“Of course.” He went into the kitchen and I stared at the door, waiting for her to walk through it.
I hadn’t intended for this to be so much like a date, but it definitely began to look and feel like one. When Zandra came into the restaurant, pulling her Ray-Bans off her gorgeous face and tossing her dark hair back over her shoulder before waving at me, I knew it was a date.
I got up, meeting her halfway, taking her hands in mine as I looked at her. “Damn, you’re pretty.” I kissed her on the cheek, even though my lips yearned to touch hers. My tongue wanted to tangle with hers too. But I kept myself in check. “This way, please.”
She let me hold her hand as I led her to the table. “Isn’t this the restaurant your friend’s family owns?”
“It is.” I pulled out a chair for her. “And he’s here, making us some brunch.”
As she took her seat, she gave me a dazzling, heart-melting smile. “How nice.”
I took my seat. “Yeah, he’s a pretty great guy.” Looking at her as she sat just across the table from me, within touching distance, I couldn’t help myself from teasing her a little. “Last night was pretty fun.”
Her cheeks went pink, and she ducked her head. “It was.”
That shyness was still there, just beneath the surface. “You’ve gotten over a lot of your shyness, but not completely I see.” I didn’t want her to be embarrassed, so I let her know what I thought about that. “I think it’s adorable.”
She lifted her head to look at me with a surprised expression. “You do?”
With a nod, I said, “I do.” Then I moved my hand over the table, barely touching the tips of her fingers. “I think you’re adorable.”
On cue, the door to the kitchen opened and Rocco came out. “Nice to see you again, Zandra.”
She smiled at him. “You too, Rocco. Kane tells me you’re making us brunch. That’s such a nice thing to do. Thank you.”
He put two wine glasses on the table in front of us then filled them. “You’re very welcome. I’ve got cannelloni in the oven as we speak. A cream cheese filling, a savory meat sauce on top, covered with ricotta and mozzarella cheeses. To start you guys off, I’ve braised some mushrooms in a red wine reduction and paired them with some fresh green beans that I’ll spoon over a fresh bed of mixed greens. I’ll be right back.” He gave me a wink. “Right back, Kane.” Then he looked at where my hand was on the table.
I moved it, knowing he was only trying to do what I’d asked him to. “Thanks.”
He left us alone, and I noticed Zandra taking a drink of the wine. “Yum.”
“I know it’s early to be drinking,” I said as I watched her lick the red wine off her pink lips.
She looked a little confused. “Then why did you order it?”
With a shrug, I answered honestly, “I’m not quite sure. Maybe to help ease the tension between us.”
“You feel tense?” she asked as she put the glass down.
“Yeah.” I picked up my glass and took a drink.
“I make you feel tense?” she asked, seeming genuinely confused.
“Yeah.” Putting the glass down after taking a small drink, I clarified, “Sexually, you make me very tense.”
The little smile that curled her lips only made me want her more. “I see. And you would rather not be so attracted to me, because of our son. Is that right?”
“Kinda.” I didn’t know she would see right through me the way she had.
“Funny how our son’s the reason we have to take things slowly, isn’t it?” She ran her hand through her hair and the overhead lights glistened off her shining silky strands. “Kinda seems like it’s too little too late on that front,” she said with a sexy, deep-throated chuckle.
I wanted to run my fingers through her hair. “I wish I could find it funny. Instead, I find it frustrating. But it is necessary.”
I could see by the way her blue eyes glistened that she liked the effect she had on me. “I’m sure you’re right.” She leaned forward, her breasts resting on the table. “So, how are we going to do this then, Kane?”
“I wish I knew.” I looked at Rocco as he came back out with the salads.
Sitting back, Zandra smiled at Rocco. “Those look good, Rocco.”
“Thank you,” he said as he put them in front of us. He looked at me. “I’ll be back soon.”
With a nod, I let him know that I knew he was watching us. “Thanks.”
We ate in silence for a few minutes while I tried to think about how things could be done. Finally, I said, “I want to get to know you, Zandra.”
