Chapter Forty-Eight
Chloe
When I woke up, Zane wasn’t in bed, his side already cold. I quickly slipped into yesterday’s jeans and a soft tee, fingers fumbling with the button as I hurried out of the room, hoping I could still catch him before he disappeared into his usual business.
Downstairs everything was so quiet it made me pause.
No low hum from the coffee maker, no clatter of pans. Just… silence.
I walked into the kitchen—empty. Rounding the kitchen island, I finally spot Clarisse outside through the wide window, bent over the new flowerbeds. I smiled before rushing to join her.
“You’re up early,” Clarisse said, tilting her face toward me, a smudge of earth streaking her cheek. “Do you want me to prepare breakfast?”
“We have time,”
I said, already crouching beside her and digging my hands into the soil to help her fill a vase with it. There was something strangely familiar about the smell of it, even though I’d never planted a flower in my life. But it was soothing.
“I told you he’d be back,” she murmured after a moment, not looking up. “He always does.”
I smiled, glad that she was right, though it did nothing to ease the guilt in my chest.
I’d betrayed him. I was putting Zane at a disadvantage now and I wasn’t sure how long I could rely on luck to keep him safe too.
When we finished, I leaned in to breathe the sweetness of the fresh blooms, taking in the view of the new garden, and that was when he stepped into view. Already walking towards us, looking nothing like the exhausted man who had stumbled into my room last night.
Now, he seemed as fresh and as put together as ever.
Just as annoyingly handsome as ever.
“I’ll prepare the breakfast now,” Clarisse said, brushing soil from her palms as she rose and slipped back toward the house as he approached.
“You’ve been busy,” Zane said, with that rough voice that made my insides melt every time, his eyes flicking to the dirt on my hands.
“Someone has to keep your garden alive.”
I brushed my palms together, and an amused smile appeared in his mouth.
“Go clean yourself and eat before—”
I arched a brow. “What? Am I too dirty to be in your presence now, Mr. Fancy Suits?”
“That’s not—”
Before he could finish, I reached up and swiped my stained fingers across his nose.
“There,” I said, grinning. “Fixed. We’re the same now.”
He froze, then a slow, dangerous smile spread across his face. Then he reached for the garden hose lying beside us.
“Don’t you dare—”
I warned but the cold water hit my chest and I yelped, jumping back.
“Zane!”
I spun and bolted across the grass, uncontrollable laughter tearing out of me, but he was already after me. His footsteps pounded closer, and before I could dodge, an arm wrapped around my waist. We went down together in the soft grass, his body warm and solid over mine.
He hovered above me, eyes dark and bright all at once, close enough that his warm breath was already burning my skin.
He paused, his eyes lingering on my lips and took the opportunity to pull the hose from his hand and squeezed, water exploding on his face.
His low growl vibrated against me as I laughed, and in one swift move he hauled me over his shoulder like I weighed nothing.
“Zane!” I squealed, kicking uselessly as he started toward the house. “Put me down!”
“Not a chance.”
He carried me inside, water and laughter following us through the door.
“My floors! What’s wrong with you two?!” Clarisse screamed behind us, but Zane didn’t stop. Carrying me up the stairs, smacking my ass and only dropping me down when we were both inside the shower.
The water started cascading between us, the steam quickly curling through the air. I looked up at him, his glinting eyes already staring back and everything slowed down.
He stepped closer, his fingers finding the hem of my soaked T-shirt and peeling it away, the fabric dragging making my skin goose-bump. My fingers fumbled with the buttons of his navy crisp shirt next, removing it completely too.
The rest of the clothes followed, and when we were completely stripped, his fingers brushed my palms to remove the remains of dirt. Then he traced the line of my jaw, thumb rough against my cheek to do the same there.
“You’ll never be too dirty, or too much or too less of anything for me, got it?” he murmured, voice low enough to shiver through me. Before I could answer, his mouth claimed mine hot and tenderly, swallowing my breath until the world was nothing but the taste of him.
My back pressed against the cool tiles and he pinned both my wrists above my head, water streaming between us as he kissed me deeper, biting down the curve of my neck until I gasped.
His mouth moved lower, devouring me whole and completely, biting lightly before drawing a sensitive nipple between his lips.
The sharp pull of his mouth sending a shock straight to my core.
His full length pressed against me, wiping the slickness up and down my pussy, growling as he felt how turned on I was before slamming himself into me.
I stretched on the mattress, letting out a tired moan. He smirked, amused by it, his eyes flicking over me as he fastened the last button a clean shirt. Then, he walked over, perching on the edge of the mattress.
“Get dressed and meet me downstairs. We’re going out,” he said.
His tone was even, but something in his expression told me we weren’t going out for a fun activity.
“Out?” My voice was still groggy.
“I need you to come to the warehouse with me today.”
The mention of the warehouse sent a chill down my spine, remembering the cold cement walls and the cell into which Ivar had thrown me before trying to drug me into obedience.
I swallowed hard. My hands curled into the sheets, but Zane wasn’t paying attention anymore. He was rolling up his sleeves, adjusting his watch, already moving on, too used to his commands being simply the law.
I didn’t understand why he wanted to take me there all of a sudden.
Why now? Is this about the shipment? Does he suspect me?
The question must have shown on my face because suddenly, Zane’s hand was on my chin, tilting my head up, grounding me before I could spiral.
“Everything is good. You’re safe,” he murmured against my lips.
A lie.
If everything was good, why was he taking me there?
“Then why… Why do I need to go there?”
His fingers slid away, taking his warmth with them.
“You’re here for a reason, Chloe. Don’t forget that.”
His words were suddenly so detached that it knocked the air from my lungs. There it was. There he was.
The way he could shut me out was terrifying. Did he have a switch he could simply flip? Was it really that easy to turn me back into just another piece on his chessboard?
It was all fun and games until it was about him and his vengeance. It was getting easier to forget, but I had to remember the real reason why I was here—why I was still breathing.
I wasn’t here because he wanted me. Not really.
I wasn’t safe because he cared.
I was just something to use in this war, his leverage against the people who had murdered his family. That was all that mattered to him. Just like Malia should be all that mattered to me.
“Five minutes,” he said, already walking away, done with the conversation
.