HIGHER (The Indigo Lounge Series) Read Online Free PDF Page B

the fact that my dick is about to explode and you’re not next to
me,” he rasped. “That I’m missing you madly and you won’t give me the time of
day.”
    Heat cannoned into her belly then
detonated outward. “I’m meeting Keely for lunch. Then she’s taking me shopping
for tonight.”
    “Tonight?”
    “We’re going out for my birthday.”
    Silence echoed ominously down the
phone. “Your birthday’s not till tomorrow.”
    “I’m seeing my parents tomorrow
so we’re celebrating tonight.”
    “You were supposed to celebrate
with me.”
    “Yeah, we both know how that
worked out.”
    He sighed. “It doesn’t have to be
this way. What time are you seeing your parents?”
    “They’re taking me to lunch.”
    “So we can still spend tomorrow
evening together.”
    Her heart lurched. “No. We can’t,
Zach. Not if we’re going to ignore the herd of elephants in the room.”
    “We will fix this, Bethany.”
    “I can’t see how, not without
discussing what needs to be discussed.”
    His breath hissed out. “So you’re
saying everything that came before means nothing to you?”
    Pain ripped through her insides.
“Of course not. But I can’t ignore what came afterward. I have so many
questions, Zach, not just that one question you won’t answer.”
    “Ask me one of them,” he grated
out.
    The tense invitation shocked her
into silence for a handful of seconds. Then, heart thundering, she gripped the
phone tighter. “Okay. Why did you take me to Marrakech? Of all the places in
the world you could’ve taken me, why there? We both know that place means more
to you than just a house. So why did you take me there, Zach?”
    He exhaled harshly. “My answer
won’t please you.”
    She licked dry lips. “Try it
anyway.”
    “I needed to put some ghosts to
rest.”
    Cryptic as ever. “Zach—”
    “Remember what I said when we
were there, that you were a risk I knew I was taking?”
    “Yes.”
    “Do you know what usually happens
when I feel that way?”
    “No.”
    “I walk away. I only take
calculated risks in business. My personal life before I met you was based on
one thing. Sex, on my terms. That went out the window the moment I saw you. But
I still took the risk.”
    “What are you saying?”
    “I’m still taking the risks now.
Some of the answers you need we can work through. We don’t need to be apart to
do that.”
    Her heart lurched. “ Some? What if I said I want to know
everything? I want to know about Farrah? What if I said that’s the only way I’ll
contemplate us moving forward?”
    Tense silence. “I’d ask you to
rethink that.”
    “Why?”
    “Because you told me you loved
me. And that you’d give me time. Or did you lie?”
    Scalding tears welled in her
eyes. Angrily she brushed them away. “You bastard,” she croaked, her whole body
going numb.
    His breath hissed out. “Fuck.
Bethany—”
    “No. Enough, Zach. Enough.” She
hung up.

 
 
 
    Chapter Five

 
 
    Zach absently tuned in to the
realtor yammer on about south facing versus west facing lighting, Poggenpohl
kitchens and parquet floors and tried to stem the panic flaring through him.
    He pressed the call button again
and listened as the call went straight to voicemail.
    The message he wanted to leave
couldn’t be said out loud in the presence of the realtor and Philip who hovered
a few steps behind him.
    “As you can see, the floor to
ceiling views are rather special,” the realtor continued. Blonde, in her late
twenties, she’d been doing her best to catch his eye since they met downstairs
ten minutes ago. Impatience crawled over him as he struggled to keep the frown
from his face.
    “The space is ideal for entertaining, and has the
perfect blend of home and office. And the square footage is one of the largest
on our books at the moment. The specially selected concierge…”
    Zach bit back a sharp retort,
blocked her out, and forced himself to look around properly. As his needs went,
the duplex