Page 91 of To Tango, with Desire

His nonchalant response triggered my anger.

“So? So?” I wanted to shake him. To rail and scream at him. I didn’t want him to hide his pain. “Don’t act like it didn’t break your fucking heart when she cheated on you with your best friend!”

As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I regretted it. Zane’s face hardened. And that wall, that fucking impenetrable barrier was back. I was sick of guessing what he was thinking and feeling. Sick of being kept at a distance.

“Why didn’t you tell me about your ex?”

“It wasn’t important.”

“Not important?” I shoved my hands through my hair, shocked at his response. “I had to find out from Kiki you were engaged. She was a wealth of information, telling me all about your little dinner date. Why the secrecy, Zane?”

“It was just dinner.”

“So I repeat, why the secrecy? Or do you have something else to hide? Let’s not forget you nearly punched my friend for dancing with me on my birthday.”

“That was different.”

“Bullshit. You deliberately kept this from me. But I really shouldn’t be surprised given that I had to find out from Kade what happened between you and your ex. Do you know how humiliating that is? To have your husband not bother to tell you something that everyone apparently knows?”

“So you went digging behind my back instead of speaking to me.”

Guilt and anger fought for purchase. I knew I shouldn’t have done it. I’d known as soon as Kade had started explaining that I should have gone to Zane, but it was ridiculous to be left out. To be the only one who didn’t know.

“You should have told me!”

“It’s in the past. What do you want me to say? Amira, marry me, and by the way, I dumped my cheating ex for screwing my best friend?”

“That’s not fair, Zane. I asked plenty of times what happened between you and Kade, and you kept brushing it off. ‘It’s not the right time. It’s not the right place.’”

“So that makes what you did acceptable, does it?”

“I shouldn’t have done it, and I’m sorry for asking Kade.”

“Sorry for asking or sorry for getting caught?”

“That’s not fair. I just wanted to know what happened, and I had no idea the circumstances around it. But I also shouldn’t be left in the dark. To hear it from Kiki of all people. Damn it, Zane, I’m your wife!”

“Then act like it.”

I absorbed the blow, startled by his venom.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“You have an issue with me, you come to me.” He stepped forward, shoving his fist in his chest. “You don’t run off to anyone else. You want answers? You want to know? Then don’t betray me by sneaking around.”

“Oh, that’s rich coming from you.”

“Amira—”

“I wasn’t sneaking.”

“You went to Kade? Of all people!” He breathed in, jaw tight.

“I didn’t know he’d slept with your fiancée. All I knew was that he’d betrayed you somehow.”

“That should have been enough.”

“Well, it isn’t. Maybe when we were engaged, I could pretend like it didn’t matter, but I can’t now.”