Page 79 of The Broken Vows

“Did you mean it?”

I stare at the pan in front of me, unable to face my sister. “I meant the words when I said them.”

She brushes her hair behind her ears and stares ahead, looking as lost as I feel. “Do you still?”

My mind drifts back to the pain in Celeste’s eyes when I told her I didn’t want my future wife having to step into her shoes. I’m not even sure why I said it — I don’t see myself ever getting married after her. It wasn’t my intention to wound her, not consciously, at least. I’m not sure what happened. The night we shared made me feel more vulnerable than I’d anticipated, and I’d known it couldn’t last.

“You’re falling for her again, aren’t you?”

I snap out of my daze and look up at Sierra. “No.” How could I fall in love with someone I never fell out of love with? That was what I’ve always hated most, that I love her despite everything she did to me.

“She framed you for corporate espionage and had you arrested,” Sierra reminds me, her voice breaking. “She took every project you’d worked on together and weaponized it.”

“I know,” I murmur, exhausted. “What she did isn’t something I’ll ever forgive, Sierra. I’m just saying I get where she was coming from. I won’t forgive her for the way she smiled at me and kissed me while planting fake evidence, the way she fell asleep next to me and dreamed of my downfall. I never saw it coming.”

I empty Sierra’s box of macaroni in the pan, my anger burning hot. “Do you have any idea how happy I was that she’d finally snapped out of her daze? For weeks, she’d either been drowning in her grief or accusing me of something I didn’t do, so when she finally seemed like herself again, I’d felt so relieved. I thought she’d started to see reason, that she was starting tolisten… but it was all an act. I’d been preparing to walk away from everything, had accepted I’d be disowned for loving her.” I smile humorlessly, my heart heavy. “I’d already bought her a ring, you know? Designed it myself and had Laurier craft it for her.”

“Zane,” Sierra whispers, and I look at her, pure heartache holding me in its grip.

“Do you have any idea what it’s like to look into the eyes of the woman you love more than anything, and realize she never loved you the same? No matter what happened, I could never do to her what she did to me. I’d have walked away and ended things. I never would’ve hurt her like that — and that’s why it can’t ever work between us. She doesn’t have any faith in me,in us, and I don’t trust her. Even if she fell back in love with me, I’d never be able to trust that her feelings are real, that she wouldn’t destroy us the next time someone accuses me of something. Each time she smiles at me, I wonder if it’s even real, or if it’s another act. I can’t live like that, not even for her.”

ChapterSixty-Six

Zane

I stand in the doorway as Celeste picks up what has to be the tenth outfit, her expression betraying her nerves. Grandma told me she warned Celeste about missing any more family dinners, but I’d thought she’d have ignored the warning.

She undoes the zipper of her black dress and pushes it off, frustration dripping off her. My breath hitches when it pools on the floor, revealing the stunning black lace lingerie she’s wearing, complete with the sexiest little things around her thighs. What are they even called? Garters, right? I have no idea, but she looks fucking irresistible.

Her gaze snaps to mine when I walk in, and she moves her arm over her stomach in an attempt to hide part of her body. My wife’s face flushes when I place my hand on her shoulder and position myself behind her. “It’s just family dinner,” I murmur, my tone reassuring. “You don’t have to overthink it.” I’m not sure why I can’t resist taking away her worries. Every damn day I remind myself of everything she’s done to me, but one of those helpless looks of hers, and I’m brought to my knees.

“I know, but I… I just…” She exhales shakily and looks down. “I wanted to make a good impression. I don’t… I know it’s silly, but I don’t want them to hate me even more.”

Fuck. She can be so fucking sweet when she wants to be. I bury my free hand in her hair and tilt her head, exposing her neck. Celeste gasps when I kiss her just below her ear, her gaze snapping up to meet mine in the mirror.

I can’t make sense of her, and the lines between us continue to blur. The hatred is becoming harder to hold on to, especially when she looks at me like she needs saving. My free hand slides down her stomach, and she leans back against me, her head dropping to my shoulder. She’s such a good girl sometimes, and when she acts like this, like she needs me, I’m tempted to believe her.

Celeste whimpers when I cup her breast with one hand, the other slowly sliding down and into the tiny scrap of fabric between her legs, until I’ve got the tips of my fingers resting against her pussy. Her breathing accelerates, and she watches me, desire rapidly overtaking her apathy. “Who did you want to impress?” I whisper, my teeth grazing over her ear as my fingers stroke her nipple over her bra.

Her hand wraps over my wrist, and she looks at me with such longing as she pushes my hand down further, her gaze pleading. I smirk at her, and she moans when I coat my fingers in her wetness before dragging it back up, leaving it resting against her clit.

“Who?”

She draws a shaky breath and parts her lips. “Raven. All of these dresses are her designs, one from each collection. I own every single piece she’s ever designed, outside of her bridal range.”

My heart wrenches, and I drop my mouth to her shoulder, digging my teeth into her soft skin just as I begin to circle her clit. I can’t tell if I’m jealous of my sister-in-law, or relieved to learn Celeste truly never stopped loving her, just like she clearly still loves Sierra. She makes it so hard to hate her, and fuck, I want to. I wish she never showed me her vulnerability, her regret.

I push my fingers into her and curl them, drawing a sexy moan from her throat. “Zane,” she whispers. She sounds so fucking needy, the distance that’s usually between us entirely non-existent.

“Tell me what you want.”

“You,” she whispers. “I want you.”

I groan and tear my hand off her bra to undo my fly, and she whimpers when my cock pushes against her ass. The way she immediately grinds up against me is intoxicating, and I hate how I can’t resist her, how I can’t look at her without wanting her. We can’t keep doing this, I can’t let her weaken my resolve.

Just as I’ve decided I need to step away, that I can’t let her reel me in any further, she looks into my eyes through the mirror and smiles. “Fuck me,” she whispers. “Please, Zane.”

I grab her throat with one hand and push her underwear aside with the other, my grip on her neck tightening as I push my cock into her. Her eyes fall closed as she takes it all, and the way she moans is fucking enchanting.

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