ANMELDENWith her mind humming, a tornado of thoughts hurtling against the confines of her skull, Zoe pressed her foot on the pedal. The thrum of her heart racing beneath her sternum, the churning of her stomach, her body was giving in to the sensory overload of her grief. Jon had slept with Elizabeth. As much as she ached to deny the claim, something deep down inside her screamed that it was true.The drive was mind-numbingly slow, no matter how hard she mashed her foot against the metal, however, as she glanced at the speedometer, it hovered far above the speed limit. She exhaled shakily. The streets whipped by in a wicked blur, streetlights fuzzy through tear-streaked eyes. The weightlessness she had felt earlier had disappeared, replaced with a sickening pain that threatened to snap her in two.By the time her car skidded to a halt in Jon’s garage, Zoe was certain her heart was physically protruding through the black cotton of her shirt. With clammy hands, she stepped from the car. She fel
The parking lot was quiet, dark in the early hours of the morning as a small cluster of women filed out of the metal doors of SubTerra, under the watchful gaze of Elford and one of Simon’s new hires. Anja and Zoe walked together, tugging their long coats tightly around themselves as the air nipped at their bare legs.“Was it just me or did Danny fucking reek tonight?” Anja scrunched her nose, rustling through her handbag to retrieve her vape. She sucked in a long draw, a fruity cloud of smoke hiding the amusement tinging her eyes.Zoe laughed, shaking her shoulders dramatically. “He has to have eaten raw fish fresh from the dock.”“Fish is good for you, you know,” Anja mimicked Danny’s gruff voice, Zoe erupting into a fit of giggles. “Omega-3 and all that shit, ya’know. Keeps the brain ticking.”“You got the lecture too?” Zoe laughed, shaking her head as she ran her fingers through her hair. “I was stuck at his table for like ten minutes listening to it.”Anja opened her mouth to spea
“Do you have to go?” he whined. Dark eyes watching intensely from the doorway, studying the way the warm, steady stream trickled over Zoe’s naked body, the trails it left on velvet skin.Laughter tinkled through the tiled bathroom, muffling through the glass of the shower. “I’ve just taken two weeks off. We’re so short-staffed. I think Simon would actually kill me if I called out.” She lathered the cleanser over her face, allowing the water to take with it the dirt and grime she’d failed to wash off last night. “I’ve only got two weeks left, babe.”Resting his shirtless torso against the doorframe, he folded his arms and smirked, following her gaze down his chiseled abdomen. “Two weeks too long,” he huffed. “I hate knowing they’re all there staring at your legs in those tiny shorts, drooling over you.”“Like you did?”“That’s different,” he tutted as the beginnings of a grin tugged the corners of his mouth. “I was in love with you.”Sweet, melodic laughter pealed through the room, the
Sitting in front of the wall of monitors, beady eyes fervently scanning for any signs of movement, the shaggy-haired man let out an exaggerated sigh. Clasping his arm across his growling stomach, he leaned over, the swivel chair creaking at the sudden uneven distribution of weight. Rummaging through the junk-filled drawer beside him, he found the tin of cayenne tuna he’d stored months earlier, in case of an emergency. Cracking it open, he savored the spice as he shoveled a heaping spoonful into his mouth.Her voice echoed through the cold, concrete office. It always shocked him when she spoke – her sweet, timid tone the complete antithesis to the harsh, detached and vindictive orders she barked at him.“You are fucking kidding,” she hissed, slapping the underside of his greasy, disheveled hair. “Do you see a fucking window in here, you fucking moron? You’ll stink up the entire fucking building.”Rolling his eyes in frustration, the man spoke, a mouthful of tuna sloshing between crooke
Burnt orange quilts spilled along the sofa Zoe was curled up on, the warmth of its rays coating her arms and face as she unfurled, stretching aching muscles. Peeking over her shoulder, Zoe stifled a giggle at Anja’s undignified position. Sprawled awkwardly over the recliner, Anja’s neck was twisted uncomfortably, her mouth hanging open as she snored louder than Zoe’s dad. Sun beams danced, licking the ceiling like flames as it inched across the entirety of the lounge room and into the kitchen. As Zoe watched the intricate patterns it made, she relished in the small weight lifted off her shoulders from sharing her secret. Telling Anja had been therapeutic. Someone else knowing exactly what she was dealing with made her feel better, especially because Anja got it. There was no judgment or disapproval, only concern and compassion. She’d reveled in the juicy details of the relationship, sinking into intimate questions Zoe never would have answered had she not consumed almost a bottle of p
Anja pulled two wine glasses from her cabinet the minute they entered her apartment, filling both to the brim with red wine before shrugging off her leather jacket and slumping down into the small two-seater. Zoe followed, removing her shoes and curling her aching feet underneath herself. The wine was cheap, bitter, but Zoe knew the intended purpose was to get her drunk enough to spill the beans. Anja hadn’t been convinced by the narrative of Jon and Zoe’s split, and had pestered her for the entirety of her shift, dancing giddily as she cleaned tables once Zoe had agreed to spend the night at her place.“It was nice to have you back tonight, chicky,” Anja grinned, taking a large gulp of her drink as her head fell back against the sofa. “I was lonely as fuck without you and Sienna there.”“Not going to lie, I didn’t miss it… like at all,” Zoe laughed. “It was nice being back with my family.”Raising perfectly preened brows, Anja pounced on the opportunity to open interrogation. “Sooo…
With a few days of vacation under their belts, Zoe was starting to sleep easier. Jon fell asleep beside her every night, cradling her against his warm chest. Her mother fawned over him, lavishing him with home-cooked meals and cold beers, while he did odd jobs around the house that her father had pu
Melting into the mattress, Zoe’s breath hitched in her throat as damp lips trailed down the side of her neck, taking a moment to nip at her ear lobe, catching the elastic flesh in his teeth. His breath was hot against the shell of her ear, the rumbling of his arousal thick in his throat.“I don’t kn
Sitting through dinner had been agonizing. Victoria had seized every opportunity to wrap her bony fingers around Jon’s biceps, leaving him staring awkwardly at his plate. Zoe had kicked him beneath the table, her cheeks flushed as she realized she’d missed her intended target. Finally drawing Evan’
Nothing could’ve kept me away from you.The words tinkled in her ears, radiating down to thrum the chords of her heart. Blue eyes lifted, scanning his fatigued features for any sign of injury. Aside from the darkening beneath his eyes, a side effect of a lack of sleep, she found him unharmed. He sm







