Page 55 of Lost

He lifted an icy glass, sniffed, and then took a big gulp before he gushed, “And Dr. Pepper! You got me Dr. Pepper!”

“I know how much you heart it, even though I totally disagree with you because it’s—”

“An abomination of brown pop,” he finished the sentence for me.

“Yes, indeedy, it is.”

He reached for a nacho and his gaze lifted to the TV screen. “Holy crap, Z!Game of Thrones? You’re going to actually watch an episode with me?”

“I’m going to watch as many episodes as you want.”

“But you hateGame of Thrones.”

“No, I don’t hate it. I don’t watch it because Cersei reminds me too much of Neferet’s craziness, but it’s not always about me, so let’s watch it.”

Stark stared at me. “What have you done with my Zoey?”

I bumped his shoulder. “Oh, stop.”

“Seriously, am I in trouble?”

“Of course not!”

“Ah, crap.” He put the nacho down and turned me so that I had to look into his eyes. “What haveyoudone?”

I sighed. “I’ve been acting like a selfish bitch since Kevin left, and I’m sorry. Really sorry, Stark. I know you’ve been worried, and this is my way of apologizing.”

“Hey, it’s understandable that you’ve been preoccupied, especially knowing Kev is using Old Magick.”

“Understandable, yeah. But it’s pretty immature of me to be so distracted that you have to be stressed about me, and my High Priestesses have to pick up the slack for me. I’m going to do better, I promise.”

Stark touched my cheek gently. “You always do better, Z. I knew you’d come around.”

“Do you understand how much I love you?” I blurted.

“Yeah, but it’s good to hear you say it.” He devoured a nacho that was covered in gooey cheese and jalapeños, licking the extra cheese from his fingertips as he swallowed.

“You’re the best. You are always here for me, but you also give me space to deal with my stuff on my own. That means a lot to me, especially because I know you can feel how distracted I am.”

“I don’t think you’re distracted right now.” He bent and touched his lips to mine.

I smiled. “No, you have one hundred percent of my attention right now. And I know the sun’s rising soon, but if you can stay awake a while, I promise as long as you’re conscious you’ll have one hundred percent of me.” I wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders and pulled him to me. Our lips met again and the kiss became deep and hot. I loved the way he tasted, the minty gum he chewed, the gross sweetness of Dr. Pepper—which suddenly wasn’t gross at all—and the saltiness of nachos.

As he pressed me back against the cushions, his lips traveled down my neck, kissing and taking teasing nips at my skin, which had me gasping and goose bumping.

“How about we don’t go to sleep?” His voice was low, and his breath was warm and sexy against my skin. “How about I kiss every inch of you, then we eat nachos and watchGame of Thrones, and then I kiss every inch of you again.”

His tongue flicked out as he began finding the holes in his old T-shirt, kissing my breasts through them.

“But you have to teach tomorrow.” I sounded breathless, like I’d just sprinted up several flights of stairs.

“Tomorrow is fencing, not archery. Damien can sub for me. He’s a better fencer anyway.”

Slowly, he started pulling the T-shirt up over my head.

“Damn, Z! You reallydon’thave anything on except my shirt.”

“Surprise!” I said.

And my chest bloomed with heat as my stomach clenched.

“Zoey?” Stark sat up abruptly, pulling my T-shirt down and staring at me. “It’s happening again, isn’t it?”

Through tears of fear and frustration, I nodded. “Kevin’s using Old Magick again,” I said brokenly. “And he has no clue how much trouble he’s getting himself into.”

“Shhh, I know. I know. Come here, my Queen.”

Stark pulled me into his arms and held me close as the horribly familiar warmth in my chest faded, leaving only a sickness in my stomach and a realization about what I had to do. Now. I had to stop thinking about it. Stop weighing the consequences. And just… Do. It.

Ah. Hell.