Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
“ H ey, babe. I know you’re donating these bassinets. Do you want me to take them apart?” Zion asked from the second bedroom of Raven’s apartment.
“Yes. That would be great. Thank you,” she called from the living room.
She smiled to herself, secretly loving whenever he called her baby or babe. It was such a small thing, but it made her feel special. At first, she thought she was being pathetic in needing to hear the terms of endearment, but she squashed that notion. If she was being pathetic, then so be it. After pouring herself into motherhood and her VA business, Raven had nothing left to pour into herself. She’d been emotionally depleted before stumbling into Zion’s world. Her love cup had been empty for a long time, but that had changed thanks to him.
Zion made her feel cherished, and she no longer felt alone. Normally an independent woman, she used to pride herself on being able to do anything and do it well. But being a single mom while starting a new business almost took her out. The past year was one of the hardest in her life. There’d been times when she hadn’t thought she could make it. Too many tears had been shed. Some from sheer exhaustion, and if she was honest, a little bit from loneliness.
The last thing she ever wanted to do was be dependent on anyone, but now that Zion was in her life, that was changing. He had encouraged her to lean on him, saying that he always had a shoulder available to her, or even a hug if she ever needed one. She might’ve thanked him, but he would never truly understand how much that meant to her. How much she’d needed to hear that and to feel the compassion that he’d been showing her.
Raven told herself that she wouldn’t fall for him, but by the third day of them cohabitating, she’d done just that. His mother was right. Zion was a good man. Not only was he hard working, but he’d jumped into fatherhood as if he’d been a dad all his life. Raven also loved the way he catered to her every need. He had even brought her breakfast in bed one morning after the babies had woken a couple of times during the night.
Who does that? No one she knew.
She and Zion were growing closer than she could’ve ever imagined in such a short period of time. Raven might’ve been hesitant to accept his proposition, but agreeing to his offer had been the best thing she’d done in a long time. They’d gotten into a nice routine at home, and now they were elbows deep into packing up her apartment. This was just one other thing that she was glad she didn’t have to do on her own.
Raven strolled across the living room to the small bedroom that she’d used for the twins, her socked feet quiet on the plush carpet. She stopped in the doorway and watched as Zion boxed up baby items. It had been a busy day. Their flight had left Chicago at six that morning, and the moment they landed, they’d gotten to work.
Some of Raven’s things were going to a women’s shelter, and Teresa had agreed to pick up those boxes in an hour. Most of the furniture was going to an organization that helped families get back on their feet. Everything else would be shipped to Zion’s house, where Raven planned to store it in his basement temporarily.
She quietly leaned against the door jamb and studied Zion’s profile, glad she was catching him unaware. Was it possible a man could grow even fiiiner with each passing day? Yes. Yes, it was, because Zion was the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome. Even more so today.
He kept his hair cut in a tapered fade, with the top being slightly longer than the sides and the back, but he didn’t shave every day. Which she was glad. She never knew she was attracted to a man with a little scruff on his face until now. He still looked well-groomed, but this look made him appear more edgy and bad-boyish.
Raven wasn’t sure if she’d made a sound, but Zion glanced her way. He was on one knee as he checked her out, and those fathomless dark eyes studied her. Silence stretched between them while an involuntary shudder ran through her body. With just a look, he had her nipples pebbling and her body stirring with a need that only he could fulfill.
That’s what happened each time he looked at her or touched her. Within seconds, an electric current crackled between them shooting heat to every nerve in her body. His unwavering attention made her feel desired, sexy, and more alive than she’d ever felt.
Yeah, the man definitely had an effect on her. Which was why when he asked her the other day to be his woman, she had been surprised but had said yes immediately. Whatever this was building between them was growing at lightning speed, but Raven wanted to see where it would take them. She could easily envision a happily ever after with Zion.
