Page 117 of Left in the Dark

I chuckle, my fingers back on her porcelain face. “I love you, Delaney. I’ll fight for you, for us, with every breath inside my body.”

“I love you, Zayne.” She gives me a shaky smile. “You took the words out of my mouth.”

“Copycat.” I rub my nose against hers before pulling back with a smile. “Still wanna punch me?”

“Yes… and no.” Her hands are on my chest, and my heartbeat is pounding beneath her palm. “It’s complicated.”

“I have three ways you can unleash it.” I hold up a finger. “After I share my side of the story.”

She raises her brows. “How?”

“Aidan, Tim, and Daniel.”

Her eyes darken with a vengeance. “I like that proposition.”

“Let’s sit on the bed. I have fifteen years of pain to unleash on you.”

A challenge shines in her eyes and smile. “Bring it on, Z. I can take it.”

“I know you can, minx.”

CHAPTER 76

Zayne

“Ihad no idea your father was abusing you or your mother. I found out right before I returned to Green Haven to rain hellfire down on that fucking corrupt town.”

Delaney is wrapped in my arms on the bed, propped up on pillows, as I am. She stares at me but remains quiet, allowing me to speak like I did her.

“I attended Caltech after I left Green Haven. I visited you in Cape May before I left, but you had no idea.”

Surprise causes her brows to lift. “I never saw you.”

“No. I left when I saw you kissing another guy.”

“Oh, Zayne. That’s not what you think.” Her brows furrow. “Wait. That was on July fourth. My birthday.”

“Yeah. I still have the smashed box with a broken bottle of your favorite perfume inside.”

“Jesus. What am I gonna do with you?”

I give her a wolfish grin. “I have ideas.”

“Stop.” She holds up her hand. “We need to talk.”

“Fine. But those ideas are second. Vengeance is third.”

She laughs, her hand moving over my pounding heart.

Fuck, it’s incredible how much better I feel, and I haven’t gotten all this shit off my chest yet.

“You can explain who that jackass was you kissed later. I want his name, though. I’ll kill?—”

“Zayne. No. I haven’t heard from him since that summer. Nothing happened between him and I.” She sighs. “Stop being a neanderthal.”

“You’ll pay for that neanderthal comment later.” My hand slides to her ass, squeezing it in a warning. “Anyway, after graduation, I went to work for a security company, as did Jaxson King, my friend and business partner. A year later, we formed?—”

“King Morine. The name on the alarm system in the cabin I’m renting.” The wheels are spinning inside her head.

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