“Good.” She wiped her mouth with the white linen napkin. “I’d like to get to know you, too.”
While we both were on the same page, which was great, I still didn’t know exactly what page that was. “Okay. So, let me start by asking you about your living arrangement.”
“I’ve got a roommate. Taylor and I work together at the club. You’ve met her. She’s the blonde with rainbow spikes in her hair.” Her eyes clouded just a bit. “And for the record, I know she came onto you. And if she ever does again, I would really like it if you told me about it, as I’ve asked her not to do that anymore.”
I could see the jealous spark in her eyes, and it made me happier than it should. “I see. Is that because you see me as yours, Zandra?”
Shaking her head, that pink blush stained her cheeks once more. “I know you’re not mine, Kane. But you are the father of my child, and I don’t want any friend of mine messing with you.”
“I think I can agree with that.” I pushed my empty bowl to one side. “I don’t want any friend of mine messing with you either.”
Her eyes caught mine. “So, we agree again, then. Maybe all of this will work out just fine, Kane.”
I hope so.
I couldn’t stop looking at her lips. So plump, so juicy, and so completely kissable. “Yeah, it might.”
“I’m an open book, Kane. Ask me anything.” She moved the empty bowl away from her just as Rocco came back out, making her turn her attention to him. “That was the best salad I’ve ever had, Rocco. You’re a genius with food.”
“So I’ve been told.” He put the plates down then picked up the empty bowls. “I’ll be back to refill your glasses shortly. Enjoy.”
“I’m sure we will,” she said.
All I could do was gaze at her. I wasn’t a gazer. But with her, I was different.
As soon as Rocco was out of spying distance, I reached over, taking her hand as I looked into her eyes. “I’m going to need your help, Zandra.”
“With what?” she asked innocently.
“With not going too far, too fast.” Pulling her hand to my lips, I kissed the top of it. “You do something to me that no one else has ever done. I don’t know if it’s purely biological, or if it’s because we already have a child together. But if it weren’t for our son and the fact that I know we have to handle this whole situation carefully then I would take your hot ass to the bathroom, push you up against the wall, rip those panties off you, then thrust my cock into you so hard you’d feel me for days. I’m already hard as a rock for you.”
Instead of blushing, she licked her lips. “So why don’t you do just that then?”
My cock thumped, begging me to do it. She wanted it. I wanted it. Why not just go for it already?
Slowly but surely, sanity pushed its way into my sex-addled brain. “Because we’ve got to be Fox’s parents first, together, before we can become anything else.”
“Oh.” Her eyes went to the table. “Okay, then.” She pulled her hand away from mine. “Can you tell me how to do that? Because I only have my mother as a role model and I sure as hell don’t want to be like her.”
A thought came to me. “How about I introduce you to my aunt and uncle? Aunt Nancy is a great mother. She can teach you everything she knows.”
Stunned, she asked, “You want me to meet your family?”
“Well, of course I do. Zandra, you’re Fox’s mother.
You’ll be in our lives from now on. If that’s what you want. My family comes along with us.” I sat back as I watched her think.
“My family wasn’t normal, Kane. And it’s been such a long time since I was even a part of them. I’ve been a loner.” She looked at me for answers that I didn’t have.
“You’ve always been that way, Zandra,” I reminded her. “But that doesn’t mean you’ll always have to be like that. Fox wants you as his mother.”
Her dark brows furrowed. “And what do you want me as, Kane?”
That answer didn’t come so easily to me. “I don’t know the exact answer to that just yet, and I don’t want to lie to you. I want you. I want your smoking hot body. I also want you to be Fox’s mom, and I won’t feel one hundred percent comfortable with that until I know the real you. I guess you can say that what I want is for you to let me in. And in turn, I’ll let you in. That’s not a thing I’ve ever done for any woman.”
I was ready to do that for her. But I couldn’t ignore the burning fear that I might not like what I would find if she let me in.
