“SO I HEAR we have to clean the hot tub.”
Byron closed his eyes and shook his head. He straightened from the pool table in the game room and glared at Elaina at the door. She only stared back as she leaned against the door frame with a glass of wine in her hand and a smirk on her face.
“You can leave now,” Byron said.
Elaina’s smirk morphed into a sly smile. “It’s true,” she said gleefully. “You did.” She hurried into the room and rested her hip on the edge of the pool table. She wore dark leggings, a burgundy tunic and black flat shoes. She looked more relaxed than he’d expected with her spending the days strategizing with the family. She sipped her wine, and Byron realized the wine was probably the reason for his sister’s improved mood.
“Why do you care what I did or didn’t do?” He wasn’t going to confirm or deny anything. Even though heat spread through his cheeks.
Zoe had rushed out of the hot tub and upstairs to her room without a backward glance at him. By the time he’d gone inside, his dad was pacing back and forth in the living room while Patricia sat solemnly on the couch. Travis and India returning was the only thing that saved him from whatever lecture Grant had prepared. By the time Lilah and Elaina were back in the house it was easy for Byron to avoid his father altogether. He guessed Zoe was doing the same thing with him since she hadn’t come out of her room.
“Normally, I wouldn’t care who you have your fun with,” Elaina said.
“Then why are you here?”
Elaina raised a finger. “I will care about where you have your fun, if that fun is taking place in a shared space.”
Byron gripped the pool stick and pushed back his frustration. “Again, why are you here? Is it to tease me? Okay, you’ve succeeded. Go do something else.”
“Plus, I kind of care now,” she said begrudgingly.
Byron ran a hand over his chin and swallowed a sigh. “If you’re here to tell me I shouldn’t be with Zoe then tell me something I don’t already know.”
He’d had time to think about things after the embarrassment of getting caught by his dad in a hot tub had time to settle. He’d spilled his emotions out to Zoe, she’d kissed him and they’d come close to having sex. Not once did she admit her feelings for him. Once again, his feelings were out there waiting for her to accept them.
That was one of several reasons he shouldn’t be with Zoe. The breakup with Yolanda was too new. He wanted to win this election. His entire life had been dedicated to getting here. Serving the public. Furthering the family legacy. A scandalous relationship could ruin that.
Still, he didn’t regret what happened, nor could he say his body didn’t ache to do more.
Elaina blinked and her head shot back. “That’s not what I’m here to tell you.”
“You’re not?” He’d avoided the confrontations with his family. He already knew what they were going to say. Or at least he thought he’d known.
“No. I’m here to say you’ve finally made the right choice. Yolanda was good on paper, but I never liked her. Obviously, my instincts were right. She left as soon as things got hard.” Elaina sounded pleased with herself for knowing Yolanda wasn’t the right one for him. “You still need a wife and family to make you more palatable to the voters. Go with the woman you actually want.”
Byron put down the pool stick and rested his hands on the edge of the table. “Hold up. Are you telling me to marry Zoe?”
“Not right away, of course,” Elaina said as if he was being silly. “You’ve got to introduce your relationship with her over time. Maybe a few more public appearances together, with Lilah there, obviously. You both talk about how great things are now that you’re reunited. Play up the years of regret and how happy you are with your family. Make the public fall in love with you two, so that by the time you’re officially together they’ll cheer.”
Byron brought a hand to his temple. Disappointed but not surprised at the suggestion. That was the family way. Find a way to spin a negative into a positive. “You want me to exploit our relationship for the win?”
Elaina tapped the edge of the pool table with a long, manicured nail. “I want you to use what’s happening to your advantage. Don’t be naive. You wanted to marry her years ago. Mom realized it wasn’t right and separated you two. Now you’re back with her and you both obviously want to be together. This way you get the best of both worlds.”
“I’m not going to do that. If Zoe and I decide to be together then it’ll be because we both want it. Not because it’ll help me win.”
A disgusted grunt came from the door. They both turned. Grant shook his head before coming in and closing the door behind him. He’d changed into a cream-colored short-sleeved linen shirt and matching pants. His hair looked wet and curly as if recently showered. Byron guessed Grant had to settle for a relaxing shower instead of a stint in the hot tub.
“You always were the romantic of the family,” Grant said in a noncomplimentary way.
“Excuse me?” Byron asked.
Elaina took her glass of wine and crossed the room. She sat in one of the leather chairs along the wall and watched with a slight smirk on her lips. Guess he’d be getting no help from her.
