Page 58 of The Curse of Redwood

“Are you talking about Taylor?”

“Taylor.” Z’s form flickered again before he walked over to the window and clasped his hands behind his back. “So that’s his name.”

“I’m confused. Why are you upset about Taylor?”

“Apart from him being extraordinarily handsome?” Z asked, snapping his head toward me. “And not to mention, he has a pulse. He’s alive and can give you all the things I can only dream of giving you.”

“Don’t be stupid.”

“You believe me stupid?” The anger returned in a flash, and he was back in front of me. He gripped my shirt and shoved me against the wall. His face hovered inches from mine as he glared. “When you showed up here two nights ago with him in tow, I observed the two of you in the garden. You smiled with him, as he did with you. Then, you thought to mock me further by approaching me at the door. Scaring him was the highlight of that encounter, but then I was forced to watch you leave together. You brought him here to anger me, and it worked.”

“You’re mistaken,” I said, trying to weasel out of his hold. “Why would I want to piss you off? Huh?”

“Because I refuse to give you what you truly desire.” He shoved me harder against the wall, gripping me firmly as I tried to escape again.

“Yeah?” NowIwas getting pissed. “And what’s that, Z? What do I want?”

“Romance,” he answered, leaning in closer. The iciness of his blue eyes waned as he touched my jaw. “Love. I give you my body but deny you these things.”

“But you gave them to Charlie,” I said, as tears sprung to my eyes.

My sudden bout of emotion had come out of nowhere. I hadn’t realized how much Ididwant Z’s love until he mentioned it.

My time with him had been incredible, yet each time I left, a hollow feeling lingered in my chest. Because I wanted more. The past week between us had been nothing but sex. In fact, after our discussion that day on the second-floor where he said nothing romantic would happen between us, he had rarely kissed me outside of bed.

His hold on my shirt loosened. “I did.”

“You lied to me,” I said, as more tears fell. I couldn’t stop them. “You said you didn’t love him.”

“I never lied.” Z gripped my chin and tilted my face up. “I did not love Charlie, though I clung on to him because I was so lonely, Carter. He was a distraction from that loneliness. Yes, we were intimate. And yes, I cared for him deeply, yet he never touched my heart. Not like you have.”

“I have?”

“Yes.” His expression hardened. “I’ve intentionally kept you at an emotional distance, and yet you’ve still managed to warm me in ways he never could. Then, you yanked away that warmth by bringing that boy here.”

“Taylor is just a friend,” I said, wiping at my wet cheeks. “He loves paranormal stuff like I do and wanted to see the most haunted place in Ivy Grove.”

“So I was only a spectacle. A freak in the circus to point at and mock.”

“No, that’s not it. Do you really think I’d be so horrible?”

“You tell me.”

“Iamtelling you, you stubborn ghost!” I slapped at his chest. “Taylor was going to come here whether I was with him or not, so I tagged along to keep an eye on things. I never meant to make you jealous.”

He snatched hold of my jaw. “You aren’t lovers?”

“No,” I responded, trying to push him away. I was too mad at him for making me cry. “Get off me. You’re gonna get your wish. I’m leaving.” When I pushed him again, he didn’t budge an inch. He was like a rock. A cold, hard, sexy rock. “Z…”

“Call me Zeke,” he said, grabbing my face. “Please.”

“Why?” My tone might’ve been harsh, but I was inwardly melting at the gentle look in his eyes.

How could he annoy me one moment and turn me into a puddle of goo the next?

“When I first told you to call me Z, it was for several reasons,” he said, leaning forward and resting his face against the side of my head. After kissing my temple, he pulled back to look at me. “One, I didn’t want you knowing my real name just in case you somehow learned my true identity. I didn’t want you to know I was a spirit here. And two, it felt less familiar being reduced to a single letter. I didn’twantto become attached to you, yet here I am, both wanting you to leave and wanting to never let you go. A conundrum at its finest.”

“Which one will win?” I asked, looking between his eyes and his mouth as my heart pounded harder in my chest. “Will you push me away or hold on tighter?”