Just thinking about them being a couple had her giddy inside. Sure, she’d dated as recently as a year and a half ago, but compared to Maximus, Zion was a knight in shining armor. The man was everything a woman could ever desire, and she hated comparing him to her ex. Mainly because there was no comparison. She’d been settling when it came to Maximus and hadn’t even realized it until Zion came along.
He showed her by example that she deserved someone who cared about her unconditionally. Someone who wanted the best for her and the twins. Someone who made sacrifices to ensure she and her babies had a chance at the best life despite how it might inconvenience him. Zion was showing her daily that he was one of the most selfless people she’d ever met, and she wouldn’t take the generosity of his time and resources for granted.
As she sashayed across the room to him, Zion set the roll of tape on top of the box but didn’t stand. “What are you smiling at?” he asked.
Raven stopped in front of him. Doing so caused her breasts to be level with his face, and he slid his arm around her waist. At his nearness, her nipples pebbled and pushed against her bra, silently begging for some attention. Heck, her whole body craved this man, and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could go without experiencing his lovemaking again.
Instead of telling him that, she said, “I’m smiling because you make me happy. Happier than I’ve ever been.”
“Is that right?” His enticing woodsy scent had her girlie parts sparking to life. Everything about him was like an aphrodisiac, arousing her to the point of making her want to throw herself at him. She had never been bold when it came to asking for what she wanted sexually, but if he didn’t make a move soon, she might start.
“Yes.” The word came out a bit breathier than intended, but as she leaned into him with her arms going around his neck, Raven couldn’t help but kiss him. He was just so darn kissable, and their connection too powerful to resist.
They hadn’t been intimate since Vegas, but she was ready. Zion was also giving off vibes that said he too was ready to take their relationship to the next level with sex. But once they crossed that line and tumbled into bed together, there was no going back. They’d be diving headfirst into a sexual relationship despite all that was at stake.
Raven’s first concern would always be her babies, and she didn’t want to do anything that could inadvertently affect them. If she and Zion took this next step and things didn’t work out between them, she wanted to be assured that he’d still be in the twins’ lives. But now that she knew Zion, she knew even if she and he went their separate ways someday, there was no doubt he’d always be in his kids’ life.
Zion held her firmly against his body as their kiss grew more frantic. His grip around her tightened, and her knees went weak. She melted into him as their tongues explored the inner recesses of each other’s mouths as if they couldn’t get enough of each other. Actually, she couldn’t. They’d been stealing kisses since they’d left for the airport that morning. In his truck. While standing in line to go through airport security. On the airplane. Even in the rental car. This hunger they were experiencing was inevitable.
“Aww, baby. I’ve been trying to go slow…” Zion mumbled against her lips before breaking the kiss. “But I’m just a man, and you’re so damn irresistible. I want you more than I want my next breath.”
Without waiting for a response, he tugged her T-shirt over her head and tossed it to the floor next to them. His heated gaze raked over her body and had Raven’s heart hammering faster and harder than a jackhammer breaking into concrete. Excitement soared through her as his eyes zoned in on her breasts that were barely contained inside her satin bra.
If the hunger in his eyes was any indication, this would be the day they reunited physically, and she was here for it. The undeniable magnetism that had been growing between them was at a point of no return. Now was the time whether she was…
Raven squeaked when Zion, with lightning speed, had her on her back stretched out on the plush carpet. Her shocked gasp exploded in the quietness of the room, and her wide eyes stared up at him.
“Now, I have you just where I want you,” Zion said hovering above her, and Raven’s shock turned into uncontrollable laughter while he grinned at her.
“Oh my God! What are you? Some type of ninja?” she asked, still laughing, but then that laughter turned into a moan when his lips covered hers again.
Raven slid a hand behind his neck, pulling him even closer as they feasted on each other’s mouths. Their stolen kisses throughout the day were no match for this demanding one that she felt to the soles of her feet. Zion smothered her lips with commanding mastery as their moans of pleasure filled the room.
Oh, yeah. This was happening.
