Page 82 of Calling a Cease-Fire

“We’re not—” I wanted to tell him we weren’t just hooking up. That it was more than that. But the last thing I needed was for him to accidentally slip and tell Lyla.

“You’re a shit liar.” Adam huffed out a laugh. “But seriously, you two need to come clean about what you’re doing before it all blows up in your face.” He turned and walked away.

He was right. It was obvious that Mia felt more than just a casual attraction for me. She wanted something real—I was sure of it. And I needed to figure out a way to make her realize that. I wanted to hold her in my arms and kiss her in front of all of our friends. Because I was done hiding this from everyone.

Chapter Thirty

MIA

On a satisfied sigh, I curled tighter into Zack’s side. Our naked bodies were still damp with sweat. Never in my wildest imagination did I think I’d enjoy cuddling, but something about Zack made it so deliciously satisfying. Our clothes were strewn around my living room, where we’d ended up on the couch.

His hand trailed down my back and brushed over my tender ass. “How’s it feel?”

“Like you spanked me.” I smirked, knowing my tone was heavy with sass.

He swatted my left cheek, and I hissed through my teeth.

“You and that sassy mouth.”

I traced a figure eight on his pec and leaned up to look at him. “You weren’t complaining earlier when I had your cock in my sassy mouth.”

“I’ll never complain about that.”

My stomach grumbled loudly, and I giggled, remembering how we’d gotten sidetracked earlier.

“We never finished making dinner.”

He’d come over straight from his shift, and after the third time I’d tried to provoke him, he’d thrown me over his shoulder and strode into the living room. Dropping to the couch, he’d bent me over his knee, giving me what I’d wanted. We were both desperate for each other, only getting to see each other twice in the last week. Our schedules since the wedding just hadn’t lined up well.

“Nope.” He sighed. “Five more minutes and then we will.”

I traced my finger across his pec again, loving the way his muscles twitched under my touch.

He picked my hand up and brought my wrist to his lips, pressing a kiss there. “It’s funny. The apartment has struck again.”

“Huh?” I raised up, looking at him with furrowed brows. What was he talking about?

“You know. The silly love curse thing,” he said with a huge smile on his face, like he didn’t just drop a huge bomb.

I stared at him with wide eyes. Love curse? Wait, no. Did he mean he thought we had fallen victim to it? I stiffened, running his words through my head again. Reliving the past two weeks. The Jeep show trip. The wedding.

No. He couldn’t. We’d agreed. He promised he wouldn’t fall in love with me. I couldn’t give him that.

I got up off the sofa and threw my underwear and T-shirt back on before turning back to him. He stared back at me with hurt and confusion in his eyes.

“No. Zack.” I shook my head. “It didn’t.” I’d warned him, over and over again. And he didn’t listen. “I told you, no love.”

His jaw locked as he stared at me, and the fact that he wasn’t correcting me meant I was right in my assumption. He had done the one thing I’d told him he couldn’t do.

Pain tore through my chest as I watched his expression go from disbelief to devastation. I hated that I was hurting him. This was what I’d wanted to avoid. This moment. And yet, I’d been selfish. Because I knew this was where he was headed, and I’d allowed it to continue. All the while knowing I would never be able to give him that.

“I should go,” he whispered, getting up and hastily putting his clothes back on.

My stomach revolted at the words even though I knew that was for the best. Because I knew how this would end. Just like it always did.

But this time… This time, I didn’t want it to. I wanted him to stay. Turn back time and go back to the way we were, stopping him from uttering the words that destroyed everything.

These last five weeks with him had been so perfect, so amazing. Why did he have to go mess it up?