13. Chapter 13
Chapter thirteen
~LILLY~
It starts with his voice.
I can’t see him at first, only feel him. Big, confident hands slide up my thighs in the dark, and I know exactly who they belong to before his mouth finds my neck.
“Zed…” I breathe, arching into him.
He’s everywhere. His massive body presses me into the sheets, tattooed arms cage me in, and his mouth moves hot and demanding over my skin. One hand spreads over my thigh, pushing it wider before his fingers slip between my legs.
I’m already breathless when his eyes find mine.
“Look at you,” he says, like he’s half mocking me and half starving from the sight.
I try to answer, but only a shaky breath comes out.
His mouth drags along my jaw and down my throat while his fingers keep moving. There’s none of my usual hesitation around him. No embarrassment. No second-guessing.
“Zed,” I whine.
His mouth curves against mine.
“That’s it,” he murmurs. “Say it again.”
Heat rolls through me. I say his name again, and he rewards me for it, pushing me closer until my breathing turns ragged.
I’m so close.
“I know you want this.” His breath is hot against my skin. “Let go for me.”
My back arches, hips lifting into his hand as the pleasure builds hard and fast—
My eyes fly open into darkness.
My heart is pounding, my breath caught halfway in my throat.
For one disoriented second, I have no idea where I am.
Then the shape of my bedroom settles around me—the faint silver of moonlight through the curtains and the distant hush of the ocean outside. Heat is still burning through my body.
I lie there frozen, staring up at the ceiling, trying to gather myself while my pulse races and my thighs press together on instinct.
Did I just… have a dirty dream about him?
My face goes hot. My body is still aching from it, still halfway trapped in that dream version of us.
I drag in a slow breath. It only makes me more aware of the warmth between my legs.
“Jesus,” I whisper into the dark. “Get it together.”
But even as I say it, my hand is already sliding down my stomach, slipping under the waistband of my panties.
The second my fingers brush over my pussy, I suck in a breath.
I’m so sensitive from today that even this light touch feels overwhelming.
I close my eyes, and it’s him again. Zed’s deep voice in my ear. His massive body pinning me on the dock. His fingers pressing against me through my shorts.
I shouldn’t be doing this. Thinking about him. But I can’t stop.
My free hand grips the sheets, chasing the release I’ve been denied all day. Soft little whimpers slip out despite how hard I’m trying to stay quiet.
Just a little more… just a little.
A soft creak snaps my attention. The smallest shift of weight in the corner of the room.
My hand flies out of my panties, and I jackknife upright in bed, heart exploding in my chest. I yank the sheets up to my chest.
My eyes strain in the dark until they finally make out the large shape sitting in the armchair by the balcony door. Legs spread, one massive arm draped casually over the armrest, completely still.
Watching me.
My stomach drops. A violent wave of mortification crashes over me, so hot I feel dizzy.
“Don’t stop on my account,” Zed’s deep voice cuts through the room.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I whisper-shout.
He tilts his head, looking far too calm for a man who should absolutely not be here.
“You called me.”
I called him? I never… Oh. Oh!
He must notice the realization on my face because he makes a low, appreciative sound that makes my insides twist.
He definitely heard me.
I pull the sheet tighter around myself and stare wide-eyed at the man who just watched me masturbate after moaning his name in my sleep.
I pull my knees up to my chest and yank the sheet up to my chin, like it can save me.
“How did you get in my room?”
He leans back in the armchair, lifting one ankle to rest on his opposite knee. “Our balconies are connected,” he says, completely at ease.
My eyes dart to the open balcony door. The sheer curtains are still swaying slightly.
I scramble off the bed, dragging the sheet with me and wrapping it tight around my body like armor. My legs are still shaky as I point at the door.
“Get out.”
He doesn’t move. He just tilts his head, watching me with that unnerving calm.
“You told me not to leave,” he reminds me.
“The context was different,” I snap, heat flooding my face.
“Mm,” he hums. “Considering you were just finger-fucking yourself while moaning my name, I suppose you’re right.”
I want the floor to open up and swallow me whole. This cannot be happening.
“And you were just sitting there… watching me sleep.”
“I watched you do a lot more than sleep, Lilly.”
Then he starts to stand, unfolding all six-foot-whatever of him until he seems to fill the entire room. The moonlight cuts across his sharp jaw and the dark tattoo climbing his neck as he stalks toward me.
I take a step back, still clutching the sheet.
“Tell me about the dream,” he says, his voice low and smooth.
