The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven) novel Chapter 187

Sasha grinned widely, showing off her perfect white teeth, and then went ahead and piled more food onto my plate.

Seeing that, Zane wasn't about to back down, either.

Before long, there was more and more food being piled onto my plate. It soon looked like a small tower.

I could see they were still trying to outdo each other, so I couldn't help but ask, "Do you two really have to play Jenga with food on my plate?"

That made Zane pause, but Sasha still wasn't satisfied and dropped two more pieces of meat onto my plate.

I laughed helplessly. "Do you think I can eat all of this?"

Sasha smiled encouragingly. "I believe in you. You can do it!"

I crushed her enthusiasm with a smile. "You can believe in me all you want, but I'm not turning into a bottomless pit!"

Zane calmly said, "You can ignore the food she gave you, but you'd better finish what I gave you."

I didn't expect Zane—the grown man—to show such a childish side. "That's impossible."

After I made my frustration clear, they both reluctantly retrieved some of the food from my plate.

As Sasha ate, it was clear she still felt dissatisfied and hadn't given up. However, I shot her a look that made her think twice.

Ever the tactful one, Zane noticed Sasha had backed down and quietly returned to his meal.

…

Steven spun slowly in his office chair, a thoughtful frown crossing his face. With Jessica gone, he finally had the space to think—really think—about his feelings for both Annalise and Jessica.

His friends all said he hated Annalise, but was it really true?

Living with Annalise had always felt so… grounded. He never felt uneasy around her. In fact, he didn't mind any of the intimate moments they shared. Nothing about it bothered him, not even sharing a bed at night.

Whether his eyes were open or closed, Annalise's face was always there, and he didn't mind it one bit.

As for his feelings for Jessica...