Chapter 17
Zandra
Wiping down the bar, I waited for the new bartender, Ashley, to make my drink order. At ten on a Friday night, the club was busy, taking most of my attention. After the way things had been going, I felt very grateful for that.
Four days had passed since my brunch with Kane. Agreeing to take things nice and slow, we’d parted ways without even a kiss goodbye. I supposed both of us knew where that kiss would lead, so we’d avoided it.
I’d already called Fox for our nightly goodnight ritual. He asked me if I thought I could make time for him on Sunday, since he knew I would have the day off. I told him I was free but that it would be up to his father if we could spend time together or not.
I had the distinct impression that Kane wasn’t sure about me at all, other than the fact that he knew he wanted my body. And how could I blame him?
A whole week went by without my finding another job that paid as well as my position at Mynt. On top of that, I hadn’t found the time to see about trading my Mustang for something more suitable for a mother.
I knew Kane wasn’t pleased with the lack of change. And I knew that because he and I talked every day on his lunch break. He would ask me how the job search was going. I would tell him it wasn’t going well. He would ask me if I’d gotten down to any car dealerships to see about trading my car in, and I had to tell him that I hadn’t. He would ask when I thought I might find time to do those things and I would tell him I didn’t know. Then he’d sigh and wish me luck and we’d end the call. The same old conversation each day.
I knew it had only been a week, but that afternoon call was already becoming a thing I didn’t look forward to. Not because I didn’t love to hear his deep, smooth voice that had just the slightest hint of a southern accent, but because I could hear the disappointment in that sexy voice each time he asked a question and I had nothing positive to report.
Hell, I hadn’t even gone shopping to buy myself some appropriate “mom” clothes. I hadn’t done anything, other than sleep, eat, and go to work.
Working nights meant sleeping most of the day away. Generally, I worked until two in the morning. When I got off, I would usually go somewhere to eat with coworkers. That would take an hour or so. I would head home then and would need an hour or so to wind down before I’d finally be able to go to sleep. That meant it was usually around five in the morning when I finally made it to sleep.
My day would start around one in the afternoon, when Kane called me, waking me up. And that was another thing he didn’t seem to understand. Of course I sounded groggy from being woken up. He would ask if I’d been asleep, and I would say yes. Then he would sigh and ask me what time I had gone to bed.
Being a doctor, Kane had to let me know that staying up that late and sleeping all day wasn’t healthy. Fox deserved a mother who tried her best to stay healthy, he’d remind me. And I had to agree with him about that, but I didn’t have much choice in that, with the job I had. Not if I wanted to continue living where I was. The apartment was nice, and it did cost more than most of the apartments around town.
So, I faced the dilemma of whether I would stay where I was—job, apartment, and all—or move into something cheaper and get a job that paid less.
I seriously had no idea how single mothers did it. And I had no idea how I was going to do it, either.
“Handsome stranger at two o’clock, Zee,” Ashley said as her eyes looked over my shoulder.
Turning around, I saw that Kane had come to pay me a surprise visit. I couldn’t say I was exactly thrilled by that. “Hey,” I said as he came up to the bar, taking the tall stool next to me.
“Hey.” He took my hand, pulling me to him and kissing my cheek. “It’s Friday. I don’t have work tomorrow, so I thought I’d come out and spend some time with you.”
Despite my initial lack of enthusiasm about his visit, I couldn’t help how my body reacted to him. Wet heat pooled between my thighs and my head went light. “How sweet of you.” I kissed his cheek but wanted so much more than that. Some motherly instinct crept up inside of me. “And who’s with Fox?”
“Aunt Nancy came over to stay with him while I’m out. He was already asleep when I left.” He smiled at me, making my heart flip. “And I’m happy to hear you ask about him.”
And then I got a little mad about that. “I care about him, Kane.”
“I know.” He let my hand go and looked at Ashley, who seemed to be hanging onto our every word. “Can I have a rum and Coke, please?”
“Sure thing,” she said before her eyes shifted to mine. “Your drink order is ready, Zee.” Putting the tray on the bar, she winked at me. “He’s a cute little secret, isn’t he?”
