Chapter Sixty-eight

ZANE

“Come to the festival, Taylor. It will be fun, Taylor,” Taylor mimicked what Ebony had obviously said to him because I sure as fuck hadn’t said he will have fun. Taylor groaned and threw the pieces of the tent down. “Fuck it, we are sleeping outside because I don’t know how to put that shit together.”

“God, give it to me,” Ebony snapped. She had come back in a foul mood. She said she had spoken to Allie, but her ‘plan’ wasn’t on track when it came to Blake.

Ebony was picking up the pieces when she froze. “Oh shit,” she muttered.

“What?” I looked at her, as she got up looking panicked.

“He is coming.” Ebony started shaking. “Oh my God. Oh my God.”

“Ebony, calm down.” I put a hand on her shoulder.

“No, you don’t understand. He is probably coming to yell at me. I wasn’t, um, very nice to Allie. I may have been a bit aggressive.”

“Well, looks like you are about to find out.” I spotted Blake heading towards us.

She started cursing and nervously rocking from foot to foot. “Oh God, I don’t think I can go another round with him.”

“The Ebony I know can face down any man,” Taylor pointed out.

“Every man but him,” she said quickly just as he stepped into hearing distance. “How did he even find me in this sea of people.”

Taylor scoffed, “You mean in the sea of fucking tents. All of which are put up apart from our two.”

Blake came to a stop at our deflated tent. He looked at it for a moment then his eyes were on Ebony.

“Can we talk?” he said. Speaking to her with a tone that was actually acceptable. He usually snapped at her or yelled at her. He didn’t talk nicely to her. Ebony didn’t move or say anything.

“Allie said I should try and talk to you,” he added, looking nervous.

Never seen Blake nervous, but he was nervous right now.

Ebony snapped out of it and was quick to walk to him.

“I never thought I’d be grateful to Allie.” She locked her arms around his neck and went up on her tippy toes brushing her lips against his, and that was all that was needed to spark their fire because Blake’s self-control was gone as he lifted her up gripping her like he was dying for her.

He started walking them away.

It was when they disappeared in the trees I knew they were gone for the night.

“Ok, where are you going?” Taylor said as I started to walk off.

I turned and grinned at him. “To find Allie.” Seeing as her bodyguard was gone, it meant she was by herself.

That’s if Chase wasn’t with her.

I felt my pull to her, and I just followed my feet, being drawn to her.

I reached out for her, finding her mind easily.

If I open a second bottle, would I be considered an alcoholic? Considering I had drunk my weight in beer tonight, maybe I shouldn’t open a second bottle. Then again, I am by myself for the night, so did it really matter if I got off my face?

And I’m at a festival.

Yep, open a second bottle.

Joints, alcohol, and chocolate. My night was looking better.

I came to a stop at her door. I hoped she was still considering her night getting better when I joined it.

I knocked on the door. I could hear her on the other side.

Please answer the door, Allie.

Just as I hoped, the door opened and there my blonde bombshell was standing.

I grinned immediately.

“Hey.”

“Um, hi.” She looked me up and down. “Ebony isn’t here if you are looking for her.”

“I assumed she wasn’t here when I saw Blake drag her off to the trees.” I grinned at her.

“Good, he took my advice.” She smiled. “Um, so what do you want?”

“What are you doing?” I rocked on my feet. Finally, I was able to talk to her, and she was talking back.

“Um.” She scratched the back of her neck looking like she didn’t want to admit to what she was doing.

“Apart from deciding to open a second bottle of vodka or not?” I added.

She sighed. “You’ve been in my head again.”

I nodded my head.

“Then you would know I’m not doing anything,” she pointed out.

“Can I join you?”

She started biting her bottom lip. Not opening the door any further.

‘Come on, sweetheart, let me in,’ I spoke in her mind.

She rolled her eyes and then nodded her head and opened the door up wider for me.

I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face as I stepped up into the Winnebago.

She picked up the lit joint she had in the ashtray and went back to pouring herself a drink.

“Um, so do you want one?” she asked. Her back to me.

I could feel how nervous she was.

“Sure.”

Maybe if I were drinking as well, she would be at ease. She said she’d had a lot to drink, but her mind wasn’t cloudy. Considering she was smoking drugs and drinking hard, her mind wasn’t affected.

She reached over, bending slightly over grabbing a glass, and my eyes were on her ass and the way her dress was riding up. God, I wanted to run my hand up her.