Without breaking their connection, he lay beside her, one of his powerful legs covering hers while he kissed her senseless. Becoming even more aroused with the feel of his hardness pressed against her thigh, currents of desire shot through Raven.
His hand moved gently down her neck and to her chest, and with masterful precision, he unsnapped the front of her bra. Her breasts tumbled free of their restriction, and Zion made a humming noise as he palmed one of them.
“I love front closures. Easy access,” he said against her lips before lowering his head to her breasts. His teeth grazed one of her sensitive nipples before he sucked it into his mouth.
Goodness.
The heady sensation had Raven’s back arching, forcing her breasts into his face as he tugged and teased her nipple while tweaking and stroking the other.
She made a mental note to only buy front-closure bras from now on. They were easy access indeed and assisted him in giving her a little of what she’d been yearning for—him and his mouth on her.
“Zion,” she said, his name falling from her lips on a whimper as she squirmed against him.
Moaning and groaning with each stroke of his tongue, she liked that he was taking his time with her. Licking. Sucking. Swirling his tongue around her hardened bud elicited an unbearable need for him to do more. It felt so good to the point of her squeezing her thighs together as her sex clenched with need.
“Damn, you smell incredible,” he murmured against her skin while placing a kiss between her breasts before moving lower. “This is what I would’ve been doing when you were pregnant with my babies,” he said against her stomach, slowly peppering kisses all over it as if not noticing she was carrying around a few extra pounds in that area.
She hadn’t gotten rid of all her baby weight, and normally she was a bit self-conscious about it, but not in this moment. The man had her so aroused, all she could think about was how incredible he was making her feel.
“I would’ve also been doing some of this too,” he said when he lifted his head slightly to gaze at her as his hand slipped beneath the waistband of her yoga pants.
Raven sucked in a breath and trembled when he cupped her mound seconds before slipping a finger inside of her. Her eyes slammed shut as he started thrusting. Her inner walls clenched around his finger as he stroked her slowly at first, then slid in another finger.
Her body moved on its own accord, grinding against his hand while he pleasured her. With each stroke of his fingers, she moved with him, matching the rhythm that he had set. Even more pleasure built and swirled within her when he added his thumb to the mix, tenderly massaging her clit. She whimpered his name when he picked up speed.
Yes! Her mind screamed as she writhed, continuing to move against his hand while his long, insistent fingers brought her undeniable pleasure. It felt so good as he continued to push her closer to her release.
She wasn’t going to last much longer, especially when he captured her lips in a lust-filled kiss that had her groaning against his mouth. She needed this. She needed this so much that she wasn’t sure how much longer she could last.
Zion lifted his mouth from hers and kissed along her neck. “You feel so damn good,” he crooned while his fingers continued driving into her. “So, so good.”
“Zion… Oh, God!” she gasped, digging her nails into the skin of his arm as her orgasm suddenly slammed into her in explosive proportions and had her squeezing her thighs together, locking his hand in place.
Oh my… Oh my goodness.
Her chest heaved, and she struggled to get air into her lungs as she rode out the orgasm. Which had been incredible. Now if only she could catch her breath and get her heart rate to settle down.
Zion kissed her again, so sweetly as he eased his fingers from her and gently massaged her sex. Seconds ticked by without them speaking until he said, “The next time you come, I want to be inside of you.”
Raven managed a smile as her breathing started going back to normal, and she glanced at him. “I want that too, and I want it now,” she said, cupping his cheek and running the pad of her thumb along his scruff-covered jaw.
“Oh, that can definitely be arranged.”
She lifted her butt off the floor slightly to help as he started sliding her yoga pants down her legs, but knocking on the apartment door had them both freezing.
Oh crap.
Zion growled under his breath as Raven sat up.
“I’m sorry. I forgot Teresa was on her way over.”
“Yeah, I forgot too,” he said gruffly and grabbed Raven’s T-shirt while she pulled her pants back up. “But as soon as she’s gone, we’re picking up where we left off.”
“Deal!”