Page 8 of Undone

Now, this was the Zoe I remembered. The one who had difficulty accepting compliments. “Well, it’s delicious and I hope you saved me more than these two slices because one of them is already almost gone.”

Jimmy Fallon wasn’t helping me forget about the work I’d left half-finished when I’d decided to dine with Zoe and my sister. I’d ended up eating far-too many slices, but Shannon had been right—it was best fresh out of the oven. She’d even talked me into trying herversion of a Hawaiian with marinated jalapenos and while it wasn’t my favorite, I could sort of understand the hype around pineapple on pizza.

Now, I stared at the television not really registering what was happening on screen. The late-night host usually jollied me out of whatever mood I was in, but tonight I was still stuck on the numbers. The more I studied my budget, the clearer it became that the only way to make things work was kicking off the trail riding program ASAP and hoping that it took off the way it seemed like it might. It scared me to think that my family’s entire legacy and future were dependent upon something we were going to throw together in just a few weeks.

I ran through a list of what we’d need to do to get set up: check the trails, clean up and repair any problem areas, figure out which horses would work best, get some additional liability insurance—as if our insurance bill really needed anymoreadded to it—and find a trail boss.

I sighed and rolled the sleeves of my T-shirt up onto my shoulders. The ceiling fan wasn’t cutting it. I was hot. I reached down to grab the bottom of the shirt and had it pulled halfway up my torso when I saw Zoe staring at me from the doorway.

“I, uh, I heard the TV and thought Shannon was in here.” Her eyes were wide, glued to my stomach as if she was waiting for the show to continue. I couldn’t help giving her a quick once-over. She was wearing a thin, obviously well-loved black tank top and white polka dot boy shorts that looked more like underwear than sleepwear.

I cleared my throat. “Nope, just me. But you’re welcome to join me.” I sat up straighter and smoothed my shirt against my body.

She waited in the doorway, one foot resting adorably on top of the other. “Do you mind? I’m having trouble sleeping.”

I quickly weighed my ability to keep my thoughts clean considering how damn sexy Zoe was looking. I tried not to stare at her chest—could I see her nipples or was it a trick of the light? —and for a second, I thought about how I’d respond if she made a move on me.

Damn it,stop! No one was going to make moves on anyone. Zoe was my ex for a reason, and not only that, she was also my sister’s best friend. On top of that, she was technically working for me too. All of that added up to way too many complications for anything other than a simple late-night hang.

“Yeah, of course. Jimmy’s interviewing the latest superhero from that new movie coming out.Captain Universeor something?”

She padded to the opposite side of the couch. “Ooh, I love those movies. And the new guy starring in them ain’t so bad either.” She waggled her eyebrows at me.

I scowled. What did that tall, blond, chiseled dude have that I didn’t?

“He’s okay, I guess.” I had no desire to discuss the merits of the man who played a perfect physical specimen in the movies. “You’ve always been into comic book stuff, huh?”

She nodded. “Way before it was cool. Same with online gaming.”

“I used to enjoy arcade games.”

“Oh? What kind? There are some amazing retro games out there.”

I tried to remember what I used to play in the mini arcade attached to Hastings General Store. “I remember a game called Street Fighter.” She nodded her head as I spoke, as if she agreed that was a good game. “Oh, and Mortal Kombat.”

“Finish him!” Zoe blurted out in as deep of a voice as she could muster, which made me laugh. We then spent the next several minutestrying to come up with the best things we heard the characters say. It felt like old times.

We settled in to watch the rest of the show and I was happy that the silence wasn’t awkward.

I glanced at Zoe when she giggled at something Jimmy said. She’d tucked her legs beneath her, taking up as little space as possible on the couch. It was just like her to do that—attempt to fade into the background even though she attracted stares everywhere she went.

The next guest was a French actor I had never heard of, and the interview was a long, droning segment. They finally cut to a clip of his movie, a romance set in some lush, tropical jungle, and I found myself perking up. The actress in the scene was a brunette with a mouth made for kissing, and the French actor did exactly that. I was shocked to feel myself getting hard, and I shifted uncomfortably.

The show cut back to the interview and I looked over at Zoe to see if the heated romance had had any effect on her.

She was curled into a tiny ball and was fast asleep. I leaned closer to see if she’d wake up, but she didn’t even stir, making it obvious that she was down for the count. I moved closer still, so I could admire the sleeping beauty. For an instant, I thought about reaching down and placing a gentle kiss on her mouth, for old time’s sake, then realized thatSleeping Beautywas actually sort of creepy and non-consensual.

I got up and paced around the room. Should I leave her there? No, I had a meeting with my ranch hands at the crack of dawn, and they’d have to tromp right through here on their way to my office. She probably wouldn’t want them seeing her barely dressed.Ididn’t want them seeing her barely dressed. I could easily carry her up to her room. I started to reach for her, then stopped abruptly as she shifted position and arched her back, giving me a front-row seat to her perfect breasts.

I shook my head and took another lap around the family room. No biggie, it was fine. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen Zoe’s breasts. I hadn’t forgotten them—or what it had been like to touch them, lick them. I forcefully shifted my mind to thoughts of hot breakfast cereal—oatmeal, cream of wheat, grits—then I leaned down to scoop her into my arms.

I was mentally prepared for the feel of her body pressed against mine but not for the hit of her sweet perfume. Oh, how I’d always loved Zoe’s scent. It was a mix of vanilla and blackberry, equal parts sweet and comforting, and the moment I caught the aroma, I was transported back to when I used to nuzzle my nose against her neck to breathe it in.

No. Stop that.

Everything was different now. We were working together and then she would be moving on to bigger and better things far away from here. There was nothing left of the way we used to be. There was nothing left betweenus. Except for the memories.

I adjusted my grip, and Zoe sighed and snuggled in closer against my chest. It was impossible to ignore the fact that she was so damn adorable. I cleared my throat softly and tried to pretend that she was a sack of feed that I was hauling to the barn in a bridal carry.

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