Page 80 of Cruel Dreams

I orgasm too, clinging to the couch, gasping, and he uses me as a support, his chest heaving against my back. His fingers feather over my clit, but I yelp, stopping him. “No more.”

He laughs, the sound deep, and for once, without stress or pain. “Maybe later.”

Sighing with relief when his hand drops away, I agree. “Yes. Later.”

Gently, he pulls out of me and carries me to bed. We lie in the dark, our legs tangled together. He holds me close, his lips pressed to my temple. “Did you mean it?”

“Yeah, I did,” I say, rubbing his arm, “but it’s not like we can get married tomorrow.”

“I’ll wait as long as I need to. Hey, I’ll be right back.”

Zane slides out of bed, and naked, walks into the living room. I hear him ruffle through his clothes, and he flips the hallwaylight on when he steps into the bedroom. I blink against the glare. It’s not bright, but it’s more than I’m used to after making love in the dark.

He sits on the edge of the mattress and the old springs squeak under his weight. “Come here.”

“I’m already here,” I say, but I sit up, wrapping the top sheet around my breasts.

He’s holding something in his hand, and he says, “I’ll always regret not listening to you, and I’ll always regret how much evidence I needed to believe you. One afternoon Ash left me alone in his office. I needed a piece of scratch paper, and I searched every drawer of his desk.” Zane swallows, and the sticky sound of it echoes in the quiet. “That’s when I found it.” His voice cracks, and he can’t continue.

In his palm lays my ring, the one he gave me at the penthouse, the one he said symbolized his promise to marry me one day. The ring Ash took from me the night he locked me in my room at Black Enterprises. I never fought him. I never fought to keep it because I didn’t think I’d ever escape. I never thought I’d see Zane again.

His whole body trembles as he holds my left hand and slides the ring onto my finger. It’s still a perfect fit, even after all this time.

“It humbles me, Stella, that after all I’ve done, you’ll still wear this.”

“You kept it.” The ring feels foreign on my hand, just like it did when he first placed it there, but this time it feels permanent.

“After I found it, I knew everything you told me was true. All the rumors were true. That Ash was capable of anything, of everything, and my only thoughts were getting you back.”

He flops onto the bed and stares at the ceiling.

I lie close to him and kiss his lips. “Thank you. I never thought I’d see it again.”

“It should never have left your finger in the first place. I’m sorry.”

There are a lot of things I could say, but they seem inconsequential now, after everything. “Do you want some ice cream?” I ask instead.

He brushes the hair from my face. “Can I lick it off your body?”

“Hmmm.” I pretend to think. “Can you make do with a bowl and spoon?” I ask, laughing. I’m so grateful we can put this all behind us.

“Maybe for a little bit.”

I attack him, hugging him tightly to me. “How about later?”

Rolling me onto my back, he says, “That’s fine. I like this dessert better anyway.”

We fall asleep, the orange glow of the streetlight glimmering through the window above my bed. Without Zane, I haven’t been sleeping well, and dead to the world, I need several minutes to wake up enough to realize the jingling I hear is Zane’s cell phone ringing in the living room. It’s muffled by his pants laying in a heap on the floor.

I poke him. He’s softly snoring, and he doesn’t respond to the nudge I give him on his arm.

The ringing stops, but when I think we’ll be left alone, it starts up again.

I scramble across the bed and hurry to the couch. I search his pockets and find his cell just before the call goes to voicemail. It’s Douglas, and I don’t hesitate to answer.

“Douglas, what’s wrong?”

“Miss Mayfair?”

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