Page 45 of The Curse of Redwood

“He’s a sore loser,” Z said from the entryway. “You’ll be playing for hours at this rate.”

I smiled and rose to my feet. “I don’t mind playing another round.”

“This means a lot to him,” he said as warmth filled his eyes. “It does to me as well. You are so unlike anyone I’ve ever met.”

“That’s a good thing?” I asked, stepping into his embrace.

He glided his hand along my cheekbone. “Yes. A very good thing. And bad, I suppose.”

“Why bad?”

“Because I cannot keep you.”

“I don’t know,” I said, laying my head on his chest and winding my arms around his torso. “This might not be a traditional relationship, but I think we could make it work.”

“I told you I don’t want romance.”

“You said a lot of things,” I pointed out, tilting my head to look at him. He looked guarded, though he couldn’t hide the tenderness in his eyes. “You’re a good liar, Z.”

“Carter!” William yelled from the other room. “Play with me.”

“Duty calls,” I said, smoothing my fingers over Z’s blond hair. “We’ll talk more later.”

As I went to step away, Z snatched hold of my wrist and spun me back to him, capturing my lips. I released a surprised grunt against his mouth before returning the kiss. It didn’t last nearly long enough, just like every other moment with him.

“Now you may leave,” he murmured.

“Ready or not, here I come!” I shouted to William, before leaving the room.

A small giggle echoed from the left, so I moved in that direction, shaking my head and quietly chuckling. He was really bad at this game. The boy couldn’t contain his giggles. As I passed a closed door, I heard a loudclickfollowed by several light thumps come from inside the room, like someone was running across the hardwood floor.

“The object of the game is to be quiet so the personcan’tfind you,” I said, opening the door.

The dark room had very few windows, and the two thatwerethere had thick curtains drawn over them, blocking out the sun. The hairs on my arms and legs stood on end as I ventured farther inside. I hadn’t experienced that unsettling feeling at Redwood in a while, not since the night I practically ran away screaming.

“Okay,” I said to myself, heading back for the door. “Definitely not staying in here.”

“Carter,” someone whispered from behind me. “Come find me.”

“William?” I halted in step and cast a stare throughout the dark room.

“Play with me.”

“Hello?” I asked, squinting at the shadows and dark corners.

“Come closer.”

Fighting the urge to run, I took a deep breath and stepped toward a large wardrobe against the wall. The voice sounded like it had come from inside it.

“Warmer,” the voice whispered, as I touched the wardrobe door. “You’ve nearly found me.”

My heart went nuts in my chest as I grabbed the handle. Was William playing a trick on me? He enjoyed scaring me, the little mischievous brat.

A hand slapped over mine before I could open the door, and I screeched before coming face to face with Z.

“How did you get in here?” he asked, his eyes wide and angry.

“T-The door was unlocked.”