Page 26 of Symphony for Lies (Tangled Truths #2)

Morning sunlight streamed through the windows as I slowly drifted back to consciousness. The warmth tingled along my skin, but what truly woke me was the steady rise and fall beneath my cheek.

My breath caught in my chest for a second before the memories of the night came rushing back. My face flushed.

I was lying on Zane.

His arms were still loosely wrapped around me, his bare skin warm against mine. His scent, a mixture of musk and something undeniably him, filled my senses. His heartbeat pulsed steadily, a quick, soothing rhythm.

Something hard poked insistently against my side.

My thighs clenched on instinct. Oh God. I wouldn’t survive another round.

Slowly, I lifted my head, only to be met with a devilish smile. His brown eyes, still heavy with sleep, softened. Without a word, he leaned in and planted a lingering kiss on my forehead, his lips warm and possessive.

Languidly, he stretched, his body flexing beneath me, even as he kept me in his arms.

Heat exploded beneath my skin.

“You know, I wouldn’t mind if you just stayed like this,” he suggested.

I swallowed. “I-I need to go to the bathroom. ”

A dramatic sigh left his lips as if letting me go was the most difficult thing in the world. But eventually, he loosened his grip. Or so I thought.

Just as I was about to slip away, he scooped me up effortlessly like I weighed nothing and carried me toward the bathroom.

“Zane! I can walk.”

His grin was pure mischief.“I know.”

Setting me down with infuriating care, his fingers lingered at my waist, his nose brushing against my cheek as his voice dipped lower.“I’m showering with you.”

That wasn’t a question.

His breath ghosted over my skin, making my heart slam against my ribs, but before I could protest, he was already pulling me under the warm cascade of water.

After the shower, I slipped into one of his shirts, and the oversized fabric engulfed me. Zane meanwhile pulled on a pair of sweatpants, leaving his chest completely bare.

I knew he had a good body, but seeing him like that was unfair. My gaze dropped to the hard ridges of his abs, the sharp cut of his V-line, and the faint red marks I left behind on his golden skin.

When I looked up, I froze.

He caught me.

Of course, he did.

His lips curled into a lazy, knowing smirk as he leaned casually against the doorframe.“You’re staring.”

“I’m not.”

“You are. ”

I folded my arms across my chest as heat crept up my neck. “Why don’t you have a shirt on?”

He closed the distance between us with slow, deliberate steps.“Because I noticed last night that you like looking at me.” His hands brushed my waist. “So, I thought I’d do you a favor.”

I rolled my eyes as he moved behind me, pressing his chest flush against my back and holding me in his arms.

His heat was like a drug. A slow, intoxicating burn.

He dipped his head, his cheek brushing against mine. “I want to give you everything the same way you give me everything.”

His lips found my cheek while his fingers traced slow, idle circles on my waist. I felt like I was losing my footing.

“Wh-what are we, Zane?”

His grip tightened for a second before he pulled back just enough to look at me in the mirror.

“Are we dating?”

He leaned in, his lips hovering at my ear. In a seductive murmur that sent a delicious shiver down my spine, he asked, “Does it matter?”

I bit my lip. “I mean… our order of things is a little messed up.”

He chuckled, “Do we need an order?” His fingers slid under the hem of my shirt, teasing and exploring. “You already belong to me.”

My heart raced.

Zane turned me in his arms, tilting my chin up with two fingers before claiming my lips. A tingling sensation raced down my body.

By the time he pulled away, I was breathless, dazed.

His eyes gleamed with a quiet satisfaction.“Come. Let’s have breakfast, my angel.”

Zane treated me like a princess.

He easily lifted me onto the kitchen counter, positioning me comfortably before working with quiet, effortless control. I watched him with fascination. Every movement he made was smooth and calculated, as if even the smallest actions reflected his confidence.

As I let my gaze wander, I took in the immaculate kitchen that had signs of his personality: a worn recipe book with scribbled notes in the margins and a bowl of perfectly arranged lemons, as though even the chaos was carefully curated.

When I looked back at Zane, I caught him watching me.

A slow smile stretched across his lips as if he’d known I had been staring all along.“Do you like what you see?”

