She felt the sun warming her face and stirred. Her eyes fluttered open as she felt a warm hand over her waist. She turned to see him asleep at her side facing her and she smiled. He inhaled deeply and opened his eyes slowly. He glanced drowsily at her and cracked a smile.
"Morning." He said in a whisper.
"Morning." Shy said quietly, the smile unable to leave her lips.
Zane took his hand and brushed her golden hair behind her ear. She looked at his lips and leaned into them, pressing her lips against them hard. She backed away and looked at him. He smiled and pushed his lips into hers as she did. Shy smiled as he did it. He backed away and looked into her eyes, twisting her hair into his fingers.
"You're so beautiful." Zane said, caressing her cheek once.
Just then they heard voices from downstairs. Shy and Zane leaned up on their elbows to listen. Desmond was on the phone discussing business with someone.
Zane sat up with a blanket wrapped around his waist as Shy held another one to her chest. He gathered his clothes from the floor and held them on one arm.
"What are you doing?" Shy asked quietly.
"I'm going to sneak back into my room before he comes back upstairs." Zane said whispered as he made his way to the door still naked with only the blanket around him.
Shy shot to her feet and tiptoed to the door quickly before he could leave. Zane turned to see what she was doing and she was already on him. She flung her free arm around his neck and kissed him passionately with her eyes building up with tears. He wrapped the arm with his clothes around her waist and lifted her up. She pulled away gently from his lips and placed her forehead on his with a sniffle.
"Don't leave me." She said with a tear streaming down her cheek.
"I won't. I swear." He said, kissing her forehead and letting her go.
Shy watched as Zane left her room and shut the door behind him.
Zane crept over to the door of his room when he heard another door open across from him. He looked and saw Evan shutting the door behind him.
"Zane?" Evan said in a whisper, glancing down the stairs to see where Desmond was.
Zane held the sheet up as his brother approached him with anger in his eyes.
"What the hell are you doing?" Evan said sharply.
"Shh!" Zane hushed him and walked into his room with Evan following.
Evan shut the door behind them and watched as Zane placed his clothes on the made bed. "Where were you?"
Zane looked at him and took a deep breath.
Evan shook his head and rubbed his forehead with his right hand. "Oh, god."
"Evan I…" Zane started, hanging his head.
"Jesus Christ, Zane!" Evan tried to keep his voice even. "What the fuck are you…were you with her? Last night? Were you with her?"
"Listen to me, Evan." Zane looked at his brother with fear in his eyes.
"Nothing you can possibly say will make this okay!" Evan said as Zane put his jeans on under the sheet before taking it off. "I told you! I asked you to just leave it alone!"
"She doesn't want him!" Zane threw the sheet that was wrapped around him on the bed frustrated. "He's no good for her!"
"And what? You are?" Evan flung his arms in the air.
Zane grit his teeth and looked to the side.
"You have the attention span of a dog. You've never had a relationship last longer than a one night stand! What's going to happen when you get tired of her?" Evan said getting closer to his brother.
"That won't happen." Zane shot a look at Evan.
He scoffs. "Oh yeah, baby brother? Why is that? What makes her any different that the dozen other women that belonged to someone else?" Evan persists, moving close enough to Zane that their noses almost touch. "What makes her different than every other fuck in your life!"
Zane pushes Evan away harshly. "I love her!"
Evan pushes Zane back. "You don't know what that is! You don't even know her! Love is what our father has for us. It's what you're spitting on by sleeping with her! Do you know what you're doing?"
Zane breathed heavily as his brother yelled at him.
"She's with someone else! She's marrying someone else! Someone who holds our lives in his hands right now! Do you know what you are doing?"
Zane points to the door with tears of anger in his eyes. "I know that I can't see her with him! I know that it kills me the way he talks to her! I know that she's too good for me! I know I'm a piece of shit that doesn't deserve her!"
"Then why are you going to hurt her!" Evan yelled.
"I won't!" Zane swallowed hard. He pushed a hand threw his hair and calmed down. "I know I love her, Evan. I know I do. I know I never felt anything like this for anyone. She makes me feel good, better. I don't want to hurt her, Evan."
"Then let her go." Evan said quietly. "Let her do what she is supposed to do. Let things be the way they're supposed to be. You can't give her what he can. If you keep this up, we'll lose everything and you'll lose her. Let her go."
