Highest Bidder Collection - Lauren Landish Page 0,343

look like the perfect family. Zander, with his gorgeous smile. And his two parents looking on as if they’re so proud of their son.

My heart aches as I stare at the portrait, my eyes on Zander’s mother. She’s gone now. And if she knew what was going to happen to her son, she’d probably be devastated. Guilt presses down on my chest as another tear rolls down my cheek.

This is all my fault.

I wish I could tell him that I’m sorry. That I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. That I wish I could take it all back. I wish I could go back to the very beginning. When all of this started. I wish I’d killed Danny myself.

A huge lump forms in my throat as try to hold back the tide of tears that threaten to fall from my eyes.

The guilt is almost enough to choke on.

It wasn’t supposed to end up this way.

I squeeze the picture frame against my chest, despair and anger coursing through me.

“You okay, sweetheart?” asks a deep, sexy voice.

I look up and cover my mouth with my hand, nearly collapsing on the floor.

“Zander!” I cry, setting down the picture frame on the oak wood stand with shaky hands. It falls over, but I don’t care. I have to run to him. To feel him. I bury my face into his chest and hold him with everything I have in me. I’ll never let him go.

“How did you…” my voice trails off as I’m at a loss for words when I lean back to look at him.

He smiles weakly down at me, his eyes focusing on a stray strand of hair in my face as he brushes it away and leans forward to kiss me. The simple touch melts me. My body relaxing into him, finally feeling the warmth of his body. “I’m not going to be charged.”

His words hit me slowly, taking their time before I fully comprehend what he’s saying. I pull away from him out of shock, but he holds my lower waist close to him as I stare into his eyes.

I can’t speak. My voice is robbed from me from the shock. I shake my head slightly and ask, “No charges?”

“Nothing.”

“How?” I finally manage softly.

Zander's eyes go dark momentarily, his body tensing. “My father has his connections,” he replies, his voice low. “He’s still owed a lot of favors.”

“Is everything...,” I breathe when I get over my shock. “Is everything okay? It’s over?”

I can barely breathe as he pulls me into his chest. His hand is gentle on my back, but still it stings to the touch. “Sorry,” he breathes into my hair as I settle against his chest. I don’t give a fuck about my back. Not right now. I bury my face into his shirt, just breathing him in. “It’s all over.”

I don’t want to let go.

I’m afraid if I do, I’ll lose him forever. And I’ll never have a chance to hold him again.

“I’ve got you,” Zander whispers as he kisses my hair. “And I’m not letting you go.”

I close my eyes, and nestle deeper into him. Don’t, please don’t ever let me go. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to let you know for a while now. Something that I’ve wanted to say but haven’t had the courage.” I talk with my eyes closed, but he pulls back to look into my face and I have to stare into his eyes to tell him.

Zander arches an eyebrow with curiosity. “What’s that?”

A large lump forms in my throat.

“I love you, Zander Payne,” I tell him, my voice aching with emotion.

Zander doesn’t respond immediately, causing my heart to skip as I wait for his response. It’s beating so fast and hard I’m sure he can feel it pumping against his chest. But when he breaks out into a handsome grin, I know I have nothing to worry about.

“And I love you too, Arianna Owens,” Zander says softly, coming in for a deep, passionate kiss. “And I always will.”

Epilogue

Zander

“They’ll be expecting you,” my father’s voice comes out clear on the phone.

“I understand that,” I answer him simply, walking out of the kitchen, with the phone to my ear. It’s the Gala of the Year, the third one with that title so far.

Veronica Marsett is hosting it for her charity, and over four hundred attendees will be there. Most of whom I know firsthand, and half of them will be expecting me to address them. To notice them publicly and