Page 60 of Until We Meet Again

There's a story there, one he clearly doesn't want to talk about. He avoids discussing his family; he refuses to share that part of himself with me, and I respect his boundaries. He can open up to me if and when he wants to, but I really hope he does because I want to uncover all there is to know about him and what makes him the man he is.

Chapter 27

Zane

No one else has ever dominated my body and mind like Tessa does. The need to touch her and feel the warmth of her skin against mine consumes me like a raging fire whenever I'm close to her.

Cuddling after sex has always been a huge no for me; it's way too intimate. It was a boundary I had firmly set—a line I refused to cross. The raw vulnerability that came with it was something I'd always shied away from, choosing to keep my emotions guarded and my heart shielded. But despite always hating it, I've now become a cuddler, a head masseuse, and a man who would rather cut off his cock than allow anybody else to touch it.

When Tessa asked me about Kim, I was jolted back to reality and thrown out of my post-orgasmic coma. The conversation took a turn, and I raised my guard again, steering it in another direction.

When it comes to my sister, I can't speak about her in the way that I'd need to.

I can't say the words I'd have to say.

I've never been able to.

She's dead.

I can think of those two words; hell, they enter my mind daily, but I've never said them out loud because saying them makes them even more real and final, and I'm not sure I'll ever be ready for that. Besides, I'm not willing to open up to Tessa about my pain. Even though I've begun to care about her, I need to give myself some emotional space.

We order some food, and after getting dressed, we head to the living room. As we settle on the couch, I pull her onto my lap. We sitin silence for a moment, my fingers tracing her barearms, soaking in the closeness of the beautiful woman resting againstme.

"Was everything okay in class today? It was hard to ignore what was happening between you and Ashlee."

"It's fine.She was just getting a little too comfortable."

"With you?"

"Yeah," I say, loweringmy lips to her shoulder.

"It's because she wants to have sex with you."

The moment I burst out laughing, she turns in my arms and sits up straight, shooting me a death stare that I'm not prepared for. "You sound mad about that, sweetheart."

"I'm not mad. But I don't want anyone thinking they can take what's mine."

Fuck me, I need to hear her say that again.

My hand caresses her face, acting with its own free will and without my brain's permission.

"I see you have a little possessive streak in you then."

"Is that bad?" She asks so innocently that my guard slips once again.

"Not when I feel the same way about you."

"Some people would probably call that toxic."

My fingers lightly stroke her thigh as I gaze down at her, lost in those emerald eyes. "Maybe that's what keeps things interesting." I look over her face, taking in every beautiful detail, and settle on that smile that makes my heart almost beat out of my chest and ignites feelings inside me that I don't recognize. "Imagine not being obsessed with the person you're fucking."

"So, you're obsessed with me?"

I'm confused by her smirk, unsure whether she's teasing me or if there's more to what she's asking.

However, I can only respond with a single word.

"Completely."

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