8. Zane
8
Zane
After a Nap
I f she wakes up and sees me sitting across the room, watching her sleep, she’ll bolt out of the bed, and probably the room, but I can’t look away.
She’s not really in the bed, just on top of it. My own energy is flagging. I only slept a few hours last night, and I could really use a few more.
I step out of my shoes and quietly walk to the other side of the bed, lift the covers and climb in between the soft sheets. Having her next to me, even separated by layers of blankets, is comforting.
My entire body exhales. All is not right with the world, but the conditions are right enough in this room to shut out everything else for a little while . . .
***
Our eyes flicker open at virtually the same time. We both jolt at the sight of each other, which for her, makes sense, but I knew she was in this bed when I crawled into it. And yet, I’m shocked, too. She looks around, clearly trying to determine where she is.
“It’s okay,” I assure her. “You just took a nap.”
“Looks like we both took a nap.”
“Yeah. Sorry, I needed a little more sleep, too.”
“You don’t have to apologize. It’s your room.”
“For what it’s worth, I slept better with you in it.”
My phone buzzes, but when I roll over to reach for it, I realize it’s still on the desk. I’ve promised my family I won’t turn it off, and I’ll answer all their calls. I jog over and get to it right before it rolls to voicemail. When I see Izzie’s name on the screen, I snatch it up.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” she says. “Were you working?”
“Earlier. I actually just woke up from a nap. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. I just wish you were here.”
“I promise I’ll be there as soon as I can get a flight. How is she doing?”
“The same. No energy. She’s sleeping a lot.”
“Her body needs the rest. I talked to her this morning, and she said the pain meds are doing their job. Do you think she’s telling the truth?”
“I think so. I’m supposed to go the beach in a little while with some friends. Do you think that’s still okay?”
“Yes. I think it’s more than okay. It’s important. It’s what she’d tell you, too.” I swallow hard, wishing it didn’t even cross her mind to feel guilty about going to the beach with friends, but at the same time, understanding why it does. “Just be safe, okay?”
“I will. You, too. But also, hurry up.”
“I promise. Love you.”
“Love you, too, loser.”
I hold the phone in my hand for a moment and just breathe.
“Was that your sister?”
Shit. I’d zoned out and forgotten Darby was even here. I turn to find her sitting up with her back against the headboard, staring at me. “How’d you know that?”
She shrugs. “Your tone sounded very big-brother-like. Is your mom sick?”
“Yeah. She is.”
I had no intention of telling Darby any of this, but the next thing I know, I’m sitting next to her on the bed, and I’ve spilled everything from the initial diagnosis to the latest prognosis. I’ve never shared this much about it with anyone, and it feels good, but awful at the same time.
“I really did not mean to just trauma dump all over you.”
“It’s fine, Zane. I think you needed to talk about it.”
“I think I did, too. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” She flinches before she goes on, but I wouldn’t miss what else she has to say for anything. “This is probably going to make me sound like an asshole, but I might’ve needed a reminder that there are people with bigger problems than mine. I can get a little tunnel vision sometimes.”
“That happens to everybody.” I’m grateful she’s taking this in stride and not looking at me with abject pity. She can make it about her all she wants. I’d prefer that, honestly. “It’s natural to feel that way.”
She nods. “Just another part of the human condition, huh?”
“Exactly.”
Her eyes are bright, and I can’t tell if she’s on the verge of tears or happy. It could be the perfect moment to come on to her or the absolute worst. My timing with this woman has been shit from the start, but all I know is if I don’t kiss her right now, my heart might explode in my chest. So, I do.
We pick right back up where our kiss left off on the train. But we’re not on a train now. We’re in a bed, and I can’t think of single good reason why we should remain upright, so I slide down and take her with me.
Her body gently rolls toward mine until she’s nestled against me. She moans softly when I thread my fingers into her hair, and the kiss deepens. I want to get so very lost in this woman. My hand leaves her hair to glide down her side, following the curve of her waist. The fabric of her dress is thin, and her body heat radiates through it.
