Page 56 of Love JD

“Your freedom, for starters.” Zev walked past me toward the kitchen. “I’ll make you something to eat, but you have an hour to get ready.”

“For what?” I asked, exasperated.

“Our date.”

I froze as his words poured into my brain and settled like pancake batter on a hot grill. Then I laughed. Head back, low in my throat, and loud enough to carry down the hall, I laughed freely.

Zev didn’t even look back. “Whatever you’re wearing in an hour is what you’re wearing.”

I stopped suddenly. “You’re joking.”

“I’m not,” he called back.

I followed him, wobbling on my feet and swallowing a sudden wave of nausea. Definitely wasn’t going to drink again. “Why would I do that?”

“Because you lied to me, Isla,” he responded, shooting me an angry look as he opened the fridge. “You didn’t tell me the truth about what happened when that reporter was here. You left and lost your head in public. And as a result, the entire country thinks you’re a desperate alcoholic who’s been chasing me after I left you in Salt Lake.”

The blood drained from my face. Numbly, I stood there frozen to the spot as the last twenty-four hours splashed before my eyes like red paint. “They said what?”

Zev tossed a bag of shredded cheese on the counter with a glare. “Would you like me to quote the headlines?” I nodded, teeth clenched. “Valehart Heiress Caught: Drunken Exploits Exposed,’” he listed off. He frisbee chucked a package of tortillas next to the cheese. “Sex, Booze, and Stalking: The Fall of the Valeharts Darling.’” His expression remained hard, like it pained him to say them out loud.

I brought two hands to my mouth. This couldn’t be right. I’d taken the camera from her. Had people taken pictures of me last night? I couldn’t remember.

“Isla Valehart Caught Trespassing—Jail Time?’” His eyes flared, and he unceremoniously tossed butter onto the island.

I swallowed hard. “She got pictures with her phone.”

“Boy, did she,” he said through tight lips. “As did many lucky patrons of Luryd. Great choice, by the way. That really sold your depravity.”

I closed my eyes, fingers still pressed to my lips. This was so much worse than a night of poor decision-making. But I should have known. I didn’t get to do reckless things—I didn’t have the luxury of normalcy. I never had. Never would.

“So, we’re going on a date,” Zev went on, closing the fridge door with a crisp snap. “A public date. And you’re going to faint while we’re on said date so that when we put out our statement about your condition, we can make those bloodthirsty cocksuckers look like the poisonous leeches they are and extricate you from this tangle.” He slammed a pan on the gas burner. “Not that you deserve it. I should let you wallow in it, Isla Valehart.”

I drew in a shaky breath. “I don’t know why you care,” I lashed out. “You clearly feel put out by dealing with the inconvenience of my decisions. As you should. You didn’t sign up for this, and I didn’t ask you to ‘extricate’ me from anything. I don’t need your help.”

“The fuck you don’t.” Zev cracked an egg into a bowl. “Go shower before I really lose my temper.”

“Don’t tell me what to do,” I snapped. But I veered away from him, marching to my own bedroom with my heart tapping furiously in my chest. She undressed me, I thought with fear that swallowed me whole. She took off my clothes and now the whole world has those pictures. My breathing took on a funny hitch, and my shoulder slammed into my door. Sometimes I got a warning that the darkness was coming. This time, despair had coiled itself through my nerves so tightly, I could practically feel it drag my systems down under.

A warm band tightened around my stomach. Someone’s arm. Then I was gone, and I hoped to God I didn’t cause any more trouble than I already had.

Chapter nineteen

Zev

I gave myself a mental right hook for being so careless with Isla. The irony of being so mad at her for being flippant with her safety that I caused her to faint didn’t escape me. I caught her before she fell, clamping an arm around her middle just as her limbs crumpled underneath her. If she hadn’t staggered first, I might not have made it to her in time. After righting her, I glanced at the bed. I could take her to the bed and set her down there…

I didn’t. I held her instead, adjusting her so she leaned against my arm. I knew she’d wake up soon, although it seemed like the time between her conscious states varied based on her health. At the moment, her health was shit. Sighing, I smoothed her silky hair from her face and settled her against me as I leaned into the door post. I really was a fool. I shouldn’t have let her charge around. I shouldn’t have argued with her or tried to make callous points.

I didn’t know what to do with myself. On the one hand, I felt rage so potent, it growled in my subconscious like a chained wolf. I wanted to bite the head off everyone who’d taken pictures of her. I wanted to personally give a black eye to anyone who might have read those articles and thought poorly of her.

On the other hand, I wanted nothing more than to hold Isla. To make sure she was safe and calm, to make sure she knew that I understood why she’d done it. To tell her it was only logical to wildly scrabble around for something to hang onto—to find some kind of control in an otherwise unfair situation. I wanted to be gentle with her. And at the same time, I wanted to shake her until her teeth rattled. I’d promised Tristan I would give her hell, but now that my anger was fading, I was pretty sure I was in the wrong here. Dammit.

Isla stirred, exhaling a little sound that twined around my heart in a painful way. I rubbed her back and supported her so she could find her feet. When she had her balance again, she stole a look up at me. Pink stained her cheeks. “Sorry.”

“Oh, you’ll say sorry for fainting on accident,” I needled her before I could help myself. “But when you go Paris Hilton on purpose—”

She made a disgusted sound and pushed me away. “I get it, okay? I’m sorry.” Isla’s back went rigid as she considered me warily. “I’m sorry for making everyone’s life hell. It won’t happen again.”

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