Page 175 of Make the Play

The drive back is all sunshine and smugness. Zoe hums along to the radio, one leg tucked under her, the other stretched out with a stolen croissant still balanced in a napkin on her lap. Her lips are sticky with sugar, and I’m trying very hard not to crash the car.

“You’re staring,” she says without looking up.

“Just admiring the criminal in my passenger seat.”

She hums. “Charlie told me to take it.”

“She told you to take one. You took three.”

“Two and a half.”

I glance at her and raise a brow.

“Okay, fine,” she sighs, dramatically. “Three and a nibble.”

I laugh under my breath and reach over to steal a bite, but she jerks the croissant out of reach.

“I will fight you,” she warns.

“I helped you steal three from their kitchen like a carb-gremlin, andthisis how you repay me?”

She doesn’t reply, just eats it. All of it. Then slowly licks her fingers clean, enjoying my pain.

“I’m calling the police,” I mutter.

“Do it. I’ll eat my way through the county.”

“You’d make crime look hot.”

She smirks. “I’d make the mugshot your lock screen.”

By the time we pull into the underground garage, she’s brushing flaky crumbs from her lap with zero remorse. She barely waits for me to park before she’s out of the car, tote slung over one shoulder, her dress swaying with every step.

We pass Nate at the front desk, who looks up from his phone and nods.

“Hey, you two. Good brunch?”

“Delicious.” Zoe smiles, breezing past.

I flash a quick smile, following her to the elevator. The doors close behind us, and I hit the button for our floor.

Zoe leans against the mirrored panel with a sigh, adjusting the strap of her tote. Her dress pulls slightly at the hip, drawing my gaze like a fucking magnet.

“You’re looking again.”

“I’m trapped in a reflective box with my girlfriend in a sundress and no shame. What do you expect?”

She opens her mouth, probably to toss something smart back at me—

Thunk.

The elevator lurches and the lights flicker, then everything stops. The hum of movement cuts out, and the silence swells instantly.

Zoe straightens. “Um.”

I hit the button panel. Nothing lights up, so I try the intercom.

“Denver Towers, what’s your emergency?”

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