Chapter 26 #2
“Sam?” I push Zane and roll him out of the way so that I can step in front of the screens.
“How is he? What’s he doing?” I look between all four screens, but the only person I can definitively make out is Kane.
Grabbing the mouse, I move the cursor to the top right monitor and click to zoom in on the conference room.
A meeting is going on, and maybe that’s Sam at the front—
With a growl, Zane drops the thermos lid and wraps an arm around my waist to pull me into his lap. Then he grabs my hand and wrestles the mouse from me. “Will you—stop!” The mouse bounces on the desk after he throws it out of reach. “You’ll fuck everything up!”
“How could you keep this a secret from me?” I elbow him in the ribs, but he doesn’t let go. “You know that I’ve been worried sick!”
“That’s why I’m doing this,” Zane hisses in my ear, “because you won’t shut up about Sam!”
Indignation flares hot inside my chest. “Excuse me? Since when have I—”
“In your sleep, Mercy.” The tip of Zane’s nose nudges the side of my neck. He sighs heavily. “You won’t shut up about him in your sleep.”
A flicker of embarrassment makes me blush. “You’re watching me sleep now?”
He huffs. “Hardly. You toss and turn all night.” His lips skim my bare shoulder as my sweater slips down my arm. He pulls it lower with his teeth, snapping the neckline with a grunt. “Kane snores, you have nightmares, and Sam—” Zane nips my skin. “Mmm. You taste like lavender, Kitten.”
I take a shallow breath as my heart skips a beat. “Focus, Zane, what about Sam?”
“Sam, Sam, Sam,” he rumbles, slipping his cold hands beneath my sweater. “All you care about is Sam, and it’s getting pretty fucking old.”
“That—that’s not true!”
A shiver runs down my spine as Zane splays his hands flat against my stomach, then drags his knuckles up the ladder of my ribs. Once he reaches my bra, he grunts and grabs my boobs. “You’re really warm,” he murmurs, lightly squeezing. “It’s nice.”
“I brought you a blanket,” I choke out, ignoring the tingles of pleasure as he idly rubs my nipples through the fabric. “It’s over there, um—” Shit, where did I drop it? “I’ll get it!”
Zane pinches my nipples and pants in my ear. “Don’t you want to hear about your precious boyfriend?”
“Yes, of course, I—” My breath catches as heat pools between my thighs. “Zane, stop,” I plead, trembling. “You’re not thinking straight.”
“I’m thinking just fine, Kitten.” He kisses a tender spot below my ear. “Sit still, and I’ll show you Sam.”
This is fucked up.
“I came here to help you.” Reaching beneath my shirt, I claw at his wrists. “Stop being a fucking dick!”
Growling, Zane lets go of my breasts and grabs my hands. “Then stop being a bitch!”
“What are you talking about?” I’ve been nothing but kind to both Kane and Zane since they arrived.
Cooking meals for my family, plus two, and not complaining when they use my body wash and shampoo.
Even my toothpaste! “You’re the ones taking advantage of my family! You moved in without even asking me!”
Ever since we got back from the cabin, they’ve been hanging around the house like we run an inn instead of a morgue.
I’ve overlooked a lot of things because of how happy it’s made my dad to have someone interested in the family business, and Kane is all too eager of a pupil—more eager than me or my siblings have ever been, truthfully.
Zane has been antsy, yes, but he keeps my grandmother occupied by playing cards and overlooking when she cheats, even going so far as to try her daily tea concoctions without spitting them out if they taste like dirt.
Having them around hasn’t been all bad, but it’s one hell of an adjustment.
Now, he’s calling me a bitch?
“We didn’t want you to get lonely without Sam,” Zane says slowly, easing his grip.
“And if we asked, you would have said no and insisted that you were fine. You’re not fine, Mercy, no matter how much you pretend to be.
” He laces our fingers together and rests them on my stomach.
“So yes, you’ve been a little bitchy, but it’s not your fault.
I get that we’re—” His lips quirk into a half-smile. “An acquired taste.”
That’s an understatement.
