Asp of Ascension (A Nefertari Hughes Mystery #1)

Chapter Thirty-Four

Terry forced herself not to run to him. He was wearing his light blue Henley shirt again, the first few buttons undone. He motioned for her to follow him down the farthest aisle.

One of Allison's princesses looked up from her study pod. Terry brushed her bangs in front of her eyes. She took the long way around, turning corners and pausing every few aisles, pretending to look for a title. Hands smoothed around her waist. Zach hugged her from behind. His chin rested on the top of her head. The comic book dropped to the floor. He carefully stepped around Terry, keeping her in the embrace. He smiled down at her, then swept her long bangs off to the side. "I missed you," he whispered.

At his touch the asp sent tingles down Terry's arm. "I called you last night," she said.

"Sorry." He shuffled his feet, sneaking even closer. "My dad had me practicing until late. When I called you back you'd already turned your phone off." He touched her chin, tilting up her face. "You have early sleeping habits. I'm going to have to change my schedule accordingly."

Terry's hands smoothed over his Henley shirt, resting on his chest. The fabric was soft. The asp began to pulse a tempo through her veins.

Zach frowned down at her. "Are you okay?" he asked. "It must be hard with your dad in the hospital," he said. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you last night. I hate the thought of you being alone."

His voice triggered that part of her that ached to be a normal girl who just wanted to be liked by a cute boy. He made her feel like it was okay to forget about curses and missing girls and mean-spirited bullies. His hands moved to the waist of her cargo paints. Terry snuggled into his arms, laying her cheek against his chest. She closed her eyes and breathed in. "You smell nice," she said.

He chuckled and tightened his grip around her waist. They stayed in the embrace. Terry became aware of every bit of their bodies that were touching. The asp throbbed faster, creating an adrenaline rush. Waves of heat rolled over her skin.

Her hands slid around and started moving over his back. Zach murmured into her hair. He cupped the back of her head. The asp sent ripples of electricity through the length of her body.

Zach leaned back, putting an inch of space between them. He stared at Terry, then traced her lower lip with his thumb. She rose up on her tiptoes, meeting him halfway. All she wanted was one kiss. One kiss and he'd be hers forever.

Forever.

A tiny moan escaped Zach's lips.

"Oh god!" Terry pushed hard on his chest, sending him crashing into the opposite bookcase.

He righted himself and touched the back of his head. "What's wrong?" he asked, a little stunned.

"I thought I saw someone." She fumbled with the lie and pointed down the empty aisle. "We have to be more careful, right? No PDAs." He did a double take of both ends of the empty aisle. Terry wrung her hands, too embarrassed to look him in the eye. The bright glossy comic book lay on the floor. She smiled nervously then bent down and picked it up. "I also wanted you to see this."

Zach's expression of confused hurt dissolved into shock. He stared at the front cover. A crooked grin spread across his features. He turned the page and his eyes lit up. "This is good," he said.

"Good?" Terry tucked into his side. "It's amazing!" She watched his face, and a new kind of hurried pulse ran through her: one that had nothing to do with how good he smelled or how amazing his kisses felt. "Maude said you're a genius."

Zach glanced at her with a sarcastic look. "No one's ever said that."

"Shut up." She punched his arm. "Our history project is totally boss... and so are you."