Zandra
Watching Kane through the two-way mirror behind the bar, I couldn’t understand why he was waiting there instead of going back to the guy he’d come in with. I recognized that man as his friend from high school, Rocco. The way he kept looking at the door I’d gone through gave me chills.
Does he know it’s me?
After Kane left the bar, with what I thought looked like a dejected expression, I came out. “Did that guy say anything to you?” I asked Patrick, the bartender.
With a smartass tone, he answered, “Which one, Zee? There’re tons of guys here tonight.”
“The guy with the dark blond hair. Black suit, green eyes.” I sighed quietly, thinking that he looked even better than he had the last time I’d seen him.
“Ah, the beer drinker who asked about the waitress that went to the back. That guy. I see it much more clearly now. Were you the one who went back there, Zee?” He handed change back to some woman, who stuffed it in her bra.
“Yeah, that was me. Did he ask about me or what?” My heart began to pound with the idea that after all this time, he’d recognized me.
It hadn’t crossed my mind at all that Kane and I might meet up. I didn’t know why that was. He and I had both lived in Charleston growing up. I guess I just assumed he’d be on to bigger and better things than our small hometown.
Boy, was that a mistake.
And now he’s found me.
“He did ask about you, as a matter of fact.”
My heart stopped. “Did he know me by name?”
A slight laugh left his mouth. “No.”
“Good,” I sighed with relief. “So, what did he ask?”
“He wanted to know when you were coming back out.” He went to help a customer. “What’ll you have, partner?”
“Jack and Coke.”
I went with Patrick as he started making the drink, so I could hear more. “Did he say why?”
“He said you were the only one who’d made his juices run or some shit like that. He told me he was leaving.” He smiled at me with a wicked grin. “I told him that if you were back there that long, then you were with the boss. Like—with the boss. You know what I’m saying, Zee?”
“He thinks I was back there with Rob?” I was horrified. “God, no!”
He looked confused by my exclamation. “So, you weren’t back there with the boss then?”
“Hell, no!” With long strides, I left Patrick behind and went to see to my customers. With the news that Kane had left, I could finally get back to work. Hiding from him had set me back, and I was sure the tips wouldn’t be nearly what they had been.
Not only had I hidden from him, but I’d also spent a good chunk of time before that watching him from afar. When he put his arm around that drunk girl, my insides had gone hot with jealousy. I hadn’t experienced anything like that before.
Sneaking along through the crowd, I followed them all the way to the exit. I couldn’t believe he would just randomly grab a girl out of the crowd and so easily take her home. She looked like she was all for it, too.
I couldn’t hear what they said because the music was too loud. But I could see that he was taking her outside. Then he snapped his fingers and a cab pulled up.
I couldn’t even breathe as he opened that cab door. When the cab pulled away without him, I understood that he’d simply made sure that the drunk girl would get home safely.
Hell, maybe she was the sister of a friend of his. There had to be some rational explanation. I mean, no one was that damn nice, to make sure a drunken stranger got out of a club and back home safely for no reason at all.
Unless he’s some kind of a saint.
Taylor saw me then and came up to me. “And where the hell have you been?”
“Hiding.” I kept walking to get to my customers. “There was a guy here. You talked to him at the bar. I know him from the past.”
“I’ve talked to a lot of guys here.” She grinned at me. “You’ll have to be more specific.”
“Dark blond, green eyes, rocking body.” I picked up the empties from the table full of girls. “More of the same, ladies?”
“Yes,” came their enthusiastic answers. “More!”
“Oh, that guy.” The way her eyes twinkled gave me a sinking feeling in my chest. “You know him?”
“Yes.” Making my way back to the bar, I found a few more people holding up empty drinks and grabbed them as I went. “I’ll be right back with refills, guys.”
“I’m on break right now,” Taylor told me. “I’ll help you play catchup.”
“Thank you.” I needed the help at that moment. My head wasn’t in the game after my unexpected reminder of my past.
