She turned back to him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "How can I trust that? How do I know this isn't just another lie?"
Zack swallowed hard, his throat tight with emotion. "Because I love you. I've loved you for years, even when I thought there was no future for us. Even when I was angry. Even when I thought I'd never see you again. And I’veneverlied to you, even though there have times when I couldn’t be as open as I wanted to be. I’ve always been truthful whenever you’ve asked the hard questions, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to prove myself to you."
Dani's breath caught, her eyes widening at his confession. She searched his face, and he knew she was looking for signs of deception. That was fine. She wouldn’t find any. He meant every word he said.
"I... I don't know what to say," she whispered.
Zack stepped closer, closing the distance between them. This time, he did reach out, gently cupping her face in his hands. "You don’t need to say anything. Just give us a proper chance, that’s all I’m asking for. Things have been good up until now, haven’t they?”
She let out a shaky breath, clearly conflicted.
“You said you would,” he reminded her, trying to put everything he felt into his eyes as he looked into her doubtful ones.
“I can’t change the past. But at least let’s give the future a shot.”
24
Goddamn, she wished she wasn’t so freaking distrustful. Why did she constantly do this to herself? Second guess herself to the degree where she jeopardized everything they were building? Damn her family. They’d ruined her!
Zack was right. Things between themhadbeen good. The sex was phenomenal. And as he’d promised, he was present, which couldn’t be easy for a man with his responsibilities, and he did indeed seem determined to prove himself.
But Dani was still struggling, and she hated herself for it.
She couldn't shake the nagging feeling that there was more to the story with Emylyah. Zack's evasiveness when Dani asked about her only fueled her paranoia.
Except he wasn’t really being evasive, that was unfair. He just didn’t know. He was as frustrated as she was to have a faceless woman standing between them. Maybe more so, since she was his baggage. Unfortunately, none of those things eased her peace of mind; the emotional baggage from her past was too ingrained.
A couple of days later, Dani was still no closer to reconciling her misgivings. She paced her cabana, frustrated with herself, wondering how long it would take before she stopped feeling like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
It was midweek, but Dani had taken some time off so they could be together. Just the two of them. Time to heal the wounds of both the distant and recent past.
The balcony doors stood open, allowing in the sultry island breeze, but even paradise couldn't soothe her racing thoughts.
She wanted to trust Zack. God, how she wanted to let go and give herself permission to fall into this second chance with abandon. But years of disappointment and battling against her family's expectations had built walls around her heart that weren't so easily dismantled. She’d become set in her ways and stubborn about giving even the slightest concession but even recognizing that about herself didn’t help much.
A soft knock at the door startled her from her spiraling thoughts. Her pulse quickened. Regardless of everything, there was no denying the way her body responded to Zack. When he was close it seemed like everything was right in her world. Even her mind quieted. It was only when she was alone that doubts plagued her. And right now, it was time to put them aside, because they had the rest of the week to spend together. It was exactly what they needed.
She steeled herself and squared her shoulders as she reached for the door handle, determined not to let her negativity ruin things for them.
“Hey.” She pasted on a smile as she opened the door and stepped back to allow Zack entry.
“Hey yourself,” Zack replied, pulling her into his arms for a searing kiss. His lips were firm yet tender against hers, and Dani felt herself melting into his embrace. For a blissful moment, all her worries faded away.
When they finally broke apart, Zack's eyes searched her face. "Everything okay? You seemed a little tense when you opened the door."
Dani hesitated, not wanting to ruin the mood. "I'm fine," she said, forcing a smile. "Just excited for our time together."
Zack's brow furrowed slightly, clearly not entirely convinced. "You know you can talk to me about anything, right? I want us to be open with each other."
His sincerity made Dani's chest tighten with guilt. Here he was, trying so hard, and she was still holding back. “Honestly, I’m fine. What’s the plan for today?” She’d left it to him to arrange their day, happy to be surprised.
Zack grinned, looking more boyish than she’d ever seen him. “Well, I thought we’d go jet skiing to start, then wind down with a private trip on the glass bottomed boat to watch the sea life.”
Dani blinked in surprise. In all the time she’d worked on the island, she’d actually never participated in any of the many exciting activities the resort had to offer. “That sounds wonderful,” she told him, meaning it.
“Get yourself ready then, kitten. Shay’s waiting for us.” He gave her a swat on the backside as incentive, and Dani giggled, her previous tension forgotten.
An hour later, they were dressed in wetsuits and life jackets, and after a technical and safety brief, they were out on the water. Dani had chosen to ride with Zack, rather than take out separate machines. She wanted to be close to him.
