Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 60604 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 303(@200wpm)___ 242(@250wpm)___ 202(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60604 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 303(@200wpm)___ 242(@250wpm)___ 202(@300wpm)
Zach gritted his teeth. “You’ll never find out, so stop bloody talking about it.”
He could feel Nick’s curious gaze on him.
“I’ve never seen you get so riled up when other men hit on Donna,” Nick said, taking another drag from his cigarette. “I know you’ve been together forever, but to be honest, sometimes I thought you couldn’t be that into her if she doesn’t make your blood turn hot. I mean, I’m all for open relationships, but…” He snorted a laugh. “We’re still cavemen at heart when it comes to our shit. It’s a biological instinct.”
“Nick,” Zach said evenly. “Go to bed.”
Nick sighed. “I hate when you use that voice on me. Fine, I’ll leave you to your brooding.” Nick moved to the door but paused. “I can’t say I felt very brotherly this evening, but…you’re my brother.” His voice got gruff and a little awkward. “I love you and I’ve always looked up to you, you know that. You’ve always done the right thing by us. But sometimes doing the right thing won’t make you happy. Don’t make a mistake. Do what feels right for once, not what you think is right.” Nick stubbed out his cigarette and went inside.
Zach stared at the murky sky. Do what feels right?
He thought of Donna’s confident smile, the way she fit into his family seamlessly, the way everything was easy and effortless with her. Donna was his friend of twenty years. She had been a part of his life for so long that he couldn’t imagine it without her.
Then his thoughts turned to the lovely blue-green eyes and scowling mouth, and a rush of frustration and gut-twisting longing swept through him. Nothing was easy and effortless with Tristan. To say Tristan had issues was to say nothing. There was also the matter of Tristan being a celebrity in the closet, which presented a whole different set of problems.
By all counts, Donna was the right choice and Tristan was the wrong choice.
And he wasn’t even sure whether Tristan was a choice at all. He didn’t know what Tristan wanted from him—if he even wanted anything. Tristan had certainly made it clear that he wanted Zach out of his life.
Zach bit the inside of his cheek hard as he remembered Tristan’s voice when he told Zach to get out. He could hear anger and hatred in Tristan’s voice. But he could also hear the fear, hurt and vulnerability, and that had almost been Zach’s undoing. He had wanted to kiss all the hurt away, ready to do anything to make it better—and that freaked him out enough to leave. Fuck, he was worse than all those people Tristan had eating out of his hand. They didn’t know the real Tristan; he had no such excuse. The mere fact that he was even considering leaving his long-time girlfriend practically at the altar for the guy who gave him no indication that his feelings were reciprocated was pure madness. If Tristan had given him a hint that he wanted them to be more than fuck-buddies, it would have been easier.
Zach gave a harsh chuckle. Who was he kidding? If he had known for sure that Tristan had feelings for him, there would be no choice at all. If he was this unreasonable and besotted while Tristan kept him at an arm’s length, he had no delusions what would happen if Tristan admitted that he wanted to be his.
His.
A wave of longing rolled through him and Zach cursed through his teeth. Christ. When had this thing become so fucking deep?
This thing? Tristan voice teased him in his head. Stop being such a pussy. Put a name to it.
Zach closed his eyes, trying to ignore the voice, to no avail.
I prefer to be mortified for a few days to marrying a man who’s crazy about someone else. When—if—we marry, I want it to be for the right reasons, not because you feel responsible and guilty and all that bullshit. Figure out who you want, Zach.
Zach downed the rest of the whiskey.
It was going to be a long night.
Chapter 25
“You look like shit,” Ryan said, looking up from the sandwich he was making. “Rough night?”
Zach opened the fridge and poured himself a glass of orange juice. He downed it in one go, sat at the table, and dropped his pounding head into his hands.
“I take it as a yes,” Ryan said with a laugh, putting a cup of coffee in front of him. “How many times do we have to have this conversation? You’re poisoning your body.”
Sometimes Zach really hated his brothers. They all had become cheeky as hell.
“Ryan,” Zach ground out. “Shut up.”
A laugh came from the doorway, making him wince.
“I absolutely love the little boy look you get whenever Zach uses that voice,” James said, sauntering into the room and dropping into the chair beside to Ryan. He grabbed the sandwich Ryan had made and started eating.