Zane (Alluring Indulgence)

by Nicole Edwards

  “I don’t know. Lonely I guess.” Regina kept her eyes on Buttercup and V felt a sudden sadness at the longing expression in those familiar dark brown eyes.

  No, Regina Carmichael had never found a husband, despite her many, many attempts. She’d found some decent men over the years, and it pained V to know that her mother had been more interested in their net worth than who they actually were. Although V had learned a valuable lesson, thanks to her mother’s promiscuity. Money didn’t make the man, that was for damned sure. There’d been a handful of decent ones, but more not so decent ones. Speaking of...

  “Where’s Patrick?” That was the name of the most recent one of her mother’s boy toys.

  “He’s...” Regina glanced down at her hands. “We’re not seeing each other anymore.”

  “What happened?”

  “I don’t know,” Regina replied, still not looking up at V. “It just wasn’t working out.”

  V wondered whether that was because Regina had actually gotten a good look at his bank statement or for some other reason.

  For the last twenty five or so years, Regina had been on a long and steady path to finding a husband. From what V knew, her mother had fallen head over heels in love with V’s father, whom V still didn’t know. The only thing she knew about him was that he was happily married – although V didn’t understand why a man would be out messing around if he were happily married, but whatever. Once he found out that Regina was pregnant, he informed her that he wasn’t interested. So, Regina being Regina, she never looked back.

  Not that she ever had time because the woman always seemed to be looking forward. Even when she was dating one guy, she was always looking for the next, trying to find the one who would treat her like a princess and shower her with money. V never understood her mother and her reasons, and over time, she’d stopped trying to. The only thing her constant thinking had done was to put a riff between the two of them. As a teenager, V hated her mother and her antics. Hated that she was dubbed the town whore and had bedded half the town by the time V was twenty.

  Buttercup began yapping once more, pawing at V’s legs until she reached down and started scratching his head.

  “I’m so glad you stopped by,” Regina said, pulling V’s attention to her.

  “Me too,” V replied amicably. It might not be the whole truth, but V always did feel better when she saw her mother. Their relationship was strained at best, but despite her mother’s many flaws, V still loved her.

  “How’s Zoey?”

  “She’s great.” The last time V had visited, she’d informed Regina that Zoey was getting married. She hadn’t bothered to mention her own relationship with Kaleb’s youngest brother though.

  As a point, V tried not to delve into her own relationships when speaking to her mother. She’d heard enough warnings about ensuring the man had enough money to take care of her, a nice house, a stable job, blah, blah, blah. That seemed to be Regina's only concern, and V found it almost humorous how that had all backfired on her over the years, being left completely alone to raise her daughter.

  Not that Regina did much in raising V. She spent most of her time on the prowl while V spent more than her fair share of time over at Zoey’s. She’d come to love Zoey’s mother just like her own, and even her ornery father. Not that she ever told Regina that. For some reason, her mother was blind to most anything except for her main goal and V had been left to raise herself.

  Not that she complained. Regina had done the best she knew how, and V accepted her for who she was. It had just taken a long time to get to that point. In the end, V felt as though she were a better person because of her mother’s insecurities and her many indiscretions. At least she knew what not to do when it came to relationships.

  Although, she feared she was beginning to blur those lines where Zane was concerned.

  “Are you hungry?”

  “No.” Funny how her mother always tried to feed her. “Tell me more about Buttercup.”

  Two hours later, after V had learned all there was to learn about Labrador puppies, and after her mother fed her a grilled cheese sandwich, V was on her way home. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she actually didn’t look forward to leaving her mother.

  Something had certainly changed in Regina since the last time she was there. To her surprise, there hadn’t been any discussions of a new man in her life. Her mother hadn’t even shared anything more about Patrick, the last man V had known her to be with. From what it looked like, Regina was looking to be single for a while. Buttercup had somehow managed to fill a void in Regina’s life that even V hadn’t been able to fill. The thought was bittersweet.

