CHAPTER SIXTY
Zane
It’s late by the time Blair and I check into a new hotel. There was no way in hell I was letting her stay in the dump I’d stayed in, despite her claiming it didn’t matter as long as we were together.
Yes, that works in theory, but going back to that place is reminding me of the man I was a few hours earlier, and I’m trying hard not to become him again.
Blair sighs as she sinks back into the luxury king-size bed, her wild hair breaking free from its restraint. “Thank God the day is almost over. I’m ready for tomorrow.” She throws her hand over her face and groans.
I’d love to pretend today never happened, but… “Not everything about today was bad.”
The last few hours were nothing short of perfect, from our quiet time on the beach together, to spending the evening with her parents and Cade, feeling a part of a family for the first time since Sierra died.
The Stevenses have always made me feel welcome, even when I was a teenager, hell-bent on fucking my life up. But tonight was different—tonight I felt their love.
“Oh my God, you’re right.” Blair sits up, her giddy expression confusing me. “I got to meet Reed Coombs today, and God, does he live up to his golden boy name. He’s a true gentleman. A genuine soul. A beacon of happiness. A—”
“Are you done?” I deadpan, pretending I don’t agree with some of what she said. The beacon of happiness was taking things too far.
“I can think of more, but I’m happy to stop.” She smiles, making me wish I was a beacon for her happiness, because I will never tire of how beautiful she is when her smile reaches her eyes. I’ll never stop regretting the time that we lost.
“In all seriousness, it was pretty incredible that he came, along with the others. I mean, come on, Sal hired a private jet for you.”
“Sure, it was nice. But you flew from LA to San Francisco to Jacksonville in the space of twenty-four hours. I’d say that’s pretty incredible.”
“I had to do that. They didn’t. They did it because they care about you, even when you refuse to show them the same courtesy.”
She had to? I frown, confused. “What do you mean, you ‘had to’? And I care. I just…”
“I know. You just don’t show it. Those guys—the ones in your group chat and the others that have called to check in—they’re not just your teammates; they’re your friends. They’ve got your back. They deserve to know how you feel.”
Dammit. My chest hollows, reminding me of the emptiness inside me.
The emotions I’ve refused to feel. A panic sets in at the thought of letting others into my heart, but with Blair’s reassurance lighting up her face, some of the darkness clears.
I’ve been denying myself close friendships for so long that I wouldn’t even know where to start but…
“I promise to try.” My voice comes out raspy, and the emotion behind it is not lost on Blair. Or me.
“Thank you.” She squeezes my hand. “I’m sure that would mean a lot to them.”
“You don’t have to thank me. But if you must, you can do it by answering my first question. Why did you say you had to come for me?” I know she loves me, but her word choice doesn’t feel right.
Blair laughs and my face muscles tighten into a scowl. “If looks could kill.” She shakes her head. “I had to because if I didn’t, I’d never forgive myself. How many times do I have to tell you? I’m in this. You’ve hooked me in and there’s no going back.”
My chest swells and my love is so overwhelming that I need to take a step back before it consumes me. It’s been building for so long; it feels strange to finally have the girl.
“It’s the piercing, isn’t it?” I joke, giving myself a moment of respite.
Blair giggles, but her smile turns sympathetic. She knows exactly what I’m doing because she knows me. Still. After all this time.
I expect her to push for more and demand I face my feelings, but instead, she plays along. “I can’t remember. I might need to get reacquainted with it. It’s been too long.”
My cock pulses in agreement. “That can be arranged. We’ve got this luxurious suite for the night; it would be crazy to just sleep.”
“So crazy. And there’s a hot tub.” She raises an eyebrow, biting her lip.
“I can’t help but notice you mentioned a liking toward the hot tub in my apartment too.”
“Very observant. What can I say? I’ve always wanted to have sex in one.” She shrugs like it’s no big deal before jumping up off the bed and stripping her flowy black dress over her head, her ass taunting me as she walks away, wearing nothing but a thong.
My length springs to attention, pressing against the zipper of the dress pants my lawyer arranged for my court appearance. Pants I’m ninety-nine percent sure belong to Blair’s dad.
Shaking that visual from my mind, I snap into action, bouncing around as I attempt to walk and strip at the same time, an urgency to my actions.
The shirt falls from my shoulders just as I step through the bathroom door, and I freeze at the sight of Blair, now completely naked in front of me.
The bathroom’s mostly dark, but the light filtering in from the main room bathes her in a soft glow, highlighting the beautiful pinkish hue coating her skin.
