Soulsearch (Teen Paranormal Romance Series) (The Soulmate Series: Teen Paranormal Romance Book 2) by Kellie McAllen Page B

extracted himself from Paige’s embrace.   “If you don’t want to go any farther than this, we better stop now,” Zach explained, his breathing heavy and his voice a seductive growl.
    Paige took a moment to catch her breath and straighten her clothes before responding with a giddy smile.   “You’re a great kisser, Zach, and a gentleman, too.   Well, except for when you’re beating the crap out of someone.”   Her laugh was the tinkle of a crystal bell as she stared happily into his eyes.
    Just then, Cathy Donovan poked her head in the room and Paige was relieved her mom had not witnessed their passionate exchange.   “Zach, would you like to stay for supper?   We’d love to have you,” she offered kindly, obviously taken with Paige’s new beau.
    “Uh, sure, that would be great, Mrs. Donovan,” Zach replied, charming her with his smile.
    “Dinner will be ready soon, then,” Cathy announced, a satisfied smile lighting her face as she turned and walked away.
    Zach laughed, a little chuckle that grew to a guffaw as the enormity of the situation overtook him.   “Paige, this has been the wildest two days of my life.   Is being with you always this life-altering?” He teased.
    Paige just shrugged and took his hands.   “I told you I like excitement, didn’t I?   Now, you have to tell me about your friend!   What’s his name?   Or is it a girl?!   Oh no, Rider was totally jealous when Rachel had another boyfriend!   Is your partner jealous of me?!”
    “Paige, slow down!” Zach chuckled, smoothing her wild hair.   Her excited bouncing had loosed her unruly curls.   “I’ll tell you everything you want to know, but first you have to tell me how you knew about me.”
    Paige nodded and began to tell him about their improbable quest to find answers to Rider’s questions.   Zach marveled as she described their illicit information gathering at the women’s clinic and was astonished at how quickly they had made the leap from Mary Masterson to Jessica Reynolds to Cara Pasquetti.   He couldn’t believe one afternoon of sleuthing had led them to him.
    “I spent my whole life trying to keep this a secret and you figured me out in less than a day, Paige.   It’s a good thing I like you, cuz otherwise I would be kind of scared of you!”
    “Tell me about your partner, Zachary.   I want to meet him, or her.   It’s a big part of who you are and I want to know everything.” Paige stared earnestly into Zach’s eyes as she begged him to tell her, her unspoken affection the obvious motivation behind her curiosity.
    Zach pursed his lips and averted his eyes as he contemplated the revelation he was about to make.   Would Paige still care for him after he told her?   She was expecting a happy story like Rachel’s and Rider’s.   Would she still respect him if she knew the truth?   He knew he was in too deep to attempt to deceive her now.
    “My mom and dad are both twins, remember?   So when I was little, I just thought I was a twin too.   There was a show on TV with these twins named Zack and Cody, so I called my twin Cody.   Cheesy, I know,” Zach chuckled, letting off some tension.   Paige stayed quiet but her curious expression urged him to continue.   “I used to talk about him to my parents and relatives and they thought it was cute, you know?   Like I was trying to be like them.   I realized that no one could actually see Cody, not even me, but I was convinced that he was just invisible.   We used to have a lot of fun together as little kids.   He was my only playmate.   When I got to school, though, everyone told me I was too old to have an invisible friend, so I tried to forget about Cody; I ignored him, hoping he would go away.   He was pretty outspoken, though, and he didn’t like to be ignored.”   Paige’s eyes softened in sympathy as she imagined the rejection both boys must have endured.
    “Cody would pester me, try to get me to talk to him, but I was stubborn