.
The way he talked, his dad had become disgusted with the whole lot of them and decided that he'd rather deal with real snakes than human ones. As for Zane's mom, she'd been an aspiring actress until she'd chucked it all to run off with Zane's dad and live in a remote cabin of all places.
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