He takes a deep breath and reaches for the mouse. “If I do this for you,” he murmurs, “if I keep you updated about Sam, could you…” His lips skim the shell of my ear. “Hang out more?”
Now I know that Zane’s not getting enough sleep. Curving my spine, I turn around and flatten my palm against his forehead. “Are you feeling okay? Chills, cold sweats—” The sour look on his face makes me laugh, and his expression instantly lightens.
“Don’t make me bite you,” he teases, smirking. “I might be infectious.” He dives into the crook of my neck and chomps down, a deep laugh rumbling in his chest as I squeal.
“Zane!” I pull on the hair at the base of his neck. It’s gotten longer since we met, making it easier to yank. “Be serious!”
Two words I never thought I’d have to say when it comes to Zane.
He sighs against my skin and drags his lips up the column of my throat. “I am serious, Mercy.”
My heartbeat stutters as his tone shifts.
Kissing a trail along my jawline, he hums softly. “I’m always serious when it comes to you.”
I stare at the screen as Zane clicks to enhance the image of the conference room.
It takes a few seconds, but then the men at the twelve-foot long table come into focus.
I only recognize two of them: Samuel Wright, CEO and founder of some of the largest corporations in the city, and a younger carbon copy of him.
Dressed in a tailored black suit, brunette hair perfectly styled, summer eyes shining in the sunlight beaming through the window.
Sam looks like he’s exactly where he belongs.
But then he turns away from the room and faces the camera for one second, maybe two, as he takes a calming breath, and beyond the charming facade is a man whose eyes betray just how exhausted he actually is, down to the marrow of his bones.
“We have to help him.” My heart beats rapidly as I get worked up, my nervous system flailing in response to Sam’s distress. “What can we do?”
Zane nuzzles my neck and presses his lips to my fluttering pulse. “That’s the problem, Mercy.” He taps something on his keyboard to take a screenshot. “He walked into that wolf den on his own. Now it’s up to him to find a way out.”
I think back to what Sam told me before we separated.
“He’s choosing to stay,” I realize, my heart breaking.
“He’s not leaving, because he hasn’t found what he’s looking for yet.
He’s trying to save me. Save us.” My voice catches.
All this time, I’ve been wondering if he’s finally realized how much of a burden I am—how much he doesn’t need me.
When in reality, I’m still as much of a burden as always, and he’s going through hell to make it work.
Zane is, too, in his own way. I tear my gaze off the monitor and scan Zane’s face. The paleness of his complexion. The dark circles under his eyes. The way his bones jut out more than I remember. He isn’t taking care of himself, because he’s too busy worrying about everyone else.
“Let’s get some fresh air, okay?” I cup Zane’s cheek. It’s cold to the touch. “We can spend the day together. Just you and me.”
Something flickers in the depths of Zane’s eyes, like dying embers struggling to light. “Okay.” He licks his dry lips. “What do you want to do?”
I catch him off guard by pressing the barest kiss to his lips. His muscles tighten as his entire body goes stiff. Dragging in a breath, he bumps my forehead with his and closes his eyes, exhaling slowly. “That’s not fair,” he murmurs, sliding his hand into my hair. “I didn’t say you could kiss me.”
This man has never asked for permission to touch me, and now he has a problem when I touch him back?
“You’re a hypocrite.” I shake my head and his fingers snag in my hair. “You’ve been kissing me this whole time.”
His gaze flicks to my lips before returning to my eyes. “I like kissing you, Mercy.” Tilting his head up, he kisses the corner of my mouth. “Is that a problem?”
Warmth spreads through my veins. My heartbeat suddenly races. This feels important. Like we’re… testing a boundary, or creating new ones. I take a shaky breath. “It’s only a problem if I can’t kiss you back.”
A smile curves on his lips. “You want to kiss me?”
“Don’t let it go to your head.”
He laughs, the sound rich and full of life. I find myself smiling alongside him. “Alright, Kitten. You can kiss me whenever you want.” His arm tightens around my waist as he pulls me closer. “Don’t hold back.”