Page 5 of First Comes Love… Then Denial

Chapter Two

ZANE

“Damn,” I whispered to myself as the beautiful blonde turned around and faced me.

She wore black pants, a white button-up shirt with her hair pulled up in a messy bun that women liked to wear. Her skin was fair-colored and her cheeks rosy. She had the perfect body. I had never been into skinny women so seeing her filling out her uniform with her curves made me suck in a sharp breath.

When Donald had called me to tell me the mishap on board Gage’s yacht, I hadn’t cared. I had been busy lounging around my house, avoiding people. Holidays always sucked. However, Donald’s recap of the event made me want to meet the woman who had beaten my brother with a life preserver.

“Yes?” the woman asked softly, looking up at me with hazel eyes.

“I’m Zane Hanson,” I replied, holding out my hand.

“Nice to meet you,” she said shaking my hand. Her hand was trembling. I didn’t know if her nerves were shot from the eventful evening or if she found me creepy for having bailed her out.

“Are you the one who bailed me out of this mess?” she asked, readjusting her purse on her arm.

“Yes,” I smiled.

“That was really nice of you. I don’t have the money to pay you back for your trouble right now,” she sighed heavily. “Just name your price and I’ll do my best to pay you back as soon as I can. Might take a while since I’m pretty sure I’m fired. But I’ll pay you A.S.A.P.”

Her words came out a million words per minute. She rocked back and forth on her feet and looked everywhere but me.

“I’m not looking to get paid back. I didn’t pay for anything,” I reassured her.

“You came down here on New Year’s and got the asshole to drop the charges.” The word asshole came out of her mouth as a growl, making me laugh. She looked at me. “I’m sorry, but he is.”

“No arguments here,” I chuckled. “I’m sorry about what happened. I’d like to make it right.”

“Make it right?” One of her eyebrows rose and I nodded.

“Yes. Name your price.”

“My price?” she growled, making me regret my choice of words.

“What Gage did was uncalled for. On behalf of my family, I would like to–”

“Buy me off?” she placed her hands on her hips. “I might not be rich or have a fancy boat, but I don’t need to be paid off. Don’t worry, I’m keeping my mouth shut. I won’t go running to the press about the pretty boy, who likes to sexually harass peasants!”

Her face was red and her fists bawled at her sides. The look in her eyes screameddeath.I feared she was going to find the nearest object and bludgeon me with it.

“I’m not trying to–” My own thoughts cut my words off. “What do you mean sexually harassed you?”

Donald had left out the part of the story where my loser ass brother had sexually assaulted the woman. I thought Gage had run his mouth like usual and the woman went after him. Most women didn’t stand up to him so I was happy he had crossed paths with a woman feisty enough to go up against him. Him sexually harassing her enraged me. Brother or not his ass needed to be locked up not her.

“I’m sorry. What do youfancypeople call it?” she snapped.

“That’s not what I mean,” I groaned.

“If you excuse me, I have a cardboard box to get back to!”

With that, she stormed by me and out the door.

“Way to go, Zane,” I muttered then chased after the feisty blonde, who clearly wanted nothing to do with me.

For being in heels, the woman had made some serious ground.

“Miss Delaney!” I called out, running down the sidewalk behind her.

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