22. She said, “I was too scared to ask you to stay.”
22
She said, “I was too scared to ask you to stay.”
Eden
I’ve never been so jealous of an ice cream cone.
The roar of the roller coaster spiralling overhead and the excited squeals erupting from Luna Park faded into the background. Nothing existed but Zach’s mouth. He clutched a chocolate ice cream cone, and his tongue darted out for a lick, stalled, hovering midair as he turned a wary look sideways.
His brows lifted over the top of his glasses. “You sure you don’t want to swap?” It was the third time he’d offered.
I stared helplessly at the melting orange mess in my own hand. “But you don’t like mango.”
“And obviously, neither do you. That thing is miserable. Come on.” Zach hoisted the pink sequinned dolphin he’d won for me at the ring toss under his arm and offered his empty hand. “Swap.”
No one was stupid enough to pass up a deal like that.
Excited, bouncing on the spot, I shoved my mango ice cream at him and greedily grabbed for his. Zach laughed—an easy kind of laugh that was getting rarer for him the closer we crept to his firm’s big announcement.
Lowering my lashes, I curled my tongue around the melting chocolate. “Mmm.”
Innocently, I glanced up. Zach stood there, frozen, mango ice cream dribbling down the cone to his hand. His gaze locked on the swirl of my tongue. What was going on behind his dark, dark eyes? Dirty thoughts? I certainly hoped so.
“You like licking the ice cream, sweetheart?” His voice was gruff.
Oh yes, he was thinking very naughty thoughts.
“Uh-huh,” I said. My next lick was positively obscene.
Zach grunted. His eyes slowly lifted, pinning me to the spot, and then, ever so slowly, he raised his cone, flattening his tongue to lap up the melting ice cream.
“Wha—what are you doing?” My pulse fluttered. I remembered those long, luxurious licks.
“Enjoying…my…” Lick. “Ice cream…”
“That’s—you’re—” I gasped a little sound. My poor neglected pussy throbbed. It had been so long since his mouth had been on me.
Zach’s lashes dipped, the picture of boyish innocence, and the evil smile tugging at the corners of his lips only disappeared when he took another taste. “Mmm.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“So…good.”
My mouth curled into an angry pout. I spun on my heel, casting furious looks at Zach over my shoulder as my legs pumped as fast as they could to the ferry terminal.
“Eden!” Laughing, he jogged after me, the dolphin’s tail flapping with each effortless bounce. “I was just messing around!”
“Oh, were you just!”
“Yes.” He planted himself in front of me, blocking each of the steps I tried to dodge around him. “I thought we were having a little fun with each other.”
I huffed.
“No?” He scooped the dolphin from under his arm and bumped its sequinned beak into my nose. “Is the torment only meant to be one-sided?”
“No.” I pouted.
“You’re adorable when you lie.” He booped me again with the dolphin. “Come on, the ferry will be here soon, and this li’l guy is up way past his bedtime.”
We finished our ice creams with no more innuendo. A napkin appeared out of Zach’s pocket when the ferry arrived, and he dabbed at my lips, wadded it up, and tossed it in the bin as he shuffled us both on board.
He bumped his shoulder against mine. “I had fun tonight.”
“Me too. It’s been a long time since I’ve been to Luna Park.”
“Same.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I didn’t think I was getting off the spinny ride without embarrassing myself, though.”
“I happen to think you’re cute when you turn green,” I teased.
He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, and my head fell to his chest, listening to the thump of his heart. The wind whipped off the water and through my hair, and I snuggled closer, my fingers flexing on the hard lines of his chest.
“That feels nice,” he murmured, kissing my head.
His shirt was still clutched in my fist. I didn’t dare open my eyes. “Do you want to come over for…a coffee…or…” I nibbled on my lip.
Or stay the night with me.
Why was I suddenly acting like a bashful teenager? I wasn’t shy. I’d begged Zach to fuck me more than once, and he’d always obliged enthusiastically. Even when my legs had been trembling from an orgasm, he’d happily dived in to help me chase another.
“I’d better not,” he said.
Struggling under the crush of disappointment, I forced my eyes back up.
His gaze was lost over the harbour on the high rises looming over the city. Was he seriously thinking of heading back to the office? Forget the stupid ice cream. I’ve never been more jealous of a desk.
