Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Caught

Riley stood frozen in the doorway, her eyes moving between me and her father.

Nick dropped his hand from my face like I'd burned him. He stepped back so fast he almost knocked over his desk chair.

"Riley," he said, his voice rough. "It's not what it looks like."

"Really?" Riley's voice was shaking. "Because it looks like you were about to kiss my best friend."

My face felt like it was on fire. I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole.

"I was just... we were just talking," I stammered.

"Talking." Riley laughed but it sounded wrong. Hurt. "Sure. That's why you're both standing there looking guilty as hell."

"Riley, please," Nick said. He ran his hand through his hair, and I could see how tired he looked. How stressed. "Can we talk about this tomorrow? When everyone's calmer?"

"I'm perfectly calm, Dad." But her hands were shaking. "I came down here because I couldn't sleep. Because I'm worried about you. And I find you with Zara looking like... like..."

She couldn't finish the sentence.

I felt sick. This was exactly what I'd been afraid of. Exactly why I should have stayed in my room tonight.

"Nothing happened," I said quietly. "Riley, I swear. Nothing happened."

"But something almost did." She looked at me and I saw betrayal in her eyes. "How long has this been going on?"

"It's not going on," Nick said firmly. "Zara couldn't sleep. She came down here. We talked. That's all."

"That's all?" Riley's voice rose. "Dad, I'm not stupid. I saw how you were looking at her."

The silence that followed was deafening.

Nick's jaw tightened. "Go to bed, Riley."

"Don't tell me what to do. I'm not a child."

"Then stop acting like one." His voice was sharp now. Cold. "Nothing inappropriate happened. Nothing is going to happen. Zara is your friend and she's a guest in this house. End of discussion."

Riley's eyes filled with tears. "Fine. Whatever. Clearly I'm interrupting something."

She turned and ran down the hallway. A moment later I heard her bedroom door slam.

I felt like I couldn't breathe.

"I should go," I whispered.

"Zara, wait." Nick reached for my arm but stopped himself. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have... this was a mistake."

The word hit me like a slap. A mistake.

"Right," I said, my throat tight. "Of course it was."

I practically ran out of the study and up the stairs to my room. Once inside, I locked the door and slid down to the floor, my heart pounding so hard it hurt.

What had I been thinking? Nicholas Cross was forty two years old. A billionaire. Riley's father. And I was nobody. Just a broke graphic designer who'd almost ruined her only real friendship because she couldn't control herself.

I pressed my hands against my face and tried not to cry.

A soft knock on my door made me jump.

"Z? It's me."

Riley.

I stood up and opened the door slowly. Riley stood there in her pajamas, mascara smudged under her eyes.

"Can I come in?" she asked.

I nodded and stepped aside.

Riley walked to the window and stared out at the falling snow. For a long moment, she didn't say anything.

"How long?" she finally asked.

"Riley, nothing happened. I promise."

"But you wanted it to." She turned to face me. "I saw the way you looked at him, Z. I'm not blind."

I sat on the edge of the bed, feeling like the worst person in the world. "I'm sorry."

"Do you have feelings for my dad?"

The question hung in the air between us. I could lie, should have lied. But Riley deserved the truth.

"I don't know," I whispered. "Maybe. I didn't mean to. I never would have... Riley, you're my best friend. You're the only family I have. I would never do anything to hurt you."

She was quiet for a long time. Too long.

"My dad hasn't looked at anyone like that since my mom left," she said softly. "He's been dead inside for five years. Working constantly, never smiling, never dating. And tonight, in that study, he looked alive again."

I didn't know what to say to that.

"But you're twenty four, Z. He's forty two. And you're my best friend." Riley's voice cracked. "This is so messed up."

"I know." Tears burned my eyes. "I'll leave tomorrow. I'll tell him I have a work emergency or something. You won't have to deal with this."

"Don't be stupid." Riley sat next to me on the bed. "You're not leaving. Mom and Preston are here and I need you. I just... I need time to process this."

"Okay," I said quietly.

She stood up and walked to the door, then paused. "Z? Does he have feelings for you too?"

I thought about the way Nick had looked at me in the firelight. The way his voice had dropped when he said my name. The way he'd almost kissed me.

"I don't know," I lied.

After Riley left, I couldn't sleep at all. I lay in bed watching the ceiling and replaying everything that had happened. Nick's hand on my face. His lips an inch from mine. The way he'd called it a mistake.

Maybe it was better this way. Maybe getting caught before anything actually happened was a blessing. Now we could pretend it never happened and move on with our lives.

Except I couldn't stop thinking about him.

At six in the morning, I gave up on sleep. I took a long shower and got dressed, then headed downstairs to make coffee.

The kitchen was already full.

Amanda sat at the island in a silk robe, drinking espresso. Preston stood at the stove making eggs. And Nick leaned against the counter, fully dressed in dark jeans and a sweater, looking like he hadn't slept either.

His eyes found mine the second I walked in.

"Good morning, Zara," Amanda said sweetly. "You're up early. Couldn't sleep?"

"Something like that," I mumbled, heading for the coffee maker.

"Riley's still in bed. That girl could sleep through an earthquake." Amanda laughed. "Preston, darling, make extra eggs. We have a full house."

I poured coffee with shaking hands, very aware of Nick watching me.

"Actually," Amanda said, setting down her espresso cup. "Since we're all here, I have an announcement. Nick, you especially need to hear this."

Nick's expression didn't change. "What is it, Amanda?"

She smiled, but it was the smile of a shark. "Preston and I have decided to get married on New Year's Eve. Here. At the estate."

The coffee mug slipped from my hand and shattered on the floor.