Zane was right by her side. “I guess if you’re on your honeymoon, there’s no reason to think about being anywhere other than in the sack.”
“Yeah. I guess.” She had to wonder what that would be like, to be so enamored of someone that you wouldn’t even bother to get out of bed. The only person she’d ever imagined that with was Zane, and she already knew that wasn’t going to happen.
“That bed looks so damn good,” she muttered. “I just want to take a nap.”
“You can do whatever you want, you know.”
“My clothes are still wet.”
“We should both change. You can have the bathroom, of course.”
Of course. Allison snatched up her bag and poked her head into a doorway she assumed was the bathroom. Out of habit, she flipped the light switch. To her great surprise, the fixture over the vanity came on. “The light works,” she shouted out to Zane.
“Thank God for solar,” Zane called back.
This room would be gorgeous eventually, but was definitely still under construction, with the tile of the two-person walk-in shower not yet complete. It had the other creature comforts, though—running water at the sink and toilet. Allison was happy for the little things.
As soon as she pushed down her shorts, the pain in her hip flared. She took a look in the mirror. Her upper thigh was turning a deep shade of purple. “No wonder it was hurting.” The thought of putting on more clothes that might bind against her injury was too unpleasant, so she put on a black sundress and skipped panties.
“Better?” Zane asked, wearing a dry pair of gray shorts and no shirt. He was currently toweling his hair and making it look like a seduction move. He was clearly oblivious to his effect on her.
She decided to save them both the lecture about how he should really be wearing more clothes. “My hip is all messed up.” She lifted the hem of her dress to show the edge of her deepening bruise.
“We need to get some ice on that, stat.” He made off for the kitchen.
“I doubt the fridge is working,” she said, gingerly sitting at the foot of the mattress.
“Got it,” Zane said, rattling a white plastic bin presumably filled with ice.
“Wow. A second round of applause for the solar.”
Zane dug around in a drawer, eventually finding a towel and placing a handful of ice in it. He brought it to her. “Scoot back on the bed.”
She raised both eyebrows at him. This was way too much like yesterday’s invitation, and she already knew this wasn’t going to end well, either. “Maybe I should sit on the floor.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re hurt. You should be resting. Scoot back and lie on your side.”
She didn’t have the strength to argue. Zane sat next to her on the mattress, placing the ice pack on her hip. She winced at the pain.
“Just relax,” he said, grabbing a pillow for her.
She took a deep breath, extended her arm and rested her head. “Thanks.”
“Looks like the rain and wind aren’t letting up anytime soon.”
Indeed, there were sheets of sideways drops again. They pelleted the surface of the pool, creating ripples and waves. It was oddly soothing, which was nice because not much else could make her happy right now. It felt as though life was playing a cruel trick on her, sticking her in the honeymoon cottage with Zane.
“So, I wanted to ask you something,” he said.
“Go for it. It’s not like I have anything better to do.”
“Were you serious when you said you’d been waiting fifteen years to have sex with me?”
Seven
Zane didn’t enjoy putting anyone on the spot, but he’d been wondering about this since the minute Allison said it. Between that and the storm, his mind had been occupied with nothing else. Had she really had a thing for him all these years and he’d somehow managed to be oblivious? When she’d kissed him at Scott’s birthday he’d assumed it was nothing more than the impetuous move of a woman who’d had a few glasses of wine with dinner. Now he was eager to find out if he’d been wrong.
Allison stared at him, shaking her head. Her talent for making him feel like an idiot was unparalleled, but she somehow managed to make it charming. “You know, I’ve been thinking about it, and there’s no way you’re this clueless. You had to know I had a crush on you back in school. So if this is just some exercise to stroke your ego, I’m going to skip it.” She snatched the ice pack from his hand, climbed off the bed and tossed the cold bundle into the freezer.
“I swear I had no idea.” Of course, all those years ago, his brain had been occupied elsewhere. Women seemed to be the only thing that distracted him from the misery of his family’s abrupt and complete falling apart. Plus, Allison had been totally off-limits. Scott’s friendship and support had saved Zane. There was no breaking that trust, but it had been especially true at that time. “But I was pretty stuck in my own head when we were younger.”
“I think you’re still stuck in it.” She walked back to the bedside and planted her hands on her hips.
Zane was sitting on the edge of the mattress, looking up at her, mystified. “Excuse me?”
“Your loyalty to Scott all stems from this time in your life that you aren’t willing to let go of, Zane. It’s not healthy. Being a good friend is one thing, but it’s not like you’re forever indebted to my family because we were kind to you. Because we welcomed you when things were rough. That’s just what people do.”
“You didn’t go through
