Stepbrother Romance 2 - Consumed: A New Adult Alpha Billionaire Romance by Tawny Taylor

had with Kent. The fact that I was a college grad and still didn’t have a fulltime job or a place to live. The fact that now that Mom was married, I was really fucking lonely. I hadn’t realized how much I’d relied upon her, to be my parent, my friend, the center of my universe until now. She had spun out of orbit around my spoiled little ass and had settled at the fringe of a far galaxy, and I had no right to shove her back where I wanted her to be.
    More alcohol. That was what I needed.

 
     
     

Chapter 7
    I headed back to the bar and poured another glass of wine. My hands were a little fumbly as I reached for a cocktail napkin.
    The guy next to me handed me one with a smile. “Here you go.”
    “Thanks,” I said, taking in the brilliance of his expression.
    Now there was a guy who could emote.
    Every feature on his freaking face said talk to me I’m friendly . And those features—the big, brown eyes, straight nose, and strong jaw—were not just speaking my language, but they were also very nice to look at. With the dark hair, cut in a young, shaggy style, and a body that saw its share of time in a gym, he didn’t really fit with the demographic of Mom and Dirk’s party crowd. “Excuse me if this is rude, but you look a few decades too young for this crowd.”
    “And I could say the same.” His voice was a nice, deep baritone. Rich and silky.
    “The hostess’ daughter.” I extended a hand. “Shayne.”
    “Friend of the host. Zack.” He took my hand in his and gave it a shake. His grip was just right, neither too tight nor too weak. Firm, strong, just like his eye contact. “My father has been friends with Dirk since before I was born. They were in the Air Force together.”
    “It’s good to meet you, Zack.” I noticed his hands were empty, now that he was done shaking my hand. “Can I get you a drink?”
    “Sure.”
    I motioned to the bar. “What’ll it be? If there’s one thing I’ve learned about the Payne men, they keep a well-stocked bar at their parties.”
    “Beer is fine.”
    “Sure.” There was a huge barrel full of iced bottled beer sitting next to the bar. I fished out the coldest bottle I could find and handed it to him. As the bottle exchanged hands, our fingertips brushed and a little spark of something jolted between us. Our gazes met. I opened my mouth to say something but just then one of the partygoers laughed so loud, anything I would have said would have been drowned out. “This gathering’s a little loud. Would you like to go somewhere a little quieter and talk?” I shouted.
    “Sure.” Zack motioned for me to precede him, which I did, leading him down the path to the private sitting area in the back of the property.
    As we neared the clearing, memories of what had happened there with Kent flashed through my head and I shoved them away. Would I ever stop reacting that way to Kent? Would any other man ever make me forget?
    Suddenly feeling awkward, I sat on the bench and stared at the water beyond. “Have you been back here before?” I asked.
    “Sure. Once or twice.” He sat close enough for our legs to touch and took a long swallow of his beer. “It’s been a while. I forgot how nice it is back here. Quiet.”
    “It is.” Trying not to be too obvious, I shifted slightly, twisting my body to face Zack while inching back so we didn’t touch anymore. When we were in the middle of that crowd, I didn’t feel uncomfortable with this guy. He’d seemed so friendly. But now that we were alone, I realized I didn’t know anything about him, and that had me on edge. Not that he’d done something wrong, to make me think the worst. I just…I was just being paranoid, I guessed.
    “You’ve gotten quiet,” he said. “You okay?”
    “Yeah.” I nodded and tried to shut up my blabbering brain. “It’s just been a long day.”
    “Not your scene?”
    “Not exactly.”
    Zack draped an arm over the back of the bench and leaned a tiny bit closer. “So, what is