Chapter Two
Zane
“You two planning another party?” Nate asked, settling his Hulk-like body at the bar where Colin and I were trying to look busy, cleaning anything and everything in sight.
My cousin, Caleb, was restocking shelves at the far end of the bar, earbuds in, bobbing his head to whatever was blasting through them.
He was only twenty-two, juggling part-time shifts here with his pre-med classes at Georgian College, and somehow still finding time to raise a baby with his fiancée.
The kid had more of his shit together than I did.
“Yeah, man!” Colin’s lanky body practically vibrated with excitement. “You in?”
“The season hasn’t even started. Who’re you going to invite?” Nate laughed, motioning toward the near-empty lounge.
“Not you, with that attitude.” I smirked, surveying the quiet room.
The Summit was exactly the type of bar you’d expect to find at a five-star resort on the shore of Georgian Bay.
Warm wood beams ran across the ceiling, amber lights cast a warm glow, plush seating was scattered around an impressive stone fireplace, and a full wall of windows showcased a fantastic view of Green Mountain.
Even when busy, the place had a relaxed and friendly vibe, making the twenty-nine-hectare Copper Ridge Resort feel intimate and cozy.
To me, it was a second home.
My great-grandfather had built the original lodge on this property.
My grandfather had bought more of the surrounding land, added the hotel and private guest cabins, and turned it into something special.
Now my dad and Uncle Glenn owned it all—though neither of them seemed particularly interested in running the place.
That responsibility fell to the resort manager, Wyatt, and the rest of us who actually gave a damn.
But Nate had an excellent point. Other than our local search and rescue team, who were relaxing after their most recent drill on our mountain, and a few old-timers playing cards in the corner, the place was a dead zone.
And it was driving me crazy.
I was the fun guy, the one everybody looked to for a good time, and for the most part, I was fine with that. Being the go-to guy for entertainment had its perks. But it was hard to be fun-time guy when there was no one around to enjoy it.
“I’ll be there,” Tonya announced, bumping shoulders with Nate as she sidled up to the bar. She should’ve been in the kitchen working—fuck, we were all supposed to be working—but she was good at sneaking away to hang out with us. “Some of my old school friends are in town. I’ll bring them.”
Colin groaned. “Please tell me it’s not the same friends that you brought last time.”
“Why?” Her deep brown eyes narrowed on him. “What’s wrong with my friends?”
“Nothing. But for once I’d like a woman to show up to my party who isn’t there just to see Zane.”
“Aww, jealous much?” she teased, leaning across the bar to pat his wrist.
“Completely.” He captured her hand in his, bringing it to his lips for a quick kiss. “Zane’s a glutton and hogs all the women for himself, but a man’s gotta eat when he’s hungry, you know. I’ve been starving for a while now.”
Tonya rolled her eyes at his exaggerated wink and pulled her arm back out of his reach, making me and Nate both laugh.
Colin was all talk. Sure, he flirted and acted like he was in the game, but he almost always backed down at the last minute. In the five years I’d known him, I could count on one hand the number of women he’d taken home. Not that I had a problem with it, but it made teasing him so much more fun.
“Yeah, right.” I wrangled him into a headlock, ruffling the top of his hair. “You wouldn’t know what to do with a full meal if it served itself to you on a silver platter.”
“Shut up.” He pushed me away. “I’m great in bed.”
Laughing, I raised my hands in mock surrender.
Nate shook his head at our childish antics. “All you two ever talk about is partying and sex. When was the last time either of you went on an actual date?”
I picked up a cloth and avoided making eye contact with him as I wiped down the already spotless counter.
Colin propped his elbows on the bar. “I’ll admit it’s been a while for me. Our boy Zane, however—” He lowered his voice to a so-called whisper, loud enough for the whole lounge to hear. “—has never been on a real date.”
Tonya’s mouth dropped open, and all three of them were now gawking at me.
“So?” I glared at Colin. “I can get more action in a month than you do all year, if I want it.”
Tonya snorted. “My grandfather, who lives in a nursing home, gets more action than Colin.” He made a noise of protest, but Tonya shifted her gaze to me, her smile fading. “Doesn’t mean he’s not lonely, though.”
Something unsettling poked at me. A gnawing uneasiness that scratched mercilessly under my skin.
It had been there a while now, popping up at random times, slowly building to an aggravation I couldn’t ignore.
I’d tried to fix the problem with more parties, more booze, more hookups, but nothing seemed to curb the restless itch.
Part of it was my father. He’d called again last week, dropping in from his ivory tower in Manhattan to remind me that I was squandering my potential behind a bar. That I should be in New York, learning the business. His business. The one I wanted nothing to do with.
The other part was something less definable. A feeling that I was missing a key piece of myself. There was a hollowness inside me I had no fucking idea how to fill.
So yeah, I poured drinks and threw parties and pretended it was enough. It had to be.
“Dating is for people who’re looking for commitment,” I said. “That’s not me.”
“Zane’s allergic to commitment,” Colin teased.
