Page 63 of Just a Bit Captivated

“Fine, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. Here it is…” She rattled off the number, and Aiden hastily wrote it down.

“Thank you,” he said.

She chuckled.“Don’t thank me yet. Seriously, don’t call him now. He bit my head off last time I called him.”

That seemed like sound advice.

Sadly, Aiden was too weak to follow it.

He called.

He waited with bated breath, his heart beating in his ears and his stomach attempting to crawl out of his mouth.

Finally, on the fifth ring, Zain answered, barking something into the phone.

“Hi,” Aiden stammered.He hadn’t meant for it to come out so weak and shaky. It barely even sounded like him.

Zain said hoarsely,“Aiden?”

A whine building in his throat, Aiden pressed the phone closer to his ear, as though that would make him closer to him. Hearing Zain’s voice was like allowing a starved man to smell a feast but not allowing him to eat. “Yeah. I’m—how have you been?”

“How have you been,” Zain repeated flatly.“I’ve been busy hiring new people after you had all of my staff killed.”

Aiden lay down on his bed and hugged his pillow, pressing the phone even closer to his ear. He could hear Zain’s every breath that way. If he closed his eyes, he could almost pretend he was right there, behind him.

“I didn’t do it, you dick. It’s not my fault I was rescued.”

“Congratulations,” Zain said and hung up.

Aiden nearly cried—no, please, it wasn’t anywhere near enough. But then his phone rang. It was Zain.Aiden had never answered a call so fast.

“I don’t get something,” Zain said testily. “Why the hell are you bothering me after siccing your mafioso of a brother-in-law on me?”

Aiden frowned, utterly confused.“What? I don’t understand.”

There was a moment’s silence.

“You didn’t tell Damiano Conte to threaten me to stayaway from you?”

“What? No!” Aiden scowled.“I told Damiano to leave you alone. I told him you didn’t do anything to me.”

Silence fell over the line.

“I definitely did something to you,” Zain said at last, very dryly. But his tone was softer now.

Aiden found himself smiling.“I miss you,” he blurted out before he could stop himself.

Silence.

He could hear Zain inhale deeply.

“I thought they’d cure you of that nonsense by now,” he said in a clipped voice.

Nonsense.

It was nonsense.

Of course it was. Had he actually expected Zain to say that he missed him too? That he wanted him back?

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