She picked up more empties as she walked around with me. “He wasn’t in his element here. He wanted to be back home with his son, who he said is out of town right now. I didn’t spot a ring on his finger, and he even said he wasn’t married, but my bets are that he is. Maybe he just didn’t want it getting back to the old ball and chain that he was out, I bet.”
“He’s got a son?” I felt that stab of jealousy again.
“That’s what he said. And when I offered to liven up his night while on break, he didn’t take me up on it.” She placed the empties on the bar as I got behind it to load them in the washer while spouting out what I needed to Patrick.
“Liven up his night, huh?” I mumbled. I knew what that meant. Taylor was still as forward as she’d always been. I should’ve expected as much. “It would please me very much, if you ever see him again, if you don’t offer him any of your favors, Taylor. He’s special to me in a way.”
“Wait a minute.” She stared a hole in me. “Is he?”
I didn’t want a soul to know that Kane was the father of the boy I’d given up. “No. That’s not him. He was just this guy who I messed around with once, that’s all. And if you and he did anything, it would upset me.” The lie came out so easily that it scared me.
“I see.” She didn’t seem completely sure of what I’d said. “He wasn’t into me anyway. And I doubt he’ll ever come in here again.”
I prayed he wouldn’t. “That would be nice. If he is married with kids, then I don’t really want to know that anyway.”
“I don’t see why not.” Taylor took one of the trays full of drinks while I took the other.
Going to serve the drinks, I said, “It’s just better to leave him the way he’s been in my memories all these years. Single, young, and still hot as hell.”
Placing the girls’ drinks on the table, I felt the tray slipping on the palm of my hand. “Oh, shit!” one of them shouted as she shot up to get out of the way.
Three of the glasses hit the table, splashing liquid and shards of glass everywhere. It all happened so fast that it stunned me. Taylor pointed at me. “Your hand!”
Looking down, I found a few small cuts and one big one on my palm. Blood poured from it. My head went light, and then all I saw was black.
“Hey, wake up, Zandy,” Taylor’s voice came to me. There wasn’t any noise in the background, so I had no idea where I was.
Opening my eyes, I saw Taylor and Rob looking down at me. “What happened?”
“You fainted when you saw the blood,” Taylor told me.
“You should go get stitches,” Rob added. “That’s a pretty deep cut. The club will pay the bill. Don’t worry about that.”
Picking up my left hand, I saw a white bar towel had been wrapped around it. There was only a little bit of pink color to it. “I’ll be okay.”
With a sigh, Rob walked away. “Well, I can’t make you go to the ER, but I can make you go home. See you on Monday. Hopefully with stitches on that hand.”
“You’re making me leave?” I sat up, then felt woozy, so I laid my head on the back of the sofa they’d put me on.
“Yes,” he said with a nod. “Go home. Come back on Monday.”
Taylor looked a little concerned. “Do you need me to drive you?”
“Nah. I can make it.” I got up. It was easy to do when I thought about what kind of crap might be on Rob’s sofa. “I’ll see you at home later, Taylor. See you on Monday, boss.”
The ride home passed in a blur as all my thoughts were focused on one man.
Kane Price.
He was there. In Charleston. And he was most likely married. He also had a son—that much I knew for sure.
A son.
What would he do if I told him that he had more than one son? He had a son that I had had to give away. He had a son, and I had no idea where that son might be. He had a son, but I couldn’t tell him if that son was okay—because I didn’t know the answer to that myself.
No. If I ever did run into Kane, I would never tell him about the other son he had.
The apartment was dark as I walked in. I left it that way as I walked past the light switch, heading straight to my bedroom then to the attached bath. A nice bath would help soothe my sore hand and jagged nerves.
After putting a bandage on my hand, I soaked in the tub. And as I soaked, the memory of that night so long ago filled my mind …
“Hey, aren’t you in my chemistry class?” Kane asked me with a sexy grin on his gorgeous face. His dark blond hair hung in waves to his broad shoulders. His green eyes danced, making me weak in the knees.
