A Billionaire in Shining Suit (TBB 4)

Hangover

Chapter 8 - Hangover

KARINA HART

Where the hell was Zach?

 Kari hadn't even slept a lick just in case if he managed to come by late at night but nope. No such thing.

 He had been angry at her for some reason she couldn't comprehend and she kept telling herself it was better that way. It would be even better if she just left him alone. That way Stan wouldn't find a reason to come after him. But even after she grabbed those shopping bags and stood at the door she couldn't bring herself to step out and leave him behind

 After everything he did for her, she couldn't leave him behind without a word. Sean did the same and look how Sydney had turned up.

 They did end up together. 

 Her conscience was fucking annoying. She looked at the door for the millionth time and frowned. This was getting more and more fucked up. She kept looking at the door expecting him to enter but he didn't.

 What if he left?

 He couldn't have, she assured herself. He was picking someone up. Maybe he was picking up a friend or his files. that was it. He must've been carried away at work and hadn't noticed the time.

 She tried to smile at that but ended up pursing her lips because her conscience found the perfect timing to note that maybe it could've been some woman he was taking on a date.

 "The fuck is wrong with you?" she yelled at the empty room.

 She stood up from the couch and stomped over to the stairs. She was about to take the first step when the creaking of the door had her head snapping towards it.

 He stumbled in, his shirt askew, his blazer slung over his shoulder, his hair a tousled mess, his eyes heavy lidded.

 "Hey." he mumbled as he dragged himself over to the couch and flopped down.

 "Hey?" she asked incredulously "Hey?"  Pinching the bridge of her nose she tried to calm herself.

Ten. Nine. Eight....... Breathe in. Breathe out.

 Fuck it.

 "You asshole. You go missing for one whole day then come back looking like that and all you got is hey."

 He narrowed his eyes. "This is my house. I can do whatever the hell I want."

 "Great. Do whatever you want. But don't you think I need something like hey I was out partying my ass off so don't wait up for me."

 "You're not my mom." he yelled back and walked over to the kitchen.

 "You know what, you're right. This is after all your house." Walking over to the bags she'd placed at the corner of the living room she bend over to grab the when a thought occurred that even those things weren't hers. Nothing here belonged to her. Not even the phone that she clutched like a lifeline in her hand at the moment.

 She threw in her phone in one of the bags, fished out her tee and jeans and changed it in the downstairs bathroom. Once done, she  splashed some water on her face. The cold helped her relax but she didn't know what she felt at that moment.

 She'd never been as lost as she was at that moment.

 When she had lost Stanley, she had Derek to help her back up.

 But Derek wasn't with her. Neither were her four new friends. She knew that they were just one call away but she couldn't risk putting them in danger.

 She had nowhere else to go so she had to suck it up and stay right there. 

What she didn't understand was why was she getting so worked up. he was right. This was his house. She was the one intruding on his life and she had no part in his. He didn't need to give any kind of explanation to her, especially when he was the one who helped her in her time of need. 

Especially when he was the one who gave her a place to stay.

Kari didn't know what to feel anymore. After Stan she'd closed herself off but Zach made her feel things she'd never experienced before not even when she was with Stan.

Zach made her .... happy and mad and downright confused.

And that was seriously fucked up because Kari never had to deal with so many emotions.

With Stanley, she had felt what she thought was love... but then she had started disliking him within months.

 Anger had settled in and then when he was locked up, she went numb. 

 Zach made her feel everything and it was getting out of hand because she didn't know how to handle this. 

 She knew she had nowhere to go but she needed to maintain a distance between them. What happened that night wasn't right. Wasn't right at all. 

Then why did it feel so right?

Fuck you, she screeched in her mind. 

She went back to the living room where he was sprawled on the couch on his front. She grabbed a blanket and a pillow and tried to make the couch as comfortable as possible. 

 Tucking him in, she saw his face and just stared. 

He looked so... innocent, sweet. She couldn't help but run her finger down his nose. His nose was crooked as if he'd broken it before. His lashes so long. She ran her finger over his thick eyebrows, his high cheekbones, down his cheek. She hadn't noticed it before but there was a small faded scar on his cheekbones. It was so faded that she hadn't noticed it before. He must have acquired it years before. 

 A frown marred his forehead

 On their own volition her palm smoothed over his forehead and threaded through the longs locks of that dirty blonde hair that fell over his eyes. She ran her fingers through his silky sof hair. A sigh escaped him and his lips pulled in a small smile. 

 She pulled her hand at his reaction as if she had been burned. She was supposed to stay away from him. But something about him called to her, pulled her in. 

 As much as she was confused about her feelings, she knew one thing.

 Zachary Danvers was trouble. 

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- Nami