Page 41 of Calling a Cease-Fire

“No, you don’t.” He pulled back enough that we were almost nose to nose, his lips only inches from mine. “You want me as much as I want you, and we both know it.”

I narrowed my eyes, but there was no use denying he was right. “Doesn’t mean I like you.”

He chuckled, low and husky. So freaking sexy it made me want to throttle him.

“Oh, Raven.” His warm breath ghosted across my lips. “You might be able to lie to yourself, but I’m not buying it. And even though I’ve told you I have no interest in her, I think Nicole made you jealous earlier.”

I scoffed. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

“So, you wouldn’t care if I went out with her then?”

The idea sank heavy in my gut. But that didn’t matter. I could totally call his bluff, because, like he’d just said, he had no interest in her.

I shrugged. “Wouldn’t bother me.”

He pushed off the wall and stepped back. “I must have read things all wrong then. You really don’t want me to kiss you.”

Fuck me. I definitely shouldn’t, and I hated the fact that I did. And he knew it. I could just barely make out a slight smirk on his face before he turned and disappeared into the hallway.

I let my head fall back against the wall. What the fuck was going on with me? I couldn’t remember the last guy I was this into. And I didn’t even like Zack all that much. He made me so angry sometimes. Not to mention I found him quite annoying, especially when he called me Raven.

A memory flashed through my mind at warped speed, and I gasped.

The name means intelligence and mystery. Tough, but wise. Survives storms and brings help in the biblical sense… It’s the things I see when I look at you.

How did he see those things when all I showed him was animosity?

Could I put my frustration with life in general aside for a minute to admit I found him intriguing? Almost like a breath of fresh air. Maybe that was a step too far? Or an admission I wasn’t ready to make.

Whatever it was, I stepped out of the darkness and found myself seeking him out. And being disappointed I didn’t find him before the buzzer sounded telling us the game was done.

It was probably for the best, though. I needed to get my boundaries straight again, and seeing him at that moment would do the complete opposite.

Quickly discarding my vest, I exited the game, hoping to remove myself from the chaos to get my shit together. Luckily, I found a small table away from the activities to chill at and avoid Zack like the plague.

But fate had a sense of humor, apparently, because the moms sitting at a nearby table caught my attention when they said his name.

“I gave him my number the other day,” the young blonde said.

My hands fisted into tight balls. Did he like blondes? Was that his usual type?

“Zack, the firefighter?” one of the other moms said.

The blonde nodded. “Yeah. He said he would give me a call sometime this week, so we’ll see.”

Hot blood rose to my face. But I wasn’t allowed to be mad. I’d told him there couldn’t be anything between us. He was allowed to date other people. I, however, didn’t have to sit there and listen to any more of this conversation.

Confirming Zack was otherwise occupied, this time playing tag with a group of kids, I made my way to the party room, hoping to see how much longer before we could do cake and sing. And then I could make my exit and head home. Alone.

I found Izzy getting things ready. Thank God. “Need help?” I asked.

She smiled widely. “Sure. The pizzas just got here and the kids should be running in here any minute. They’re about to make the announcement. Can you help set the plates and napkins out?”

It took us less than five minutes to get set up, and the kids started piling into the small room as I set the last juice box in place. I didn’t even have to look to know Zack had stepped into the space. The fact that I could sense him freaked me out. I glanced over my shoulder and met his gaze.

And I sucked in a sharp breath as a blazing fire stared back at me.

Chapter Sixteen