I close my eyes, expecting him to kiss me, but a banging on the bedroom door brews a curse on my lips instead. Figgy darts into the walk-in closet.
“Hey in there,” Tabby calls, knocking again.
I get up and shuffle over to the door, throwing it open. She tenses her shoulders up to match the pitch of her voice. “We should have left ten minutes ago, what the—”
She leans over, and I follow her gaze to Zeke sitting up in bed, shirtless, with his hands clasped behind his neck.
“Oh myyyy.” Tabby shifts her tone to something resembling British royalty.
“Good morning, Tabitha,” Zeke says dryly as I move to the closet for clean clothes.
Tabby leans against the door and waggles her finger between us. “Well, isn’t this an interesting advancement?”
“Goodbye, Tabitha,” Zeke says, with the same monotony and snark.
“Okay, okay. I’ll wait out here. Since when did you become a prude?” she teases him.
“Since always, around you. They’re called boundaries. Siblings should have them.” Zeke chuckles as Tabby makes a mocking face at him and disappears.
I kick the door closed to change. When I look back at him, my cheeks flush slightly. I must be comfortable enough around him now if I don’t even think about changing.
“You want me out?” he asks and then shrugs with this hot-as-hell grin. “I’m also cool just hanging out and enjoying the view.”
I roll my eyes and change my clothes in the closet. He can’t see me anyway, but when I peek out at him, he’s still sprawled on the bed, and I’ve never seen anything more beautiful.
“Can I take a picture of you?” I ask, admiring the morning light streaking across his chest, and I have a pang of longing for my past life of photographing or filming every beautiful thing I saw. “This lighting is great.”
“Sure, it’s the lighting,” he jokes, and I scoop up my phone. “Yeah, if you want to. But why?”
“Because I think you’re beautiful,” I say.
Zeke clears his throat like I’ve said something offensive. “Alright, then.”
He shrugs, closing his eyes and relaxing back into the bed. There’s this amazing line that runs from his jaw over his Adam’s apple, down to the slope of his chest.
I take the photo as Tabby yells from the living room. “We’re never going to make it at this pace!”
“I’m coming,” I say, leaning to grab my lip gloss off the nightstand.
Zeke takes my hand and pulls me toward him. I pitch forward, bracing my hands on his bare shoulders with my nose almost touching his.
“We’re finishing what we started,” he says, and I bend to kiss his forehead.
“Oh, you bet we are,” I whisper, giving him a playful wink on my way out.
“You’re a dirty girl, Forrester.”
“Not dirty,” I call over my shoulder, ignoring Tabby’s look that says,Bitch, tell me everything. It’s a very distinct expression.
The moment we’re outside the apartment, I crack a smile. Tab elbows me, so I tighten my face and shoot her a glare.
“We’re not talking about it,” I say, and she slips into the driver seat.
“Talking about what?”
“Exactly,” I tease her. There’s no way I want to discuss the complexities of my feelings for her brother. With her, with him, with anyone.
“Have you decided if you’re going to find out or not?” Tabby winds the car down the street and we make our way to the highway.