Page 138 of The Forbidden Note

For the first time, I notice no one else besides our group is in the store.

“Grey?” The clerk gestures. “This way…”

“Hold on just one minute,” I say a little harshly.

The clerk’s got a great poker face and barely blinks. Grin in place, she nods. “No problem.”

I stalk over to Dutch’s wife. “Did you girls already buy your dresses?”

Cadence looks startled. “Uh… what?”

“You have, haven’t you?”

She doesn’t bother lying to me. “We’ve known about the masquerade ball for weeks now. Why would we try to buy dresses the day of?”

The truth clicks in my head.

“This is Zane’s idea,” I mutter.

“He thought you wouldn’t accept a gift from him.” Cadey gives me a friendly smile. “I brought Breeze and Serena because the point of tonight is for you to blend in with us.” She quickly tacks on, “Not that you don’t look as young and pretty as an eighteen year old. But your style tonight can’t scream ‘teacher’. So I have four different opinions to help you out, since I’m not the fashionista here.”

Annoyed, I stomp over to the side and haul my phone out.

Zane answers quickly. His voice curls around me like smoke. “Hey, tiger.”

“You shut down a store?”

“I can’t have anyone recognizing you tonight. That means even the dress you buy has to be a secret.”

“Is that all it is?”

There’s a pause. And then, he says calmly, “I want to be the one to pay for your dress, since I’ll be the one tearing it off you later.”

I can’t control my body or the heat that floods between my legs. “That’s never happening.”

“It will. Soon.” His voice has a dark thread of promise. “Now, why don’t you enjoy my little present? Georgia is a friend and my card is already in the system.”

I glance back at the perky-looking blonde. She’s older, maybe in her forties, but still very pretty. “What kind of friend?”

“Is that jealousy I hear, tiger?”

I dig my teeth into my bottom lip.

“Why does that get me excited?” Zane breathes hard. “I like you jealous.”

“You’re disgusting.”

He laughs, the loud cocky laugh that I’ve sometimes heard bouncing around the hallway. Whenever I heard it, I’d stop walking and look to see who made him laugh that way.

It would always be a girl. And I’d always grip my books tightly in front of me, ignoring the black, inky fury that threaded through my soul.

“I told you already, tiger. I don’t screw women I like.”

I open my mouth.

As if he can see me, he says, “You were the only exception.”

I almost roll my eyes.