Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
Renata
Zion’s lips on mine were better than any fantasy I could’ve ever dreamed of, better than anything I could’ve imagined, and I didn’t want it to end. He pushed his tongue inside and wrapped it around mine, twisting and tangling, and taking all he could. All he wanted.
I wanted to pinch myself. To find out if this was real, or I was imagining it all.
But as my hands fisted his sweater, the metal bells digging into my skin, I remembered it was really happening.
I was kissing Zion.
My best friend’s older brother.
The boy, now very much a man, I’ve always loved.
Wrapping my arms around his neck, I stood on my tiptoes, nearly climbing him like a tree. I wanted him so bad, I was ready to strip naked here and now.
But then reality hit me.
April.
I couldn’t do this to April.
I stepped back, breaking our kiss, pushing away from him, needing air to breathe, to think, to focus.
“Zion, wait. I…I need to make sure this changes nothing. This is all happening so fast and—”
“Is it fast when we’ve always loved each other?” Zion asked, a hand scrubbing down his face. “I’ve waited so long for this, Ren. Don’t pull away now.”
“You can’t just show up, announce you’re back home, and drop all of your feelings on me and expect me to be okay with it all. Before you walked in, I did not know you even liked me, let alone love me.”
“Really? Not one clue?”
“You didn’t really make it clear, Z. If you wanted me, why didn’t you ask before? Why leave?”
Zion threw his hands up in the hair and sighed. “I don’t know. I needed to figure out life, needed to get away from here and find out who I truly was. But what I found is that no matter who I am, I still love you.”
My heart melted. “Z…”
“If you don’t feel the same, just tell me, Ren. Straight out. Right now.”
Tears pricked the corners of my eyes. “Of course, I feel the same for you. I always have.”
“Then what’s stopping you?”
“Your sister.”
“I told you…”
I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter. I need to talk to her myself.”
Zion nodded and blew out a breath. “Alright. Whatever you need to do. Aren’t the two of you hanging out tonight?”
“Yes. After my shift is over. You’re my last client.”
“Oh, am I? So how more time do I have?” Zion closed the gap between us and I stepped away, putting it back. I needed it there. I wasn’t sure what I’d do otherwise.
“Do you really want pictures?”
“Of course I do! I didn’t put on my ugly sweater for nothing.”
I cracked a smile. “Alright. If you promise to behave. Go sit on the stool again.”
Zion did as he was told. He posed and I snapped, the laughter contagious and infectious.
And by the end of the session, I couldn’t stop smiling. As we said our goodbyes, I told him I’d be in touch.
but really, I felt more confused as ever.
Growing up, April and I were inseparable. Sleepovers and endless visits, it was the two of us against the world. And always protecting and looking over us?
Zion.
April complained, but I secretly liked it. Because I’d always liked him. Cute Zion with the adorable smile. Handsome Zion with the steely jaw and facial hair that grew in young.
Zion Zion Zion…the man of my dreams. Literally.
I pulled into my driveway and hurried into my cabin, away from the cold. Snow was on the way, and I already planned on having April crash here. It was a drinking snowed in kind of night.
Inside, I flicked on the lights, turned up the heat, and got a fire going in the fireplace, both of my cats coming out to greet me.
My female was named Lemon and the male Orange, though they were both dark brown with black tabby stripes.
I fed them dinner and scooped their litter box, tidying up the place.
Before my parents divorced, my father taught me lots of life skills, from changing a tire to starting a fire with sticks.
Even after the divorce, when I visited him on weekends, he taught me how to cook and how to read a map.
While he may not have been able to work things out with my mother, he was a damn good dad.
My mother taught me how to cook and clean, how to do laundry, and other chores around the house, so by the time I moved out, I was prepared.
Less than twenty minutes later, my pjs were on. I set the snacks out, and our glasses, ready for the first pour.
Despite being ready, I felt anything but. My mind was all over the place.
Did Zion really confess his feelings to me? Did we really kiss?
How did any of it happen?
My doorbell rang and I no longer had time to figure any of it out.
April stood in my doorway, a bright smile on her face.
“Ah! Let me in! It’s freezing!” She rushed inside in her normal chaotic fashion, bringing a gust of cold air with her.
She was already in pjs along with her furry coat and furry boots, a big hat and scarf, her overnight bag and purse slung over her shoulder.
Wiping her feet on the mat by the door, she slipped her boots off and dashed for the fireplace. “The snow is pretty but—”
“Man, do I hate the cold.” I finished her sentence as I walked into the living room.
April grinned at me as she set her bag down. She held her hands out to the fire while kneeling in front of it. “You know it, bitch. The roads are already shitty.”
“It’s Friday, there’s no work, and you’re crashing here for the night. Let it snow all night.” I held out my hand for her coat and hat, hanging them up in the closet. “I’ll go grab the snacks and drinks. You find something to watch.”
“How about a cheesy Christmas romance? My co-workers at the bank talk about them all the time.”
“Sure, that works. Nothing too corny.” I said, before disappearing into the kitchen. As I pulled a bottle of wine from the fridge, my doorbell rang again.
Huh? Who could that be when April is already here?
I rushed to the door, my heart pumping as my brain caught up. Zion. It was Zion.
Sure enough, I opened my door to find Zion on my doorstep.