Free Cursed by S.J. Harper Page A

camera in the lobby. Curiosity got the better of me. I didn’t actually hack into the server, but I could have. Instead I made a call to Silvia Barton. I asked her to email it. Told her
you
wanted to review it, that you thought it was important to Amy’s case. She checked with Dr. Barakov. Five minutes later, I had the file. I didn’t commit a crime. I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize the case. You can trust me.”
    “I want to trust you. Why did you really come here? What is it you really want?”
    As the words tumble from my lips, his eyes flash from brown to light blue, reminding me Zack is more than a human. He’s also something else, and that something else is getting closer to the surface than I am comfortable with.
    My heartbeat quickens.
    “What do I want?” His arm tightens around my waist. He lifts me into the air and we move swiftly and silently across the kitchen. In the blink of an eye he has me pinned to the wall with his body. He’s hard and ready, his breath coming faster, his control dissolving. But something prevents him from giving in, letting go.
    “Zack—”
    Words catch in my throat as his hands skim up the length of my body and he begins to remove the pins from my hair. The air around us is thick with desire. His lips are only an inch away from mine. He smells like sun and sand, salt and sweat. I want him to kiss me. Badly. And that petrifies me.
    “Evidently the same thing you want. If I’m misreading the signals here, you better tell me fast,” he says, bringing me back.
    I’ve made a terrible mistake. Whatever is going on with Zack, whatever secrets he’s hiding, I can’t risk probing any further. I pull up the wall between us and slam the door shut on my powers.
    The change is so sudden Zack is caught in the undertow. He distances himself quickly, shaking his head as if to clear it. I pick up the pins from the floor, then move to the sink and go about making sure every strand of hair is neatly back in place.
    The silence between us drags on until it is deafening.
    “I don’t know what to say.” He has a pin in his hand, one that I missed.
    I can tell by the tone of his voice that he’s shaken. He crossed a line he’s not comfortable with and doesn’t understand why. He’s searching for some sort of explanation.
    I take a deep, steadying breath to collect myself and try to give him one. “Forget about it. Emotions were high. I barged into your house, spouting off accusations.” I accept the offered pin. “I did poke you in the chest.”
    Zack frowns. “I wouldn’t normally consider that an invitation to . . .”
    This is my fault. Not his. I was the one who opened Pandora’s box. Zack and his beast had merely gotten caught in the wake. What Zack felt wasn’t real, didn’t mean anything. It was just physical. He responded to the Siren’s pull, not because of any real emotion he felt for me.
    “Seriously, Zack,” I insist, “forget about it. I already have.”
    I don’t lie to myself often. Deep down, I know this one is a whopper. What it felt like to have Zack’s body pressed against mine again isn’t something I’m going to easily forget. It brought back memories I’ve been trying to shake for months.
    His lips purse together and he nods. “I’m gonna take a shower. Get dressed. You still up for dinner?”
    “Sure.” I reach for the knife. “I’ll finish slicing the cucumber. I’m not a great cook, but even I can put together a simple salad.”
    “Help yourself to whatever,” he says, before backing out of the kitchen and racing up the stairs.
    “Emma Monroe, you are an idiot,” I whisper to the four walls.
    With Zack gone, my heartbeat returns to normal. For the first time I take in the surroundings. Zack’s kitchen is palatial compared to mine. The professional-grade appliances, custom cherry cabinetry, and cream-colored marble countertops are just what you would expect in a house like this. I spend a moment taking everything in, trying to