Page 29 of Dirty Little Secret
Chapter 10
Kane
Zandra Larkin sat half a foot in front of me, and I couldn’t believe it.
Our son looked at us from his seat on the couch, completely unaware that the woman I had yet to call by name was his mother. Unsure of what to do if she told Fox her name, I decided to wait and see what happened.
Fox knew the name of his mother. But how would he react if he found out this woman was her?
With his wellbeing at the front of my mind, I asked, “As a drifter, where have you lived?” I wanted to know if Zandra Larkin had become a person that shouldn’t be in Fox’s life. I was praying that she hadn’t changed too much, that she’d be exactly right for his life.
I knew the attraction that I’d felt for her all those years ago was still there. It was simmering under the surface, urging me to hurry up and grab her, to pull her into my arms and get her into my bed. The way she looked me over told me she felt pretty much the same way I did.
Her blue eyes darted back and forth, telling me she was having a hard time coming up with the answer to my question, which I found odd. Finally, she said, “I’ve only lived in Chicago. I don’t know why I said I was a drifter. I’m not. I guess you make me nervous, Kane.”
The answer reminded me so much of the Zandra from my memory that my mind went back to that night.
Watching her from across the room filled with wild teenagers, I liked the way Zandra sipped from the red Solo cup filled with beer. Her cute little nose wrinkled with each tiny drink she took. I knew she would never finish that cup of alcohol.
Two other girls stood with her, talking quietly as they looked around at the others now and then. One of them said something that made them all laugh. Zandra’s laugh sounded melodic and magical. Her sweet smile made my pulse speed up.
I didn’t know a lot about the girl, except that her parents were the strictest people on the planet, supposedly. But Zandra was out for the night. I’d overheard that she’d gotten to come to the party only because her friend had told her parents that they were going to some kind of a lock-in at her grandma’s church in Beaufort, a town a couple of hours away from us.
Apparently Zandra wasn’t opposed to telling a little lie so she could have some fun, and that told me she just might not be opposed to what I wanted either.
Taking notice that Bobby Franklin was coming up to the girl I’d already pegged as mine for the night, I was shocked by the spark of jealousy that shot through me.
“Hey, Zandy, how’d you escape?”
Her pretty blue eyes went straight to the floor, her shyness taking over again. “I’d rather not say, Bobby.”
But her friend didn’t mind letting him in on the secret. “She lied to her parents for the first time ever!”
Zandra’s cheeks turned beet red. “Hush, Stacy.” She pulled the cup to her lips and took another sip, wrinkling her nose again. “I don’t want anyone thinking I’m a liar.”
Bobby nudged her shoulder with his, and I saw red for a second or two.
My girl.
He whispered something in her ear, so I had no idea what he said. But the blush on her cheeks went a shade deeper, and the red haze of jealousy came back to cloud my vision.
Time to make your move, Kane.
A tug on my white coat pulled me out of my reverie.
“Hey, Dad. Can I run down to the nurses’ station to see if they’ve got anything good to eat? They always have cake or something down there.”
“Yeah.” I looked at Zandra. “You want him to bring you anything back? The cake is always good.”
She shook her head. “No, thank you.” Her eyes went to Fox and followed him as he walked out of the office, leaving us alone. She looked back at me after he closed the door behind him. “It’s good to see you, Kane.”
“You too.” My hands itched to touch her. But I didn’t dare, not here. “I would really like to take you out sometime.”
“No.” Her answer came way too quickly. Her hair flew around her shoulders as she shook her head, adamant. “I can’t.”
“Why is that?” Purposely, I reached out, taking her hands into mine. “You’ll have to come up with something good, you know. You did take off on me that night. I think you owe me a date or two. Or I owe them to you, rather. I’ve never forgotten you—I want you to know that.” It wasn’t a lie. She came into my head pretty often.
“Kane, things are different now.” She tried to pull her hands away, but I held onto them. “I’m different now.” Her eyes bored into mine. “I’m not that same little shy girl you knew back then. I’ve grown up. I have all the baggage that comes along with being a grown woman now. You could say that I’m damaged goods.”
