Tinseltown by Stephanie Taylor Read Free Book Online

time.”
    This time her smile turned amused. “A wise decision.” She laughed. “Because I would choose Zach every time.” Surprisingly, she spoke the truth, despite what was between her and Zach. She tried to walk past Brad but he grabbed her arm roughly, and caused her to stumble.
    “You’ve turned out to be the whore I suspected you were all along, Deb. It’s only a matter of time before Hollywood figures it out, too.”
    “Apologize to the lady.” Zach spoke behind them.
    Brad started laughing before he released her arm and turned around. “I see you’re keeping tabs on your little whore here. Better watch out, she’ll sleep with you and then spit on you when she’s done.”
    Deb shook with fear at Zach’s darkened eyes and downturned mouth. Zach looked past Brad for a moment and studied her. “Actually, Brad, it’s just sore losers like you who don’t know how to appreciate what they have until it’s gone. I intend to enjoy my wife to the fullest. Unlike you, I’ll enjoy all of her, not just certain aspects.”
    Brad snarled and took a step toward Zach.
    Zach didn’t seem intimidated. He spread his legs wide and folded his broad arms across the expanse of his chest. “I said apologize to Deb.”
    Deb studied him. His brows furrowed deeply, his mouth drawn into a tight line. His head was lowered, and he looked up at Brad through narrowed eyes. A lion would have backed away. Fierce was an understatement.
    Brad turned to Deb, making her skin crawl. “Yes, honey, I’m sorry. I always knew it would never work between us anyway. There wasn’t anything about you I enjoyed.” The insult dug deep since sex had been all their relationship was based on. She tried to close her eyes against his verbal assault and said a quick prayer that neither Zach nor Brad lost their cool.
    Without another word, Brad walked into the house and closed the sliding glass doors behind him. A few women stared, but they quickly moved away from the door when they were spotted. It didn’t take much for them to figure it out, she was sure. Almost everyone knew about her and Brad’s rendezvous whenever she came home. Now that Zach was here, there was a little extra spice added to the equation. She was sure many of them read the tabloids about her too. It was only a matter of time before her parents heard, especially since Zach wore a wedding band. It had been her mistake she hadn’t realized he still wore it when they’d arrived.
    She didn’t want to admit it, but seeing a gold band around his finger, knowing she had put it there, gave her a sense of pride.
    As soon as the door closed, Zach reached her in two long strides and pulled her into the safe haven of his arms. “I’m so sorry, Deb. I saw him get up, and I figured he was coming to look for you.”
    She didn’t realize she still stood in shock, until he pulled back and shook her a little. “I’m okay,” she assured him with a hesitant smile. “I shouldn’t have come out here alone. It used to be how we sneaked off.” A fresh wave of disbelief hit her, and she buried her face in Zach’s chest. “I never knew he could be so cruel. He’s always been such a gentleman to me and my family.”
    “Sweetheart,” he said, smoothing her hair, “a gentleman won’t screw around the way he did and just walk away at will. Either you stick or you don’t. No in between.”
    “You don’t have a sex buddy?” The idea made her insides go cold despite her carefully controlled voice, but she needed to know.
    “Nope. I don’t do casual… at least not anymore.” At her smile, he pulled back a little and framed her face with his hands. “Especially not now. You know you’re none of those things he said, right? I don’t know you very well, but I do know if you slept around a lot, I wouldn’t be taking cold showers right now.”
    She sobered, wanting nothing more than to be close to him. “Yes, I know I’m none of those things. It’s just hard to know, even though I