Page 33 of Zane

"Christ!" Zane passed a hand over his head and discovered there were shards of glass tangled in the strands. "Thanks."

"Any time. Take the back road. They're coming from the opposite direction."

Zane nodded and didn't need to ask how he knew where the cops were coming from. Big Thunder had his sources at the precinct and knew pretty much when a raid was about to take place. And he was right. It wouldn't do for him to get caught up in this mess.

*****

Kara sat on the side of the bed and stared at the job she had done. It had taken all of three hours to square away everything. One thing she had no intention of letting go of was her habit of being tidy. She could not go to sleep knowing that there was a mess on her floor. She was exhausted, but at least her bedroom was put to rights.

The clothes were hanging from their padded hangers, and her underwear, the delicate silk and lace, was tucked away in drawers she had cleaned out just to store them. She had to admit that she and Abigail had gone a little overboard there.

It occurred to her that there might be no one to admire how they looked on her. It hit her then that she had gone from being involved to being single. But had she really been involved? she mused wryly. Yes, she had gone out with William, and it had been taken for granted that one day they would end up marrying each other. But they had never been physically involved.

It depressed her that she had spent two odd years in a relationship that showed no future. What was worse, she had settled. She knew he wasn't in love with her and she wasn't in love with him, and allowed her mother and others to dictate her path.

Would she have gone through with the wedding? If she hadn't had that epiphany, would she have allowed herself to be led right to that church and to the altar to commit herself to a man she had not even liked?

The idea scared her right down to the bones. If she hadn't decided that enough was enough and found the courage deep down to walk away, would she have gone all the way to marriage? Wasn't that where it was headed? Pushing off the bed, she started pacing, a frown touching her brow.

Then her mood lightened. The point was that she had taken a step back before it was too late, and that was what counted. Never again would she settle for anything less than utter and complete love. And it was time to change her status. She was tired of being a twenty-eight-year-old virgin.

Chapter 9

Up until he stepped into the courtroom, she had not decided on the next phase. As soon as she saw him, the decision was made, just like that. Her pulse quickened as she turned around and watched as he walked in. His sweater, unrelieved black all the way through, made him look very dangerous. His hair was loose, flowing freely down his shoulders. And he was wearing boots. What on earth was it about a man wearing black scarred boots?

But then it was settled.

Zane frowned and stopped short as he just stood there looking around. Where the hell was she? he wondered, pissed to the bone. He had spent the last few days working up the nerve to find her. When the slick-looking female with the bright highlights and chic narrow skirt with thin red stripes running vertically turned around, he felt the blood drain entirely out of his head to pool in the center of his body.

He went still as a stone as he stared at her. She looked different, completely different: the hair, the clothes. Christ! She was showing skin. The sweater was scooped at the neck, showing more than a hint of flesh. And she was wearing knee-high boots. And what the hell had she done with her hair?

Kara met his eyes, noticing his expression, and to his further shock, sent him a provocative smile that had his breath backing up in his throat.

He felt his knees turning to rubber.

When she turned back to her cross-examination, he groped for the seat next to him and lowered himself.

His heart was thundering so hard, he had a tough time hearing anything over the blood roaring through his head. His palms were sweating, and he was as hard as a rock and uncomfortable in the process. She had changed everything about herself, and he was not sure he liked it. He had been good with the way she looked before. And she was attracting a lot of male attention.

He didn't like it one bit. He had to tamp down the urge to march over to the defense attorney who was eyeing her up and down like a prime piece of meat.

Awareness of the tumult she was causing boosted Kara's confidence and had her voice ringing out in the courtroom.

*****

Kara knew he would be waiting for her out in the parking lot. She had finished her summation and turned around to notice that he had left. Her steps faltered when she saw him leaning on the door of her car, legs crossed at the ankles, the smoke curling upward from the cigar between his very white teeth.

"Zane."

His golden eyes wandered over her face and over her body before coming back to her face. "Love the look."

"Thank you." She inclined her head regally, eyes holding his.

"Why the changes?"

She shrugged. "I decided it was time I tried something else."

His eyes settled on lips coated with some sort of pale pink, and he felt his body tightening. He had to leave the courtroom after half an hour to try and cool off. Not only was he hungry for her, but he was angry as well. The sweater was so tight, he could see the imprint of her nipples.