ELLE
Zodiac was oddly passive. I finally stopped nibbling on his ear and frowned in his face.
“Do you want me to leave?”
“If I wanted you gone, I would kick you out. There’d be nothing subtle about it.”
“Then, why are you sitting impotently while I kiss on you?”
“How many times has a man enjoyed your pussy?”
“Twice.”
“And you were always tipsy when that happened?”
“Tipsy sounds better than sloppy drunk.”
“You weren’t sloppy the night we fucked.”
“Did I make you feel good?” I asked, leaning closer and studying his eyes. “Was I super sexy?”
Zodiac chuckled. “You were the hottest pussy I’ve ever had.”
“Aww, that’s sweet. Thank you.”
“You did bite me, though.”
“Oh, then, you did something really good or really bad. Which was it?”
“I probably should have given your clit a break.”
“Yes, you were very naughty, so I had to cannibalize you. Are you scarred forever?”
Zodiac chuckled harder. “Is this your version of sexy talk?”
Giving him a wink, I eye-fucked him until his humor died and his dick returned to the conversation.
“What do you think I should do?” I asked as my hands stroked his muscled, tatted flesh. “Go to the bedroom to ride your dong before I head home, or make this like a date with a normal guy who doesn’t know I bite?”
“Neither option will work. You girls can’t drive back home unsupervised, and I plan to finish watching the game.”
Frowning hard, I slid off his lap. “Wait, so you want me to do what exactly? Should I call Sabrina and hang out with her until you’re done with your fucking game?”
“No, dumbass,” he said and rolled his eyes. “We’ll make this a date. You’ll need to pretend you like sports, though.”
“I do like sports.”
“Well, even better. Now, what should we order for the meal part of our date?”
“Sushi.”
“That’s not safe food for my son.”
“Aww,” I said, cradling his jaw and climbing back on his lap. “You researched babies. Wait, did you already know that?”
“No, I looked it up. I told you that I own a part of you now.”
“Sure, sure,” I said and kissed him softly.
I got the distinct impression Zodiac wanted to deepen the kiss. He was sporting a boner, and my hands were stroking his sculpted chest. He could so easily take our affection from mere teasing to raunchy dry humping.
“Why aren’t you making a move?” I asked and then realized the answer. Climbing off his lap, I stared disgusted at him. “You only enjoy the chase. Now that I want you, you’re bored.”
Watching me, Zodiac wore a completely unreadable expression. Finally, he cocked an eyebrow.
“It’s interesting how you switch from cold to hot to cold again without me doing a damn thing.”
“Admit that you wanted to rail me, but the thrill is gone now. Just say it. I can handle it. I won’t cry. If I do, I’ll pretend it’s hormones.”
Zodiac suddenly smiled. “You’re so bizarre,” he said and began to laugh. “Where do all these mood shifts come from? They’re not from me. I’m not doing anything.”
“Exactly. You were unrelenting when you wanted to plow me.”
“Oh, I still want to plow you.”
“But what?”
“But I’m watching the game.”
Unimpressed with his priorities, I asked, “What team are you rooting for? I’d like to support the opposing team.”
Zodiac smirked as his gaze focused on the large TV. “I don’t root for teams. I don’t need a favorite to enjoy the game.”
Sighing, I relaxed on the couch and pulled out my phone. “I have a new plan.”
“No.”
“I’ll hang out here for a tiny bit longer while Sabrina does her thing. Then, I’ll head home. You can come to Little Memphis for that date idea when you aren’t busy with important things like watching a game with teams you don’t care about.”
“If you want to pitch a fit, that’s fine. But you girls aren’t driving back without my supervision.”
Ignoring Zodiac, I texted Sabrina to find out where she was currently.
“He didn’t appreciate my impromptu booty call,” I told her. “When are you picking me up?”
“We just ordered the food.”
Pouting, I wished I could eat Creole food. The only time I was capable of tolerating spice was during my first two trimesters.
“Come get me, so I can eat with you,” I texted just to annoy my cousin.
“No, but we’ll bring you a to-go order.”
“Won’t it get gross on the ride home?”
“Let me ask,” Sabrina texted. A minute later, she added, “They said it reheats well.”
Turning to Zodiac, I asked, “Do you want any Creole? Sabrina will be here to pick me up in an hour, and she can bring you something.”
“You aren’t leaving,” Zodiac said without looking away from the TV. “I have my own Creole place.”
“He’s acting weird,” I texted to Sabrina.
“Give him a blowjob. Rowdy swears a man will put up with anything if a woman sticks his dick in her mouth. That sounds like solid advice.”
Glancing at Zodiac’s crotch, I wasn’t sure I wanted to break my dick-free mouth stance.
“No, I’m good,” I texted Sabrina.
“I don’t blame you. I wouldn’t put one of those things in my mouth, either.”
