Page 54 of After All This Time

She tilts her head, not buying it for a second. "You pissed her off, didn't you?"

I let out a sigh, tipping my drink back, hoping the beer might ease the tension tightening in my throat. But Tessa doesn't budge; she just keeps looking at me, waiting, her silence doing all the talking.

I drop my gaze, feeling her persistence dig under my skin. Finally, she speaks up, softer this time.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, but can we help?"

"Harry thinks Zane can."

Zane straightens, his brow furrowing, while Tessa glances between us. For a second, I consider easing into this conversation, but instead, I let the words fall bluntly.

"How did you ignore wanting to sleep with your student, knowing your life would turn into a complete mess if anyone ever found out?"

Zane's eyes widen and Tessa's jaw drops, the shock on their faces unmistakable as the pieces click into place.

"You… like Amelia?" She whispers as if we're not the only three people in the house.

"No, it's not like that," I say, my voice rougher than I intended. "I just—fuck—I looked at her once, the way I look at other women, and now I can't stop. It's in my head all the time, and I've been acting crazy around her."

Zane lets out a low laugh, shaking his head as he leans forward, resting his hands on the table."Yeah, you're fucked, my friend."

"That's it? That's all you've got? I'm just… fucked?"

"Welcome to hell," he says dryly, but there's understanding in his eyes. "If your body's reacting to her, it doesn't matter how much your brain tries to shut it down. Doesn't work that way."

"Have you two ever…" Tessa asks, her voice trailing off, leaving the question hanging in the air like a loaded gun.

"No. Never."

Tessa tilts her head, still looking at me. "Do you think she feels the same?"

I blow out a breath, dragging my fingers through my hair. "Pretty sure she feels something, but I pulled some stupid shit the night we got back from the bar, and now she's acting like it never happened. Just like I knew she would."

Zane raises an eyebrow, his tone cautious but curious. "What happened?"

"I yelled at her. Told her to go to bed."

Tessa's face twists into that look she gives when she's about to go off. "What the hell? Why did you yell at her?"

"In my defense, I apologized immediately. But if I'd stayed around her a second longer, I would've either kissed her or tried to get her out of those ass-hugging jeans she had on."

Zane leans back, studying me. "And the next day? Was it just an alcohol thing?"

I shake my head, the truth slipping out before I can stop myself. "I saw her the next morning, and I wanted inside her."

"Look, the difference is, you and Amelia already had boundaries in place. You had this line drawn before you felt whatever it is you're feeling now. Tessa and me? We crossed that line way before we even realized we weren't supposed to, and by the time it got complicated, the line was already gone. It didn't even exist anymore. So what set this off?"

"I don't even know, man. I can't pinpoint a specific moment, but something's changed between us."

"Is it just physical?" Tessa cuts in.

"Yeah, of course," I answer too quickly, feeling the lie taste bitter on my tongue.

How the hell could it ever be just physical with Mills?

"Are you sure about that? Because I remember you once told me that if you felt something—an attraction with someone you were already close to—you'd want to explore it. And you and Amelia? You two have been in each other's lives for years. Feelings like this don't just come out of nowhere."

"That was different," I say, shrugging as I lean back in my chair. "No one would've batted an eyelid if something happened between me and you… except you," I add, pointing a finger in Zane's direction, "and Erik, considering the shit he gave me for even thinking about making a move on you."

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