of a throaty, powerful engine interrupted him and he frowned, glancing behind him. The sight of the car pulling up in front of the house had him clamping his mouth shut. “You have plans with Zach.”
Abigale smiled as Zach climbed out of the car, and then, to her bemusement, she felt her heart skip a few beats—ten at the most—at the sight of him. Black shirt stretching across those lean muscles, covering all those lovely, lovely tattoos, but he looked so damned hot, it was almost okay. A pair of slate gray trousers and Italian leather shoes completed his outfit and she realized she felt the urge to fan herself. Zach rarely put on anything but a t-shirt and jeans and the sight of him now had her libido doing bad, bad things.
“Yes.” Abigale stared at Zach as he came her way. “I absolutely have plans with Zach.” We’re having an affair.
Abruptly, she realized she didn’t like the way that sounded, not even in her own mind. Affair sounded cheap. Easy. Disposable. Nothing she’d ever felt for Zach had been cheap, easy, or disposable. Especially not this.
Zach mounted the steps and Roger continued to stand where he was, keeping his body between them. “I take it another one of your brothers is getting married or something and you need a date?” he asked, his mouth pinching a little as he stared at the other man.
Zach lifted a brow and then looked over at Abigale. “What the hell is he doing here?”
She sighed and shrugged. “Beats me. He just rang the bell and I assumed it was you, so I opened the door without looking.” Wrinkling her nose, she added, “I won’t make that mistake again anytime soon.”
Zach grunted and then, ignoring Roger, he studied her, his gaze lingering first on her mouth and then traveling over her body until he’d reached her feet, clad in a pair of simple black Jimmy Choos. “You look wonderful,” he murmured. “Are you ready?”
“Once I get rid of . . . Roger.” Her skin hummed a little under that look and she hung on to that nice, pleasant buzz as she looked back at her ex-fiancé. “Roger, Zach and I have a date, so whatever you want, it will have to wait. You can call or e-mail, or whatever. But I’m busy.”
She reached for the purse she’d left by the door and grabbed the key fob. She’d arm the system once she was outside. She shut the door, but because Roger hadn’t moved, she was trapped uncomfortably close to him as she set the locks.
“Did you say you had a date?” he demanded.
Just behind him, she saw Zach standing there. Waiting. The look in his eyes was murderous and his face was set in stony lines, but he held himself still and she appreciated that. Very much. Taking a second to focus her thoughts, she shifted her gaze from Zach’s face to Roger’s. “Yes. I have a date. With Zach. And you’re sort of standing in my way.”
“What in the hell does that mean . . . a date?”
From the corner of her eye, she saw the look on Zach’s face and she shook her head. Don’t, she thought, hoping he’d understand. She had this under control. “It means just that. A date. We’re going out.”
“Since when did you two date?” Roger snapped.
She circled around him, her arm brushing against his since he wouldn’t move out of the way. “Since today,” she answered. “Although it’s none of your business, really. After all, you can’t marry me . . . I’m not being true to myself, remember?”
“Damn it, Abby, that’s why I’m here.” He caught her arm before she got more than a foot away. “I wanted us to talk.”
Staring into his beseeching eyes, she realized it. She’d never seen him before, not clearly. But she did now. This nice, normal guy that she’d tried to plan her life around had only been out for one thing.
He’d wanted to use her.
Just like her mother had.
Just like so many others had.
She waited for the pain to slam into her—it should hurt, damn it. But it didn’t. All she felt was . . . resigned.
The man she’d planned to marry hadn’t loved her. And now she realized she probably hadn’t loved him, either. She’d just loved the ideal of it. Of him. Of them.
That wasn’t enough.
“You want to talk,” she said softly. “After three weeks, after you called off the wedding and I had to handle all