Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 145803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Vienna was afraid if she said anything he would stop talking, and she didn’t want him to. This was important for her to hear. To understand. Mostly, it was important for Zale to express, and he was struggling.
“I have certain friends I’m close to. I care about them. Sam. Rainier. Rush. Wilder. A very small circle, and it took me a long time to get there. Trusting anyone isn’t my forte. My training didn’t exactly help me there.”
To Vienna’s consternation, he fell silent. They were already too close to the corner where she knew he would insist she drop him off.
“When I met you . . .” He trailed off again, shaking his head. Rubbing one palm over his heart. “You changed everything I’d ever believed about myself and what I was capable of. It isn’t just a small feeling, Vienna.” He gestured toward the next block. “It’s overwhelming. When I’ve never felt anything and then there it is, I know it’s damn real, and I don’t want to lose it because I’m not quite sure what I’m doing yet. Pull over. I’ll meet you later.”
He had his hand on the door handle before she brought her car to a halt. “Zale, wait, no. I’m not sure I should let you—” He was gone, melting into the darkness. She hadn’t even noticed that he’d brought that dark sport jacket with him. She couldn’t make him out as she pulled away from the curb back into traffic and drove to the private circle where the valet would take her car and she could go straight up in the private elevator to her suite.
Vienna couldn’t help but look around the hallway suspiciously as she unlocked the door and stepped inside quickly. She was getting paranoid just knowing someone had attacked Zale. There was no one around. It was easy to see up and down the halls. Closing the door made her feel safe. The first thing she did was kick off her shoes and go to one of the very comfortable cuddle chairs so she could call Stella.
“I had dinner with Mom and Ellen tonight,” she greeted without preamble. “It was a good night, mostly because I brought Zale with me. And Ellen was determined to make it work between Mom and me. She was really wonderful.” Once again, she was talking too fast, the words tumbling over one another.
“I’m happy for you, Vienna,” Stella said. “This is the first time you and your mother made it through an evening together in a long time, right?”
Vienna was grateful she had stayed on topic and hadn’t brought Zale up right away. “Since the fight we had. I’ve tried everything to get us back together and nothing has worked. She’s been so uncomfortable around me, and I think I’ve been the same way. I was really ashamed of the way I reacted to her telling me she was in love with Ellen. It had nothing to do with objecting to Ellen, just being jealous of her bringing someone else into our relationship so unexpectedly.”
“You have to let that go, Vienna,” Stella advised. “You can only apologize so many times.”
“I know. I think both of them have accepted my apology, but Mom’s been afraid I’d bring up other things that came out that night she doesn’t want to talk about. I wanted to make it very plain tonight that I have no intention of bringing those subjects up to her. I hope she got the message and she can relax around me. I just want my mother back.”
“How did Zale fit into all of this?”
Vienna sat tailor fashion, and the chair molded around her. She loved the chair. She made a mental note to find out where to get one like it.
“He offered to go with me to take the heat off so Mom would relax. At first I was going to say no, but then I realized it was exactly what would distract her.”
“Vienna.” There was caution in Stella’s voice. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“I’m not certain yet. He says he doesn’t want us to be over. We’ve been talking quite a bit and I’m listening, but I’m not sure I want to go there again. You know how I am, careful.”
There was that thoughtful silence. Stella never rushed judgment. She wasn’t that person, which was one of the hundreds of reasons Vienna loved her. “Do you believe him?”
It was Vienna’s turn to think the question over. Did she? She was certain Zale believed what he was telling her. She just didn’t know how long what he felt for her would last. Admittedly, he wasn’t a man who had relationships. He had no clue what that first rush felt like. Their sexual chemistry had been explosive. He could easily mistake that for something else. Once the fire mellowed, even a little, he could get bored and move on. Then what? Where would she be?