Zach kissed me and started to pull back. The fabric of his shirt slipped through my fingers.
I don’t want to wait anymore. I’m ready.
But he was so close to his dream.
Please come home with me.
His work always came first, but maybe it wouldn’t once he got promoted.
“Coffee tomorrow morning?” I asked.
“I’d love that.”
When the ferry docked at Circular Quay, we kissed goodbye and walked through the city in opposite directions.
And nothing had ever felt so wrong.
Frustrated, I yanked open the closet door. One sneaker flew off my foot. The second bounced into the wall.
Whose dumb idea had it been to wait?
My dress was stripped over my head and tossed on the floor instead of in the hamper. I twisted to catch a glimpse of myself in the full-length mirror. Sexy black lace underwear. Decoration, zero comfort. Scorecard? Hotter than hell. Not that Zach saw my new lingerie. Not that he’d even tried to take a peek.
Sighing, I flopped into the mountain of pillows on my big, lonely bed beside the sequinned dolphin. A cute but poor substitute for the man I missed so much. Sure, sex for us had always been out of this world, but the thing I craved most was our connection—the laughing, the pillow talk, snuggling together, and sharing sleepy kisses.
I should’ve spoken up and told Zach I was ready. Why hadn’t I?
I needed to fix this.
A scheme.
I snatched my phone off the bedside table. A satisfied smile spread across my face as I tapped out a quick message to Zach.
Eden
Can you come over? We need to talk.
My wicked laugh filled the emptiness of the bedroom. If this plan worked, there would be very little talking .
I slipped a floral kimono over my underwear and spritzed some perfume in the air. Oh, what the heck. A spritz for me, too. I raced around the apartment, tidying the clutter to make sure Zach’s neat freak eyes focused on nothing but me. Dishes flew out of the sink and into the dishwasher. A dirty towel finally made it into the hamper. Pillows on the sofa were fluffed and chopped—
Frantic knocking cracked through the silence.
Cinching the belt of my robe snugly around my waist, I let just enough satin slip off my shoulder to reveal the lacy black bra strap hiding underneath.
Let’s see how long his pants stay on…
I opened the door, arching against it with my best seductive smile, but Zach’s reaction was not what I expected. He barely gave my outfit—or me—a second glance before he burst through the door. His arms were overloaded with so much junk I didn’t know where to look.
“Zach, what the fu—”
“Eden, I’m sorry. Was it the ice cream thing? Was it ’cause I nearly puked when we went upside down on the Moon Ranger?”
“What the hell are you talking—”
“Whatever I did, I’m sorry. More than sorry.” My dining table disappeared under an avalanche of sunflowers, daisies, cookies, chocolates, and a bottle of wine. “Is this enough?” His hands clapped on his cheeks. “What else can I buy? What do I need to do? You know I’ll do anything.”
“Zach—”
“Was it because I asked you to go to Chris’s birthday party?” Agitated, he paced the kitchen, pushing a hand through his hair. “I know you’ve got your doubts about him. Me too. I don’t know how to separate the man I admire from the man at the gala. But we need to put on a brave face until the announcement.”
“Zach—”
“Oh, God. Was it Mum? Did she say something to you? I begged her not to—”
“Stop!” I grabbed a pillow off the sofa and tossed it at him. It bumped into his chest and hit the floor, but thankfully, he stopped pacing. “What the hell is going on?”
“What’s going on? You said we need to talk! That’s code for—for—” Emotion choked his voice. Tortured eyes met mine. “Are you dumping me again?”
My chin dropped.
I was hopeless. Zach had been trying so hard for weeks, opening up and sharing more about himself, but talking still wasn’t easy for me. I should’ve been honest with Zach and sent him a message with ‘DTF’ and an eggplant and peach emoji tacked on the end. Even he could decipher that, right? He would’ve already stripped me out of the stupid lace thong riding up my booty and been, you know, DTF.
Zach’s chest still heaved when I cupped his face in my palm, and his gaze stayed locked on his feet.
“Hey.” I urged him to relax with a kiss on his jaw. “Look at me.” I waited for his eyes to lift to reassure him with a smile. “Zach, I’m not breaking up with you. I’m not. Okay?”
“O-Okay.”
