Page 54 of Heart Thief

Once in the Jeep, Zane surprises me when he asks, “Do you want to see my new home?”

“I’d love to.”

The sight of his home is unexpected. It’s a rambling three-story Victorian in need of a lot of TLC. Zane takes me on a tour, his enthusiasm for the house evident in everything he says. The house smells strongly of sawdust and lots of other unpleasant renovation odors. I see why Zane hasn’t moved in yet. The floors are stripped down to the joints and new hardwood floors will be put in at some point.

“Zane, you can’t move in here soon. It’s not livable like this.”

He shrugs. “The renovation will take two or three months. I figure I can shack up in one of the bedrooms in the meantime, after all the demo is done.”

“Or just stay with me. No one needs to know.”

“Oh, they’ll know. They know everything. They probably knew about us before we did.”

My mind wanders to the pictures I found this morning. Have pictures been taken of me and Zane? Does Ryker already know about us? I feel like I’m living in a surreal spy movie.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. We haven’t done anything wrong. We won’t let them make us feel like we have.”

“Maybe we should keep this on the downlow,” I suggest.

He walks toward me until we’re face to face, his eyes on mine. I’m not sure how I ever thought he wasn’t an intense man. His penetrating gaze leaves my knees weak and my lips quivering.

Artie is tucked into one arm. He rests his other arm above me, leaning on the wall I’m standing against. “On the downlow?” he says, his voice raspy.

“Yeah. Just between me and you.” I can feel every inch of him longing to close the distance between us.

But he doesn’t. He lets us both want it, yearn for it.

“A secret love affair? Is that what you’re suggesting?” he asks.

Love? Me and Zane? He’s not holding back at all. “Yes, I guess I am. For a while anyway. I don’t want anything to ruin us before we’ve even begun.”

“By anything, you mean Ryker and Debra.” It’s a statement, not a question.

“If they find out, they’ll interfere. I have no doubt of that.”

“You’re right. They will.” He breathes in deeply. “Okay, I’m in. I like the idea of this being ours and no one else’s.”

“Just me and you. For as long as we can have it that way.”

“I like the sound of that,” he says quietly. “It won’t last for long, though. They’re always watching.”

“Maybe not. But we’ll enjoy it while it’s ours.”

“Yes, we will.” His lips wander over my forehead, a whisper on my skin.

My breath is ragged as it makes its way through my windpipe. We haven’t even shared a kiss yet, and we’re talking about our love as though it’s a very real tangible thing.

He lowers his face, pressing his forehead to mine. I can feel his breath on my face and as I look up at him, I again wonder if he’s about to kiss me. His eyes drop to my lips, then travel back up and meet my gaze once again. He licks his lips and I swear he does it in slow motion.

“Okay,” he says. “We’re a secret. For now. Just long enough to make us secure as a couple, ready to face whatever life throws our way. Deal?”

“Deal.”

“Not for too long, though. Not being able to kiss you in public is going to kill me. Not being able to hold you or touch you whenever I want will drive me wild.”

Technically, we haven’t done any of those things yet. Speaking about them before they’ve happened is making my chest rise and fall as though I can’t catch my breath. My insides have turned to jelly and I’m about to melt into a puddle on the floor.

I can’t speak. I simply nod. I think we have a lot to look forward to while we explore our new relationship.

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