She turned, taking my view away, which was replaced with a view of her breasts. God, they were so perfect. Hands down the best breasts I had ever touched, or had the pleasure of looking at.

I tore my eyes off her breasts and looked her in the eye, taking the drink she was handing me.

“Thanks,” I said, and her hands just brushed mine, and she was quick to pull her hand away.

“No worries.” She grabbed the ashtray and put the joint back in her mouth and sat down. Putting her drink and ashtray down, her eyes went to the television. “Can you stop staring at me?” she asked, her eyes still on the television.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to be well, um, staring.” I moved from the door and went and sat beside her.

She crossed her legs, taking the joint from her mouth. “Do you do drugs?” She turned to look at me.

“Considering I’m the future of the pack, I think my dad would kill me if I were doing drugs.” Dad let me have women, parties and alcohol, but he drew the line at drugs.

“Yeah, I don’t normally either. Only at festivals.” She frowned. “Normally with Blake.” She shrugged. “Or Chase. I wonder where he is.” She blew out a mouthful of smoke.

Her leg was nervously going up and down. I could feel her nerves, and I couldn’t stop my hand from going to her bare knee and stopping it.

I watched her eyes land on my hand, and her leg stopped going up and down. She took a shaky breath in.

She could feel it, couldn’t she? The heat. The spark between us. She could feel what I was feeling. I knew I could get my answer by reaching into her mind, but this once I was going to try and read her without doing that.

Her breathing was rapid and her eyes were locked on my hand. The joint in her hand was about to burn her fingers like she had completely forgotten about it.

Knowing it was a second away from burning her, I leaned across her with my other hand and took it from her, putting it in the ashtray.

Was it wrong if I started to feel her up? My hand was burning on her knee, not moving up further. Self-control, Harris. Have some self-control.

I pulled my eyes off her, keeping my hand on her. “So, what are you watching?” My fingers started to draw on her skin. She wasn’t answering. “Allie?”

Her head snapped up. “Um, I’m not. I’m listening to music.”

I looked at the screen. Sure enough, it was playing music flashing between pictures. I frowned looking closer. “Are those photos of you?”

“Um, yeah. Plays the pictures on my phone in the background to the music.”

“What song is this?”

“Festival song, by Pez and 360.”

“I don’t get your taste in music.” When it came to music, we were complete opposites. My fingers were still drawing on her skin. I could hear the way her heart was racing. She was having difficulty keeping it in check.

“So, why did you come to the festival then?” She reached for her glass, trying her best to act like I wasn’t making her heart jump out of her chest.

“Why do you think?” I turned looking at her. The answer was obvious, wasn’t it? “Didn’t come for the music, sweetheart.” I couldn’t stop my hand from going to the inside of her thigh and slowly moving up.

She inhaled sharply.

Good, I was having more of an effect on her.

My hand went under her dress, and then she snapped and was pushing my hand off her and getting up.

“God, what was I thinking,” she mumbled and backed away from me.

I was up in a second, standing in front of her. “Why are you panicking?” I knew she was nervous. I could feel that, but I didn’t understand why.

“You should, um, go.” Her hand shot out and landed on my chest, trying to keep distance between her and me.

I never thought I would wish Allie was stoned, but I wished she was now so she wasn’t so bloody nervous. What did she think I was going to do, attack her? Well, I did want to attack her, but I wanted her to want me to, and it would involve a bed. Fuck. Maybe not. I’d take her on the bench.

“I’m not leaving.” My hands went to her hips. “Unless you really want me to go?”

She had made it her mission to keep distance between her and I and now, here, I was making sure that was the last thing we had. Distance. I didn’t want that.

I wanted her.

I took my hand off her hip and gripped her hand which was keeping me away from her. I took it, bringing it to my mouth and kissed the back of it.

I brought it to my face. Maybe if she felt me, she would be less nervous and looking like she wanted to bolt.

Her hand was on the side of my face when I took a step closer to her. I looked at her torn expression. She was a second from bolting and a second from pulling me closer.

My other hand ran up her arm.

“Ebony told you the truth? Right?” My hand went to her face, my thumb running over her bottom lip. “You know that trust you gave me, I didn’t break it?”

She was still. Deadly still. If it weren't for her blinking and hearing her heart racing, you would think she was dead.

