Wide Open Spaces (Shooting Stars #2) - Aurora Rose Reynolds Page 0,33

saying I won’t help. I just don’t know what we could possibly do.”

“You’ll help me?” I breathe, studying him to see if he’s lying.

“I want Dad to be happy too.” He rolls his eyes.

Jumping up, I wrap my arms around him and give him a hug. “I’ll come up with a plan.” I smile, hopping away before he can shove me off, and then leave his room quietly to go back to bed, where I had been for the past four hours trying to figure out how to get Shelby to fall in love with my dad.

Chapter 6

Zach

Ringing the doorbell, I listen to the sound of the chime. From outside, the shit sounds horrible, so I can’t imagine what it’s like when you’re inside the house. Waiting a few minutes, I look at my watch then back to the door. It’s only seven, but it’s also Friday, so Shel should be up getting ready for work, since the bank opens at nine. Then again, if she continued to drink last night after I left her, she may be suffering from a killer hangover.

After knocking once more and still getting no answer, I pull my keys out of my pocket and sift through them until I find the one Pat gave me years ago. I debate using it to let myself in for a second. “Fuck it,” I mutter, sliding the key into the lock and turning it. I know instantly that she didn’t lock it the night before when it doesn’t click over.

Pushing inward, I step into the dark house and go to the security system’s panel on the wall, seeing she didn’t even set the alarm either. “Shelby, baby, I’m going to spank your ass.” I shake my head as I walk down the hall toward the back of the house, and find the door to the bedroom there open wide. She’s still asleep. Glancing around the room, I find the curtains are drawn, along with the blinds over the sliding door, sending the room into almost complete darkness.

Stepping toward the bed, where she’s sleeping on her belly with her hand tucked under her cheek, her leg thrown out of the covers, I take her in for a second. Her heavy mane of hair is covering half her face. Sliding it back over her shoulder I bend close, putting my mouth near her ear. “Shelby, wake up.”

“I’m sleeping,” she mumbles, batting her hand out in my direction and missing before tucking it back where it was.

“You need to get up. We have a meeting with my lawyer in an hour,” I say softly, wishing I could wake her with my mouth and hands on her.

“What?” Even in her sleep, it looks adorable as her brows draw together and her lips form a pout. Running my finger between her brows, I repeat my words. “We have a meeting with my lawyer. You need to get up and get ready.”

“What?” she repeats, opening one eye.

“Get up, baby.”

Blinking both eyes open, she looks at me then looks around. She rolls to her back and sits up suddenly, causing the blanket to fall to her waist, giving me a glimpse of her breasts, which are visible through whatever the fuck kind of lace shit she has on. “What are you doing here?”

“I told you, we have to meet with my lawyer.”

“How did you get into the house?” She frowns, looking at the door to the deck then back at me.

Feeling all humor leave me, I place my hands on the bed on either side of her and lean in close until my face is an inch from hers. “You didn’t lock the fucking door last night.”

“What?” she breathes, and I feel that word spoken against my lips as her head tilts back and her sleepy eyes move over my face before dropping to my lips.

I wish I could put my mouth on hers, but I know that would not go well. Not yet anyway. “You didn’t lock up last night.” I lean back and she blinks.

“I did.”

“You didn’t.”

“Yes, I did.” She narrows her eyes, and I let out a breath. It was pointless to argue with her years ago, when she thought she was right, and I see now that hasn’t changed.

“You need to get up.” I stand back, and her eyes narrow further.

“I locked the door last night, Zach,” she hisses, leaning forward. Apparently not done arguing with me, even though I’m not taking the bait and arguing back, because it’s fucking