Page 36 of Kept

“Maverick,” Ryder says slowly. “Did you miss the part about her being locked in an apartment for twenty years?”

Maverick frowns again. His arms are like trunks, and I gulp as he folds them, a disapproving look entering his eyes as he scans us before he sighs.

“Zella, I assume?”

I stare at the hand he holds out, before reaching out to grasp it and dropping down to the floor. He looks a bit confused as I bob back up, and I bite my lip. Maybe I did it wrong.

“Did… did you just curtsey?” Ryder asks in a slightly strangled tone. When I glance at him, his shoulders are shaking.

“Um.” Clearing my throat, I take a step back, and a hand curls around my ankle. Enzo stares up at me as I wave a hand. “Just ignore that I did that.”

Clearly, I shouldn’t rely on Jane Austen to provide accurate descriptions of current social behaviors.

But Maverick steps forward, and my lips part in surprise when he leans down into a flawless bow. My stomach does a little flip in excitement.

Even Darcy couldn’t have done that any better.

Maverick watches me closely as he straightens, and I give him a little wave before I tuck my hair back behind my ear. The braid around my waist is unraveling, and I can feel Enzo’s hands playing with it where he’s still sat on the floor.

“Anyway.” I smile at him. “Zella. That would be me.”

Enzo tugs on a loose piece of hair, and I try to discreetly step on his hand without Maverick seeing. He feels like the one in charge, and I casually try to straighten my dress as I give him my best smile. He looks a bit shell shocked.

Shaking it off, he offers me a nod before his eyes slide down to Enzo. “Get up. We need to talk about what we’re going to do with her.”

As he turns, I dart forward. “Wait! What do you mean?”

What does he mean,dowith me? I’m not a vase. Or a chair.

Maverick’s eyes drop to where I’m clutching his arm, and I let it go with a gulp. “Sorry. Do you have touch issues too?”

Oh, dear. It looks like a little vein has popped up on his forehead. “No.”

“Oh. That’s good.” I give him another smile, and he takes a step back. “Thank you for having me. I promise I won’t get in your way.”

I get a side eye and a grunted sound before he turns away from me and heads up a flight of stairs in the corner.

“Enzo. Ryder.” His voice echoes behind him, deep and rumbling and just a little masterful. I try not to shiver. Maybe the Darcy bow got to me, just a little. “Dinner is in an hour.”

I think Ryder groans, but dinner soundsreallygood. I’m starving. I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday.

Bouncing on my feet, I clear my throat loudly in a very casual,I-know-you’re-not-about-to-have-a-yummy-meal-and-not-invite-meway, and a sigh sinks into the air.

“You too, Zella.”

“Looking forward to it!” I call cheerfully, and spin to where Ryder and Enzo are both staring at me.

“He seems nice,” I say happily. Now that the awkward introductions are out of the way and it seems that Enzo is probably not going to kill me, I feel much better.

Enzo’s hand is still wrapped around my ankle, and I yelp when he tugs it sharply. He drags me down until I’m sitting in his lap, my legs swung out to the side and his hand around my throat. He doesn’t squeeze, holding me firmly in place.

“You have no sense of self-preservation,” he snaps in my face. “Why did you stand in front of me?”

“Hey.” Grumbling, I push his hand away. Or try to, at least. It’s like trying to move a boulder. “I didn’t know who he was, and he was shouting at you.”

Enzo leans in and makes a growling sound in his throat. “You donotput yourself in between a fight. Ever.”

My shoulders square mutinously. “But you didn’t do anything wrong! And there wasn’t a fight. I just… wanted to clear up any confusion.”

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