/Madison's POV/
I tried to pretend I was fine with Zane seeing me without a towel. It's not even the first time a guy's seen me naked — but this was different, so clearly I wasn't.
Crap! He was my sister's fiancé; this shouldn't have happened. Why didn't he knock? Or maybe he did, and I just didn't hear it 'cause I was asleep.
Either way, I tried to forget by getting dinner, thinking he would join me and we could both pretend none of it ever happened, but I was wrong.
I think Zane took it harder than I did. Poor guy, he was probably beating himself up over it.
I was yet to finish reading Zane's file, but the little I read about him and his actions so far was enough to put my suspicions of Zane to rest—or maybe I never doubted him in the first place…I just didn't know it yet.
But in the world I lived—the dog-eat-dog world—I knew better than to trust anyone. In my books, until proven innocent, he is guilty…it's a rule I've lived by.
Yeah, it's pretty damn exhausting living a life where you have to doubt everyone and second-guess your choices, but it's what's kept me safe so far, and I wasn't about to change that now.
I thought even if Zane didn't come out for dinner because I was there, he'd at least leave the confines of his room when I was done, but he didn't show up until much later.
"Oh thank God, we should talk," I muttered when he walked into my room an hour later, as the sharp scent of his cologne stung my nose, announcing his presence while I was watching some of Allison's interviews.
"Zane," I called gently, straightening my back against the headboard while he got closer.
I dropped my phone on the bedside table with the intention to stand up while my eyes tracked his movement.
He wore jeans and a plain T-shirt—casual, simple. It was the first time I'd seen him like that. I should've noticed something was off — the emptiness in his eyes, the slow, aimless way he moved — before he crawled into bed with me, trapping me beneath him.
From the moment I confirmed he was sleepwalking, I swore to keep my door locked at night since I'd been intentionally leaving it open for uninvited guests—although I'd meant to tell him about it first, but that conversation clearly wasn't happening tonight.
This was going to be difficult. I thought the moment he caged me to the bed as I tried putting some distance between us.
"Zane," I whispered, bringing my hands to his face. I gave his cheeks a light slap. "Zane. Wake up." Should I have hit him harder? I contemplated when the dead look in his eyes remained— distant, trapped and lost in whatever nightmare was plaguing him.
"Zane…Za—" My voice cut off when his lips found mine. My heart slammed hard against my chest, and the warmth left me incapacitated for a couple of seconds, but the trance was broken when he let out another painful whimper of my sister's name—broken and soft.
"Ally."
My breath hitched and my body tensed as I regained my focus. I shoved at his chest while my brain tried to process the unfolding situation. Zane just kissed me. Talk about a shitty situation.
He tasted salty. I thought, cleaning my lips with the back of my free hand while the other pushed him back, thinking that would be enough to stop him, but my hold on him loosened when I figured the root of the saltiness—tears.
As more tears streamed down his face, the pleading began, raw and wrecked and with that, Zane pushed closer, forcing his lips back on mine.
"I want you," he murmured, his tongue brushing against my lips.. "I need you," he pleaded.
I knew it wasn't me he needed; I knew it wasn't me he saw, but the raw pain in his voice melted me, and his yearning froze me—made me want to comfort him. I shouldn't have allowed him to kiss me.
It's just a kiss, that reckless voice in my head said as I parted my lips and kissed him back. Just for a heartbeat. His warmth poured into me, dizzying and electric, but my reasoning remained his captive as his hands moved to my neck, pushing my head against his face like he was scared to let go.
I hated that I enjoyed the taste of him—he tasted like sin and coffee.
Fuck! I pulled away the moment I felt a tingle in my lower belly, then slammed my hand right into his neck, knocking him out cold. He collapsed against me, heavy and limp.
I pushed him off and watched him roll off beside me. "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" I grabbed a handful of my hair as shame knocked me right down from my high; my reasoning seized back control, and the voices chastising me for my actions made my head noisy with a storm of guilt, anger and disbelief.
I shouldn't have allowed things to get to this point. I should have knocked him out a lot sooner. Now what the hell was I supposed to do? Tell him? Pretend it never happened? No. He wouldn't remember it anyway, and I wasn't about to make things more awkward between us than they already were.
