Kira and Zayne returned to the house without talking or looking at one another. Definitely without touching again.
“It meant something to me.”
Whatever it meant to him, she didn't know, but it was enough that it mattered. Her thumb worked along the side of her hand where his fingers had gripped her.
Nearing the edge of the woods, Zayne finally looked at her. “Your drone made it, by the way.”
Her foot hit a branch, and she stumbled, catching herself on a tree. “You knew?”
He smiled at her for the second time ever. “I haven't missed one of your drones in three years. If it doesn't make it where it's going, I need to find it.”
Just like the one that actually did go missing. Her heart melted and pooled inside of her.
“They're good drones.” He kept walking. “Very reliable.”
Kira could hear her heart beating the rest of the walk to the house. When they entered, she practically bolted for her room, needing space to collect her thoughts. But she halted when she saw Brock sitting in the living room.
“Hi,” she said.
Brock eyed her and then Zayne, who also stopped. “You two were gone for a while.”
That drew a quiet snarl from Zayne. “We were outside.”
“Looking for first flowers,” Kira said breathlessly, trying to keep her story straight just in case anyone did surveil them.
A smirk eased onto Brock's face. “Looking for flowers? That's sweet.”
“Shut up.” Zayne stalked past him for the hallway.
“Did you find any?” Brock asked.
“Much more than expected,” she said. “You here fordinner?”
“I am. Also, incoming.”
Kira looked up to see the headlights approaching. Mellie's driver. Great.
No, that wasn't nice. It wasn't Mellie's fault that Zayne kissed her, spent years protecting her, and never bothered to tell her. Or that Kira couldn't stop thinking about that night.
Definitely not his fiancée's fault.
The door opened, and Mellie called out to Zayne. Then her new friend found her and squeezed her tight.
“I'm so hungry.” Mellie sat on the couch beside Brock. “I can't wait to eat.”
Kira walked past Zayne to put her shoes away, and he stiffened. Literally stiffened.
No one else might have noticed, but she was so attuned to his every move right now that she couldn't miss it.
When she came back, she chose a chair on the opposite side of the room from him.
“Did you two fight?” Mellie glanced between Zayne and Kira. “It feels so tense.”
Brock snorted a laugh and tried—quite poorly—to cover it with a cough. Though he enjoyed teasing Zayne, that one seemed like a genuine reaction he didn't mean to have, and it fanned the flame in Kira's cheeks again.
Eyes narrowing, Zayne cast a glare at Brock.
“What?” Mellie asked. “You did, didn't you?” She slapped the couch. “I told you to be nice to your cousin.”