“I am.” I looked away to find the girl I’d come to the party with. “Have you seen Ann around?”
“Nope.” His index finger trailed along my bare arm, leaving the oddest sensation behind. Heat mixed with cold—it was outstanding. And the way it made my bottom half pulse excited me.
“I should go look for her.” Slowly, I looked up at him, and his index finger moved up to trace a line along my jaw.
“Why?” he asked as he looked into my eyes. “What’s wrong with talking to me for a while?”
Everything.
“Nothing, I guess.” Shyly, I looked off to one side.
With just that one finger, he drew my head back to look at him. “I’ve always thought you were pretty, Zandra. Did you know that?”
I tried to speak past the shock clogging my throat. “How could I?” He’d never said more than a couple of words to me the whole time we’d been in high school together.
The smile he wore faded. “Yeah, how could you have known I thought that?” He brushed my hair back, away from my face. “I haven’t exactly been upfront with you, now have I?”
I shook my head. “No, you’ve never been upfront with me.” I had never been upfront with him, either. I’d had a crush on the guy since I was in seventh grade and he was in eighth.
“So now I’m being upfront.” His hand moved down to rest on my shoulder. “I like you.”
“You don’t know me, Kane.” I looked down at my feet, biting my lip. I wasn’t sure why that had come out of my mouth, but it had.
“Not well.” He nodded then leaned in close to whisper the rest. “But I’d like to.”
“I’d like that too.” I thought in that moment that I’d never like anything more than that.
When his lips touched mine, I felt my whole world change. No more shyness. No more inhibitions. Nothing.
When he ended the kiss, which had taken me away to a place I hadn’t known existed, he took me by the hand and led me up the stairs to a bedroom. I didn’t ask any questions; I just let him touch me, kiss me, make me crave him.
My clothes came off without me realizing it. Then his did too. Naked, we lay on the bed, facing each other. When he ran one hand between my breasts, over my stomach, down to my pulsing sex, my body became tense. “It’s okay, Zandra.” His lips pressed against mine again, our tongues tangled, and I let him explore me more intimately.
One finger slid into me, and I gasped at the odd feeling. It didn’t hurt at all, but it felt good—very good. I didn’t know anything could feel as good as his finger pumped into me over and over again. His thumb rolled in circles over my clit, which I could feel swelling with arousal.
My body heated as he played with it. Moans came out of my mouth involuntarily as he moved his finger inside of me. His lips left mine and he smiled at me. “Can I kiss you down there?” he whispered.
My body got even hotter, and I couldn’t believe what came out of my mouth. “Yes.” It was too late to take the word back, not that I wanted to, deep down.
Our eyes locked then a smile curved his lips. “You won’t be sorry, Zandra.” His eyes stayed on mine as he kissed one nipple then bit it playfully.
“Kane?” I bit my lower lip as I thought about what I was going to say.
“Yeah?” He went back to nibbling my tit.
“I’m a virgin. I just wanted you to know that about me.” For some reason, shame filled me. I felt my cheeks go red with embarrassment.
Moving back up my body, his lips met mine again. “Thank you for telling me that.” He kissed the side of my neck as he played with one tit, guiding my body so I lay underneath him. “Do you want to give your virginity to me, Zandra?”
“I do.” I couldn’t believe what I’d said. But I meant it.
He made a sexy groan then bit my neck. “Good.”
Gripping his biceps, I arched up to him, feeling his hard dick press against my sex. I just wanted to feel it inside of me—feel him inside me. I couldn’t think of anything else.
“Easy, baby. I want to make sure this is something you’ll always remember with fondness.” He pulled his head up to look me in the eyes. “You just relax and let me do all the work, ’k?”
I nodded. “’K.”
His green eyes grew serious for a moment. “Should I use a condom?”
I shook my head. “No.”
One word was all it took to change my life. One damn word that would change me forever. What a goddamned fool I was.