Heart's Secret

by Adrianne Byrd

  “Does my dislike for your rumored boyfriend make you uncomfortable?”

  Zora gave a playful roll of her eyes. “C’mon. You know better than that. He’s not my boyfriend.”

  Richard just studied her.

  “What?” she asked defensively.

  He shook his head. “Nothing. I’m just trying to figure out whether you’re lying.”

  Richard’s blunt statement stunned her.

  “C’mon. Don’t look at me like that. Surely, you can understand my position. The night we met you claimed that you didn’t know him or the Landons but you have the funny habit of popping up in some unconventional scenarios with him.”

  Now she was angry. “If I recall, you were the one that led me out onto that balcony.”

  “And the restaurant?”

  So that’s what this is all about! “I was on a date—with someone else. Jaxon sort of came to my rescue. That’s all.”

  “Ahh.” Richard bobbed his head as he swiveled back in Jaxon’s direction. “The hero routine. Figures.”

  Zora didn’t like the direction of the conversation and hated that she’d even pursued this line of questioning.

  “Still,” Richard said, swinging his attention back toward her. “I don’t think that I’m too far off in saying that there’s definitely something between you two whether you realize it or not.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” she said flippantly and waved a waiter over for another glass of champagne. Now she was the one in desperate need of a drink.

  “Like right now. I’ve never seen him work so hard trying to ignore someone.”

  “Maybe he doesn’t like you, either.”

  Unfazed, Richard kept his eyes leveled on her. “I was referring to you.”

  “Pleeeaase.”

  Richard laughed. “Methinks thou doth protest too much.”

  “And methinks thou is paranoid,” she volleyed back with annoyance. Instead of shutting him up, the charming bastard just laughed harder.

  “Okay. You win. You say that nothing is going on, then I believe you.”

  Clearly now in a good mood, his arm snaked around her waist. She tried hard not to tense up, but she wasn’t too successful.

  “Just trust that I know Jaxon better than you. He’s a man you wouldn’t want to tangle with. He will use anyone and anything to get what he wants. Take this farce of an engagement. He’s not fooling anyone so why is he doing it? And his supposed winning streak? I’ve never heard of anyone being able to post the sort of profits he’s been touting since Bernie Madoff.”

  Richard’s paranoia proved to be contagious. Jaxon’s simple explanation for the fake engagement did sound sort of fishy. And did he try to use her unfortunate position at the restaurant last week to his advantage? He knew that she was good for the money, but he’d threatened to call the cops unless she agreed to go out with him. What kind of man would do such a thing?

  A new group found their way over to the couple and Zora found herself swept up in another round of small talk. Midway through the pleasantries, Zora was fully aware when Jaxon noticed her in the room. The weight of his gaze was so heavy her knees were seconds from buckling beneath her. Yet, whenever she looked in his direction, he appeared to be engrossed in his own conversations.

  The one gaze she did manage to find at every turn was his fake fiancée’s, Kitty. Despite the rather compromising position Zora had last seen the woman, Zora attempted to smile, but the frosty stare she received and the way Kitty kept clinging onto Jaxon spoke volumes. The couple may not have been engaged, but the two were clearly lovers.

  Jealousy kicked Zora hard in the gut as she quickly pulled her gaze away.

  Bells jingled around the crowd as the waitstaff started opening doors for the auditorium.

  “I guess that means the concert is about ready to get underway,” Richard said, offering Zora his arm.

  She smiled and looped her arm through his, but as they walked toward the doors, the weight of Jaxon’s gaze returned.

  Chapter 13

  Jaxon was pissed.

  No. He was beyond pissed and didn’t know what to do about it. Sure, he could’ve strolled over to Richard and punched him dead in his smug face, but that would only make him feel good for a couple of seconds—max. The evitable fallout and arrest for turning this exclusive and elaborate fundraiser into a Las Vegas boxing match would undoubtedly reward him with another week in those ridiculous gossip rags.

  Still, his hands kept clenching and unclenching at his sides.

  Maybe it would’ve helped if he’d at least had some sort of heads-up that Zora would be attending the night’s function, he would’ve been better prepared. As it was, he was completely caught off guard and the added punch to the gut was to see her with that dickhead.

  “Are you all right?” Kitty must’ve asked him a hundred times tonight.

  Each time, he would assure his date that he was fine, but nothing was further from the truth. He and Kitty were friends, but he wasn’t crazy enough to talk to her about another woman. He did have a little more sense than that. However, he did tell her that after tonight her services were no longer needed. The charade had gone on for too long as it was and Kitty had been compensated enough to help with her grandmother’s medical bills.

  For the past week, he’d been beating himself up over how things had gone so wrong at the restaurant. He wasn’t surprised that Zora had backed out of their deal, but he was bothered that she had resurrected a wall between them. He’d been shocked and amused to see the incident in the papers, but then realized that it was probably the price of dealing with a celebrity.

  A part of him said just let it go. Clearly, she didn’t want anything to do with him and he certainly wasn’t used to chasing a woman who wouldn’t give him the time of day. But the other part of him, the stronger part, couldn’t let it go. Couldn’t let her go.

