Page 21 of Forbidden Desire

Tristan is talking abouther. Willow. The girl who’s been on his mind for years. He lost her, but that won’t happen to me.

Ethan crosses his beefy arms. “Sounds like it’s time to man up and quit messing around. You’ve been dragging the family name through the mud again and I don’t like it.” He pauses, letting the gravity of his words sink into me. “Make this right.”

Squaring my shoulders, a resolve burns inside me. “I’ll scour this city until I find my wife. I won’t stop until she’s back in my arms where she belongs.”

Tristan nods. “Good. But Zack…” He pauses and I look up from the sofa at him. “You need a shower first.”

Ethan puffs out a laugh and grimaces in my direction. “Yes. Please get in the shower, Zack.”

Chapter 9

Bianca

TwilighthuesoftheVegas skyline bleed through the tinted windows of my office while the muted beat of Fitzgerald’s music thumps in the background. Every beat hammers a question through my brain. Was I foolish to walk away from Zack? Did I throw it all away?

He had messaged me, but I let the relationship go cold with no reply. Why? Because I still had no answers, and it hurt too much to respond. I thought he’d text forever, but yesterday, he suddenly stopped and moved on.

They say time heals the heart, but it can’t be true because bitter regret still stains my tongue—thanks to the foolish choices I've made.

That wild Vegas wedding is a distant nightmare now, and I guess our marriage was never meant to last. We’re simply too different.

Easy come, easy go.

An unusual flicker of movement outside the window yanks me from my self-pitying spiral. My breath catches, yanked into the present by what I see. I swivel my chair around to face the window.

Across the cityscape, atop the golden Oasis Hotel high-rise, where Eddie King declared us husband and wife, a message blazes in giant, electric lights:

I'M SORRY, BIANCA, PLEASE FORGIVE ME AND MARRY ME (AGAIN)?

A choked laugh escapes me. Only Zack—that outrageous, infuriating, wild man—would pull a public stunt like this. It’s so audacious and ridiculous, and yet…

Without me having a chance to fully process the absurdity of it all, the office door creaks open.

Zack stands before me with a sheepish grin softening the sharp angles of his jaw. His expression holds a mellow vulnerability I’ve never seen before. It makes my insides warm with adoration.

“Bianca.” His tone is genuine. “You’re the strongest, most incredible woman I know. You were always meant to be my wife, and I want you back in my life.”

A hint of a smile tugs at my lips, betraying the warmth I’d like to hide. After pulling back slightly, I meet his gaze. “I still don’t have clarity.”

“I know. And you have every right to be unsure. I was a complete ass in front of the media, and our marriage started out as a crazy stunt, but...” He brushes a loose curl back from my face. “It doesn’t have to end that way. Does it?”

My heart swells as I lean into his touch. God, I’ve missed him these past few days. Missed this—just being close and feeling him against me. I bite on my lip and keep fighting for a clearer understanding. “We’re just so different. How can this ever work between us?”

He holds my hand in his and caresses it with his thumb. “We don’t need to reinvent the laws of physics. Opposites attract, and that’s why this works.”

He’s right. I’m so drawn to him, it’s hard to imagine ever wanting anyone else. He makes me feel so free. I lift my chin and nod. “Okay, but I think we need to create some rules.”

His eyes light up as he nods. “We will. We’ll each shift a little and meet in the middle. That’s how we win this game of love. Bianca, and I know I said I wouldn’t beg but …”

Clearing his throat, he pulls out a black velvet box and drops down on one knee.

My palm flies up to my mouth as moisture builds in my eyes.

“These past few days have been pure torture,” he says, his voice thick with raw emotion. “I can’t live without you, Bianca. I’ve loved you since the moment I laid eyes on you. Why do you think I got you drunk and brought you down to that chapel? I needed to make you mine somehow, someway. The way I did it was a bit chaotic and clumsy, but I can’t go back in time now.”

My shoulders creep up as tears well in my eyes.

He continues. “I want realness with you, Bianca. So, I’m begging you, now. Will you…”

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