“No, I’m just not interested. I don’t see the point of looking for a serious relationship when odds are, it would only end. Probably end badly, too. They always do.”
Colin sighed. “Yet women still throw themselves at you.”
“That’s because I’m a great catch.” I tossed my cleaning cloth at him.
He caught my discarded rag midair and threw it over his shoulder. It sailed in a wide and impressive arc before landing at the feet of the most exquisite creature to ever grace this earth.
Melina Marshall strode briskly into the lounge, barely sidestepping the cloth. My pulse roared to life at the sight of her sensible shoes, long skirt, and fully buttoned blouse. Or at least what I imagined was underneath them.
She was stunning. Fuck, she was beyond stunning, and she didn’t seem to have a clue.
Whenever she was near, my fingers itched to tangle in her long, inky hair and caress every inch of her flawless skin. She held me hostage with her serious eyes, sumptuous lips, and the unforgettable memory of how perfectly she’d fit in my arms.
“You’re interested in that one.” Nate’s steady voice knocked me out of my stupor.
“What?” I scoffed.
Colin laughed. “Oh yes, he is, but he already struck out. The ice queen gave him her famous cold shoulder.”
“I wish you wouldn’t call her that,” I said, trying and failing to sound unaffected. “You don’t even know her. She’s not cold, and I did not strike out. The timing just wasn’t right. If I’d tried, I’m sure she’d have been willing.”
Truth was, Melina Marshall couldn’t be bothered with me. Fuck, most days she acted like I didn’t exist. Other than a single drunken kiss, she’d never shown a speck of interest.
And why would she?
It didn’t matter that, even fully clothed, the sloppy, intoxicated lip-lock we’d shared was the hottest experience of my life. Or that the taste and feel of her was still seared into my memory.
Melina was a good girl—an honest, hardworking, follows-all-the-rules girl—and I was nothing but a slut. I’d never be more than the fun guy everyone expected me to be, and that was the complete opposite of what a girl like her wanted. Or deserved.
“I don’t know.” Tonya inspected her nails. “I’ve heard she’s really uptight.”
My gaze fell back on Melina, but she refused to look my way, too busy frowning at the phone clutched in her hands.
“I think Zane should ask her out,” Nate said. “On a date.”
My stomach flipped. “Yeah, I don’t think so.”
“Afraid of getting turned down again?” Colin flashed me a shit-eating grin.
“What do you mean again? It never happened the first time.” Even to my own ears, my protest sounded exactly like what it was. A pathetic attempt at deflection.
Nate shrugged, a glint of mischief in his eyes. “Hey, you’re the one who said she’d have been willing. I just thought I’d give you the opportunity to try.”
“I bet he won’t do it.” Tonya laid down the indirect dare.
Colin nodded, raising the stakes. “He won’t.”
“No.” Nate stared right at me, confronting me head-on. “I’m betting he won’t.”
Icy dread crawled up my spine, slipped around my neck, and squeezed. “Fine. Challenge accepted.”
Caleb laughed from behind me. “Can’t wait to see this.”
Nate grinned, and Colin rubbed his hands together like a cartoon villain. My friends, ladies and gentlemen. What a bunch of dirty, rotten backstabbers.
Knots formed in my stomach as I stepped out from behind the bar and strolled toward Melina. But she didn’t glance up from her phone. Not even when I stopped right in front of her.
I cleared my throat, aiming for subtle, but only managed to feel more awkward.
Her gorgeous eyes snapped my way, her intense gaze colliding with mine, and I faltered. My mouth opened. My mind went blank. For the first time in my life, I didn’t know what to say to a woman.
I knew what I wanted to say to this woman, but marry me was probably the wrong place to start a casual conversation. Especially since I’d never have the guts to follow through.
Her brow quirked, and she stared at me in silence.
“Hey. I thought maybe I should save you from a workplace accident waiting to happen.” I snagged my discarded rag off the floor, dragging in a much-needed lungful of air. “Wouldn’t want to see you get hurt.”
She continued looking at me like I’d gone insane, and for a moment, maybe I had. Nothing else seemed to explain the absolute need clawing at my insides.
Still, she didn’t speak.
“Go out with me.” The words sounded like a demand instead of the question I’d intended, and immediately, I wanted to take them back.
Her beautiful gaze turned stormy, her brows pinched together, and finally, the only woman I couldn’t get out of my head spoke to me. “You have got to be kidding me.”
She flashed a critical glare toward my cackling friends, then turned her back on me and walked away.
I stood there like an idiot, watching her disappear down the hall, her scent still hanging in the air like an invitation and torture all rolled into one.
Fuck, no wonder she ignored me. I was an asshole. Number one. Grade A. Biggest asshole of assholes.
I strode back toward the bar with my hands on my hips, head hung low and my pride in tatters.
“What’s the matter, Romeo?” Nate’s usual gruff tone was contradicted by the hint of humor still gleaming in his gaze. “First time you’ve ever heard no?”
I glanced up, forcing the cocky grin they all expected. “I didn’t hear her say no.”
But fuck, did I feel it.