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Allison grabbed at the kitchen counter and dragged one leg into the kitchen, followed by the other. Zane peeked around the island and saw what was slowing her down—Scott’s five-year-old daughter, Lily, had wrapped herself around Allison’s ankle. “Sorry. I’m having some trouble walking today,” Allison said. She gave her eyebrows a conspiratorial bounce.
“I noticed there’s a large growth on your leg. I’d better take a look at it and make sure it’s not anything contagious.” He crouched down and looked Lily in the eye. The little girl was already giggling. “I might need to administer the tickle test.”
“Noooo!” Lily unspooled herself from Allison’s leg, rolled across the floor and scrambled off behind her mother.
“Miss Thing,” Brittney said. “You and Franklin need to go get washed up for dinner.”
“Can we eat in front of the TV?” Lily asked, warily peering at Zane.
“Yes. I think the grown-ups would enjoy some adult conversation anyway.”
Scott scooped up Lily into his arms. “Come on. Let’s go hunt down your brother.”
Brittney nodded to two empty wineglasses on the kitchen counter. “Why don’t you two grab a drink for yourselves? We’ll be ready to eat in a little bit.”
“You sure we can’t help?” Allison asked.
“I’m sure. Cooking is one of the only things that relax me,” Brittney said.
“Wine?” Zane glanced at Allison, wondering how she was feeling about being around him. She had every reason in the world to give him some steely attitude. And he was going to have to find a way to work through it. “We can go out on the balcony and catch up.”
“About what? Not much has happened since yesterday.”
He knew then that he was going to have to try a little harder. “You can tell me how your meeting with your client went.”
Allison found it impossible to swallow and not much easier to breathe. Zane had picked the one topic of conversation she did not want to explore, especially not when he was looking good enough to eat. Damn him. It was one thing when he was wearing a pair of board shorts, but there was something about Zane in a pair of perfectly tailored flat-front trousers and a dress shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, that absolutely slayed her. He would always have her number. Even when he’d been a jerk to her. Even when he was going around picking uncomfortable things to discuss. “Wine sounds great, but I’d rather skip work talk. It’s been a long day.”
“Whatever you want.”
He poured them each a glass of wine, and she tried to ignore the pull he had on her. It came from the vicinity of her belly button, although just being around him made the more feminine parts of her body quake and yearn, as well. They stepped out onto the patio overlooking the back of Scott and Brittney’s beautiful wooded lot. The early-evening air was warm and breezy, hearkening back to their time on the island. Part of her wanted to go back so badly and relive every unbelievable minute, but she knew that wasn’t reality, and one thing she prided herself on, aside from her predilection for fantasies about Zane, was her ability to stay grounded.
“Did you sleep well last night?” He took a sip of his wine after he posed the question, regarding her with a look that took no effort from him and still felt like pure seduction.
“Like the proverbial rock.”
“We didn’t get much sleep during that last day or so on the island, did we?” He leaned against the balcony railing, inexplicably turning her on by leaving his firm forearms on display.
She smiled. Heat rushed to her face. “No, we did not. That damn storm kept us up.”
A subtle blush colored his cheeks, and he hung his head, nodding. “Right. It was the storm that kept us awake. The weather was nothing if not distracting.”
She sucked in a deep breath. She loved this glimmer of normalcy between them, their ability to fall into a fun back-and-forth, but it only made her crave more. Was there a way to get beyond the things standing between them? Even if Scott was ever able to get over himself, the Black Crescent problem was inescapable. Her meeting had gone exceptionally well today. She wasn’t about to turn her back on hard-earned success, no matter how much she knew it would anger Zane. Yes, she would come clean, but everything else was on Zane. It was his choice. Not hers.
She glanced over her shoulder to make sure Scott or Brittney wasn’t looking. “No matter what, I will never regret what happened, Zane. I need you to know that. It was amazing.”
He straightened to his full height, leaving her in the shadow of his towering frame, and touched her arm gently. How could he bring her entire body to life with only an instant of caring contact? “Yes. Of course. I feel the same way.”
Her heart began to gallop in her chest, beating an uneven rhythm.
“Dinner’s ready.” Scott was standing at the door to the balcony. His vision noticeably landed on Zane’s hand touching Allison’s arm.
Allison reflexively pulled back from Zane, and he did the same. The instant it happened, a wave of guilt blanketed her. Resentment followed. These games were so stupid. And idiotic. She had to put an end to them. Part of that was finding the right time to tell Zane about Black Crescent. “On our way.”
Allison and Zane joined Scott and Brittney in the dining room. On the front of the house, it had a splendid view of the front yard, and was appointed with all of the elegant trappings of a comfortable life. Allison didn’t like to get too wrapped up in material things. There was plenty of that going on in LA. Still, she could admit that she wanted this for herself. She wanted a husband and a house and children. More to the point, she wanted love and a life partner. She wanted it all.
The spread Brittney put out was truly spectacular—filet mignon cooked to an ideal medium-rare, with rosemary roasted baby potatoes and green beans. The wine Zane had brought was a sublime complement to the meal, and Scott seemed nothing if not relaxed and content because of it. The conversation was fun and light, full of laughs and interesting stories. Zane and Scott told tales—a few from high school, but most from recent years, stories about pickup basketball, epic golf tournaments and even a few nights out drinking. All Allison could think as she watched Zane and Scott together was that she didn’t merely appreciate that they had such a solid friendship, but that she also loved being witness to it. It was a real shame that Zane was a no-go because he was her brother’s best friend. In a lot of ways, it was also what made him perfect.
There were a few moments when Zane delivered a knowing glance with his piercing gaze, leaving Allison to grapple with the resulting hum in her body. Did he know that he could affect her like that without so much as a brush of a finger against the back of her hand? Did he know how much it made her want him, and how frustrating it made the knowledge that she’d never likely experience his touch again?