  Zora should’ve been having a good time.

  Richard had returned to being charming and the awards ceremony was educational and heartwarming and the musical entertainment was outstanding. However, Zora couldn’t allow herself to completely enjoy the spectacular fundraising. The hardest part was pretending that she was having a good time.

  She never claimed to be a great actress. Every time Richard would glance her way she was sure that he saw right through her. If he did, then he was a better actor because he never let on.

  “I’ll be right back,” she announced suddenly.

  Richard quirked an inquisitive eyebrow.

  “Need to go to the ladies’ room.”

  Richard stepped into the aisle and allowed her out of their row of seats.

  “I’ll be right back,” she promised, smiling.

  “I’ll be here.” He winked.

  Zora easily made her way out of the auditorium, but finding the nearest ladies’ room felt more like a treasure hunt. Finally in the midst of this massive labyrinth, she found the powder room. If it had been a snake it would have bitten me, she joked to herself.

  Just as she was about to push the door open, she felt it. Turning, she swung her gaze wide around the imposing building. Like all the times before, her inner homing device had no trouble locating Jaxon. He was talking to a gentleman in low tones and seeming to ignore her. That bothered her. Sure, she was the one to run out in damn hysterics in front of him, and true, she did renege on the deal struck in the restaurant, but for some reason she felt slighted that he was the one mad at her.

  Okay. It’s official. I’ve lost my mind. But even knowing that she was thinking illogically didn’t change the way she felt. Maybe she did owe the man an explanation—but the only thing that she could say in her defense was that she’d overreacted.

  Jaxon and his friend shook hands and the other man started to stride in the opposite direction. Jaxon’s gaze passed over her like she was just a piece of furniture and then he proceeded to move back toward the auditorium.

  Hurt, Zora knew that if she was going to apologize, she needed to do
it now.

  “Jaxon,” she called, but her voice sounded as though it had suddenly been seized by that damn bullfrog again. Still, Zora was sure that he’d heard her, but he kept moving.

  “Jaxon, wait!” She gathered the side of her gown and ran toward him. Her shout caught the ear of a few partiers, milling outside the auditorium, but there were no more than a handful at best. At the moment the only thing that mattered was that Jaxon’s long strides slowed down.

  When she finally reached his side, she was out of breath and relieved that she hadn’t broken her neck running in Manolo Blahniks.

  “I need to talk to you,” she said.

  Jaxon stopped, drew a deep breath and turned toward her.

  Faced with clear hostility, Zora lost her voice for a few seconds. Jaxon had always been an imposing figure, dangerous to her peace of mind, but now she sensed another type of danger.

  “What is it?” he asked. His voice was low and flat.

  “I—I just want to, um—” She tried to swallow that annoying frog in her throat, but the damn thing felt wedged in there pretty tight.

  Jaxon’s jaw tightened.

  “Look. I’m sorry, all right?” she finally spit out. “That night at the restaurant—I may have overreacted.” There. She said it. In the ensuing silence each second felt like an hour and somehow Zora found the courage to look him in the eye—but she didn’t keep the connection long. Her emotions were all over the place, but that was quickly becoming the norm whenever she was around him.

  “Is that all?” he asked.

  Zora panicked. It was clear that he was just seconds away from dismissing her and she couldn’t think of a damn thing to say to stop him. “Yeah,” she said, now reduced to a whisper. “I guess that’s it.”

  Jaxon nodded. “Then I’m glad that you got that off your chest.” He turned and breezed through the doors of the auditorium.

  Zora just stood there. Her mind was whirling as embarrassment crept up her neck and face. “Okay. I guess that’s that.” Her eyes burned with brimming tears, but she fought them back and marched her way toward the bathroom. What else could she do?

  Entering the posh and elegantly decorated room, she was instantly met with a heady mix of expensive perfume and a citrus blend of some type of air freshener. The elaborate bathroom looked like a cross between a museum and a day spa—complete with chaise lounges, toiletries and flowers.

  The sudden quiet allowed Zora a brief moment for her to take a deep breath and relax. To her great relief there were only a couple of women putting a few polishing touches on their makeup in the mirror. By the time Zora approached, they had turned away and were now heading their way to the exit. As they passed they nodded in a silent greeting and kept moving.

  Alone, Zora took a moment to make sure that everything was tucked and lying the way it should be. Her long hair was still pinned up tight and looked just as fresh as it did when she’d left her penthouse apartment. The only thing she saw was that her lipstick could use a little touch-up. Not in any great hurry to return to the concert, she opened her clutch bag and removed her Guerlain lipstick.

  She didn’t want to think about what had just transpired between her and Jaxon. He was clearly upset and she’d simply either waited too long to apologize or…hell, what does it matter?

  Zora sniffed, feeling those damn tears again. What was with her? She hardly knew the man.

  She heard the bathroom door open, but didn’t pay any attention to who’d walked inside. Zora was too busy refreshing her lipstick and making kissy faces at the mirror to make sure that she had full coverage, when came that familiar feeling.

  She froze. In the next second she shifted her gaze in the mirror and then sucked in a startled breath.

