The Broken Vows: Zane and Celeste’s Story (The Windsors)

“What’s wrong?” Raven asks, but her words barely register as my eyes zero in on Celeste. She told me she’d be spending time with her mother today, and the person sitting opposite her most certainly is not her mother.

“Zane, you’re worrying me. I’ve never seen you look so… so…”

I glance back at Raven and force a blank look onto my face. “It’s nothing,” I assure her, but that doesn’t stop her from following my line of vision.

“Who is she?”

Not who I thought she was. Why would she lie to me? Who is he? Celeste glances my way, and she tenses when our eyes meet. I expected to see a hint of guilt, or perhaps even shock at finding me here, but all I see is that same old haughty disdain she’s always thrown my way.

I look away, unable to take it.

“So that’s her, huh? The girl you’ve always been in love with.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Rave,” I deny as I pop my favorite peppermint candy into my mouth — a nervous habit I developed when I stopped smoking.

She chuckles and leans in. “I always wondered who she was — the girl that’s kept Zane Windsor on his toes for years. She’s ridiculously pretty, and her hair is stunning.”

“She’s also on a date with someone else,” I snap, unable to keep my composure.

Raven’s gaze travels back to Celeste, and she shakes her head. “They don’t have chemistry. I wouldn’t worry about it.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose, unsure what to do. When Celeste rises from her seat and rushes toward the restrooms, the decision is made for me.

“Don’t overreact,” Raven warns as I stalk after Celeste, her words falling on deaf ears.

“Celeste.” My hand wraps around her wrist and I pull her against my chest, my eyes on hers as I turn us around, trapping her against the wall.

She glares up at me, not the least bit intimidated as I pin her arms above her head, my body pressed against hers. “Zane.”

I hate how fucking beautiful she is, how her body feels against mine. She looks gorgeous today in that tight white dress — all for him, no doubt. “Who the fuck is he?”

She cranes her neck to look at me, and I’m surprised by the force of her anger. Why is she mad? “How dare you ask me that when you couldn’t even take your eyes off that model for two seconds?”

I blink in disbelief, a hint of amusement taking the edge off my anger. “You’re jealous.” I smile at her, intensely fucking pleased. If she didn’t care about me at all, she wouldn’t have been jealous. “Whatever you think is happening there is all in your head, Celestial. Raven and I are just waiting for my sister to join us, that’s all. I’m not even alone with her. She’s my sister’s best friend.”

“Raven?” Something akin to insecurity flickers across her face. “How interesting — it just so happens there’s a raven on the back of the shoes you gave me. She designed them, didn’t she?”

I nod slowly, unsure what to make of the turmoil in her eyes. “I told you, didn’t I? She’s like a sister to me. Truly. She’s hopelessly in love with my eldest brother and due to be engaged to him soon.”

Her eyes widen, and her anger drains away, leaving only uncertainty, like she isn’t quite sure she believes me. “Who is he?” I ask again, my voice softer now. “Tell me your reason for being here with him when you told me you were going out with your mother is equally justifiable. Tell me he’s your cousin, because I know that isn’t Archer.”

Celeste’s body relaxes against mine, and she searches my face. What for, I’m not sure. “It’s not a date, Zane.”

I drop my forehead to hers and inhale shakily. “Then you’ll have no problem telling me who he is.”

My nose brushes against hers, and she tilts her face, bringing her lips closer to mine. “Why would I need to justify anything I do to you? You don’t own me.”

“You’re protective of him,” I whisper, jealousy settling in the pit of my stomach.

Celeste arches her back and presses into me, her breathing uneven. “It’s not protectiveness. I just know how crazy you are. I don’t like that look in your eyes, and I won’t put him in harm’s way when he’s innocent. You’ll just have to trust me when I tell you he’s no one, and this isn’t a date.”

My eyes drop to her lips, and for a moment, I wonder if she’s kissed anyone else since I last held her this way. I was so certain that we were on the same page, that she truly had given me a chance.

“You’re wrong, you know?” I whisper as I lean in, my lips brushing against hers. “I might not own you, per se, but you belong with me.”

She exhales shakily as I capture her lips, my touch lingering and entirely in contrast to the harshness of my words. She pushes against my hands, and I let go of her wrists. I figured she’d push me away, but instead, her arms wrap around my neck, and she pulls me closer, kisses me harder.

“You’re still as unreasonable as ever,” she says, nipping at my bottom lip angrily. My hand wraps into her hair, and I kiss her roughly, my touch becoming punishing and utterly possessive. This kiss isn’t like the one that came before it — it tells her everything she refuses to acknowledge, that she’s mine as much as I am hers. She just doesn’t know it yet.

Celeste moans, and I push my peppermint candy into her mouth, my tongue tangling with hers. She sucks down on it, her fingers closing around the lapel of my suit jacket.

It takes all of me, but I manage to pull away from her, my back straightening as I stare her down. “Suck on that as you sit opposite your date, and think about everything we could’ve been, everything you chose to walk away from before even giving us a chance.”

“Zane,” she says, her voice breaking.

I falter for a moment, but then I shake my head and take a step away from her. “Honesty, Celeste. If you can’t even give me that, then what chance do we stand?”