Page 131 of Hidden Echoes

But I understood.

He wanted to know if I liked seeing him like this—more open, less withdrawn into his usual silence.

My answer was simple.

“Yes, Zane. I love seeing you like this.”

His gaze darkened, and before I could say anything else, he kissed me again—this time with more urgency. My back hit the counter, one of my hands still gripping the collar of his lab coat while the other got lost in his hair.

The chemistry between us didn’t need any experiments to be proven.

The kiss still burned on my lips when a sharp knock echoed through the lab.

“If you guys are naked, let me know now. I don’t want to burn my retinas,” Lara’s voice called out, completely unfazed.

Zane immediately pulled back, rubbing his face with one hand, and I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing at his expression. He always got a little nervous around Lara, and that just made it even more fun for me.

“You can come in,” I called out, straightening my top and tossing my hair back.

The door opened, and Lara stepped inside with the air of someone who had just completed a mission. She wore a blazer that screamed "I’m a serious professional," but the mischievous glint in her eyes completely ruined the image.

“Good to know you’re still dressed,” she said, crossing her arms and looking at us like a teacher catching students misbehaving. “Laura Barone is outside, waiting to come in, and I was sent as the sacrificial lamb to make sure you two weren’t getting… sidetracked.”

Zane let out an exasperated sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. I, on the other hand, stepped forward and took Lara’s hands in mine, giving her the most dramatic expression I could manage.

“Friend… You sacrificed yourself for us.”

“That’s right,” she sighed, throwing her head back as if carrying the weight of the world. “You don’t know the terror of checking the time and thinking, ‘Oh God, are they on the experiment bench? Am I about to witness something that will traumatize me forever?’”

“You live for danger,” I teased.

“Only when I’m forced to!” She pointed at Zane with a knowing look. “He looks way more embarrassed than you. Does that mean I succeeded in annoying him?”

Zane just crossed his arms and muttered, “You two are insufferable,” before turning to grab something from the bench.

“That’s a yes!” Lara celebrated, clapping her hands.

I laughed, patting her shoulder.

“But seriously,” she continued, adopting a more professional stance. “Laura’s waiting. You two should take a deep breath and pretend to be mature, responsible adults.”

“You literally said ‘pretend,’” Zane pointed out, not even looking at her.

“I did,” Lara confirmed matter-of-factly. “Because I know you two.”

She patted my cheek twice before turning to leave, but not before shooting Zane a knowing glance.

“If you want to impress Dr. Barone, keep the lab coat on. Who knew the sexy nerd was hiding there all along?”

And with that, she disappeared down the hallway, leaving behind the echo of my laughter and the sound of Zane huffing in frustration.

“I told you.”

“You told me.”

But the humor faded when the door opened again.

Laura stepped inside.

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