“Why would I do that?” I whisper, even as heat spreads between my legs with each inch he closes between us.
“Because, apparently, I was doing excellent work.”
I shake my head, pressing my lips together. No way in hell am I repeating any of that out loud.
When he reaches me, he lifts one hand and trails two fingers down my bare arm. The touch is soft, but it feels like electricity across every nerve ending inside me.
“No need to be ashamed,” he says, eyes locked on mine. “I have dreams about you too.” His fingers trail slowly back up my arm. “Only mine happen when I’m awake.” His voice drops lower. “Though you might call those fantasies.”
My skin is burning, and my core squeezes around nothing.
“How about,” he says evenly, “you tell me about your dream…and I’ll recreate it for you.”
My breath catches, temptation hitting me like a drug. A fresh wave of arousal floods me at the idea, but everything holding me back wins over.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” I shake my head quickly, cheeks burning.
“No?” He steps even closer, towering over me. “How about something else, then?”
I don’t like how interested my body is in those five words. His gaze drops to my mouth and comes back up.
“I tell you one of my fantasies, and you recreate it for me.”
My heart drops straight into my stomach.
“Sound like a better deal?” He reaches down and starts unbuckling his belt. The quiet clink of metal fills the room like a gunshot.
“What are you doing?” I gasp, lunging forward and grabbing both of his wrists. The sheet slips lower, and I let go of him to tighten it.
He lets the buckle hang open and looks down at me.
“Two options, Lilly,” he says. “You tell me what I did to you in the dream, and I do it. Or I tell you what I’ve imagined doing to you…and you do it.”
I know enough about him to be certain that his imagination is not a safe place for me to wander into blind.
“I would suggest you take the first option. I’m not sure you’re ready for the second one.”
My nipples rub against the sheet when I pull it higher. His presence alone is enough for my body to start begging me to take his deal. I want it. There’s no going around that. But I also don’t know if he’d take it further than I’m willing to go.
Zed must read the hesitation on my face because his expression softens.
“I’ll do exactly what you tell me, Lilly. Nothing more.”
I stare up at him.
He sounds completely serious. Which is probably why my brain, seemingly overwhelmed by Zed Mercer offering me sexual terms and conditions, reaches for the only form of legally binding agreement it can think of.
I lift my hand between us and stick my pinkie out.
The regret is immediate.
Oh my God. What am I doing?
His eyes drop to my hand, then slowly lift back to my face. I want to retract the finger. Possibly my entire existence.
An amused breath leaves him, and his mouth pulls into an open, disbelieving smile that sends heat right to my cheeks.
“Forget it.”
I start to lower my hand, but his comes up, large and covered in dark designs. It closes the distance between us, and his pinkie hooks around mine.
I tighten my pinkie around his, sealing the promise, and his gaze snaps back to mine. My heart feels like it’s doing a cartwheel.
I just made Zed freaking Mercer pinkie-promise me.
“You’ve got your pinkie swear,” he says. “Use it.”
“You’re enjoying this too much.”
“Immensely.” His mouth pulls at one corner. “What did I do in your dream first?”
“I…” I swallow, my voice barely a whisper. “You were kissing me.”
Zed steps closer until his body heat wraps around me. He slides one big hand up my jaw, tilting my face up. His thumb brushes my bottom lip.
“Here?” he asks, his voice rough.
I nod, my stomach already tightening in anticipation.
“How?”
My eyes flutter shut for half a second.
“Slow,” I whisper.
He leans down, brushing his lips over mine. The kiss is gentle, his mouth moving softly, his hand still cupped around my jaw. The gentleness makes me feel every second of it. When he pulls back, it’s only far enough to look at me.
“What else did I do?” His thumb drags across my cheek.
He’s making me hand it to him piece by piece. The possibility of what I can make him do drives me to keep giving it to him.
“You were talking.”
“What was I saying?” His gaze sharpens.
“I don’t remember exactly.”
I look down at his shirt instead of his face. It feels easier than standing under his full attention and admitting any of this. His mouth brushes mine once, almost absent-mindedly, then again, and I can feel him waiting for more.
“What else, Lilly?”
In the dream, there was no hesitation. Here, awake, every word costs me. But the way he says my name makes me give a little more.
“You kissed my neck.”
His mouth moves, trailing to the side of my throat. The first press of his lips nearly folds me where I stand.
“And…” My voice wobbles. “You were biting.”
A deep hum rumbles against my skin before his teeth catch lightly at my neck. A whimper escapes me when his canines dig a little harder than the rest.