My cheeks warmed as a blush covered them. “I suppose so.”
A look of disappointment came over his handsome face. “You haven’t told the people you work with about me? About us?”
Shaking my head, I picked up the tray. “No. Only Taylor knows. I’ve got to get these drinks out. Don’t think I’m ignoring you, Kane. It’s just a busy night, and I’ve got to keep working.”
“You go work. Just come back and say hi from time to time.” He smacked my ass as I walked away. “Be good.”
Although I wasn’t in the market for a boyfriend—I never really had been at any point in my life—the fact that Kane sometimes treated me like I belonged to him kind of made me angry. He hadn’t made anything official between us, after all. Yet there he was, watching me, touching me, telling me to be good. I didn’t understand him at all.
“Here’re your drinks, ladies.” I placed the cocktails in front of the women at my table who were out hoping to have a great night.
When I turned to go to my next table, I caught Taylor talking to Kane out of the corner of my eye. Jealousy shot right through me. But I didn’t have time for that, as I had to get the next table’s order.
“What can I get you guys?” I asked the three men who’d just sat down.
“Beers,” came one’s reply. “Anything you got on tap. And cheap, too. I lost a bet, and I’m buying the rounds tonight.”
“Got ya.” I left them and went to the next table, as that order would be easy to remember. “Hi, you two, what can I get for you this evening?” I asked the couple who’d sat down while I was at the bar.
“A gin and tonic for me,” the man said as he wrapped his arm around the woman at his side. “And she’ll have a martini, a dirty one, please.”
“Okie dokie,” I said before heading back to the bar.
Taylor, still chatting with Kane, spotted me and waited for me to get to them. “I hope you don’t mind. I wanted to properly introduce myself to Kane. The baby-daddy.”
Kane’s frown at that name let me know that he probably wasn’t a fan of hers so far. “I don’t think I like that title, Taylor.”
Giving her a stoic stare, I added, “Me neither.” Ashley came to get my order.
“Three drafts, whatever’s the cheapest, a dirty martini, and a gin and tonic.”
Ashley nodded. “By the way, Rob came up and told me to let you girls know that he wants you to step it up. Do a little dancing on the bar, get some guys doing body-shots. Ramp up the atmosphere.” Then she set to work on the drinks.
Taylor winked at me. “Oh, goody! You get to show off your sexy moves, Zee.”
I did not want to show off any sexy moves with Kane watching me. “I’ll sit this one out.”
“The hell you will,” I heard Rob say from behind me. His gray eyes flashed to Kane. “Is this your boyfriend, Zee?”
Kane stood up, extending his hand. “Hello, I’m Dr. Kane Price. Zandra and I have a son together.”
“Is that so?” Rob asked as he shook Kane’s hand. “Well, she and I have a boss/employee relationship, and as her boss, I’m asking her to get on top of this bar and dance, and then allow men to drink shots out of her bellybutton. Are you opposed to that? Wait—I don’t care whether you are or not. This is her job, and she’ll do as I say or she can go find another one.”
Not liking the aggression in my boss’s voice, I interjected. “Rob, he’s not saying I can’t do it. I just don’t want to.” I looked him in the eyes. “Not right now.”
“You don’t want to because he’s here,” he said. And he was right about that.
But I didn’t want Kane to think that. “No. I just don’t feel like it right now.”
Kane took his seat, sipping on the drink he’d ordered, letting me fight my own battle. I liked that about him, but then again, it would’ve been nice of him to say something maybe.
I saw an opportunity for Kane to be my hero, my knight in shining armor. He could’ve told Rob that he would take care of me and that I could quit the damn job and go live with him and our son and we would have our happily ever after. Only he didn’t do that. He sat there, sipping on his drink, waiting to see what I would do for myself.
“Well, I said do it, Zee,” came Rob’s reply.
Dirty Little Secret: A Secret Baby-Second Chance Romance (Sons of Sin Book 1) Page 13