Page 12 of Tainted Romance

“Yeah, she is, how did you know that?” Mom had left yesterday for a long weekend with the girls. What she needed a getaway from, was beyond me.

“She went with my mom,” Zane explained.

It was these kinds of moments I hated being a female, and I hated the fact Zane could just reach into my mind and read what I was thinking. He would find out, that right now I was admiring his every feature. God, he was an attraction.

He was wearing a tight t-shirt which had a low neck, slightly showing his toned chest.

“Or not, I don’t have to?” Zane snapped his fingers in my face, and I just caught the end of whatever he was saying.

“What?”

Zane grinned as if he knew I had been distracted by his God-created body. “I said, do you want me to take you home?”

“No. It’s fine. You don’t have to leave because of me.” Why was my stomach twisting like this? I was sure I was about to spew up. Just the thought of being alone with him had my body erupting in nerves.

“It’s right.”He waved it off like it was nothing and put his glass down.

This was happening - this was actually happening! My heart was pounding harder than a heart attack victim’s.

I was following Zane’s board-wide back through the crowd. For a few moments, I was scared I was going to lose him on the way out. Without thinking, I reached out, slipping my hand into his overly large one.

He hadn’t looked back in shock like I expected. Instead, he wrapped his hand around mine gripping it tightly.

God, what his touch flared within me wasn’t human. It was pure need, and my wolf gloated in it.

The taxi ride home was quiet. We talked about how cold it was, how busy the club was, and we avoided any possible serious subjects. We also had kept to different sides of the taxi. I knew he had felt the electric buzz between us when we touched and while, at the moment, it felt like bliss, afterwards it was terrifying.

The taxi pulled up to the curb outside my house. This was why my stomach twisted into a tight knot.

“So, umm…” My hand hovered on the door handle.

He looked at me amused but confident. Did Zane ever get nervous? “I’ll walk you to the door.”

I mumbled an ok before stumbling out of the car and quickly walking to our front door. I had no experience with this. Blake and I kept things simple; he was a friend before we added the benefits, so things were just easy. I didn’t get nervous, and we didn’t have awkward moments.

My back was against my front door, and my eyes were glued on Zane. I didn’t know what to say or do.

“Stop that, would you,” Zane snapped.

“What?” I had no idea I was doing anything.

“Biting your lip and looking all doe-eyed.”

My expression changed immediately. I wasn’t nervous anymore, it was Zane after all.Really, Allie, get a grip.He would either leave or stay and whatever he chose to do, wouldn’t affect me.

“So, do you want to come in or what?” I looked for my keys in my bag.

By the time I had them out, and in the door, he had finally made up his mind.

“Sure, whatever.” He pretended to be all cool and collected. Pity for him I could hear his heartbeat, and it was pounding harder than mine. Hearing it made me feel a bit more relaxed.

***

“I can’t believe you have never seen it,” I told Zane through the closed closet door.

“I can’t believe it was your first time at Club Velvet,” Zane shot back.

I pulled the tank-top over my head. The awkwardness had disappeared, and, while I was getting changed, Zane was watching the start ofMisfits. How he had not seen it, I didn’t know.

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