“I’m sorry. I was upset you didn’t want to come over, but I was too scared to tell you.”
His eyes widened. “You wanted me to…come…over?”
“Y-Yeah.”
The line of his mouth was grim, dark lashes lowering when his eyes started to roam my body. His fingers skimmed the trim of the kimono to reveal another sliver of my skin. “Come…over?”
Teeth in my lip, I nodded.
He traced the ridge of my collarbone, pushing and bunching the satin. I shivered as cool air rippled over the black, lacy breast exposed to his greedy eyes. “Eden. I didn’t realise you meant…” He groaned. “You want me to…stay?”
“Only if you want to.” I hated the uncertain waver in my voice.
“Consider your invitation accepted.”
My feet lifted off the ground. I let out a helpless squeal as he threw me over his shoulder.
“Zach!” I flailed my legs and whacked playful hands on his back. “Put me down!”
He smacked my backside with a loud crack. “Unfortunately, I’m unable to fulfil your request. Your waiting period has expired, and now, I must complete all my duties under our agreement.” The bastard was laughing! “Point the way to your bedroom.”
I kicked out a leg in the direction of the hallway. “That way.”
Quick strides, one easy toss off Zach’s shoulder, and I was sprawled on the bed. The room was dark, the only splinter of light from the kitchen, but I could see the grin on Zach’s face. Two plonks on the wood. He’d kicked off his shoes. The mattress dipped. A big hand clutched my neck, pulling me closer, holding me in place for a toe-curling kiss.
“Are you sure you’re ready?” His breathless question was whispered into the crook of my neck even as he frantically unknotted my robe.
I grabbed his hand and shoved it between my legs. His fingers blurred along the damp patch of lace, and a groan huffed against my skin. Dizzy on the cologne ghosted on his neck, I undid the buttons of his shirt, stripped the linen off his shoulders, balled it up, and tossed it on the floor where it belonged. His belt unbuckled. The button on his trousers popped off. I tugged down the metal zipper.
Zach tore his lips away. “Slow down.”
“I don’t want to.” I tried to force his weight on top of me by pulling on the waistband of his trousers. I wanted to sink into the mattress underneath him. I wanted him to pin me down. Do his worst. “I want you.”
“You know our rule.”
“Forget the stupid rule,” I said. “I want you. Inside me. Right now.”
Zach chuckled, but he didn’t hurry. In fact, he slowed down even more, pressing kisses on my shoulder and running his finger over the lace barely covering my skin. “This is so pretty.” He fumbled trying to undo the clasp. “You always dress up so…so… nice .” My bra disappeared. “What’s our rule, Eden?”
“I always come first,” I grumbled.
“Tell me how…”
“No.” I pouted. “I want this.” I cupped the bulge in his trousers.
My sigh was dreamy. God, he was so hard already. My aching pussy only throbbed more when he moaned from my touch. But he refused to give in. He tutted me softly and moved my hand from his cock to the safety of his bare chest. Little party pooper.
“Do you want me to use my mouth?” Zach’s tongue flicked over my nipple in a luxurious lick that made me shudder. “My fingers?” A hint of friction glided along the damp lace between my legs. “What do you want?”
“I want it like after my birthday party.”
He groaned—not in a sexy way. “Eden, you were so pissed off at me that night.”
“I was,” I said, shimmying his pants down his muscular thighs, yanking them over his ankles, and tossing them into the air, desperate to get to his underwear next. “But remember how many times I came riding you? I want that.”
Zach’s eyes softened, his hand trying to calm my frantic touch. “You want to be in control tonight?”
“I want you to do what you’re told.”
He chuckled. “So…yes?”
I glared at him. This wasn’t the time for jokes. Didn’t he know how long I’d waited? I might’ve been desperate, but I was in no mood for begging. “Give me your cock, Zach.” I curled my fingers around the waistband of his underwear.
“Those aren’t very pretty manners, Denny Dee.”
“Give me your cock”—I smiled sweetly— “please.”
“Oh, well … In that case…” Strained laughter echoed in his voice. “Be my guest.”
His underwear—gone. Off and somewhere on the floor.
An easier laugh filled Zach’s chest when I didn’t bother hiding my delight to wrap my hand around his thick, veiny cock. I sighed. He’d been made just right. But he cursed me bitterly when I kissed the weeping tip to say hello. He threaded my hair around his fist and yanked me away. Bossy. I loved it.
