Page 89 of To Tango, with Desire

“Kade, just spit it out.”

“I allowed her to seduce me, but honest to God, Amira, I only did it because I thought we had something between us. Something special.”

I gasped, horrified at what he was insinuating. “You and—”

“Chloe and I had an affair.”

“Oh my god.”

“It wasn’t like what you’re thinking.”

I gaped at him, shocked at his admission. I’d wanted to know more about Chloe and Zane’s relationship, but I never would have believed Kade would have done that to Zane. Trying to defend himself made everything worse. “I’m thinking you betrayed your brother with his fiancée. That’s what I’m thinking. But I want to know what happened.”

Kade rubbed his face, the painful memories seeming to have carved lines of worry around his mouth. “It was six months before their wedding when it happened. I’d tried to fight how I felt for Chloe for a long time, but there was always something between us. This spark . . . a vibration. I can’t explain it. There’s not many people in the world that you can have that with. If I’m honest, it was probably there from the beginning.”

“That doesn’t make any of it right.”

“I know that. And it wasn’t like I was lusting after her. At first, I didn’t really pay attention to Chloe. I had my own life. But when things started getting serious and we were hanging out together, I couldn’t ignore it. Over time, we grew close. She kept going on about how she didn’t think it was right to marry Zane, and I just thought it was cold feet, ya know? Then she asked me to come over to their penthouse, and she told me she didn’t love him the way she loved me.”

“Oh my god.”

My stomach lurched as if I were on a roller coaster. His confession was shocking. His words reverberated in my brain on some kind of twisted loop. My heart ached when I thought about what Zane must have gone through. No wonder he didn’t want anything to do with Kade. I felt like an idiot encouraging him to maintain contact, to hear him out.

“But you were like a brother to Zane. How could you—”

“I get it, Amira. I made a huge mistake. I did an awful thing, and I’m still paying the price for it. But you have to understand, we thought we were in love. She wanted to tell Zane before we hooked up. She told me she’d ended it—”

“But you hurt your best friend. You have to accept that what you did was awful.”

Kade put a hand over his heart. “I do. A hundred percent, I regret that happening. I assumed she’d told him and when it came out that he didn’t know, I felt really guilty. But I want you to know, I was genuinely sorry then, and I’m a decent person now. I’m trying to give up my bad habits, to make it up to him.”

“What happened to Chloe?”

Kade shrugged. “Married. Some millionaire. We fizzled out once the shit hit the fan.”

I recalled Kiki’s remarks. How some married men swapped wives. I swallowed back the bile, knowing Zane would never do that.

“I don’t want to know any more.” I couldn’t bear to hear about what he’d done to Zane. It made my heart hurt. If this Chloe chick had been the love of his life, how utterly devastated must he have been?

My conscience pinged. This was a mistake. I shouldn’t have asked Kade about Zane’s ex. I shouldn’t have opened this god-awful can of worms. The nausea returned. I needed to talk to Zane.

“Amira, it’s important for you to trust me. As Zane’s wife, I want you to know that I would never do anything to hurt him again. Or you.” Kade brushed a strand of my hair back, tucking it behind my ear. The gesture was intimate and, given what I’d just learned, entirely inappropriate.

I flinched, shifting back. “Stop.”

Here I’d thought Kade was a happy-go-lucky kinda guy. Someone who was carefree and perhaps a little careless. But sleeping with your best friend’s fiancée wasn’t justifiable. It was unforgivable.

A thought popped into my head. “Why did you lie to me? When we first met? You made it seem like you didn’t know Zane. Why not just tell the truth?”

Guilt flashed across his face. “I don’t know. It’s like once people know we grew up together, they don’t see me anymore, or don’t bother to get to know me. And I’ve found that hard over the years. It’s almost like I’m invisible around him. But you saw me, and I liked that you noticed who I was. I’m not sure I’m explaining myself properly.” Kade inched forward. “But none of that matters now, right? That’s in the past. And Zane is like family to me. I want you to know that if you need anything, ever, you can come to me. I want to be his brother again. I want to be good to you both.”

I felt the sincerity of his words when he spoke, but there was a disconnect between what he said and how he behaved. The way he looked at me, with an intensity that felt uncomfortable, was unsettling.

“Thanks. I appreciate it.”

“We grew up together. You probably know that. But to me, Zane will always be my brother. Especially now that I have no one. My father is gone, and Zane is—he’s—” Kade buried his head in his hands and began to cry.

I was startled by the display in emotion. One minute, he’d been looking at me inappropriately, and the next he was in a flood of tears. For a moment, I wasn’t sure what to do or how to act. Eventually, I leaned forward and patted his shoulder. “It’s okay, Kade. I’m sure it will all be well.” My words felt hollow.