Chapter 18
18
Watching Nina orgasm was the second best thing in the world. The best was knowing he was the one to bring her there. To have his name fall from her lips, to taste her on his tongue, to hear her beg for more.
He was more than happy to do exactly what she wanted. Her first orgasm rolled through her with a shiver and a tightening, but he knew the second one would open her up in a new way. He pressed a third finger into her channel and lashed at her clit with his tongue, just the way she liked it.
For years he wondered what would do it for her. Friction, suction, hard and fast or slow and deep. Finding out exactly how to take her from dripping wet to gushing and beyond was a perverse joy Zeke couldn’t get enough of. She was what he couldn’t get enough of.
“Zeke,” she whispered, her hand reaching for him.
He kept his tongue on her clit and his fingers inside her and took her hand with his free one. He brought her fingers to her clit, letting her feel the way he licked her. Giving her access to her body to add to the pleasure he gave her.
“So good. Zeke. So good.”
Zeke groaned in agreement and licked her fingers. He alternated between her fingers and her clit until she shuddered and tightened around his fingers. He sucked hard on her clit, trapping her fingers in his mouth until she came with a shout.
“Oh, God, yes. Zeke. Yes. Oh, shit, so good.”
His dick pulsed with desire, but he wasn’t ready for that yet. He knew there was more from her. He was crazy for it. For her. He nipped at her fingers and flicked her clit with the tip of his tongue, curling his fingers inside her.
She was already at the edge and didn’t fight it, falling quickly and freely into another orgasm. Her shout was louder. Her tremors were harder. He had to grit his teeth to stop himself from going with her, pumping his fingers into her as she bucked his face away. He chased her, licking her again and sending her into another orgasm before the last one finished.
“Oh, shit. Zeke. Zeke. No more. I can’t. Oh my God. I need you.”
Zeke withdrew immediately. He looked over the hills of her body at the flush of her skin, the rosy pink of her nipples, the freckles scattered all over her. He memorized all of it, praying he didn’t have to relive it only from memory going forward.
“Come here. Please, Zeke. I want you. Please.”
He rose, leaning over her and kissing her hard, plunging his tongue between her eager lips and letting her taste herself on him. She groaned and wrapped her legs around his hips, pulling his body on top of hers and whimpering.
“What do you want, angel?” he whispered against her ear.
“You, Zeke. I want you inside me. I want you to make love to me.”
“You say stop, I stop, angel. No matter what, you’re in charge here. Okay?”
“Don’t stop, Zeke. Love me.”
“Always, angel. Always.” He choked back the declaration and extracted himself from her arms. He tore his clothes off, not caring where they fell as long as he was inside her as soon as possible. He grabbed a condom from the drawer beside his bed and offered it to her.
She’d moved to rest her head on a pillow, her eyes locked on him as he stripped. She took the condom and licked her lips, leaning toward him and taking his dick into her mouth.
“Fuck. Nina.”
She moaned around his cock, dragging her tongue up the underside of him.
He jerked, her mouth feeling too fucking good. “Sorry, angel. Fuck.”
She groaned and deep-throated him once more, making a noise in her throat when he hit the back, and he swore.
“This is going to be over too soon if you keep doing that,” he growled.
She released him, kissing the tip of his leaking cock, then rolled the condom down his length. She laid back, pulling him with her and guiding him between her legs.
He stared at her, spread out on his bed, her red hair scattered all over his pillow, her wetness soaking his sheets. Never in his life did he hope he would live the moment. He dreamed of it, he prayed for it, but he never let himself hope it could be real.
But it was. She was real. And she was there, watching him with a sweet smile and a flush all over her body.
He cupped her jaw, caressing her cheek with his fingers. She turned her head and kissed the center of his palm. She nuzzled against his hand and wrapped her thigh around his hip.
“I want you, Zeke. I want to feel you inside me. I want to only remember you.”
Zeke couldn’t reply. If he did, he would tell her he was in love with her. It was too soon, too much. But he could show her. He could do what she asked and love her with his body.
He lined himself up with her entrance, letting her feel his erection.
She inhaled a shaky breath and sighed happily. She grabbed his hand, holding it against her cheek, and shifted her hips to bring him inside her body.
Zeke told himself to hold back. He told himself to go slow. It all went to shit when he sank an inch into her warmth. He surged forward, sliding deep until his entire cock disappeared into her.
She moaned and licked his hand. “So good, Zeke.”
“Fuck, Nina.” He stilled inside her. Her body rippled around him, holding him in place. His throat tingled. The base of his spine pulsed. Every cell in his body screamed at him to go. Faster, harder, deeper, more.
He wanted it. He wanted her. But he didn’t listen to his body. He couldn’t. He needed the night to last. To give her every ounce of pleasure possible. To show her how he loved her.
“Zeke,” she whispered, bringing his attention back to her face. She smiled sweetly, pleasure drooping her eyes. She licked her lips and glanced down his body. “Please.”