  Having grown up without a father, V knew she had her own issues with men. She didn’t have a father figure who’d spent any time with her, aside from perhaps one of the men from her mother’s past. For the most part, V had learned what she didn’t want to end up like. And now, she saw how much of a toll that life had taken on her mother as well.

  V hadn’t brought up Zane, and she didn’t intend to. She didn’t want to hear any of the warnings, not to mention, she honestly didn’t know what was going on between her and Zane. She knew what she felt, but she also didn’t trust her own feelings at the moment. Being with Zane was way too comfortable, and she knew she was falling fast and hard for him. Something she’d promised herself she wouldn’t do.

  V focused on the road, trying to eradicate all of those pesky emotions from her brain. She didn’t need to relive the what ifs, and she damn sure didn’t need to walk down the path of what might be anytime soon.

  Chapter Fourteen

  ♂♀

  By the time Saturday evening rolled around, Zane was feeling a little more relaxed, if not a tad out of sorts. The week had gone better than expected, and there hadn’t been any more speed bumps; nothing more from the sheriff, nothing about Jake being seen in town, and no awkward moments with V or Beau either. Zane had resigned himself to talking to Beau about their incident; he just hadn’t had the opportunity yet – not for lack of trying.

  All that behind him, he looked forward to spending a little time with his brothers at Moonshiners, and if he were lucky, V would be there. She’d managed to keep her distance on Friday, using the excuse that she and Zoey needed to play catch up on the houses they missed on Thursday, and she also needed to make an impromptu visit to her mother. She didn’t say why. Zane didn’t get the impression she was avoiding him, but he hadn’t pushed her when she insisted she was going to go home by herself that Thursday night either.

  Thanks to Travis, Zane knew there was someone watching her house, so he felt mildly better about leaving her alone. If it hadn’t been for his fear of pushing her away after what happened with Beau, Zane wouldn’t have thought twice about insisting he stay with her.

  That didn’t stop him from calling her Thursday night though, and surprisingly, he and V had had one of those teenage conversations where they both laid in their respective beds and talked to each other for hours. It didn’t even contain phone sex, and quite frankly, talking to V had been better than sex in any form. Ok, maybe not any form, but still, it helped ease the fact that he couldn’t be with her.

  She’d been open with him about her visit with her mother, which according to her went better than expected. Zane didn’t know Regina personally, nor had he ever actually met her. The rumors in town were the only bits and pieces of the woman he’d ever heard until V told him a few more intimate details. No matter what he thought originally about V and her relationship with her mother, he knew for a fact that she loved her. Unconditionally.

  Having been raised in a loving home with a supportive set of parents, Zane wasn’t familiar with a family dynamic like V’s. Even Beau’s parents had been more like his own, and they were just as welcoming to him in their home when he’d been growing up as his parents were with Beau.

  After an unusually deep discussion, they had even been reluctant to hang up, which was a strange feeling for Za
ne because he wasn’t much for talking. On the phone or otherwise.

  Walking into Moonshiners a few minutes later, Zane glanced around the small, dimly lit country bar and located his brothers right away. They were in the back surrounding one of the pool tables, and, to his surprise, Travis and Brendon were playing each other. Brendon always had trouble finding someone to play against him, but that was because the man couldn’t be beat. Ever. It didn’t even matter how many beers they poured down him, Brendon rarely missed.

  Zane thought back to V and the way she’d hustled him and Beau at pool the night before. The woman had another hidden talent, and he wondered whether she’d be willing to play Brendon. That would be a sight to see.

  Tipping his hat, acknowledging Kaleb and Sawyer when they glanced his way, Zane silently greeted his brothers while he stopped at the bar to order a beer.

  “It’s about damn time you showed up,” Sawyer harassed him once he approached the table, grabbing one of the stools in the corner and pulling it closer to Sawyer and Kaleb who were sitting off to one side.

