Chapter 55

CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

ZAIN

My initial instinct is to lash out, to tell her she has no idea what she's talking about. But the second she says the detective's name, the memory of that part of the interrogation hits me like a baseball bat to the face.

I'd been too upset, too confused at the time to question how he knew. I just took it for granted that he did. He was a member of the police force, a detective . Of course he knew everything.

But Ashley is right.

How did he know? No one knew, except me.

And more to the point, why haven't I ever thought about it before?

But I already know the answer to that. It's because my focus has always been on the girl who gave the testimony that damned me to life behind bars. I never considered anything else. I never questioned anything else.

Why would I?

Why the fuck didn't I?

Because focusing on Ashley gave me an easy target. A reachable target.

Not that she is innocent …

I shake my head at that whisper.

It's no longer that straight forward, is it? She's not the person I thought she was. That I've built her up to be. I dismissed the fact she was a young girl, an impressionable, upset girl at that.

It doesn't make what she did any easier to forgive. I'm not sure I ever could forgive her.

But she's not wrong.

How did Detective Holson know about Louisa's pregnancy?

"Zain?" Something warm touches my cheek, and I flinch back, my attention snapping back to the woman in front of me.

I'm no longer pinning her to the wall. In fact there's at least a foot between us, and her fingertips are stroking over my jaw, and the light contact ignites something beneath my skin.

"Don't touch me." My voice comes out as a rasp.

"You didn't answer my question."

She has no fucking idea what she's caused by that question. No idea of the turmoil churning inside my head. And if I have any sense at all, I'll keep it that way. I won't give her the satisfaction of knowing that, for once, she has the upper hand.

"Get in the car. We're going to be late." I shove all thoughts of the detective to one side. I'll deal with it later. When she's not there to witness it.

For now, I need her to stop touching me. Stop looking at me.

I wrap my fingers around her wrist and pull her hand away from my face, then drag her along with me as I stride out of the house and across the drive. I open the passenger door and almost stuff her into the seat. Strangely, she doesn't fight me .

And … I don't like it.

I go back inside to set the alarm, then return to the car. She's closed the door, so I stalk around to the driver's side. She says nothing when I take the seat.

"Seatbelt." My tone is clipped.

I start the engine, drowning out whatever she tries to say. If the drive wasn't so steep, and the turn onto the road wasn't so sharp, I'd have floored the accelerator, but I can't even have that moment of satisfaction.

Instead, I inch the car backward off the drive and onto the road, then join the traffic flowing toward the town center.

"Zain."

I stretch out a hand and turn on the radio. I have zero interest in hearing what she wants to say to me. I don't want her to tell me about anything else she might have picked up from watching the two videos.

I acknowledge to myself that it's a childish move, but I keep the volume high until I turn onto the road where my parents live. By the time we're parked outside, the front door is open, and my mom is walking down the steps to meet us.

I'm out of the driver's seat before Ashley can even get her seatbelt off, and stop my mom before she reaches the car.

"Do you mind if Ashley stays here with you for the afternoon? I have an appointment at the police station."

My mom's eyes cut to the car, then back to me. "Darling, are you sure this isn't moving too fast? You've only been home for three days. You need to slow down and think about what you're doing. Who you're spending time with."

"Has it only been three days? It feels longer." My voice is a lot more flippant than I'm feeling. I need to put space between me and the woman who's been my sole focus for years. I can't think with her staring at me.

"That's because you haven't taken a second to stop and relax. You've been on the go constantly. Have you even slept a full night since coming home?"

Sleep? I don't remember the last time I slept for more than thirty minutes without waking up to check my surroundings. You don't sleep heavy in prison. There is too much risk of never waking up.

"You don't need to worry about me." I turn toward the car, and nod toward where Ashley is still seated. "Do you mind?"

"Of course not, honey. I can't promise that everyone will be okay with her being here, though. I think Sondra is coming over later."

I shrug. "Ashley can hold her own against Sondra."

Considering the way she's stood up to me, I don't think she'll have any issues putting my cousin in her place. My desire to get away from her recedes a little. The idea of watching her go up against Sondra is amusing. I hope I'm back in time to see it.

The stray thought makes me frown.

Why the hell would I want to see that?

Giving myself a mental shake, I walk back to the car, and open the door. "My mom will take you inside."

"Aren't you coming? "

"I have an appointment. I told you that."

"You told me nothing about it."

"That's because it's nothing to do with you." I reach inside to unclip her seatbelt.

I take her hand in mine, and tug her out of the car. I'm about to let her go when I catch sight of my mom's reflection in the window.

Instead of releasing her hand, I back her against the car. Her eyes widen when I rest my hands on either side of her hips so I can lean forward.

"What are you doing?"

"My mom is watching. You should at least pretend you're going to miss me while I'm gone." My voice is low.

"How are you going to stop me from telling her the truth about you blackmailing me?"

I lift a hand, hesitate, then stroke my fingers over her jaw. Pressing my fingertips beneath her chin, I tip her head back.

"I don't think you'd be that stupid," I whisper and lower my head.

My lips brush over hers. It's not a real kiss. And yet the sensation of just my lips resting against hers holds an intensity I'm not expecting.

How long has it been since I've kissed a woman? Been this close to a woman?

Wanted a woman?

Her arms move, loop around my neck, and the fingers of one hand stroke through the hair at the back of my head. When her tongue flicks out to lick against my lips. I jerk back, but the fingers in my hair curl, nails scraping against my scalp, and stop me from moving away.

Her eyes are open, staring into mine, gleaming with what looks like annoyance, and I can almost hear her goading me, taunting me, without saying a single word.

My eyes narrow, and the hand resting against her jaw slips down to her throat. My fingers flex, and the soft hitch of her breath makes me smile against her lips.

I want to kiss her properly. I want to hear her moans.

I want her to get out of my head, and go back to being the bitch who ruined my life. I'm not going to forget that.

"Don't play games with me, Ashley," I whisper against her lips. "You're never going to win."

In response, she bites me, sinking her teeth into my bottom lip in a quick move that leaves a sharp sting in its wake. When she draws her head back, she smirks at me. I reach back to untangle her hands from around me, and step away.

"I'll see you later, Firecracker." I keep my voice flat, and force myself to turn my back on her, but my mind is stuck on how soft her lips are, how silky her throat felt under my fingers, how her gasp has woken up something new inside me. Something I don't want to think about.

"Think about me during your meeting." Her words are a taunt, lost in the sound of the engine as I flatten my foot against the accelerator.