“What do you want, Nina? Tell me what feels good.”
“You feel good, Zeke. All of you.”
He shifted, and she moaned.
“Yeah, that. All of it.”
“Are you going to come on me? Are you going to let me feel you come with me inside you?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
He retreated slowly, letting her feel every inch of him leaving her, then pressed back inside just as slowly, watching her body stretch to take him in. “You’re so fucking perfect, angel. Like you were made for me.”
“Yes,” she breathed.
He brushed his thumb over her swollen clit, and she gasped, her core tightening. “Is that good, angel?”
“Yes.”
He did it again, and she surged to meet his stroke.
“Fuck, Zeke. So good. So good.”
“Yes, angel. So good. Perfect. I love feeling you all around me.”
She moaned in answer, words finally failing her as he worked her toward another orgasm.
Zeke kept talking, wanting her to hear his voice and remember he was the one there with her. “You feel so good, Nina. I love the way your body ripples with your pleasure. The flush of your skin when you get close. I love watching my dick disappear into you. My thumb on your clit as you come.” He pressed harder and waited her out as she came with a shiver and a gasp.
“Yes.”
“You’re so beautiful.”
“Come for me, Zeke.”
“Come with me, Nina.”
“I’ll try.”
He withdrew, then slammed into her, knowing he hit the right spot when she clenched the sheets in both fists.
“Oh, fuck.”
“Yes, beautiful. Fuck. So good.”
“Zeke,” she begged.
Zeke lifted her hips and supported them on his legs. He spread her thighs wider, her pretty little clit poking out and begging for his touch. He licked his thumb, then brought the wet digit to her clit and rubbed it fast and hard.
“Oh, God. Zeke. Yes. Oh, shit, yes. Zeke!”
Sweat trickled down his back and beaded on his forehead. He didn’t let her get away from him, his dick and thumb working her together and sending them both to bliss. She pulsed around him, her core tightening with each stroke inside, making it harder for him to withdraw.
He ached to close his eyes and lose himself to the feeling, but it was Nina. It was the woman he pictured more times than he could remember. He wasn’t going to miss one second of the reality of her coming apart on his dick. He pounded into her, letting all the feelings inside him build. He gritted his teeth and swirled his thumb around her clit and slammed his body to hers, his balls bouncing against her ass. Everything ached from holding back.
Her cries blended with the wet sounds of their bodies clashing until she got louder, begging for a second before she let go.
“Zeke! Oh, fuck. Zeke. Good. So good. Fucking… yes. Zeke!”
He was lost in watching her and forgot about his own orgasm until it erupted inside him, his vision going black around the edges as he burst. He pressed hard on her clit, triggering another orgasm from her as he slammed deep into her, his body jerking uncontrollably with the force.
“Nina. Fuck. Love. Good. Damn, angel. Yes.” He grunted and swore and nearly blacked out.
Then he collapsed onto her, all his weight pressing her into the mattress for a second before he rolled them, bringing her on top of him so she wasn’t trapped.
She panted for breath, her body as soaked as his. Her limbs hung next to him, her body dead weight on top.
Zeke ran his fingers up and down her back, soothing her as much as himself. Nina. His Nina. She was in his bed, fully sated. She cried his name and took his cock and made his dream a reality.
“Is all sex like that?” she whispered.
Zeke chuckled. “No, angel. It’s never been like this for me. That was…”
“Transcendent.”
He kissed the top of her head. “Yeah.”
She was quiet for a minute, and he let her have her silence. He wondered what she was thinking, but what mattered more was she didn’t run from him the second they were done. She laid there, her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.
“I should use the bathroom,” she whispered.
He nodded and helped her up, smiling when her legs were shaky. He gripped the condom and pulled it off, following her to the bathroom to throw it away. He moved to leave when she sat down, but she grabbed his hand.
“Can I shower?”
Zeke remembered her saying she wasn’t allowed to before. He wanted to smell like her as long as possible, but it was different for her. “Of course.”
“Will you join me?”
“Fuck yes.”
“Will you bring another condom?”
His cock twitched at the question. “Yes.”
Nina smiled.
She still didn’t realize he would do anything she asked. Anything.
After their shower, and round two, which was somehow even better than round one, Nina slid between the covers with Zeke. Neither of them bothered with clothes. Nina hoped it was because Zeke wanted her again during the night and didn’t want to fight to get to her. That was her thought.
He pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. His heartbeat was steady, solid, just like the rest of him.
Nina had never felt so safe in her life. Yeah, she knew Gwendolyn was out there. She knew everything was far from over. But Zeke had shown her at every turn that he was the man she remembered. The man she built up in her memory and dreamed of saving her. Yeah, he had changed, but he was still the same where it mattered.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked her.
She smiled and kissed his chest. “How lucky I am to know you.”
He squeezed her tight. “I feel the same, Nina.”
