NINETEEN
Belle
My eyes open on the telltale yellow hues of morning light. It’s serene—for a second at least—before the awareness of who I share the moment with strikes me.
I turn to face Zeus, his arm hot and heavy over my waist, and hesitate. He’s so at peace with the world while he sleeps, so unaffected by the things that plague him while he’s awake, that I witness what a carefree life would look like on him.
It’s breathtaking.
Annoyed at having to ruin the moment, I place my hand on his shoulder and rock his huge body back and forth. He rolls to his back with a groan, and stretches both arms over his head, narrowly missing me with his elbow.
“Oh, hey.” His voice is hoarse from sleep.
“You need to get back to your room,” I whisper-yell.
He blinks a couple of times, looking at the light that penetrates the thin curtains, before where he is registers. “Shit.” He bolts to a seated position, closing his eyes as his head presumably swims. “I overslept. What time is it?”
I roll away and smack the home button on my phone. “A bit after eight. Do you think he’s up?”
“Fucking hope not.” Amusement taints his words as he smiles over at me.
“Go.” I smack his arm with the back of my hand, stifling my own laugh.
Zeus leans over, a hand possessively wrapping around the back of my head as he steals my breath with the intensity of his kiss. “Morning, dove.” He presses his forehead to mine briefly before pulling away and slipping out of bed.
I flop back on my mattress and unashamedly watch his sexy back and arse as he creeps across my floor and hesitates at the door. Zeus looks over his shoulder and flashes me a wink before he slips out the door, and returns everything back to normal.
Well, as normal as it can be after spending the night in your father’s best friend’s arms.
“Time to face the music,” I murmur as I throw the blanket back and slide out of bed.
Zeus must have pulled it over us some time in the night, because last I remember I drifted off to sleep on top of him with the sheet and blanket on the floor. Like the creeper I am, I pull the pillow he used to my nose and breathe deep, relishing the masculine scent of his body wash.
How are we going to do this? How many times can he slip in here at night before Dad catches wind, or he really oversleeps? We’re playing with fire, and in a way, I hope we get burnt.
Only then will I know if he takes heed of the warning, or falls in love with the flames like I already have.
I tug on a pair of jeans, the morning cooler than usual, and a loose T-shirt. A few runs of my fingers through my hair, and the straight locks assume some sort of order as I step from my room.
I enter the kitchen to find Dad in his pyjama shorts, making himself a coffee.
“Hey, sweetheart. I didn’t wake you, did I?”
“I don’t think so.” I busy myself pulling the bread out to make toast. “Any plans for today?”
He dumps his teaspoon in the sink with a shrug. “Not many. You?”
“I thought I might see what Kate’s up to,” I lie, knowing full well she’s busy with Brock.
“That’d be nice.” He carries his steaming drink to the table, always one to have a liquid breakfast before filling up on the real thing later. “If you do go out, make sure you’re back by dinner. I want to have a talk with you.”
My skin rushes with heat, the rapid cool-down afterward leaving me with goosebumps. “What about?”
“A few changes around here. Nothing major.”
“Oh, okay.” I place the bread in the slot and push the handle down.
“Morning, everyone.”
I can’t look at him for fear I’ll give it all away. “Morning,” I mumble, head down as I retrieve a butter knife.
“Z,” Dad greets curtly.
I have no idea what the fuck is up between those two, but the thought Dad could have busted Zeus in my room sets my heart racing. Unless he already knows? My appetite vanishes instantly.
“How did things go with Jodie the other day?” Dad asks as Zeus takes a seat at the table.
“Good.” He looks my way. “Leave the toaster out when you’re done, Belle. I’ll use it.”
“Sure.” My hands shake as I twist the lid off the Vegemite.
“Sale all settled then?”
“Signed and final,” Zeus remarks. “Got a second viewing on that place over on Fraser I told you about.”
“The change might be good, huh?” Dad sips his coffee without so much as giving Zeus the common courtesy of eye contact.
“The change is needed. Yes.” Zeus shuts down before my eyes as I wait on my toast to pop.
His whole mood shifts, so starkly different to the man who crawled into my bed last night.
“Any plans today, Belle?” Zeus’s gaze tickles the length of my spine, exactly how his fingers did as he drifted off to sleep last night.
“I thought I’d see what Kate is doing. We haven’t really hung out since school finished.”
He nods, acting as though he doesn’t already know she’s occupied like I do. “You, John?”
“A couple of loose ends to tidy up on a project.”
The way my father holds Zeus’s gaze turns my stomach as I pull the hot toast from the machine. “How many slices you want, Zeus? I’ll put them in.”
“Two. But don’t turn it on just yet; I’ll make eggs.”
“Sure.” I occupy myself with the mundane task of spreading butter and then Vegemite on my toast with such meticulous care that I’d laugh at the absurdity myself if I wasn’t so focused on ignoring Zeus as he moves around behind me.
His scent drifts past me as he moves, stirring memories of last night. I rush my way through putting the condiments away, and then plate my toast with such urgency the pieces damn near slide off the other side.
“You okay?” Zeus asks.
“Hungry,” I mutter, joining my father at the table.
Dad eyes me a moment before downing the last of his coffee. “Glad you got over that stomach bug.”
Kill me now. “Yeah. Me too.”
“Ever find out exactly what it was?”
“I think you were right.” I examine my toast. “Something viral. I must have caught it off someone at school.”
“Anybody else come down with it?”
I shrug, aware Zeus watches me in my periphery. “Not sure. I haven’t really kept up with anyone since school got out.” I glance up to meet Dad’s stoic stare, thankful I’ve left my hair out so my pink ears should be covered.
“Well, I’m going to have a shower and then shoot out to get a head start on these things I have to do.” Dad stands, tapping his knuckles on the table. “Say hi to Kate for me. It’s been an age since she’s come around. Tell her she should come over for a barbecue soon.”
“Yeah. Sure.”
Dad leaves; the daggers Zeus shoots at his back pique my interest. Listen to my gut, he said. Yeah, well right now my gut tells me that Zeus knows more than he’s let on.
I continue to eat my toast, watching Zeus as he prepares his eggs. He plates his meal and carries it over, settling in the chair adjacent to mine.
“What’s going on?” The distant sound of water running in the bathroom tells me Dad’s safely in the shower.
“Nothing.” He leans down to shovel a forkful of toast and egg in his mouth.
The points of his jaw roll and bulge as they work. I drink in every detail of him while I can freely stare without fear of being caught by Dad. “You’re lying.”
“Nope.” He takes another bite.
I narrow my gaze and huff, frustrated that he chooses to be so stubborn. “I’m not stupid.”
“Good.” He gives me a cheeky smile before eating more.
I kick his leg under the table.
Zeus shifts his fork to the left hand, and then reaches beneath the table with his right to rest it on my knee. I lean both elbows on the table, smiling at him like an idiot while I finish my toast.
For a second, I pretend that this is us, that nobody else matters, and that in some far stretch of the world this could actually end well.
I’ve set myself up for the worst heartbreak of all, but for now at least it’s easy to forget when the high is so great.
For now, it’s easy to pretend that I’m not eighteen, he’s not thirty-five, and that none of it matters.
Easy to pretend that maybe, he truly loves me.