Page 70 of Wild Promise

Raising her hands in surrender, Olivia backed away with a playful grin. “I do believe I was the one who suggested you find a boyfriend in the first place. Although, Zane?” Her smile turned wicked. “You might want to step up your game. She still seems kind of cranky…”

It was hard not to laugh, but I pressed my lips together and held my humor back. The last thing I wanted was to embarrass Melina. Her younger sister was a handful, and I had empathy for anyone who ever fell for her. Olivia would not make it easy.

“Go inside and let Vic know I’ll see him on Sunday,” I said through a light chuckle.

“You don’t have to,” Melina said to me as her sister ran back to the warmth of the house.

“Did you miss the part where I said I’d love to be there?”

“No.” Her smile was almost shy. “But I thought maybe you were just being polite.”

I pulled her to me, wrapping her tightly in my arms, never wanting to let her go. “Like I said, firecracker, wherever you want me, whenever you want me, I’m there.”

What I didn’t say was that standing in her driveway, with snow falling around us and her family waiting inside and her body warm against mine, I felt more at home than anywhere. Maybe even the resort. A fucking hell of a lot more than anywhere the Alexander name had ever gotten me.

And the thought of losing it, of losing her, was the only thing in my life that truly terrified me.

I pulled out of her driveway and headed for the main road, but my mind kept circling back to what she’d said in the kitchen. The promotion. Wyatt holding it back until the event was done. The unnecessary pressure piled on top of a woman who was already carrying more than anyone should.

It wasn’t right. And the more I thought about it, the more it pissed me off.

I wasn’t going to call Glenn. I wasn’t going to pull rank or cash in favors. But there was nothing wrong with stopping by Wyatt’s office and asking a simple question. Just one conversation. Man to man, coworker to coworker. Nothing more.

I turned the truck toward the resort.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Melina

Heavy, wet snow was falling rapidly, making the drive up the tree-lined road to the resort a bit dicey, but my Honda was running better than the day I bought it, so I still had a smile on my face. Even with the big event looming, I’d never felt more at ease.

Of course, I still had a lot of hard work ahead of me to secure the promotion. But for the first time in a long time, I actually believed everything would turn out the way I’d planned.

And it was all because of Zane.

Not because he’d been there to help with the catering staff at the exact moment I’d needed, or because he’d made sure I was here on time for the past two weeks. Hell, it wasn’t even because fixing my car was a gift I could probably never repay, no matter what favor he claimed was owed.

No. It was his unwavering belief in me that did it. The boost of confidence he’d given me was one I didn’t even know I’d needed. He made me feel like I could accomplish anything. Like nothing could stop me.

He made me feel more like myself than I had in months. Maybe years.

To him I wasn’t just a keeper of rules and lover of organization. He didn’t think I was cold or uptight. My frosty exterior was my protection, and he understood it because he’d looked beyond it—past the try-hard, dutiful person I’d become. He found the smoldering ashes of my heart and turned them into a bright burning flame.

Zane light-my-heart-on-fire Alexander.

I just hoped I made him feel a bit of the same.

I pulled my car into a parking spot, and despite the snow-covered, mushy tarmac, it glided to a stop with ease. There was no way it took new tires and brakes to fix a car that wouldn’t start, but damn him, I knew that’s exactly what he’d done. And I was sure that probably wasn’t all.

As I entered the lobby, I was still thinking up ways to thank him—a blow job didn’t seem like nearly enough, but it might be a good start.

“Good morning, Melina,” Becky called from behind the front desk, where she stood with Cassandra.

Her fake chipper voice killed the mood instantly, but I shoved down my bitterness toward her. It wouldn’t help me today.

“Good morning,” I greeted them both. “Are you on desk duty?”

“Oh no,” Becky replied. “I’m just helping Cassandra learn some things about how we handle our large events and corporate clients. She’s working during the Winter Festival Dance.”