Page 49 of Kept

She jumps when I wrap my hands around her, hitching her legs around my waist and carrying her back into the bedroom, hair dragging behind us like a rope. “What are we doing?”

“Sleeping,” I say drily. Tugging back the cover on my bed, I place her on the side closest to the window, pulling the covers back over her and dragging her hair up so it’s not pulling on the floor. “God knows what trouble you’ll get into on your own.”

“In my sleep?” she grumbles lightly. But her breathing softens as I move around the room, collecting what I need to get changed in the bathroom.

Before I head in, I move over to the window. It’s cool but the lingering summer air is still around and I unlatch it, pulling it out so she can sleep with it open.

“Ryder,” she murmurs as I walk past. “Thank you.”

Breath hitching, I swallow. “You’re welcome, princess.”

Watching her eyes slide closed, I wait until her breathing evens out before diving into the bathroom.

Ice cold fucking shower.

19 - Zella

Iwaketoanextremely angry bear hovering over me.

Jumping about a mile with a squeal lodged in the back of my throat, I dislodge the warm leg pushed between mine. Heat rises in my face as Maverick stares down at the shirt I’m wearing. Ryder grumbles, his arms tightening around me as he buries his face into my neck. “Go back to sleep, princess.”

I avoid Maverick’s gaze as I carefully disentangle myself.

Waking up to a very large, very male body tangled with mine in the middle of the night was a bit of a shock, but Ryder was so warm that I didn’t wake him. Kind of regretting it now, with Maverick glaring like he’s about to yank me out of bed altogether.

Oh, boy. Blowing out a breath, I lift my chin to face the music. Maverick looks furious, hands curled into fists at his side as he looks down at us.

“Could you… not sneak up on me while I’m sleeping, please?” My voice is almost a whisper, not wanting to wake Ryder, but I frown at him. “It’s not very polite.”

Maverick makes a weird choking sound in the back of his throat, but his face darkens as he looks away. Leaning down, he picks up the edge of my braid where it trails over the end of the bed. His face clears, expressionless as he rubs the ends between his fingers.

“Why aren’t you in your own room, Zella?” he murmurs. Swallowing, I try to think of a reasonable excuse for being in a different room when he took me to mine last night and told me, very clearly, not to leave. Preferably an excuse that doesn’t tell him I went for a little run outside.

Although that plan falls apart pretty quickly when he pulls out a tangled stick from my braid.

He holds it up, one eyebrow quirked in a clear question.

When I do nothing but chew on my lip, his hand smooths along my braid, feeling it between his fingers. I watch him cautiously as his hands move up until his fingers are precariously close to my neck.

“Maverick,” I try to explain, but his hand slides into the back of my hair, and my words cut off as he turns my head, leaning down.

“You broke your promise.”

He soundsextremelydispleased, and I fight to maintain eye contact, even as a small amount of guilt trickles into my stomach. “Um.”

Ryder shifts, and I seize on the reminder. “Ryder took me. I… I asked him. It’s not his fault.”

One teensy little white lie won’t hurt, right?

Maverick doesn’t say anything as the silence stretches out, and I lick my lips. “I should probably get up.”

He releases me suddenly, so much so that my body tilts a little, and I scramble out of bed. Ryder just mutters something and rolls over, and I blush again as a large, muscular leg wraps around the covers where I was a moment ago.

Maverick’s eyes trail over me, leaving little licks of fire wherever they land. He seems particularly focused on my bare legs, and I shift awkwardly. Blue eyes fly up to my face, and his voice comes out gritty and low.

“Come down for breakfast. Five minutes.”

“O-okay.” I look at Ryder, and a finger lifts my chin.

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