Rolling my eyes, I wondered if a lesbian was the best person to give me advice on how to seduce a man. Maybe I should text Vanessa, who was known to enjoy sex.
During a commercial, Zodiac swiped my phone and frowned at the conversation.
“I don’t want your mouth on my dick.”
“Because you’re in a bad mood or because you know I might bite that thing off?”
Grinning, he returned my phone. “You can stay here tonight. Tell your cousin and her harem to get a hotel room. I’ll drive to Little Memphis with you tomorrow.”
“I don’t want to stay here overnight,” I lied. “Sutter will miss me too much.”
“Don’t coddle the boy.”
“Sutter has his entire adult life to struggle alone. Why not coddle him until he’s at least shaving?”
“No one coddled me, and I turned out fine.”
Frowning, I asked, “You’re being sarcastic, right?”
“Not at all.”
“Zodiac, you’re a weirdo. Everyone says so.”
“By everyone, do you mean Exile?”
“No, I mean Clint. He says you’re awful.”
“Doubtful.”
“Well, I want you to know I genuinely pity you.”
“Oh, sure,” Zodiac said, chuckling. “You’re crying yourself to sleep tonight over my rough childhood.”
Crawling closer, I explained, “My dad had it rough, but he also had Pax. When no one loved them, they could love each other. You never had that.”
“I had myself. That was enough.”
I reached over and stroked his jaw. “Poor, sad little boy.”
“Don’t taunt me.”
“I’m not. I feel sincere pity.”
“Don’t mother me.”
“Oh, sweet, Zodiac,” I murmured and crawled closer. Stroking his face, I said in my most tender voice, “I will never obey you under any circumstances, so just fuck all the way off, okay?”
Zodiac grinned at my comment, but I could tell he was plotting. His frosty blue eyes glanced around the room before landing back on me.
“How did you see this going?”
“I thought you’d be more excited to see me. We’d fool around, and you’d follow me home like a puppy named Exile.”
“And I’d move into your basement with your son and the rat dog?”
“We also have a cat.”
Zodiac smirked, but his gaze was hard. “Why did you come here?”
“We already went over this when I arrived. I don’t know what to do with my crush on you. I came here hoping something would happen. I didn’t know exactly what. I guess the answer was you’d ignore me.”
“I’m talking to you right now. Stop being dramatic.”
“Never.”
“Can I be dramatic?”
“Are you going to threaten to file for full custody again?”
“Oh, that’s absolutely happening. I don’t think you can handle two kids.”
Smiling, I leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Where will the baby sleep when he’s here?”
“On the couch.”
Laughing, I fell back on the couch and stretched out until my feet rested across his lap. He wrapped his hand around the left one and pressed his thumb against the heel.
“Aww, you’re flirting,” I cooed and rubbed my belly. “But seriously, where would the baby stay here?”
“Where should I put it?”
“Ha! That was a trick question. There’s no way the baby is staying here with you.”
“I’ll get full custody. I have judges on my payroll.”
“Lula is getting her license to practice in Louisiana. I’ll unleash the Blair Witch on your payroll judges.”
“Won’t matter.”
“Why play this game?” I asked and straddled his lap. “We both know you don’t want the baby here.”
“We both don’t know anything. I want to supervise my critter.”
“Who will watch him when you’re riding around like a badass biker president?”
“I’ll get a nanny.”
Smiling, I nodded. “I’ll see you in court then.”
Zodiac’s hands wrapped around my hips and tugged me tighter against him. However, he also looked over my shoulder to see the TV.
“Lame,” I said and climbed off his lap. “I’m going to look at your bedroom. Should I be afraid of anything I might find?”
“Just my boa.”
I stopped at the doorway and frowned back at him. “I can’t tell if you’re kidding.”
“Oh, but I thought you knew me so well.”
“I do. You’re an open book to me, lover,” I cooed and flipped on the light. “I’ll be rummaging through your shit while you watch the game.”
Despite claiming to know him, I visually searched the room for a snake or its enclosure.
Instead, I only found a deeply masculine room with a king-sized bed situated low to the ground and covered in a thick brown comforter.
The floor was a rich, weathered wood. The ceiling was covered with a mural of the zodiac signs.
Framed pictures of local landmarks covered the wall behind the bed.
A sword and knife collection covered another wall.
A simple black dresser sat in one corner. Rifles rested in another.
The room felt like Zodiac, interesting yet unknowable. I tried to imagine a crib in here. That visual wasn’t easy even without the small arsenal. Hell, I couldn’t picture Zodiac holding a baby, let alone taking care of one.
As I stood in the middle of his room, reality wrapped around my heart and squeezed so tight that I could barely breathe.
Zodiac might have felt like mine in a way that no other man ever had, but he would never belong to me. I was a fool to hope otherwise.