“You always thought the world was a good place and that as long as you did good then things would work out. Your mom fed into that fantasy and you sopped it up.”
“It’s not a fantasy. I do try to make things better if I can and I try to live my life in a way that I can be proud of.” Yes, those were lessons his mom taught him, but they were lessons he still believed in. He appreciated what his family built for him and wanted to make a way for others to build their own legacies while also preserving his. He would never feel bad about that.
“Were you proud when you decided to marry Yolanda when you didn’t love her?” Grant asked casually.
“Don’t bring Yolanda into this.” Byron picked up the pool stick and circled the table. He couldn’t focus on the balls or practicing his shots. He just needed to hit something instead of lashing out at his dad.
“The hell I wont,” Grant argued. “You chose her because she was most likely to clean up your image as the guy who could get any woman he wanted. You didn’t love her, and you made a political decision. Now, when your sister is making a smart suggestion, that you build a family image with the woman you want a family with, you decide to claim a moral high ground. Step off that high horse, Byron. You’re a Robidoux and you want to win. Stand there and tell me that you don’t see the value in using your relationship with Zoe to get you to the Senate.”
Byron aimed at the green ball. He could hit it into the hole with no problem. An easy shot. Almost as easy as his dad tried to make marrying Zoe sound. “It won’t work.” He hit the ball and watched it roll smoothly into the pocket.
“Why not?” Elaina asked casually before taking a sip of her wine.
Byron clenched his teeth. He shouldn’t have said anything. He’d absorbed his mom’s lessons, but he’d also absorbed his father’s. Already the pros and cons of marrying Zoe were drifting through his mind. “People will view her as the other woman.”
Grant pointed at him. “Not if you play this right. Slowly introduce her to the public. Start by focusing on being a father to Lilah and then let it gradually grow.”
Elaina snapped a finger. “That’s what I said.”
“Will you two stop talking about my life like you’re winning points in a political game?”
Grant stepped forward and placed his hand on the end of the pool stick, stopping Byron from aiming at another shot. “Your life is a political game. The moment you announced you were running for Senate you put your life on a game board. Every move you make is up for scrutiny and debate. You know this is a good idea. You know it makes sense and it’ll win you political points if we work it right. So why don’t you tell me the real reason you’re hedging.”
The real reason. He couldn’t put political hopes on a situation that was too close to him. With Yolanda it was one thing. He wasn’t in a position of being hurt.
Byron left the pool stick on the table and stood. “I don’t have time for this.”
They didn’t try to stop him from walking out. His dad probably thought it was just another emotional decision. It was, but not for the emotions his dad would suspect. Grant probably didn’t realize how unsure Byron felt after what happened that afternoon. That he wasn’t sure if he wanted to put too much of himself into this.
He rounded the corner and stopped suddenly. Zoe leaned against the wall. Her arms were crossed. She stared down at the floor. He said her name and she looked up at him.
“Well, what did you all decide?” Her voice was calm, but there was a guarded look in her eye.
Byron ran a hand over his head. “We didn’t decide anything.”
She pushed away from the wall. Her arms still crossed tightly over her chest as if shielding herself from him. “It sounds like your family has the perfect way to deal with the Zoe problem. Just like before.”
“It’s not like that.” Except it was. In a matter of a few hours his family had already crafted a plan to deal with the latest threat. If he didn’t take the upper hand, his dad would take control and push Byron and Zoe together without a thought to all the baggage between them that needed unpacking.
“Look, forget them and what they said,” Byron said. “This is something you and I need to figure out. No one else.”
Zoe opened her mouth then shut it. She ran a hand over her hair, which was twisted into a curly puff at the back of her head. She nodded and waved a hand. “Fine.”
The heavy disappointment in that single word settled like a boulder on his chest. “Let’s go somewhere and talk?” She was not fine.
“Mom.” Lilah’s voice came up the stairs. “Want to play Uno with me and Auntie India and Uncle Travis?”
Byron shook his head. They needed to finish this. Now.
Lilah called again. Zoe took a step toward the stairs. “I’m coming,” she said then turned back to Byron. “We’ll talk later. When there isn’t so much going on.”
She turned and hurried down the stairs. The sound of Lilah and India greeting her drifted up. Byron cursed and rubbed his temples. He took a long breath. There were too many damn people in the house. He didn’t know how he’d get her alone again, but before the night was over he and Zoe were going to talk. There was too much between them that they couldn’t keep ignoring. He did like to win, and right now he wanted to win her heart.