  “Travis got brave tonight, did he?” Zane asked, watching the two men at the pool table.

  “Something’s gotten into him,” Sawyer confirmed, tipping his beer bottle to his lips.

  The men played for ten more minutes before Brendon cleared the table again. A round of applause erupted from around them as several of the bar patrons gathered to watch the action, mostly women who were being entertained by Braydon while his twin played pool. Brendon didn’t talk shit when he played, he just played, and he drew attention from his talent alone. Travis, being Travis, didn’t say much, but at the end of the game, he wasn’t a sore loser either. He clapped Brendon on the back and then grabbed one of the stools beside Sawyer.

  Beau showed up twenty minutes later, adding to the ruckus they were causing in the back. The group of them laughed and joked while razzing one another like usual. Right before things got too out of hand, in walked Zoey and V. Zane’s mouth literally went dry at the sight of V walking across the room toward him.

  The woman knew how to make an outfit look good, and that short jean skirt paired with those cowboy boots damn near knocked him off of his stool. He was used to seeing her in heels, but right now, she looked like a country angel and he was ready to sneak her into the bathroom one more time just for the hell of it.

  All of the Walker brothers stood simultaneously, a response that was as natural as breathing. Zoey walked up to Kaleb, pulling his head down to hers while she planted a scorching kiss on him that was steamy enough to have Beau blushing and turning away. V was a little more reluctant, but Zane solved that problem when he pulled her close, leaning over to whisper in her ear.

  “Damn you look good.” He breathed against her ear. “Awww, hell, you smell good too.”

  V pulled back and looked at him, smiling from ear to ear. It was nice to see a smile on her face. Most of the time, he didn’t know whether she would be smiling or snarling. He’d take her either way, but when she smiled, the woman glowed. And the way she grinned at him now was enough to drive a shock directly to his heart. Zane had no idea what it was V had over him, but it was damn sure something. Something he wasn’t willing to fight, and from the looks of it, she wasn’t fighting it either.

  When V’s eyes darted to Beau, Zane noticed the heat burning in her gaze. It mirrored the blush that tinted her cheeks a pretty pink. His best friend grinned back, and Zane was pretty sure V knew what was going to go down in the very near future. At least Zane hoped like hell it would be. Even though he’d been a little nervous after the last time and what had happened, Zane was willing to give it another shot.

  “Hey, lady,” Beau greeted V, tipping his hat as he looked down at her. The blush that infused V’s face made Zane’s body harden. All of him. Including his dick. Just the thought of what was going to happen later had Zane wanting to push up her skirt, shove into her from behind and try and sate the lust pooling in his groin. Fuck. The woman drove him absolutely crazy.

  “Hey,” she smiled back, but then turned her attention to the table.

  When it was apparent V wasn’t going to take one of the bar stools, Zane sat back down and pulled her back against him, her ass nestling between his legs. Wrapping one arm around her waist, he picked up his beer and finished it off. Maybe tonight he’d have more than his occasional one beer when he was out in public. Since he wasn’t about to let go of V, he knew he’d have to wait until one of the waitresses made her rounds. While he waited, he listened to the conversations going on around him.

  “When’s Gage coming home,” Zoey asked Kaleb, sitting on the stool next to Zane.

  “Tonight, I think,” he confirmed, downing the rest of his beer.

  Zane fought the urge to laugh. Ok, so apparently there was going to be some interesting things happening in Coyote Ridge tonight.

  A few minutes later, the group had gotten so engrossed in watching Brendon hustle another fool at the pool table that no one noticed when Gage Matthews walked in. He approached the group, carrying a beer bottle and wearing his cowboy hat low over his eyes.

  Travis was the first to acknowledge him, and if Zane wasn’t mistaken, there was some sort of silent communication going on between the two men. Gage looked a tad bit nervous while Travis appeared a little pissed off. What the hell was that about?

