Page 12 of The Hearts We Fumble
I try again. Still nothing.
I start to wonder if she forgot to turn off her bedroom light before heading out—until I see it. A shadow moves behind the blinds, and a second later, they shift, and she peers out.
She can’t see me clearly in the dark, but she doesn’t need to.
Because no one else would be climbing her tree at nearly midnight, knocking on her window like an idiot, hoping she’ll let them in.
She pulls the cord, the blinds snapping up as she reaches for the lock and cracks the window open just enough for me to hear her.
“Zane, what the hell are you doing?”
I smirk, bracing one hand against the window frame. “I heard you moved back in next door. Thought I’d come by and welcome you back to the neighborhood.”
Wyatt exhales sharply, crossing her arms over her chest. And that’s when I notice she’s not wearing a bra.
The movement pushes her breasts up, and despite every rational thought telling me to keep my damn eyes on her face, they drop to her chest anyway.
Her tits bounce slightly when she shifts, and when she uncrosses her arms, they do it again. I bite down on my tongue, fighting the urge to groan.
Fuck.
If she had any idea how many times I’ve imagined touching her, pleasuring her, fucking her until she’s breathless, she’d probably shove me out of this tree and slam the window shut.
Her eyebrows lift, and I drag my gaze back up before she calls me out on it.
“You know, you could’ve used the front door like a normal person,” she deadpans.
I lean an elbow on the window ledge. “Didn’t know if your mom was home. Figured she’d probably wonder why I’m showing up at almost midnight to talk to you.”
“And why are you showing up at midnight to talk to me?”
I shrug. “Couldn’t sleep. Heard you moved back in. Wanted to check on you and see how you were doing.”
Her eyes narrow, though the glow of her bedroom light behind her makes it hard to see her features.
“I’m fine,” she mutters. “You should probably go, though. It’s late, and I was just about to head to bed.”
I huff out a laugh, shifting my weight on the branch. “All right then, geez.”
I move to climb down, but her voice stops me cold.
“I just figured, like you said, you wouldn’t want my mom to come home and overhear you… or worse, what if Colter showed up and caught us together?”
There it is.
I knew she’d say it. Colter’s name is like an invisible line drawn between us, and she’s daring me to cross it. Honestly, I’m more surprised it took her this long to bring the past up.
Before I can respond, her lips curve slightly, but there’s no humor in it.
“Don’t you have a party to get to?” she asks, resting a hip against the window frame. “Saw you had people over the other night. And again earlier. I’m sure your hookup will be arriving any minute now, so you might want to run along before she starts wondering where you are.”
I stare at her, jaw ticking.
“Hookup?” I echo as she reaches for the window.
She cuts me off with a sharp, “Good night,” and slams the window shut before I can get another word in.
I don’t move. Just stare as she reaches for the cord, yanking the blinds down like she’s laying the final brick in the wall she’s building between us.