“Don’t you dare,” he growled. “Not unless you intend to let me repay the favour.”
I grinned. “Later, then?”
Pushing my lacy knickers to the side, I threw my leg over his waist, ready to reclaim the handsome man sprawled on my bed. A peaceful smile softened his face.
When Zach looked at me like that…
My chest squeezed, my heart pumping a frantic beat as I fought the swell of emotion bubbling inside me. I tried to breathe through the feelings, but my fingers still trembled when I took off his glasses and popped them on the nightstand. I kissed him. Long and slow. Explored his skin with less frantic energy, enjoying the feel of how different our bodies were, his hard muscles, and the crinkly chest hair tickling my nipples when I bent over to kiss his neck.
“Can I have you?” I whispered. “All of you?”
“I was yours forever the first day I saw you, Denny Dee.”
It was the final invitation I needed to lift my hips and guide him inside me. And it was good. So good. Better than good. I was stretched and full and just…floating.
Zach’s eyes screwed shut tighter and tighter the lower I sank on his cock. Dark hair crushed into my mountain of white pillows. The sequinned dolphin squished under the desperate arch of his neck as he strangled out a moan. “Shit, I—” He gasped. The grip he’d clamped on my thighs became a brutal squeeze. “W-Wait.”
I froze. “Wait?”
“Fuck… Fuck. It’s been—” He grunted, almost like he was in pain, tiny beads of sweat glistening on his brow. “I didn’t prepare enough for this.”
Oh, this was getting sexy. “Prepare?” I traced my fingers down the rugged ridges of his chest, smiling as he squirmed. “How do you prepare, handsome man?”
His mouth pressed down into a flat line. Cute. But his stubbornness wasn’t going to stop me. I rolled my hips to slip up and down his hot length. A bit of torture might coax the truth out of him.
“O-Okay.” His fingers dug even deeper to try to stop me from tormenting him. “J-Jerking off.”
“And when’s the last time you jerked off your big cock?”
Zach strained against me, shaking his head, not willing to tell me. What was there to be ashamed of? Everyone did it. The thought of his big hand fisting his cock had my pussy clenching. A string of filthy curses left his mouth, and I grinned down at him. Maybe now he’d give up his sexy secret.
“This…morning,” he panted.
“Where?”
“S-Shower.”
“And what did you think about?” I pinned his shoulders under my hands. “Tell me.”
“Y-You.”
“Yeah?” I let the roll of my hips press into his hot, hard skin. “Doing what?” Another roll.
Zach grunted with appreciation. “My tongue. On you. In you. Eden, you taste so good. Let me.”
“Later.”
“We’ve got a long list for later.” His chuckle was strained.
“Is that a problem?”
“Only for the little schemer who likes torturing me.” He smiled. “It’s payback time.”
“Wha—”
Zach bucked his hips.
I answered him with a moan, loving the way his hand latched onto my rear, urging me up, brutal thrusts starting to pound deeper and deeper inside me. He’d found his rhythm and—God—did that man know how to fuck.
Was I in control… Or was he?
My head fell back as thick fingers slid over my clit and circled. Barely any air reached my lungs. Every breath was saved to moan a thank you. I was in heaven. With every rough stroke of his cock, I soared closer to where I wanted to be. I was drugged on the way his face contorted in ecstasy and agony. I did that. He suffered with each groan rumbling from his chest. He was waiting for me. Putting me first. Like this, he always had, but now I knew he would in other ways, too.
“That’s it,” Zach urged me on . “That’s fucking it.”
Finally—but still too soon—I tipped over the edge, exploding into a hundred happy pieces, blissfully complete when I coaxed out Zach’s deep, long moan of relief next.
I folded over on top of him. His grip loosened on my backside, but he still held me in place, steady and sure. His other hand reached up to tuck my hair behind my ear. He wanted to see my face. His brows furrowed, eyes swimming with an emotion I’d seen before but never quite understood. What was he searching for when he looked at me like that? His mouth opened, but he snapped it shut before saying a word and left me only with a smile.
I wanted to ask him, “Why?” But what if I didn’t like the answer?
I kissed him instead.
When would we both be able to say all the words we needed to say?