Zane crossed his arms over his chest as Evan started towards the door.
"I can't." Zane said as the door shut and he was left alone again.
Shy walked out of her room, dressed and ready for breakfast glancing at Zane's door before going down the stairs. She was walking through the ballroom to the dining room when she ran into Evan at the door.
"Sorry." She said quietly, gesturing for him to go in first. She could hear her father, Zander and Desmond discussing the warm weather.
"I know, Shy." Evan said quietly.
Her eyes rose to meet his and her lip quivered. "I don't know what you're talking about." She tried to enter the dining room, but was held back by Evan's hand on her arm. He pulled her in front of him.
"Shy." His eyes peered into hers. "I saw you. The night of the party. I know."
Shy took her arm away from his and crossed them over her chest. She faced the floor.
"Do you really think it's going to be understood?" Evan said as gently as he could.
"Why are you defending my fiancé?" She looked up at him, the hurt apparent in her eyes.
"I'm not. I'm defending my brother." Evan said. "I'm defending my family from all the shit that will happen if you two don't stop."
"What should I do?" Shy asked, genuinely wanting an answer.
"Tell Zane the truth. Tell him you can't be with him." Evan said as she faced the floor once more. He looked under her forehead at her. "You can't be with him."
Shy looked up again with tears in her eyes. She nodded. Zane came down the stairs and they looked at him. Shy looked back at Evan and entered the dining room before Zane made it to them.
The men stood when she entered and greeted her. She saw Zane enter and grabbed Desmond for a lingering kiss on the lips. Evan nodded behind Zane when she broke the kiss. Zane turned his eyes away from her and took his seat at the table.
Desmond savored the kiss and pulled her chair out for her which was across from Zane, as usual. Zane faced the table as the maids brought out breakfast.
Desmond pushed her chair in and made his way back to the head of the table. "Zane, I didn't know you had returned."
Zane put his head up. "Late last night. I didn't want to disturb anyone so I went straight to bed."
"You should have stayed." Desmond pushed, "We had a night cap at a local bar. There were some beautiful ladies there too that you would have been interested in. Right, Evan?"
Evan chuckled falsely, "I couldn't tell you. I only see one beautiful lady's face everywhere."
Zane looked across the table at Shy who was avoiding his gaze. Her father coughed uncontrollably and drew Zane's attention to him.
"Too much fun last night, Peter?" Zander joked as he ate his eggs.
Shy's father kept coughing and began to wheeze. He became pale.
"Father, are you okay?" Shy placed her napkin on the table and turned to her father. He began to shake like he was having a seizure.
Zane quickly jumped up from his seat and went to the other side of her father before he fell to the side. Zander stopped eating and Desmond watched. Evan jumped from his seat to help his brother lay her father on the floor as she panicked and knelt beside him.
"Daddy!" She yelled, holding his hand. "Please stop!"
"Call an ambulance!" Zane yelled to Desmond, who remained seated.
Desmond grabbed the cordless telephone that was next to him on the table and dialed 911. Zander stood up and stood over them.
"Come on, Peter. Fight it." Zander said.
Shy began to cry uncontrollably and looked at Zane who cradled her father's head in his lap to stop the shaking. Evan held her father's legs. Desmond hung up the phone and remained seated looking over the side of the table at them. The maids came in and stood around in shock.
"The ambulance is on its way." Desmond said dryly.
Zane glared up at him. Desmond narrowed his eyes at the boy.
The ambulance blared away as Shy watched with tear stained eyes from the front step before the door with her arms crossed over her chest. Zane stood behind her with his father and Evan. The help watched from inside the house as the door stayed open. Desmond stood next to her.
"All's well now. Let's not spoil the day with worry." Desmond placed his hand on her shoulder and she flinched away.
"I'm going to the hospital." She said, gritting her teeth. She walked off the step and to Desmond's Rolls Royce.
The driver came from behind Desmond. Desmond grabbed his shoulder before he could follow her. "I want her back here and in my bed by 9 o'clock. Understood?"
"You're not going with her, sir?" The driver asked.
"And see an old man die?" Desmond said, letting everyone hear.
"Very well, sir." The driver nodded and went to open the door for Shy.
Desmond heard the car start and walked inside. "Back to work everyone. Zander join me."
Zander looked at his sons who stayed outside watching the car leave.