Page 46 of Zeke

Her dad doesn’t notice. He takes the paper I wrote it on and returns to the back. A minute later, he calls for Julia to come help him with something. She gives me and Kira a searching look but leaves us anyway.

“You look good,” I tell her once we’re alone.

“Thanks,” she says, tucking back the same strand of hair that has fallen into her face again, her cheeks turning pink. “You, too.”

“You been okay?”

She shrugs, and there’s just enough of a hesitation that the worry that I’m too late begins to creep in again, but then she says, “Really good. I’ve missed you.”

Yes!

I stop myself from making some kind of gesture of victory. If she missed me, it means she didn’t have someone else occupying her time and mind in my absence. Perfect.

“Yeah, I’ve missed you, too,” I say, leaning in closer. “I’ve been wanting to see you.”

She bites her lip and tilts her head down in a way that almost has me hard again with how very much she looks now like she did in my fantasy from the night before.

“Well, I’m right here,” she says in a bubbly voice.

I’m trying to figure out if she means that seductively, if she wants me to lean in and kiss her, but I don’t want to read the signal wrong and end up turning her off. I simply stay there, our faces only a couple of inches apart, but full of tension and desire.

“Yeah,” I say lamely. “I guess you are.”

“And…?”

“And?” I ask.

“What do you want?” she asks, and my heart beats against my chest like it wants out.

“What do I want?” I sound like an idiot, but I almost can’t believe this is happening.

That’s when Julia comes back out of the kitchen, and Kira looks over, the spell broken.

“Yeah,” she says, giving me a meaningful look. “Jelly donut? Or something different today?”

I sigh, angry with myself that I didn’t move faster, but thrilled I’m still in the game.

“Jelly donut sounds great,” I say.

She hands it to me with a big smile and says, “On the house.”

I hold it up to her like a toast. “Thanks. I’ll be outside for a little bit, keeping an eye on things.”

“Thanks,” she says with a smile, and Julia even gives me one, too.

I head out to the lot and lean against my bike, eating my donut. As I bite into it, I see Zeke come riding around the corner to do his own drive-by. He nearly turns into the lot, but then sees me and diverts back to the road. I give him a wave, which he doesn’t return, and he drives off.

Today… I won.

CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE

Kira

Ican’t believe how brazenly Eli is flirting with me, even in front of my dad. His wink sends a thrill through me, and it is a blazing reminder that he and his brother are quite literally fighting over me.

It drives me wild to think they both like me enough for that. There is also an element of guilt, for sure, but I can’t pretend that when Eli and I are so close I think he might kiss me that I am not into it.

He leans across the counter. I so badly want to kiss him now, while it’s still okay because I haven’t made up my mind yet—at least not officially.