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At the end of the meal, the conversation continued in the kitchen as the four of them cleaned up. They were just about finished when Lily walked in, complaining of a stomachache.
“Come on, sweetheart,” Brittney said. “It’s probably time for you to go to bed anyway. Why don’t you say good-night to Aunt Allison and Uncle Zane?”
Lily merely waved at them, curling into her mom’s hip. “Good night.”
Allison crouched down to give Lily a kiss on the forehead. “Sweet dreams, Lils.”
“Good night.”
“I’m going to help Brittney with bedtime. I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Scott said.
The quiet in the kitchen when her brother left was deafening. She and Zane had just been presented with the same scenario they’d been in last month. Except this time, the playing field had definitely changed. Gone were many of Allison’s old reservations, replaced by newer and more intense ones. She didn’t have to wonder how badly it hurt to be rejected by Zane. She’d experienced it firsthand.
“I forgot you were staying here.” Zane took a step closer to her.
“Yes. I always do. The guest room is beautiful. Very comfortable.” She leaned back against the kitchen island, gripping the cool marble counter with both hands.
“Good bed?” he asked.
She laughed and shook her head. “Smooth, Zane. Real smooth.”
He shrugged and inched even closer. “I had an opening, I had to take it.” His hand was inches from hers. He reached out with his thumb and lightly caressed her fingers.
A zip of electricity wound its way down her spine. “Zane...”
“Yes? That is my name.” He slipped his fingers under her hand and lifted it to his lips. It made her dizzy.
“My brother.”
“His name is Scott. And he’s in the other room. And we’re here. And I’ve missed you.” He kissed her hand again, except this time, he closed his eyes and seemed to savor it.
She nearly passed out, but she had to keep her head straight. “You’re being so goofy. You missed me? I just saw you yesterday.”
He opened his eyes. “I know. And I was an ass by the dock.”
Hard to believe that had only been thirty-six hours ago. It felt like a lifetime. “Yes, you were. I get it, but it doesn’t change the fact that I wasn’t a fan.”
Scott’s voice came from the hall.
“Come on. Let’s get out of here.” Zane tugged on her hand.
“What? Now? Where?” Her vision darted to the kitchen entry, then back to Zane.
He rolled his eyes. “So many questions.” He pulled her back into the dining room, where they could buy a few more seconds of privacy. “Come to my place, Allison. I want to be alone with you. I need to be alone with you.”
Her pulse went to thundering in her body the way it had during the storm. “What about what you said to me at the dock?”
“I was an idiot. I’m sorry.”
“There’s more to it, and you know that. What about Scott?”
“Now you sound like me.” He again raised her hand to his lips and delivered a soul-bending kiss. “No more excuses. Let’s get out of here, spend some time together and we’ll deal with him later. I need to be alone with you, Allison.”
How in the hell could she say no to that? She couldn’t, even when there was a small part of her that wanted to press him for more. For an explanation. For clarification about everything. But the reality was that she’d been waiting forever to hear him saying something so desperate, especially unprompted. So she’d take Zane’s offer. Even if it ended up being only sex. One more time. “What do we tell Scott?”
Zane pulled his phone out of his pocket and tapped away at the screen. He showed it to her.Taking your sister for a drive. Thanks for dinner.
“That’s it?” she asked.