ZOE TOSSED BACK the covers and reached for her phone on the nightstand. She clicked the power button on the side. Bright light illuminated the room. She flinched and blinked until her eyes adjusted. One fifteen in the morning.
She put the phone back on the nightstand and sat on the edge of the bed. She’d feigned a headache and gone to bed immediately after the Uno game. She was procrastinating and she knew it. A character flaw that she kept saying she’d correct but knew she never would.
Sighing, Zoe stood, slid on the slippers next to the bed and left the bedroom. The house was quiet. She’d listened as everyone had gone to their rooms and settled in for the night an hour before. She tiptoed down the stairs. Her heartbeat faster with each step she took.
The only light on was in the living room. Byron sat sprawled out on one of the couches in a white T-shirt and dark green pajama pants. He looked up from the book in his hands, a mystery novel, when she stood at the back of the couch.
“I didn’t think you’d come back down.” His voice was soft and slightly relieved. His brown eyes appeared more golden in the muted lamplight. He turned on the couch to face her.
Zoe licked her dry lips. “I wasn’t sure if I would.”
She’d known he would be down here waiting on her. She understood just as much as he that they needed to talk. Not just about what happened in the hot tub, but also the suggestion his family made. She believed Byron hadn’t said everything he’d said earlier that day as part of some plot to put her in the spot Yolanda vacated, but she didn’t trust his family to twist anything between them into something not resembling the healthy relationship she both wanted and finally realized she deserved.
His hand covered hers on the back of the couch. His touch warm and steady. “Sit down.”
Zoe hesitated for a second then came around. Byron swung his legs off the couch so she could sit next to him. Her stomach was a tangle of knots. She didn’t know the best place to start untwisting them.
She settled on starting with the most immediate situation. “Your family made a good point earlier. I also heard your reply. You said no, but you were considering what they said.”
Byron slid closer to her. “My family is always going to try to find the angle that benefits us the best. I can’t change them, but what I can do is promise you that I’ll never make any decision that affects you without talking to you or considering your feelings. I don’t care about the points they made. All I care about is what’s right for us. What I said earlier hasn’t changed.”
She believed him, and that further twisted the knots in her stomach. She hadn’t put her trust in anyone other than herself for years. She knew Byron and didn’t doubt he meant what he said, but doubt still whispered in her ear. The only way to silence the voice was to face her fears head-on.
Zoe met his eyes and watched him closely. “I trust you, but I don’t know if this is the right move. How will things work out? Will we eventually hurt each other?”
He didn’t look away. Calculation didn’t cloud his gaze nor did it filter into his voice. “Zoe, listen to me. If we do this then it’s because we both want to make this work. Not for the election and not just to protect Lilah.” His hand squeezed hers. “What do you want? Tell me and I’ll make it happen.”
No matter how hard she’d worked to be okay with going after what she wanted without fear and accept the good things in her life, expressing her wishes out loud still made her feel as if she were that girl whose mother humiliated her in front of a class for daring to be proud of doing well. She thought of the way Byron treated her. Not just recently, but the unwavering friendship, encouragement and support he’d offered when they were friends. The way he was so patient and sweet with Lilah. How he looked at her as if she was special and worth his love.
“I never believed you when you said that before.”
His body stilled. He tried to pull back, but her hand tightened on his. She took a long breath and tackled the second knot between them. “I didn’t believe you because I didn’t think what you offered was how relationships were supposed to be.”
His brows drew together. “I don’t understand.”
“That’s because you never met my parents. All they did was argue and fight. It wasn’t anything for my dad to slap my mom just to end an argument. My mom would hit back. Then they’d be in each other’s arms again later that day. My mom told me and my sister that people in love acted that way. My dad spoiled her with clothes, money, jewelry and they both seemed to thrive off that life. I thought that was what real love was. Not the fairy-tale stuff on television. Kendell gave me what I grew up seeing. By the time I realized my view of relationships was screwed up and I needed out, I got pregnant. Then my only focus was getting away from him and giving my child better than what I had.”
Byron’s attention wasn’t the only thing that helped her come to that conclusion. Getting away from her parents, seeing other women in college thrive and not put up with similar bullshit, and the slow realization that Kendell’s offer to pay for her bills, books and other items was his way of slowly gaining more and more control over her life. All that helped her realize things needed to change.
