Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 71814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
“Want to see something cool then?” I asked her, my fingertips tingling as they longed to feel her touch again.
Zoe smiled and took my hand. As I led her out of the dining room, she grabbed Kieran’s arm on the way out, tugging him along with us. Some things hadn’t changed between us. The jokes. The closeness.
But a lot had changed too.
The tension in the air as our eyes met. The warmth of her touch. The desire that stirred in my chest.
Did she feel it too when she snuck a glance at us? When she purposely touched us too?
I took her down the hallway and stopped in front of mine and Kieran’s old bedroom, my hand resting on the doorknob.
“Ready?” I asked her, noticing how she still clung to Kieran’s arm.
Zoe shot me an impatient look. The same look she gave me when I teased her over presents or secrets.
“Don’t tease me, jerk.” She smirked as she nudged me.
My hand automatically found the small of her back to steady myself, our eyes locking for a second. Unfamiliar jolts of desire fired through me that I was forced to fight. With a casual smile on my face, I opened the door and stepped to the side.
Zoe gasped as she walked inside. Her head snapped back and forth as she explored the space.
“It looks exactly the same!” she exclaimed, reaching out to touch our old baseball posters and the spinning globe I had on my desk.
Kieran and I followed her inside, taking a moment to admire the same blue bedsheets and our action figures meticulously lined up on hanging shelves on the walls. We had a lot of good memories in this room and having her here with us just made everything come full circle.
Zoe plopped down on my bed in front of us, a look of wonder dazzling in her eyes. It was nice seeing her so happy, especially after how sad she looked when I brought up her mom.
“Zoe knows Cohen,” I told Kieran.
Kieran’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Really?” he asked her.
Zoe nodded and smiled in a manner that I couldn’t quite pinpoint. Shyness? Excitement? Nervousness?
“I’ve been working with the crew to investigate the fires… which means I’ll be working with you guys too,” she informed us.
It was like someone tied a rope around my chest and pulled, squeezing the air right out of my lungs. So, we were going to see her a lot. Heat burned low in my stomach as I gazed at her, watching the way her fingers pressed into the sheets.
I shouldn’t think of her like that… right? We were childhood best friends.
But the more I was around her, the more I saw her as the grown woman she was. Enticing. Sexy. Especially in that dress of hers.
Kieran finally broke the silence, tearing his eyes away from her.
“So, have you found out anything?” he asked her.
Zoe lowered her eyes and shrugged.
“There’s one thing… my mom was investigating a batch of arson incidents that happened around the time she died. It’s… weird,” she explained. “I’ve been trying to look for her research because she evidently found proof of who was doing the fires.”
My heart stopped. Of course, her mom had found something. She was a genius! Whenever I needed any help with my homework, she was there to explain things to me.
“She didn’t keep it in her office?” I asked.
Zoe shook her head.
“I checked the attic and her filing cabinets. The proof is somewhere, but I don’t know where,” Zoe sighed as she shook her head in defeat.
Kieran and I moved forward at the same time, sitting on either side of her.
“We’ll help you,” Kieran told her.
“We’ll find it,” I assured her, our arms brushing.
Zoe looked between us, a smile steadily appearing on her lips. She looped her arms with ours and rested her head on my shoulder.
“You guys are the best,” she murmured.
Would she still think that if she could hear the thoughts in our heads about her? Telling from the look in his eyes, Kieran felt the same way as me.
We wanted her in a way that was twisted. In a way that I wasn’t sure we could resist.
Chapter 19
Zoe
For once, luck was on my side.
I didn’t know if he was trying to get away from me or if things were perfectly timed, but my dad had to leave the next day to visit some friends out of town. He wouldn’t be gone for long, but it would give me, Kieran, and Kit a whole day and a whole night to search the house for my mom’s research.
It had to be there. I felt it in my bones.
“Let’s check the closet in my parents’ bedroom,” I decided as I led Kieran and Kit through the house. They didn’t need any guidance. They had been in here enough to know where everything was, but I felt more relaxed having them right there with me.