Page 119 of Kings Against the World

Zoe’s brow furrows slightly. “What do you mean?”

“I meant to say…” I take in another breath, still so damn overwhelmed by the moment. “I meant to say… you’ve never looked better.”

A slow, confused smile tugs at her lips, her eyes blinking at me like she’s trying to figure me out. “Meanwhile, you look like you’re on the verge of passing out.”

“Yeah, kinda sorta happens when the girl you’re crazy about has a brush with death.”

Her smile fades into something else, something uncertain, making my stomach twist up tight.

Shit, that was too much. Too honest.

“I mean… uh… not trying to make it weird… but you know… I’ve got feelings for you… and stuff…”

Now she laughs, the sound weak but genuine, before she overdoes it and winces. “Ow.”

I lurch forward. “You need me to get the nurse?”

“I’m okay… just have to get used to the fact I had a gaping hole in my stomach not too long ago. But you… damn it, Oz… you never fail to make me laugh.Stuff, huh? What sort of stuff?”

I rub the back of my neck. “You know better than to expect articulate words outta me. I guess what I meant was… I know we didn’t plan this. We started out pretending, playing a part while we were undercover. But during that time, real feelings grew. It stopped being fake. At least for me. Somewhere along the way… I started to care about you. A lot. And I don’t think I ever wanna let that go. I don’t ever wanna… let you go.”

Her lips part, my name barely a whisper on them. “Ozzie…”

“There’s something between us, right?” I ask almost desperately. “There’s something here, Zoe. I know there is. I fuckingfeelit. Something I’ve never felt before. And you do too.”

The next few seconds are like torture. She releases a slow breath as it seems to take her a moment to gather herself. I see the hesitation, the doubt she has about this moment. Her reservations about opening up and being vulnerable.

I get it ’cuz I get her. I know how difficult these things are for her.

She licks at her chapped lips and then says, “I do. I feel it too, Oz. I feel it so much that sometimes it scares me. You know that I don’t… I’m the last person to open up in that way.”

“I’m scared too, Zoe. Fucking terrified,” I add with an honest laugh. “But I’m more scared of losing you. We need to explore this. Don’t you think it’s worth it?”

“When Boone stabbed me…” she starts, voice quieter than I’ve ever heard it. “My entire life flashed before my eyes. I know it sounds cliché, but it did. And I thought about my sister. How Zani and I would finally be reunited.” Her voice catches for a second, and I grab her hand to give it a squeeze, grounding her, letting her know I’ve got her. She blinks, long lashes lifting as she meets my gaze again. “But then… I also thought about you. HowI didn’t want to leave yet. I wanted to live. I wanted to experience life in a way I haven’t let myself before. And I wanted that to be… by your side.”

Her confession is so damn earnest and real that it takes me another second to grasp what she’s said. I break out in a slow, stunned laugh as if I’ve just won the fucking lottery. Except a million times better.

“I know we don’t make sense on paper. That’s what I keep telling myself anyway,” she continues, giving me a small, almost self-deprecating smile. “But somehow, we work. And that’s all that matters. I want to find a way for us to be together. Whatever that looks like.”

I don’t wait. I move instinctively, wrapping her hand in mine and leaning in, capturing her lips in a kiss. It’s soft and gentle given her condition, but there’s nothing hesitant about it. It’s a promise shared between us, the beginning of what’s to come. Her fingers squeeze mine as she melts into the kiss and we let the moment sink in.

When we pull apart, I grin down at her, brushing my knuckles over her cheek. “Told you I’d win you over, Special Agent. You just had to give me time.”

She laughs, her hazel eyes full of warmth and affection, before she tugs me by the front of my shirt and kisses me this time.

33

ZOE

Two Months Later…

“Watch the corners!”I call out, trying to give Cash and Tito a heads up for the sharp turn they’re about to make.

The men each have an end of the treadmill as they heave it up a flight of stairs, around the corner, and then carry it inside my otherwise empty apartment. Sweat slicks their faces, necks, and shoulders, but somehow they’re both still in high spirits.

“Don’t worry, we wouldn’t dare mess up your precious treadmill,” Cash grunts on his way in. “Oz told us it’s your most prized possession.”

Tito’s dark eyes flash in amusement. “¿Dónde está mi cerveza, hermosa?”

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