Page 117 of Irresistibly Wicked

Don’t I wish. Wicked with a capital W, that is.

THE SUN BEAT down on Zander’s shoulders, the sand giving way beneath his feet with every step as he ran down the beach. He was dripping with sweat, the music blasting in his ears not doing a damn thing to drown out his agonizing thoughts. He pushed himself harder, his lungs burning. The cottage had been too quiet after Shauna had left to get Brian. He’d thought a four-mile run would do the trick, but as his cottage came into view in the distance, he knew he was supremely fucked.

There was no outrunning the emptiness he felt closing in on him.

He slowed to a walk, squinting against the sun as he made his way down the beach, hoping Shauna had gotten to the rehab center safely and things were going smoothly for her and Brian. He knew how well Brian was doing. When he’d reached out to the rehab center to get a message to him, he hadn’t even been sure Brian would call back. But when Brian did, he’d sounded sharp and clear-headed, and it was obvious he’d do anything to talk to Shauna. He’d been appropriately apologetic and grateful. Zander hoped to hell Brian could fight his demons because if he laid a hand on Shauna again, now or a decade from now, he’d have Zander to deal with.

He picked up a rock and threw it into the ocean. Sweat dripped into his eyes. He dragged his forearm across his brow and headed up the incline toward the cottage, spotting Zeke and Maverick standing out back and Blaine coming from the side yard. He was in no mood to dick around.

“Hey, man,” Zeke said. “How you doin’?”

“Fucking fantastic,” he gritted out. “What are you all doing here?”

“Getting your ugly ass away from this place,” Maverick said.

“No thanks.”

“It’s not a request,” Blaine shot back. “We know today sucks, but it doesn’t have to suck alone.”

“I’m fine,” Zander gritted out.

“Yeah, we know you are,” Zeke said. “But we’re not fine knowing Shauna’s with Brian and you’re overthinking it six ways to sundown.”

Zander scoffed. “I—”

“Save it, Zan. The guys are waiting,” Blaine said.

“What guys?” Zander asked with irritation.

They didn’t answer, just lifted their chins toward the front of the house and headed in that direction, leaving him to follow. When they came around the corner of the cottage, he stopped short. Preacher, Conroy, and his cousins stood by their bikes. Behind them, half the club lined the road, chrome glinting in the sun, leather vests proudly displaying Dark Knights’ patches.

Preacher stepped forward, his expression as solemn as a sermon. “Better get some clothes on, son.”

A ripple of laughter rose from around him.

Confused, Zander said, “I didn’t know we were riding today.”

Preacher looked at Conroy. “Hear that, Con? He didn’t know.”

“I heard it, but I don’t believe it.” Conroy shook his head. “He knows damn well no one battles demons alone in this family, which can only mean one thing.”

“Damn fool went and fell in love with his temporary wife,” Blaine said.

“Sounds like a permanent problem to me,” Zeke added.

Maverick clapped a hand on Zander’s shoulder and said, “Happens to the best of us.”

Zander gritted his teeth, but as the guys started ribbing him, their jeers and laughter carrying in the breeze, the knot in his chest loosened.

Damn it to hell. He hated how much he needed this.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

THE DRIVE BACK from the rehab center was quiet, both Shauna and Brian lost in their own thoughts. The silence was heavier than it used to be. It wasn’t hostile or awkward, just different. A new energy between them, shaped by everything rehab had changed and everything it hadn’t. Change was a running theme in her life these last few months, and the long drive to and from the center had given her time to think about those changes and what they meant for her and Brian.

“Home sweet home,” Shauna said as she parked in front of their rental cottage, although it didn’t feel like her home anymore. She reached over to grab the subs and chips they’d bought on the way home and, for the millionth time today, felt the absence of her rings, which she’d left at Zander’s so Brian wouldn’t ask about them.

She climbed out of the car, and as she pressed the button on the key fob, opening the trunk for Brian to grab his bag, she noticed he’d stopped short and was staring at his car parked out front.