  Jaxon smiled and then moved over to the stalls and started checking to see if they were alone.

  “What are you doing in here?”

  “Clearly, I came to speak with you,” he said in a bored voice.

  Zora spun around. “You can’t come in here. What if someone catches you?”

  His eyes finally softened as he gave her an amused grin. “What? You didn’t enjoy our time in the tabloids?”

  “Not particularly.”

  “Then I guess I better lock the door.” He strolled back across the bathroom and did just that.

  Speechless, Zora watched him. She would be lying to herself if she said that she wasn’t happy to see him, especially after that fiasco of an apology she’d just performed minutes ago.

  The door locked, Jaxon moved to the center of the room and folded his arms as he looked around. “It’s pretty nice in here. I’d always heard rumors that the ladies’ rooms were much nicer. Are they all like this?”

  It was a strange question. “Generally, they’re pretty nice.” She shrugged at the awkward small talk, but then those long hourly seconds returned while he considered her. “You know, I find your taste in men rather interesting. Do you have a special knack for attracting losers or are you just in a slump?”

  “You tell me.”

  Jaxon shook his head. “He’s all wrong for you.”

  Zora’s brows stretched high. “Don’t tell me you came in here to give me dating tips.”

  “Maybe you can use them.”

  “This coming from a man with a stripper for a fake fiancée?”

  He smiled. “Touché.”

  Zora lifted her chin in silent victory and then capped her tube of lipstick and plopped it back into her clutch purse.

  “So what are we doing?” he asked.

  She cocked her head as if she didn’t understand his question.

  “Are we playing games or are we going to do this?”

  That damn frog was back.

  Jaxon moved toward her. “Because I gotta tell you, I don’t usually put up with even half the drama that’s been whirling around us since we met. But there’s just something about you…”

  Zora tried to back up but then found herself pressed up against the vanity sink. Once she chanced a look into his handsome face, she found that she couldn’t break away. His black eyes devoured yet caressed her at the same time. His familiar seductive scent weakened her knees and damn near turned her spine into Jell-O. She couldn’t fight the hypnotic trance stealing across her.

  “For some reason I can’t get you out of my head.” His lips quirked up in a half smile. “You’re in my thoughts—my dreams.” He shook his head. “You’re beautiful. But you’re trouble.”

  Zora’s heart raced. “I—I…” Damn. Why can’t I talk?

  “Why did you run that night?” he asked bluntly. “Truthfully.”

  She swallowed and then tried to talk, but it was simply impossible. She needed him to back up for a minute so she could think. But then she made the mistake in reaching out and pressing a hand against his hard chest. The sudden shock of electricity didn’t just burn her, it scorched.

  She jumped and then tried to remove her hand, but lightning fast Jaxon grabbed her hand and held it in place.

  “You feel it, too, don’t you?”

  Lie. Lie. Lie. But what was the point in lying? Was she supposed to stand there and prove how strong she was? Did the idea of being in control mean that much?

  “I don’t want to play games,” he said. “I want you.”

  Zora tried swallowing again.

  Someone pushed against the bathroom door. “Hey, why is this thing locked?” a woman asked in the hallway.

  “I don’t know. Let’s just go use the other one,” another woman answered.

  In the bathroom’s silence, Zora and Jaxon stared into each other’s eyes.

  “I better get back to my date,” she whispered.

  “In a minute.” Jaxon removed her clutch from her other hand and tossed it onto the counter behind her. “We’re going to finish this conversation.”

  Zora’s heart was beating so loud that she just barely made out what he said.

  “I’m trying to figure out what I’m going to do about you. And we’re n
ot leaving until we come to some kind of understanding.”

  “Jaxon, I—I only wanted to apologize b-because I realized that I’d overreacted. I—I thought that we could just put it behind us and maybe we could be friends.”

  “I’m not interested in being your friend,” he said bluntly. “I want more…and I know you do, too. So let’s put the bullshit aside and get a couple things straight.”

  Zora’s eyes widened.

  “Now I don’t know what kind of men you’re used to, but I’m not down for a bunch of head games and drama. You made a deal with me and you broke it.”

  “That deal was coerced. You were trying to take advantage of the situation.”

  “Of course I did.”

  She blinked stupidly at him.

  “What? You think I’m not going to use every opportunity to my advantage? What, you think I’m another one of those weak brothers who is just going to pass you a business card and hope one day you’d call?”

  His assessment struck the bull’s-eye.

  “Your problem is men let you get away with too much bullshit. You’re used to being in control and that shit isn’t going to fly with me.”

  There was no question that he meant what he said. Zora’s fierce independence wanted to protest, but the rest of her was completely turned on by Jaxon’s dominance.

  “The point is,” he continued, “I want you.” He cupped her chin with his fingers. “You need to decide—right here, right now—whether you want me, too.”

  Zora opened her mouth, but before she could answer, he pressed a finger against her ruby red lips.

  “Before you answer, you need to know that there’s no half stepping with this. If we’re going to do this, then we’re gonna do this right.” He removed his finger. “So what’s it going to be?”