Page 70 of Take My Hand

Maddy

“Quick,” I hissed at Zak. “Get in.”

He paused in the doorway, glancing up the stairs. “I’m not sure this is a good idea.”

I shook my head. “I thought you were a man, not a mouse?”

Zak frowned. “I’m not a mouse, but your dad won’t be happy.”

“No, you’re not a mouse, you’re a chicken.”

Zak gasped and then grinned at me, grabbing my hand and pulling against his chest. “Well, that’s rude.” His lips found mine and he gave me the softest of kisses.

I could have easily got lost in it, but the cold air from the open door brought me back to my senses. Pulling away, I pushed at his chest and closed the front door. “Get in the lounge before you wake him up.”

His eyes darted towards the stairs again and then I zipped into the lounge after Zak who was standing in front of the fireplace. His hands were deep in the pockets of his sweatpants, and he was looking nervous.

“He’s fast asleep, Zak.”

“How do you know?” he asked, looking up at the ceiling.

“He’s snoring. Plus, if he wasn’t and had even an inkling that you were in the house, he’d be in here now.”

“What about Maya? Is she still here?”

Nodding, I grabbed his hand and pulled him down to the sofa. “Yeah, they went to bed about an hour ago. Separately.”

“And you haven’t caught him sneaking into her bedroom?” He shrugged his denim jacket off and placed it on the arm of the sofa—folded neatly and placed precisely, making me grin.

“No, I’m pretty sure there was quite a lingering kiss on the landing, but they went to their own rooms and closed the doors firmly behind them. Dad’s is next to mine, so I heard him tossing and turning for about half an hour, but now he’s definitely snoring.” I pointed upwards. “His floorboards squeak, so if he gets out of bed, I’ll hear him.”

When Zak had agreed to come over after we got back from dinner, I hadn’t been sure that he was being serious. When I went to my room and called him, I’d half expected him to laugh and tell me it was a bad idea. He didn’t, though. He’d sounded excited and said he would get there as soon as he could. As soon as he’d finished his homework. That excitement seemed to have been replaced with fear.

Zak blew out a breath and sat back against the sofa. He lifted his hand and tugged on the end of my hair plait.

“I like your hair like this.”

The braid went from the front, around the side and then to the ends of my hair, with it hanging down my back. I often wore it like that for bed, especially if I wanted it to be wavy the next day.

Smiling, I flopped back next to him. “Finish your homework?”

“Of course, and if I don’t get an A then there’s something wrong with the world.”

“Confident much.”

“It’s part of my natural charm.” He pulled a little harder on my hair, making me topple towards him. I put out a hand to brace myself against the sofa so that I didn’t smash my face into his.

“Hiya,” he said. His lips were inches from mine and curled up into a cute grin.

“Hey,” I said, aware that I sounded extremely breathy.

“How was your dinner?” His finger stroked down my cheek, along my jaw and then dragged slowly along my bottom lip. “Did you enjoy it? Do you like her?”

“Dinner was good, I had a burger. I really enjoyed it and yes, I like her a lot. She seems to really like Dad, and he definitely likes her. He might already be in love with her to be honest.”

“Really?” he asked, raising a brow. “That was quick.”

“She’s gorgeous,” I admitted. “Stylish and gorgeous. I think I might be a bit in love with her, too.”

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