Page 38 of His Fury

“I say that sounds like a plan.”

I rolled my eyes, but I was smiling. I hated that he could do that—make me feel lighter when I still had every reason to feel heavy.

“Zayn,” I warned.

He leaned in, eyes fixed on mine, voice low and full of mischief. “Don’t test me, Wells. I’m hanging by a thread.”

I didn’t pull away. Not this time. Instead, I loosened my grip on his hand, tugging at the hoodie’s hem. “Fine. I’ll takeit off. But only because Rye doesn’t exactly seem to scream that he’s the sharing type.”

Zayn grinned, and damn, if it didn’t hit that part of my chest that shouldn’t still be soft when it came to him.

I stood up, his fingers slipping free from mine, and I caught his gaze tracking me as I walked towards the hallway. I paused in the doorway, just for a second.

“Zayn?”

His eyes lifted. “Yeah, Is?”

“This whole thing, me and you, it’s still complicated.”

“I know.” His voice was quieter again. “But at least you’re here.”

And I was. Still here.

Still his.

CHAPTER 10

ISLA

I woke up to silence.

Not the strained kind that clung to tension like it was feeding it but the soft, golden kind that filled the air when the world hadn’t yet remembered to be loud.

The room was empty. I had half expected Zayn to slide in beside me last night, but he hadn’t, and I had slept undisturbed.

We hadn’t continued our conversation. I left him in the living area with Rye’s hoodie and wandered to the other side of the house, eventually going up the stairs. Of the five doors there, two were closed. I guessed Rye used one, and the other must be Zayn’s bedroom.

His housekeeper had her instructions to follow, but I would be surprised if Zayn’s door was ever unlocked. The man had too many secrets. One of the three remaining doors was a large bathroom, and the other two were guest bedrooms.

Or else I had seriously miscalculated how well I knew the man I’d been sharing a bed with for weeks.

The decor was neutral, and he seemed to prefer cool tones;however, the room I chose had a subtle warmth to the palette. Natural fabrics were selected, and the closet was simple yet modest, providing ample space for racks and shelving. The bathroom featured light-sand tones with double basin sinks and a walk-in shower, and I couldn’t help but smile when I saw the range of products for guests’ use.

Flowery shit like I liked.

I guess I picked the right room. I let my eyes drift closed for a moment longer, reveling in the deep sleep I had. I wouldn’t have thought it possible, but I had slept like a baby. My hand brushed against the other side of the bed, and my eyes opened when I felt the lingering warmth beneath my fingertips.

Had I been as alone as I thought I had?

Maybe it was the warm cocoon I was wrapped in, but the fact that maybe he had slept beside me didn’t upset me. It made me feel…held.

My hand moved from the heat, seeking out if I could trace a pattern—or body heat—when I noticed the folded note on the nightstand beside me, written in an annoyingly confident scrawl.

Went to the club. Don’t leave the house without Rye. He’s here. Watching. Like the creepy ghoul he is.

—Z

A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. I carefully folded the note and placed it in a drawer, pretending I didn’t want to reread it later.

---