Any Way You Want It (Brand Clan #2)(86)

He’d tried to protect the woman he loved from scandal, and it had all blown up in his face. He’d deceived her and betrayed her trust, and that was something he’d have to live with for the rest of his life.

A life that Zandra had just walked out of. Possibly for good.

Remy gripped the beer bottle, then lifted and hurled it against the nearest wall.

As glass and foam exploded, he dropped his head into his hands and closed his eyes.

God, he prayed like never before, let her come back. Please let her come back to me.





Chapter Twenty-Four

“So when are you going to tell me the real reason you skipped town?” Skylar demanded.

Zandra sighed, glancing around the bustling terminal of the Hartsfield–Jackson International Airport in Atlanta. She’d been flipping through the latest issue of Vogue while she waited out her layover when her cell phone rang.

She shouldn’t have answered it. She wasn’t in the mood to be grilled.

“Hello?” Skylar prompted. “Are you there?”

“Actually, the reception’s been kind of spotty. So if we get disconnected—”

“Nice try. You’re not getting off this phone until you tell me what’s really going on with you.”

Zandra frowned. “Why do I have to have a reason to visit St. Lucia? It’s a beautiful island—”

“That you already visited this summer,” Skylar interjected. “And you just returned from London not too long ago.”

“So what? I didn’t realize I had to justify the number of vacations I take every year.”

“Don’t do that. You know that’s not what I meant.”

Zandra sighed. “I know. I—” She broke off as her gaze landed on a tall, dark and unbelievably gorgeous man sauntering through the busy airport, sipping from a tall cup of coffee. “Hey, I think that’s Michael Wolf.”

“What?” Skylar squealed excitedly. “The celebrity chef?”

“Yeah. I think that’s him.”

“Oh, my God! Are you serious? Don’t tease me, Zandra. You know how much I love Michael Wolf. You have to get his autograph for me.”

Zandra chuckled dryly. “I know, or you’d never forgive me.” She lifted her sunglasses, peering closer at the approaching man. “Hmm. On second thought...I don’t think it’s him.”

“Really?” Skylar sounded deflated. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I think it’s his brother...or one of his cousins. They all look just alike.”

“I know,” Skylar breathed. “Every time he has them on his show, I have wet dreams afterward. God, they’re gorgeous. And when they huddle together at the end of the episode, put their heads back and howl? I need a defibrillator when they do that.”

Zandra chuckled, holding the phone away from her ear as Skylar let out a piercing howl that sounded nothing like the sexy rumble unleashed by the members of the Wolf Pack, as they were popularly dubbed.

As the man drew nearer, Zandra rifled through her memory bank, trying to recall names. Manning maybe? Marcus? Montana?

As if sensing her stare, the man’s dark eyes shifted to the right and met Zandra’s.

As he sauntered past her gate, he winked.

Zandra quickly snapped her sunglasses back into place and ducked her head over her magazine. She felt so foolish she couldn’t help giggling.

“What’s so funny?” Skylar asked curiously.

“Nothing,” Zandra muttered. “You’ve got me acting like an idiot over here.”

“Oh, I think you can manage that just fine on your own.”

Zandra frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Skylar countered with a question of her own. “Did something happen between you and Remy?”

Zandra closed her eyes, heaving a deep sigh. “How many times are you going to ask me that question?”

“As many times as it takes until you answer it.”

Zandra shook her head in frustration.

She still hadn’t told any of her friends about Remy’s betrayal. She didn’t want to be pitied, didn’t want anyone hovering worriedly over her. She didn’t want to be given false reassurances, nor did she want to be told that she’d overreacted.

And maybe some small part of her wanted to protect Remy from censure.

Either way, she wasn’t ready to share what had happened. So Skylar would just have to accept that.

“It’s complicated, Sky,” Zandra said quietly. “That’s all I can really say for now.”

Her friend sighed resignedly. “Well, that’s more than you’ve admitted up to this point. So I guess we’re making progress.”

Zandra smiled ruefully. “When I’m ready to talk, I’ll let you know.”

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

“Okay. Because you know I’m here for you if you need me.”

“I know,” Zandra said warmly. “And I appreciate that.”

“Hey, that’s what friends are for. Speaking of which, I still haven’t told you how my date went with that hot guy I met at your office. In all the chaos of the past week, it kind of got lost in the shuffle.”

Zandra grimaced, guilt washing over her. Since she hadn’t told Skylar about Remy’s secret investigation, she couldn’t very well tell her that the man she’d gone out with wasn’t who he’d claimed to be.