Wicked as Lies (Wicked & Devoted #3) - Shayla Black Page 0,85
grieving your dad?”
More tears fell. “No one.”
Zy couldn’t fault her for feeling the need to care for her daughter and make her way in the world, but damn it, what the fuck were they supposed to do? They had nowhere to go from here but up in flames.
“Fuck.”
“As hard as it is to be near you when I can’t be with you…it’s harder being without you at all.”
He’d come to the same conclusion. Every minute he wasn’t with her, he missed her so much. Every night he craved her, he spent it stroking himself to empty orgasms that only left him wanting her more. It was a vicious cycle that needed to stop. “So what do we do? What can we do?”
“Nothing.”
She was right, and that made Zy feel so fucking helpless. But he’d be goddamned if he didn’t think of something, some way to get out of this fucking tangle so he could finally make her his.
Christmas Eve
Over the ensuing five weeks, Tessa was both happier than she’d been in forever…and sadder. Every moment she spent with Zy was euphoric, filled with tingles and butterflies and giddiness. He made her feel beautiful. He made her feel important. And without touching her at all, he made her feel like a woman.
But inevitably, the bosses would pull Zy away for assignments or schedule meetings during their lunches. And she knew why. They meant well, especially since spending a cozy hour every day with Zy was reckless. Still, even if they did nothing more than talk, listen to music, and disagree about their favorite movies, she hated losing the moments they’d planned together because just being around him made her happy.
But tonight filled her with mixed feelings. Yes, they had attended a Christmas party together earlier in the month, at the very swanky home of former FBI agent Sean Mackenzie. He apparently shared the place—and his wife—with club owner Mitchell Thorpe. They were lovely people and gracious hosts...even if Tessa didn’t understand their relationship.
By comparison, Trees’s Christmas Eve dinner would be intimate. And she was nervous. If she and Zy slipped up and got too close…no one tonight would stop them.
She shimmied the skirt of her sexy red holiday dress into place and kissed a cooing Hallie, who sat in her car seat, wearing a green velvet onesie that matched her bright eyes.
“Ready, gorgeous?” she asked her daughter.
Hallie gurgled and clapped.
They’d both been happier since Cash had gone. She’d spent the weekend after his arrest scrubbing away every last trace of him in her house. The rest of his belongings, like his computer and all his games, she’d taken to his father, who’d been relieved that she hadn’t pressed charges and grateful that she’d brought Hallie to visit him. Tessa felt sorry for the older man. His wife had passed, and his son was a mess. She hadn’t seen any reason to add to his burden. In fact, she hoped Cash finally found some peace in rehab and got himself straightened out. Not that she would trust him again. Ever. His days of being a staple in her life were over. But she hoped they could behave civilly for Hallie’s sake.
Her doorbell rang. Tessa shelved thoughts of Cash and focused on Zy instead. Inside, she leapt with excitement. Yes, she knew she was playing with fire. But she couldn’t help herself. She wanted to be near him, with him, surrounded by him.
She loved him. And she suspected he loved her, too. Neither of them had ever said the words—they would only be throwing gasoline-soaked kindling on the flame—but she felt it every moment they spent together.
Tessa tugged the door open. Zy stood there with a pointy, jingle-ball hat, a jaunty grin, and a Santa suit unlike any she’d ever seen, complete with an open jacket and tight red pants. The look was way more hot man abs than ho ho ho.
“Merry Christmas, baby. You want to sit on Santa’s lap and tell me if you’ve been a good girl? Or are you on the naughty list?”
She giggled. “Oh, my gosh. That’s what you’re wearing?”
“Why not?”
That only made her laugh harder.
“Every girl needs some Santa in her life. Don’t you, Hallie-Boo?” He bent to her daughter and whipped out a present from his pocket. “Here’s a little something to make your car ride happy.”
Hallie grabbed the little cardboard book by the attached red handle and shook it with an excited cry. It made a jumble of noises, from jingle bells to animal sounds