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“Don’t bother denying it,” he countered. “She told me you had someone steal information from my computer.”
Zoe was sure Everly hadn’t sent the documents, so how had she known? “Sounds like a pretty fantastic story.”
“It’s not a story. It’s the truth.”
“Like when you accused me of having an affair?” Zoe congratulated herself on her sarcasm. “Those lies didn’t work then and they won’t work now.”
“Really?” He sneered. “How long before Dailey dumps you after he finds out you joined his sister’s campaign to gather dirt on her?”
“Stay away from Ryan.”
“Or what?”
Yes, or what? Tristan had reclaimed the proof of his illegal activities.
“It’s your word against mine,” she blustered. “And he already knows better than to trust you.”
“Maybe, but he’s been burned before,” Tristan said, spilling just how thoroughly Everly had betrayed their pact. “I’m going to guess that he’s not going to make the same mistake twice. And that means all I have to do is make one little phone call and you two are done.”
With grief rising to nearly intolerable levels, Zoe pivoted on her heel and walked out of Tristan’s office. Although she’d closed her eyes to the inevitable, she’d known her relationship with Ryan would eventually end in heartbreak.
But she would be damned if either Everly or Tristan dealt the killing blow. If she and Ryan were over, Zoe would be the one to shatter the connection.
Suspecting that Tristan would hold off calling Ryan to torment her as long as possible, Zoe pulled out her phone and dialed Ryan’s number.
“Something has come up,” she said after he picked up. “We need to talk...”
* * *
After Zoe’s dire “we need to talk” declaration and her unwillingness to get into anything more over the phone, Ryan spent several minutes wondering if he was facing the abrupt end of their relationship and disturbed at the idea of losing her. Luckily, the rest of his day was taken up by a series of meetings that left him too busy to dwell on what she had on her mind.
Now, however, as he stood in his kitchen, pondering what to do for dinner, Ryan considered how fast he’d gotten used to having Zoe around all the time. They ate together most nights, either at his house or at one of downtown Charleston’s numerous restaurants. Those dinners often segued into passionate lovemaking and he’d lost count how many times she’d spent the night. Waking up with her in the morning had become his favorite way to start his days.
When a knock sounded on his back door, his heart gave a joyful leap. Many days had passed since he’d given up claiming that he wasn’t emotionally engaged. At first he’d told himself such reactions were a predictable chemical response to someone he lusted after. After all, he’d enjoyed the best sex of his life with her.
But it wasn’t only physical for him. He’d made an effort to get to know her. Drawn out her fears. Learned about her dreams for the future. Discovered they shared a passion for helping people and a flaw that kept them from spotting trouble before it was too late. And he’d shared parts of himself with her that only his twin had seen.
He went to answer the door and his mood crashed at the somber expression on her face.
“What’s wrong?” he asked as she strode past him.
“Everything’s messed up,” she replied, dumping her purse on the kitchen counter and heading straight to the cabinet in the living room where he kept his liquor. Se
tting her cell phone down, she indicated the bottles. “Do you mind?”
“Help yourself.”
While she poured a healthy shot of vodka into a crystal tumbler, Ryan surveyed her appearance, noting her paleness and smudged eye makeup. She looked as if she’d been crying. What had happened to upset her between their early morning romp and now?
“Feel like talking about it?” he prompted.
“That’s why I came by. I need to tell you some things.” She finished her drink and poured a second shot. This time, instead of drinking, she rolled the glass between her palms and watched the liquid swirl. “Things you’re not gonna be happy to hear.”
Her ominous words rousted the doubts he’d put to rest after his encounter with her ex-husband at Susannah’s fund-raiser.
“Okay.”
But before that happened, he needed to connect with her. Crossing to where she stood, Ryan plucked the glass from her hands. Before she could protest, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her hard. She immediately melted into his embrace. All the tension fled her muscles as she looped her arms around his neck and pressed her body into his. The kiss grew ravenous as frantic, impassioned noises tore from her throat.