“Allie, you have to hear me when I say I didn’t break your trust. I never wanted to hurt you.” I couldn’t stop myself from kissing her forehead. “Tell me you believe me?” Please believe me. The last thing I wanted was to see her hurt. The last thing I wanted was for her walls to go back up and for her to push me away and leave.

She still wasn’t moving. God, what was she thinking? I could get my answer. Maybe if I reached into her mind, I could answer whatever it was she was panicking about and keeping her from answering me. I knew how much she hated me in her head, but I didn’t see another option.

Blake said Ebony wasn’t lying, but she was a living breathing lying machine and Zane wouldn’t lie to me, would he? He has before, but he had told me over and over they hadn’t slept together. I was the one to decide they had after listening to Ebony.

Was she lying in the bathroom the other day?

Did it make a difference?

Yes. It bloody well did. She had me ready to leave. Hell, I’ve even already asked to be released! Why is he looking at me like that? Why did it feel like I was risking everything by trusting him again?

Don’t do it. Don’t give in. Push him away. This time I have to listen to my brain. My heart got me with a mark on my neck and a mindful of doubts. God, all he did was give me nightmares! This was a nightmare right now deciding whether to believe him or not.

I had pushed him so deep into my soul for too long. Now it was showing. I wanted to believe him. My heart was pumping firm to that, but my brain keeps telling me, we are just going to end badly.

Alpha Harris said if I really loved him. I would let him go from loving me. That’s what I was doing and if I kissed him right now, as much as I wanted to, it would be even harder to say goodbye to him at the end of the year.

“MY DAD SAID WHAT!”

Her eyes snapped up. “Of course, you were in my head!” She pulled her hand off my cheek. “Would it kill you to give me privacy?”

“In this case, yes, it would kill me because you leaving would kill me. Hear that, Allie. If you really loved me, you would be staying, not running away!”

“Your dad said the opposite to that.” She looked at me like I couldn’t argue that. “When he heard you were still sleeping with other women, even though we were marked. He said you wouldn’t be able to stop it.”

“BUT I WASN’T! DOES NO ONE LISTEN TO ME?” I was yelling at her, but I couldn’t stop myself. My built-up rage over this whole situation was getting the best of me.

“Zane, calm down.”

“NO!”

“Seriously, calm down.” She put her hand over my heart. “It feels like you are going to have a heart attack or rip this place apart.”

How could dad do that! How the fuck could he get involved like that! He knew how important she was to me. She was my everything, and he was encouraging her to leave! WHY THE HELL WOULD HE DO THAT!

“Zane. Calm down.”

Was everyone out to make sure she didn’t end up with me? Ebony. Dad. Blake. THE FUCKING WORLD!

“Zane, seriously, you are like a second from changing.”

Why would dad encourage her to leave! Telling her shit like if she really loved me, she would let me go. Where the hell do people get off being involved in my life! MY LIFE! Everyone else and their opinions could get screwed.

Suddenly, I wanted to head back just to tell him that. I wondered what he would be thinking when I did what Ryder did, and wipe my hands of the pack and fucking follow her. What would he do then?

The pack always had come first, but if I had to pick between the two, I knew which one was coming second now.

“ZANE!”

Dad and his future plans could get fucked. He wanted to push my mate away, well, I was just going to follow her. Yeah. I would bloody well follow her.

Her lips brushed mine, pulling me from my plan. I didn’t kiss her back. I was more focused on my new plan. If she were so set on leaving, I would leave with her. My commitments be darned.

If he was pushing her away, I was only going after her.

Her lips brushed mine again. “Zane, I know you are against drugs, but I seriously think you need something to calm down. I can feel your rage.”

Drugs? She thought drugs was going to calm me down? She was so wrong. I looked into her eyes seeing her real concern. I was worrying her.

Breathe, Harris, you’re making her panic. God, she had done enough panicking for the night, hadn’t she, but here she was panicking about me. Again.

“You’re my drug.” My hands ran up her sides. “I need you.” I knew I wasn’t calming down until I had her and hear her say she wasn’t leaving no matter what my father said or, if she was still set on seeing Europe, then I hoped she would accept the fact I was going with her.

Either way, right now, I wasn’t calming down.

She gripped my hands and gently pushed me off her. My eyes widened. Why was she pushing me away?

I watched her push the straps of her dress down her arms, and push it off, and then she was standing in front of me topless and only wearing a G-string.

She grabbed my hands and put them back on her body. She went up on her toes. “Then take me.”