I nodded, completely honest.

He licked his lips. “You look like a snack.”

I propped my chin on my hand, pretending to be unimpressed. “And here I thought this was about you.”

His laugh was deep and warm, his gaze filled with something feral and unbearably tempting.

“You don’t have to do anything, Amelia.” He slid a plate of perfectly scrambled eggs and a light salad toward me. “You’re already perfect to me.”

I accepted the meal and a cup of coffee with a soft “Thank you.”

After smoothly depositing me on a chair, he settled beside me and kissed my temple before we ate in comfortable silence.

When I moved to get my bag from the car, Zane stopped me, fingers wrapping firmly around my wrist.“I’ll get it.”

He guided me to the couch, placed my bag in my hands, and settled beside me, one strong arm looping around my waist like I belonged there.

I fished my phone out of my bag, scanning the flood of notifications from my friends and Spencer.

My phone rang, making my pulse spike instantly.

“Good morning, Amelia ,” Spencer’s deep voice said over the line.

“Morning, Spencer.”

“I’m sorry for not getting back to you sooner. Are you okay ?”

I sat up instinctively, shifting away from Zane, but his grip on my waist tightened.

When I glanced at him, his expression was stoic. He was listening.

“Yeah… I’m fine,” I replied.

“I read your messages ,” Spencer continued. “I will look into it. I also sent you something . The tone from the bag .”

I nodded even though he couldn’t see me. “Okay, I’ll listen to it.”

There was a long exhale from Spencer. “Amelia, I need to tell you something before the news breaks .”

I waited, my chest tight with anxiety.

“No matter what you hear today, don’t think your efforts were for nothing. Something about this isn’t right. I know it .”

My stomach dropped.

“Spencer. What’s going on?”

“The department is making an official announcement today. A suspect has been arrested .”

“Who?”

There was a pause. “They’ve arrested Tristan Lane .”

My world tilted. It felt like ice water had been dumped over my head.“What?”

“They believe he’s behind the murders .”

“That’s impossible.” The words left me automatically.

“I don’t believe it either. Not everyone sees it that way, though. I will get to the bottom of this with or without my team.”

“Spencer, I—”

“It’s okay ,” he reassured me. “I’ll call you later .”

The line went dead.

I jumped to my feet, and Zane’s hand wrapped around my wrist, firm and grounding as he tugged me back down onto the couch.

“Tristan was arrested,” I whispered.

His jaw tensed when I tried to pull away, but he didn’t let me go. “What are you going to do?”

His voice was calm, but there was a layer of steel beneath it.

“I—” My thoughts were tangled. I had to do something. Tristan wouldn’t… he couldn’t… “You… he…” I struggled to find the words.

Zane let out a slow exhale.

“Calm down. Even if he is arrested, there’s nothing you can do right now.” His words sent a jolt of apprehension through me. They didn’t feel right.

“Tristan wouldn’t hurt anyone. He isn’t that kind of person.”

Zane’s hand around my wrist twitched.“How do you know that?” he asked sharply.

“Because I know him.”

“I know him, too, Amelia. And Tristan was never the man you thought he was.”

Something passed over his face, something I couldn’t quite place.

He leaned back, running a hand through his hair, before muttering, “He’s always been a sneaky, annoying little shit.”

The unexpected venom in his voice made my stomach twist, and for a split second, Zane looked hurt.

“I-I don’t know what happened between you two,” I said carefully. “But I know Tristan. And he would never do something horrible like this.”

Zane exhaled a slow breath.“Even so, there’s nothing we can do for him now.”

I just stared at him.“We?”

His lips twitched. “Yeah, we. Did you really think I’d let you run around investigating things alone and putting yourself in danger? ”

He brushed a slow caress over my cheek.

“I told you, Amelia. You mean so much to me. I’m not letting anything happen to you.” He pulled me into his arms. “Tristan can afford the best lawyers, but you need to stay out of this.”

“Zane—”

“I don’t want anything happening to you.” His fingers brushed over my chin.

Deep down, I knew I couldn’t stay out of it.

Not when I knew Tristan was innocent. Not when I felt it in my bones.