“Stop.”
“Let me go.” She twisted and struggled in his grasp as all her pain came out in a rush. “You left me again. No note. No call. Not even a goodbye. T-Rex is dead because of me. And Bill … I couldn’t save him either.”
Zane tightened his grip and pressed his mouth to her ear. “I’ve got you. Use me. Take it out on me.”
I’ve got you. Those three words tipped her over the edge. He’d had her since she was eight years old. He had her when no one else cared. He had her and he left her. Again and again.
She turned in his arms and pounded on his chest, huge guttural sobs ripping from her throat as she let out her sorrow for T-Rex, for Bill, for the past she and Zane had lost to fear, for the future they might never have. Zane didn’t move, didn’t blink; he simply absorbed her blows as if he wanted her pain.
When she was worn out, he held her in his arms and kissed her, a soft brush of his mouth over hers, lips drinking her tears. “I left for us,” he said. “I left so we could have the chance of a future together.”
“Where did you go?”
“Stanton. I turned myself in. I’m out on bail until the preliminary hearing.”
A groan ripped from her throat. “Oh, God, Zane. Why? Why would you do that?”
“I want to be free,” he said simply. “I’m not a good man, Evie. Not in civilian terms. I’ve broken laws, committed crimes. But I can sleep at night because I’ve never hurt anyone who didn’t deserve it. After I met you again, I realized I’ve been living my life under the shadow of a lie. I loved you, but I denied it. I pretended those false charges meant nothing to me, but they do because they mean I can’t give you and Ty what I want to give—a choice.”
She felt a prickle at the back of her neck. “What choice?”
“Whether we live or leave the life is up to you.”
Evie fisted his shirt, pulled him close. “And what if it all goes wrong? What if they put you in jail for the next twenty years? What then?”
“I’ve loved you for almost twenty years, Evie; I’ll love you for twenty more. And I would wait a lifetime to hold you again.”
His utter and absolute faith, his conviction, his heartfelt words turned the tide and washed away the last of her reservations. “I need you,” she whispered. “I want to feel. I want to live so T-Rex didn’t die for nothing.”
“Over there.” He pointed to the caretaker’s potting shed just over the rise. They made their way through the soft grass to the door and Zane used his knife to snap the lock.
Rich and fragrant, the mingled scents of flowers and potting soil surrounded them when they stepped inside. Rows of freshly potted flowers lined the wall, and the small table under the sole window in the shed heaved under an array of potting equipment, bags of soil, fertilizer, watering cans and gloves. A large wooden table took up the center space and worn shelves lined the dark, wood walls.
Frantic to touch him, she shoved up his shirt as soon as he turned from bolting the door. She ran her hands over the hard planes of his chest, then she trailed kisses over his newly grown beard. “I’m not sure if I like all these prickles.”
Zane grabbed her ass and ground his erection against her belly. “You’ll love it when I’m between your thighs, licking your sweet pussy.”
“Arrogant.”
“You love that, too.”
He took control, spinning her around and then pushing her over the workbench in the center of the shed. “It’s not the hood of a 300C, but since I haven’t been able to get that image out of my mind, this will have to do.”
The rich scent of earth rose up from the wooden surface, raw and primal. “It’s perfect. Don’t make me wait.”
Zane leaned over her, pressing her body against the table with his weight, then he clasped her neck and pushed her cheek against the rough, wood surface. “You want it dirty, sweetheart?”
“Yes.”
“You want it rough?”
“Yes.”
“You want me to fuck you so damn hard you can’t think of anything but the orgasm I won’t give you till you beg?”
“God, yes. Make me pay for letting T-Rex give his life for me.”
“No.” He released her, backing away, leaving her bereft.
Evie cried out in frustration. “Please, Zane. Make it all go away.”