  The subtle nudge that V sent Zoey made Zane smile. So, it would appear that V was in on what was happening between Zoey and Gage and Kaleb. Based on the fact that Zoey wasn’t giving V the same hard time, he would have to assume that V hadn’t shared the details of her little trysts with him and Beau. Not that he expected her to.

  As far as he was concerned, that was between the three of them and for the most part, Zane never mentioned what happened behind closed doors. There had been a couple of women in his past who thought it was funny to try and goad a reaction from him, or one of his brothers about their various threesomes, but most of the time, they just ignored the rumors and comments. And, if a woman did dare to bring it up, she could pretty well consider herself old news as far as the brothers were concerned.

  Well, except for the twins. As far as Zane knew, Braydon and Brendon had never been with a woman solo – why that was, he had no idea. They didn’t talk about their sexual exploits either, but for some reason, women liked to brag about being sandwiched between the twins. Probably because they were twins no less. Zane didn’t know for sure.

  No matter what, Zane wasn’t one to kiss and tell. And as far as V was concerned, he didn’t want to share what happened between them with anyone else. He damn sure didn’t mind sharing her with Beau, but only because he knew from the get go that she was into it.

  Thinking back on that last night still made him crazy with the need to have her again. Just like that.

  ♀♂

  V listened to the chatter surrounding her, but she didn’t participate much in what was going on. Zoey seemed elated that Gage was back, and V only could imagine why. Seeing the way Gage reacted to Kaleb’s soon-to-be wife made V smile. He was just as smitten with the woman as Kaleb it seemed. However, there was a definite possessiveness in Kaleb’s reaction to Zoey that wasn’t evident in Gage’s.

  Even more fascinating was Travis’ response to Gage and vice versa. V wasn’t sure how close the two men were because she had always known Gage to be Kaleb’s best friend, but Travis seemed to be interested in what the other man had to say. Or maybe he was interested in what Gage wasn’t saying. Either way, V wasn’t sure. But the way the oldest Walker brother glared at Gage told her there was something going on.

  “Want to play me?” The voice came out of nowhere and made V turn around to see Brendon standing just a foot on her other side. She looked around, wondering who he was talking to, but she didn’t see anyone else.

  “Come on, girl. Play me,” Brendon encouraged. And that’s when V realized he was talking to her.

  “Me?” she questioned the obvious.

  “Yes, you.” Brendon of
fered her his hand, pulling her toward the table where he shoved a pool stick at her.

  V glanced at it, then back at Brendon. Was he serious? With a knowing look, she peered over at Zane. He was grinning from ear to ear. His involvement in this little set up was obvious.

  “What should we play for?” Brendon stared at her, grinning like a man with a secret.

  “The winner buys the loser a drink,” she suggested. “But, you can’t go easy on me.” V knew Brendon was the king of pool hustling, but she also knew he was going to underestimate her. Most people did. Truth be told, not even Zoey knew about her pool playing abilities. Up until the other night, no one else had either.

  “I wouldn’t dream of it.” Grinning from ear to ear, Brendon went around the table, gathering all of the balls and putting them in the rack. With one agile slide back, then forward, he settled them in their appropriate position, lifted the black plastic triangle and then nodded in her direction. “Ladies first.”

  V smiled back, chalked up the end of her pool cue and then moved to the other end of the table. The men around them went silent, and for the first time in a long time, V managed to slip into another realm.

  Playing pool was a diversion she had resorted to in order to drown out all of the excess chaos around her. She started playing when she was eleven years old. One of the many men her mother dated had a pool table in his gameroom and she would make herself busy while her mother did the same thing, although Regina’s type of busy was something V did not want to think about.

  V had fond memories of Jerry Tanner, although she couldn’t remember what number he was in her mother’s long list of boyfriends. She did remember that he was one of the nicer ones. Of course that relationship hadn’t lasted long because, after six months, Jerry had asked V’s mother to marry him and seemingly the idea of marriage to a man who didn’t have a seven figure net worth wasn’t attractive enough for her mother.