Her lips part, her raw vulnerability on full display as she stands tall, and I know she’s fighting the instinct to cover herself up. Fucking Nathan.
She doesn’t even realize how beautiful she is.
My heart races, and my chest expands as I breathe her all in, her love filling me completely.
“Fuck, you’re perfect,” I rasp as I step forward, crowding her until she rests back against the counter, my voice thick with emotion. “But more than that, you’re you. My B, my love, the only woman that will ever hold my heart.”
Blair gasps and her dark eyes shimmer, projecting every feeling she’s trying to control.
I suck in a breath and step back, my palms flexing at my sides. I want to take my time, savor every moment with her, but that’s hard to do when she’s looking at me like she’s ready to drop to her knees and give me the world.
A moment passes between us before she bites her lip again, eliciting a groan from the back of my throat, as my cock weeps for her.
Whether she’s in tune with my body, or noticed that slight twitch, Blair lowers her gaze to my length and her throat bobs, her eyes full of want. She wets her lips, and I just about come on the spot, growling as I tug her into me.
“You can’t look at me like that unless I’m inside you, B.”
“And you’re not allowed to growl, remember?”
“That one wasn’t my fault.” Slipping a hand between us, I palm her pussy, slipping a finger between her folds, growling again when I find her soaked.
“Fuck, neither was that one.” She’s so ready for me.
“I’ve barely touched you and I’m pretty sure I could sink three fingers inside you right off the bat. ”
“Oh, God.” Blair melts, forcing me to support her weight as she releases a lust-filled sigh. “I don’t want your fingers, Zane. Not now. I need you inside me.”
Jesus, fuck. “You don’t want foreplay?”
“No. Not today. Please.”
I pause, the veins of my cock throbbing as I remember how it felt sinking inside her. “The hot tub?”
“Later,” she rushes out, her desperate cry prompting me to lift her into my arms and position her on the counter.
She wriggles to the edge, spreading her legs, her glistening core on display. “I need you now. Please.”
My balls tighten at her plea and I launch forward, lining up my tip with her entrance, my length pulsing in my hand.
I’m just as desperate as she is for a release, but the second I’m inside her, our eyes lock and I still as an electric jolt runs through me, my entire body tingling.
Blair’s breath hitches and I grab her face in my hands, molding my mouth to hers, kissing the air back into her lungs, needing to feel connected to her in every way possible.
Our tongues swirl as my hands drop, and I gently stroke my thumbs across her throat, feeling her pulse quicken beneath her skin, the heat of it setting me alight.
“Zane?” she mewls between kisses, her breathing frantic, her eyes wide when I open mine.
“This is it, B. This is how it always should have been.”
I rock my hips, pushing my cock farther inside her and she cries out.
“Again.”
Doing as asked, I pump into her, grabbing her legs under the knees and lifting her higher, opening her up, burying myself so deep that my balls hit her ass.
We cry out in unison, my grunt matching her moan, and her walls tighten, sucking me in.
“I can feel your piercing rubbing against me, but it’s different than before.”
“Better?”
“Both amazing but— Oh, God.”
I pivot my hips and push in again, slower this time, ensuring she feels the barbell move through her pussy, hitting her G-spot. Her body spasms, and she screams out my name, but when I try it again, she stops me.
“God, this is good but I want to feel you. I need it.” Her eyes bounce between mine, begging me to understand, and I do. My movements slow and she matches my pace, her eyes never leaving mine, her lips parted as her breathing picks up.
My heart slams in my chest as the pleasure builds inside, and it’s unlike anything I’ve ever felt—the mix of euphoria and love, the feeling that this moment is bigger than we are.
“You’re perfect, B. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted but never thought I deserved.”
“I’m not the only one that deserves the world, Zane. This is it. You and me.”
“You and me,” I repeat, my body trembling as I fight to last a little while longer, never wanting this moment to end. “I love you, B.”
“I love you too.”
Her legs clench and her movements quicken, her body jolting as I match her speed. “I’m close. But this is too good. I— Oh, Jesus.”
“I know, B.” My voice shakes. “I’m with you. Come for me.”
“God, Zane.” She bites her lip as a scream rips from her throat, her body spasming against me, her walls squeezing me so tight that I explode into her.
I groan as my orgasm consumes me, my vision blurring, my entire body shaking from my release. “Fuck, B. There’s no doubt you were made for me.”
“Is that so?” She smiles through stilted breaths, and it hits me in the chest.
“Actually, no. You were made to shine. I was made to worship the ground you walk on.”