Page 52 of Between Passion and Revenge: Part Two

“I’m sorry, Liv,” he says, keeping his eyes closed. “I didn’t mean what I said. I was just…can I come inside? I really don’t want to have this conversation in your hallway if we can help it.”

He finally looks at me and gives me a disarming smile.

“Plus, I know the kids aren’t in town, so you don’t have to worry about them seeing me,” he says. A slight nudge of guilt, like I’m being unfair by keeping him away from Raiden andTempest, threatens to make the decision for me to let him inside. But it’s only a slight nudge.

“What do you want, Zane? You had a lot to say earlier. What more is there?”

Zane keeps smiling, but chuckles, looking down.

“Has anyone ever told you you’re a tough nut to crack?” he asks when he meets my gaze again. My eyes narrow.

“I’m not a nut. So no,” I reply. He chuckles again, shaking his head.

“Please, Liv?” he asks, and I realize he’s not gonna leave until he says his piece.

I step back, opening the door wider and dropping the compact firearm in the pocket of my wide-legged pants.

“Thank you,” he says, heading to the entryway table to drop the flowers. He turns to face me, and I stand there awkwardly with my arms crossed over my chest.

Defensive.

“Things got too heated this afternoon in your office, and for that, I apologize,” he says. I tilt my chin down at his words, and he releases a breath, as if he were waiting for a non-combative response from me.

“To be honest, it wasn’t even about Keystone,” he says. I give him a perplexed look.

“If it wasn’t about Keystone, what the hell were we arguing about, Zane?” I tilt my head to the side, examining him as he flushes.

“Well, Liv, it’s…did you know your ex was gonna be around?” My perplexed look deepens into a glower.

“What? I already told you. He came from nowhere,” I reply, but before I finish speaking, Zane shakes his head.

“All right, that may be true, but?—”

“Maybe true?”

“It’s abundantly clear that you two have unfinished business. I didn’t appreciate you using me as a prop in the conference room, Liv. I have feelings!” he says, barreling on and raising his voice with each word.

I catch his hands shaking when he balls them into fists and shoves them into his pockets.

Okay, this is going about as well as this afternoon did. I huff, trying to reel in my anger.

“I know you have feelings, Zane, but when have we ever let feelings come in the way of business?” I spread my hands out, trying to appear friendly. “And you’re right. I shouldn’t have groped you in front of him and our security. It was uncouth, and I sincerely apologize.”

I drop my hands, and Zane looks at me with those hard, unreadable eyes again.

“Here’s the thing, Liv,” he says, his voice a low rasp. “I wouldn’t have minded if you were being real.”

My shoulders slump because we’re back to square one again.

“Zane—”

“Liv, goddamn it!” His voice rises to a shout, and I’m so startled by it, I clutch the Rueger in my pocket and take a large step away from him.

“That assholeleftyou! But he snaps his fingers and you’re salivating over him like a bitch in heat. Do you want to be fucked like a whore? Is that it? Am I toosqueaky cleanfor you?”

The slap I deliver to his face takesmeby surprise at first, but as the weight of all his words settles on my shoulders, I realize I want to hurt him more. But I won’t let Zane Gibson have me acting out of my character.

“Get the hell out of my home,” I say, voice full of ice.