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Maybe.
Because he and Jillian grew closer every minute. Touching her, kissing her came more naturally, more frequently, and became harder to resist. And as he grew accustomed to being with Casey, the three of them were bonding into a harmonious unit. Their days together were spent as a happy trio, and after Casey went to bed Zane and Jillian would lounge on the deck sipping wine, talking … and kissing.
Zane had so far managed to keep his passion leashed, although it cranked him up to the point of pain. It wasn’t right to play house with Jillian if he wasn’t going to stick around.
Dallas and Mia spent a lot of time with them as well, and Zane had to admit he was more content than he’d ever been in his life.
While at the same time, also the most leery.
Because suddenly, for the first time, he dared to hope. And hope scared the ever-loving shit out of him.
So he’d lied to Jillian, Dallas and Mia about working alone the other day. Instead he’d driven to Portland for an appointment he’d made with the therapist Mia recommended—only to sit rigidly in the guy’s office in a cold sweat, saying a whole lot of nothing.
The therapist had assured Zane he could talk when he was ready. He’d congratulated Zane on taking the first big step, but warned him that exorcising his past would be like surgery … without anesthesia. During the healing process, the pain always got a lot worse before it could get better. And he had to fully face the pain, fully feel it, in order to conquer it.
Hip-fucking-hooray.Something to look forward to.
Now he was waiting for the other boot to drop … and kick him in the ass.
Chapter 14
The day before the gala, Zane finished his early morning run and jogged sweaty and panting into the house. Casey had spent the night before with Poppy Dean—and Zane’s evening make-out session on the starlit deck with Jillian had seriously strained his control. His balls were bluer than those Smurf cartoons Casey liked to watch.
Jillian was on her way to pick up Casey so Dean could head to the Center and finish the electrical and plumbing, so Zane didn’t hesitate to toe off his runners in the kitchen and make a beeline for the laundry room. His clothing situation was bordering on critical. He had to wash his running duds daily, but shopping didn’t max his fun meter either. Since he was supposed to pick up his rented tux for the gala sometime today, he supposed he could endure a quick detour to Super Value-World and get it over with.
He took off his socks, stripped off his tank shirt and pants. Dropping everything into the machine, he added detergent and switched it on. Then figuringwhat the hell, he started to tug down his black boxer briefs to toss them in too. Skivvies halfway down his ass, a strangled sound from the laundry room doorway had him jerking them back up and pivoting around to see Jillian standing there.
Her gaze deepened from surprised to sultry, then cruised slowly down his sweat-sheened body from forehead to bare feet. Then just as slowly cruised back up … caressing every inch. In a heartbeat, his dick surged from zero to ninety, and those bewitching eyes went wide, the irises darkening to purple twilight. “Hello.”
His tongue also seemed to have swelled three sizes in his mouth, but he managed to croak, “I thought you’d gone to get the kid.”
“I was supposed to.” Her delighted smile spiked his blood pressure into stroke range. “But as luck would have it, Pop called just as I was getting ready to go and said he wanted to take him out to breakfast first. He’ll drop him off when they’re done.”
“Oh.”Brilliant commentary, Wolfe.“I’m … headed for the shower.”
She moved closer, he caught her erotic scent, and every cell in his body lit up. Her naughty grin flooded his internal pilot light with accelerant and his insides erupted in flames. She reached out and lightly scraped tantalizing fingernails over his chest. “We could shower together. Like in Tahoe.”
As the memories scorched him, he damn near whimpered.
Yeah. Oh yeah, baby.
No, no, no.
Bad idea.
“Your father,” he gritted. “And the kid. Due here shortly.”
“We can be quick.” The pink tip of her tongue slid across her plump bottom lip and her fingertips glided down his stomach toward the waistband of his briefs—andsonofabitchhe damned near came in his skivvies then and there.
He caught her wrist, yanked her full against him. He took her mouth in a kiss that left them both gasping for oxygen. Then he let go and eased back. “Ifwe do it again, sweetheart, I promise you, nothing about it is going to be quick.”
He stepped around her and barreled upstairs to the shower while he still could.
After his chilly shower, Zane re-entered the kitchen fully dressed and only slightly less aroused.
Jillian handed him a mug of hot coffee. She grinned at him over the rim of her own. “You know, Mr. Big Bad, if you keep getting me all worked up and then leaving me in the lurch, I’m going to have to resort to B.O.B.”
His brows lowered in a black scowl as he gulped the fortifying brew. “Who the hell is Bob?”