“Later, when your mom accused me of taking advantage of you, I couldn’t deny it.”
“I knew what I was doing,” he said firmly.
“I know you did. I knew that if I married you all of my problems would be over, but I really did need to find out who I was first. Who I was and what I wanted. I couldn’t be with you if I didn’t learn to love myself again.”
“And now?”
Zoe let go of the fear and doubt and said words she’d been too afraid to speak for too long. “I want you.” She leaned into him. “I want us.”
The light that came into his eyes made joy explode in her heart. He placed his hand on the back of her head and pulled her in until their foreheads touched. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to hear you say that.” His voice trembled.
Her stomach clenched. “Seriously?” Insecurity and doubt made her voice weaker. How could he be that emotional just for her?
His eyes never left hers. “Seriously.”
Zoe ignored the voice in her head that wondered if she could live up to the adoration in his eyes. For now this was enough. She pressed her lips to his. “I want you, Byron Robidoux.”
His head slanted and he kissed her harder. Zoe opened her mouth and let him deepen the kiss. The flame of passion he’d ignited earlier that day flared to life. Her hands slid over his strong shoulders and down his arms. His body trembled and he pressed into her as if he couldn’t get enough of her.
Zoe broke the kiss. Byron’s lips trailed across her cheek to her neck where he lightly nipped then sucked. Desire shot straight to her sex where slick heat pooled.
“Come to my room,” she said in a thick voice.
Byron shook his head. Zoe’s heart dropped. There was no way he could kiss her like that after she poured her heart out and then send her to bed alone.
“My room is closer,” he said with a sexy smile.
She smiled so hard her cheeks hurt. Byron stood and took her hand. She grabbed his and followed him to his downstairs bedroom. As soon as the door closed, they were in each other’s arms. He undressed her slowly. He reverently kissed every inch of skin he revealed. His lips and tongue traced decadent patterns across her skin. She wanted his lips on her breasts, her stomach, the aching spot between her thighs. Zoe twisted and tugged to get his clothes off faster.
By the time they lay naked on the bed Zoe thought her body couldn’t take any more. Byron pulled her into his arms until the front of her naked body was flush against his. The next kiss was slower. His long legs tangled with hers as his hand ran down her side and back up.
He pressed her onto her back and cupped her breast in his hand. He took the hard tip into his mouth and sucked deep. Zoe arched her back. Her hips lifted off the bed as a low, desperate moan vibrated through her chest. His other hand lowered to the junction of her thighs. His fingers gently spread her open and slid across her slick sex.
Zoe gasped and dug her nails into his shoulder. Her legs opened wide and Byron didn’t hesitate. One long finger slid deep inside her. His mouth never lifted from her breast and he worshipped her nipple while his fingers sent her to heaven. But his finger wasn’t enough.
Lowering her hand, she wrapped her fingers around his dick. He was so thick and hard, just the thought of him filling her made her moan, “Byron.”
“Mmm hmm,” He moaned, sounding pleased with himself.
He slid down her body. His teeth nipped at her thighs right before his tongue brushed over the sting. Her legs spread wide; he didn’t hesitate. His firm tongue ran across her slick core. Zoe reached down and dug her nails into his shoulders. She tried to bite her lip to hold back her cries. It had been too long. Too long since anyone touched her, kissed her like this. Too long since she’d felt pleasure. Too long since she’d felt cherished.
Her leg shook. “Byron!” His name was both a plea to stop and go on forever.
One long finger pushed inside her, then two, then those wonderful lips of his closed over the pearl and tugged softly. Her body convulsed. Her fingers dug deeper into his shoulder. Her cry filled the room.
He pulled away to get a condom and was back in her arms before any of the heat left her body. Zoe opened her arms and pulled him back to her. Byron lifted one of her legs over his hip and slid into her with one long, exquisite stroke. Zoe’s head pressed back into the pillow. Her eyes shut as bliss took over her body.
His lips brushed her jaw, her neck, her cheeks, but always came back to her lips. There was no rush or urgency to his movement. He took a hold of her heart and soul with each long, deep thrust and tender kiss.
He pressed his forehead against hers. “Zoe.” He whispered her name. Her name on his lips, spoken as if he were in the center of paradise.
He pushed deep, filling her and pressing against her sensitive clit. Zoe’s body shook from another wave of rapturous pleasure. Happiness, pleasure and affection squeezed her heart so tight she knew he was forever imprinted there.