Page 20 of Three Times The Trouble

So I force myself to watch them with her only to see the sheer look of delight on her face during the last five minutes of the movie when the couple finally, after hours of sexual tension, kiss. Kind of reminds me of everything currently going on between us and Zane.

Only in this instance, I don’t count on the happily-ever-after.

“This one is always my favorite,” Chloe says just as the couple waltzes off into the night after having their first and only kiss in the middle of the town square.

“And every year I have to watch it.” She sits up and turns to me rolling her eyes at my complaint.

“Whatever, I know you’re secretly a romantic under all that badass.” I laugh out loud at the thought, only making Chloe roll her eyes harder.

She grabs the remote from the ottoman and clicks open the tv guide. “What’s next?” she mumbles to herself and I quickly tug the remote out of her hands.

“Oh, no you don’t. I’m cutting you off. I can’t sit here and watch another one of these tonight. My eyes will literally bleed if you make me Chlo.”

“Stop being so dramatic,” Chloe scoffs, reaching for her cup of hot cocoa and frowning when she finds it empty. Her eyes meet mine and she gives me a sad smile. “What are we supposed to do now? Zane hasn’t come out of his office all day and you’re right, even I’m getting bored.”

I look around the room trying to think of something the two of us could do but come up empty. “What if we go out?”

“Where are we supposed to go? We don’t have a car, Avery.”

“Well, why don’t you ask Zane to take us? Or we can go out into the yard and build a snowman? Ooo Zane doesn’t have a hot tub does he?”

“No, he doesn’t,” Zane growls suddenly appearing in the room. Chloe jumps back startled by his sudden arrival but I nearly drool at the sight.

Dressed in dark ripped jeans, a tight white t-shirt molding to his perfect abs under a dark green and blue checkered flannel he looks good enough to devour. But then again, he always looks like the perfect meal.

I can’t help staring and when he raises a brow at me I know he’s aware I’m checking him out.

My gaze moves down his body and back up to meet his scowl head on. “Aww, well that's okay. We were just talking about doing something other than watching movies. I think I might die if I watch one more small town hallmark romance that is so sickly sweet I could vomit.”

“Tell me how you really feel Ave,” Chloe scoffs, sticking her tongue out at me.

“You know I love you, sweets, but my teeth have cavities from all the sugar-coated insta-love we just endured,” I tell her as I run my fingers through her hair. It's an unconscious move. An instinct really. Touching Chloe, in any capacity, is second nature to me. My fingers gravitate towards her wanting to just brush against her.

Looking up, I catch Zane’s gaze fixated on my hand in her hair, his eyes blazing with a heated look that makes my entire being tingle in the best way. He looks almost angry that I’m touching her and even though I know that can’t be right, his scowl deepens as I brush my fingers down her arm. This is dangerous but danger is my middle name.

“Let’s go get something to eat,” he mutters gruffly as if trying to keep his composure. “But first, go put some fucking clothes on.” Chloe must have noticed his tone because her eyes meet mine with a mischievous glint when he stomps off to go get the car warmed up.

Chloe rushes up the stairs toward her bedroom and I follow behind her more than a little excited to get out of this house with Zane.

Dinner is at a diner in town that seats no more than twenty people. Being the holidays this place should be filled to the brim, but it's just us and one other couple sitting around eating pie.

Chloe lets out an excited little screech when she sees the dessert area. “Ooh pie!”

“I guess we know what she's having for dinner.” I joke trying to get Zane to lighten up. It’s useless though I almost think the scowl is permanently tattooed on his sexy face.

The entire drive he barely said one word to us. He looked like he was paying close attention to the roads but now and then I would catch him looking at Chloe and I bundled together for warmth in the back seat. He didn’t want to stare but after the videos I know he watched, he couldn’t hide the hint of pink that crawled up his neck as he watched us snuggled up together.

“Have something with your pie please, Chloe. You’re gonna kill me one day when I find you passed out maxed out on sugar.” Zane ribs Chloe's choice of dinner.

“Such a Grinch Z. Live a little. How about a round of pie roulette before dinner?”

“What on earth is pie roulette?” Zane growls, a little too eager.

I roll my eyes and laugh at his outburst. “Don’t ask. Just let her have her way. It's the only way to make it through dinner without watching her only eat sugar,” I say.

When the waitress comes we order our food and secretly order our pies. The whole point of pie roulette is for the taste tester to guess what pie the others chose. Chloe is a ray of freaking sunshine in my life, but the girl loves a good game. Since poor Zane has never played, we told him Chloe would go first.

Chloe closes her eyes and I lift my fork and bring a piece of apple pie to her lips. Just to mess with her I pull back at the last minute and she misses the pie. “You bitch, Avery give me pie!”

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