As I let my hand roam back upward, I can map each of her ribs. And then the swell of her breast. The fullness of it fills my palm, and I want to feel her with nothing between our skin.
I pull the long dress up to her waist, bunch it in my hands, and keep lifting until she’s shaking her hair free, and together, we drop the dress to the floor. When I reach around her body for the clasp of her bra, she arches her back to make it easier for me to unhook.
My eyes close for a sharp second before I take the straps down her arms.
I just need to feel her in my arms like this, warm and soft, the willingness in her spine as it relaxes after the release of the clasp, the want-to in her kiss. It’s the willingness and the want-to I need to be sure of before we go on. The want-to most of all.
I need to know that my need isn’t driving her willingness. To believe she wants this as much as I do. She squirms almost imperceptibly beneath me, but I know I didn’t imagine the anxious rock of her hips. Anticipation races between us like electricity through coils.
Her nipples pebble as soon as the air hits them. They’re irresistible. My thumb grazes one of the rosy peaks before I lower my mouth to it. She gasps a little at my ravenous pace, but I can’t temper my passion with caution right now. I need to release too much that’s been pent up for too long.
The clawing of her hands at my shirt as she tries to remove it matches my frenzied energy. My hand delves into her panties to cup her soft pussy, and my fingers glide through her seam with no friction at all. She’s so fucking wet it makes my dick lurch and my mouth water at the same time.
I rise up and help her take my shirt off before I kiss my way down her gorgeous body. The quiver of her thighs when I lick her pretty pussy for the first time turns my cock to steel. Her juices coat my tongue like nectar as I spread her legs wider, pressing the heels of my hands into the backs of her knees until I have them exactly the way I want them: drawn up and splayed open.
“God, you taste so fucking good.” I glance up to see her teeth sinking into her bottom lip right before her head lolls to the side. My lips gently knead her clit until she whimpers and fists the sheet, and then I go back to tasting her sweet arousal, leaving her clit swollen and needy. I’ll return to it, but not before my beard is drenched in her essence.
Fuck, I love the heady scent of her, the way she drives her shoulders into the mattress and tries not to buck her hips against my mouth while I devour the steady flow from her hot pussy. I want her to let go of that restraint.
Slipping two fingers inside, I apply variable pressure on her slick upper wall until the muscles in her abdomen tighten and the cadence of her breath quickens. “Will this make you squirt for me?”
“I-I,” she hesitates, but her silken walls clench around my fingers, and I think I have my answer.
Keeping my fingertips working the spot they’ve found, I close my mouth around her clit, increasing the suction while my tongue rhythmically massages it.
She draws a pronounced breath with a gasp that borders on a scream. And then her restraint falls completely.
Fuck, yes. Drown me, beautiful.
Lying boneless on the bed with her dilated pupils darkening her eyes under heavy lids, her cheeks flushed, and her blissed-out expression, she should be named a new wonder of the world.
In a voice so thin I wouldn’t recognize it as hers if I wasn’t looking right at her, she asks, “Why are you so good at that?”
“I feel like the obvious answer is that I’ve had a lot of practice, but if that turns you off, pretend I said something else instead.”
Her laughter is faint, almost like she barely has the energy for it. It makes my dick throb to see her so spent and vulnerable, all her defenses obliterated.
I hover the length of my body over hers and stare down into her eyes. My engorged cock lies heavy against her abdomen.
Sparks flicker in her irises, and her languid smile turns impish. “I hope that wasn’t the extent of your skills.”
“I hope you’re ready to come again.” I inch my cock into her post-orgasm tightness.
We both moan.
“Yeah, keep taking it just like that, beautiful. I’ve wanted to claim this pussy since the moment I met you.”
“Liar. You were being too nice to be thinking dirty thoughts when you met me.”
“Oh, I promise a man can be nice and dirty at the same time.”
“That’s good to know.” She rolls her body to switch our positions until she’s on top. “Because nice and dirty is exactly how I like it.”
“I think I already confirmed that.”
Her pussy gets wetter as she rides my dick. And her laugh is sexier than ever.
She’ll come again for me. And again, and again . . .