I half-dragged, half-carried him back to his room, his arm slung over my neck.
He's a lot heavier than he looks. For an office guy, he was ridiculously fit; his athletic body must have captivated many girls, I thought. My gaze accidentally lingered on him once I got him on the bed.
"Am I just pent up?" I muttered, tearing my eyes away from the shape of his jaw and the faint lines of muscle under his shirt.
What if he's attractive and fit? He's off-limits, and we've got better things to do, I told myself just before my eyes caught Allison's smiling face framed in a photo on his bedside table. Her hands were looped around his neck, his lips pressed to her cheek. They looked… happy.
A cool ache filled my chest.
It was quite the reminder. I turned away and returned to my room—-back to her videos, her interviews, her life frozen in pixels and light.
She really was angelic, as Zane said she was—kind, warm, and bright, with a smile that'd melt even the hardest heart.
So, what kind of sin could someone so pure have committed to put a target on her back? I wondered.
Watching those videos of her volunteering with kids made my chest tighten. I could almost picture her with a child of her own.
I hadn't planned to, but I binged everything — every clip, every interview — until my eyes burned and I fell asleep at my desk.
A light tap woke me.
"Hey," Zane's voice came softly.
I blinked, raising my head from my folded arms on the desk since I'd moved from the bed to the desk because I had to take notes of all the habits I'd noticed while studying my sister. "Hey, good morning." My greeting came out a little more hoarse than I expected. I cleared my throat sitting straighter.
"Actually, it's a little bit past noon." He corrected, and I groaned inwardly. Figures — I'd stayed up all night.
My gaze flicked, unbidden, to his mouth. Those thin, tired lips moved when he spoke, and I had to look away fast.
"You didn't go to work?" I asked, rubbing the back of my neck to hide my nerves.
He bit his lower lip, hesitating. The look in his eyes made my stomach dip. For a second, I thought— does he remember last night?
"I couldn't." He said finally. "We've just released the official statement that Allison has regained and is safely recovering."
So, not that. I exhaled quietly in relief.
"So, what's the problem?" I asked, I asked, noticing how his gaze lingered on me a little too long—unreadable, uncertain.
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something else," He said, his expression firm now. "But first, I've gotta ask—have you been to my room?" That threw me off. That was unexpected.
"Allison's phone is missing." He continued. "We just cracked it open, and I was thinking it could give us a lead, but it's gone."
"I guess the intruder did take something after all." My answer made him pause. Pensive "It doesn't make sense for someone to go through all that trouble breaking in and leave empty-handed. I've been thinking about it — maybe the phone was their target all along. It should be traceable, right?"
He nodded slowly "Yeah, we can track it, but why would— Never mind, I guess we'd know when we find it." Zane concluded with a relieved sigh. "I called a friend over. For now, she'll be acting as your manager,"
"A manager?" My brow arched automatically.
"Yeah. I trust her. She's a very close friend. I've explained the situation to her. Although she kinda thinks it's crazy, she can help you fit into Allison's role a lot more perfectly." He hesitated then added. "Oh, and while cleaning up your tracks, my guys picked up your things from the motel you booked."
My eyes landed on my worn backpack sitting on the armchair. "Wow, thanks. I was gonna tell you about that later," I zipped it open, checking the contents. Everything was there — even my tablet. I smiled despite myself. "Seriously, thanks. This means a lot."
"No problem," he said softly. "I just wanted to fill you in. You should—" A loud rumble from my stomach cut him off. Zane blinked, then chuckled under his breath. "Maybe you should eat first."
My face flushed with embarrassment, but I followed him out of the room anyway, figuring I could grab breakfast and head back after.
Zane and I made our way out of my room to head to the kitchen and maybe retrieve my breakfast and return back to my room.
We'd barely stepped out of the hallway when Zane suddenly stopped, spun around, and pressed me against the wall, his frame covering me. "Zane!" I gasped, confusion flooding through me but his hands found my mouth while he stared into the distance.
"Zane!" an unfamiliar voice rose from the kitchen.
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