She ran her hands over his body, his tattoos nearly invisible in the dark room. After a week of wondering, she had to ask, “Will you tell me about your tattoos?”
He sucked in a breath. “I’ll tell you anything. What do you want to know?”
“Which one was your first?”
His arm flexed under her hand. He sat up and turned on the lamp next to the bed. He sat against the headboard and dragged her up with him, holding her in his arms again. “This one.” He pointed to the rose tattoo on his forearm. “A year after you disappeared, Mont and I went and got them. He has the same one. We were on leave and wanted to mark the day. Sounds weird, but the first year was hard. Harder than the rest, I think. We started to lose hope after a year, but we still had it when we got these.”
Nina ran her fingers over the tattoo, a rose on its side, similar to the logo for Rose Protection Agency. “Is it the rose on the door to the office?”
Zeke chuckled. “It is. When we got them, it was a reminder of you. A rose for Nina Rose. We knew we would never forget you, but we wanted to carry you with us. To always have a piece of you.” He stopped, his voice dropping to a whisper. “There was no news about you. No one knew anything. We wanted to believe you would be found, but we marked the day and vowed to carry on for you. When Mont started the agency, it was another way for us to heal from losing you. We talked about you a lot, about how things would have been different if you’d had someone. Using the same rose felt like the right thing to do. Everything we’ve done… both of us… we’ve always hoped you would come back.”
Tears slid down Nina’s cheeks. “I’m sorry I caused so much pain for you both.”
Zeke tugged her against him and brushed his fingers through her hair. “You’re back. You’re safe. We love you, and we’re going to keep you safe from now on. She will never get close to you again. I promise you, Nina Rose.”
“Thank you.” She laid against his chest and held tight to him. “Tell me more, Zeke. What do the rest mean?”
“This one was a joke. Mont picked it out one day. Said I was too serious and needed something to make people laugh.” Zeke pointed to a mermaid on the back of his forearm.
“She is pretty hot.”
Zeke snorted. “She always reminded me of you.”
Nina gasped. “That’s a compliment.”
Zeke stared at her for a long moment.
Nina wanted to know what he was thinking, ached to hear him voice the thoughts running through his head, but he just smiled, then pointed to another tattoo.
“The bird is for freedom. The words La Vida Loca … We said that a lot when we were overseas. Those two I got after my first deployment.”
“How long were you deployed?”
“Six months the first time. We left just after the first year. When we got back, I got those two.”
“What are all the other roses?” Nina asked, realizing he had more than one rose.
“One for every year,” Zeke whispered.
“Zeke.”
He kissed her, soft and sweet and heartbreaking. “A dozen roses for you, Nina. I never forgot you. You’ve always been a part of me.” He pointed to the one on his chest, right over his heart. “I carried you in my heart, Nina. With me forever, angel.”
She kissed the rose, then kissed him. She climbed on top of him, his erection growing as she kissed him. Tears fell between their lips, and Nina let herself feel his love. She let herself be loved. She let herself heal, just a little, as he rolled a condom on and pushed inside her again. She let him soothe her body and soul and heart with his.
And when she fell asleep listening to his heartbeat, she pushed away the fear that she was being selfish and putting him at risk. She would protect Zeke with her life, just like he vowed to do for her.
Zeke reached for Nina during the night, sliding into her and loving her again. He woke to her rolling a condom down his length, followed by her riding him until they both let go and came with blended shouts of pleasure.
His entire room smelled of them. Of their love, sex, and orgasms that left them wrung out and needing more. He loved that she didn’t race to the shower after the first time. That she let his scent linger on her skin. He needed to change the sheets, but he hated to lose the smell of her on them.
“Shower?” she asked after their bodies cooled and their breathing slowed.
“You wet and naked is always going to get a yes from me,” he said, nipping her earlobe and loving the way she giggled and moaned.
“You’re spoiling me with all this sex.”
“Making up for lost time.”
“Oh, so you don’t promise this forever?”
“I never said that. Twelve years without you is a lot of sex to make up for. I figure by the time I’m dead, I’ll have gotten halfway to feeling like I’ve had you enough.”
“I hope you’re planning to be around for a while.”
“Definitely.”
She kissed him, then walked shamelessly naked to the bathroom.
He followed, bringing a new condom into the shower with him and bringing them both to new heights. Again.
Montgomery called when they were having breakfast and said he needed to talk to them. Zeke was on edge, knowing Mont was not going to bring good news. He wanted to keep it at bay, but he knew if Mont was calling, it couldn’t be delayed.
“We’re up,” Zeke said, meeting Nina’s eyes. “Let yourself in.”
“Be there in a minute,” Mont said.
Zeke hung up and looked at Nina. “He needs to talk to us.”
“That can’t be good.”
Zeke shook his head. “I don’t know. He didn’t tell me.”
They both turned to the door as Montgomery let himself in. He locked the door behind him and faced them, a look on his face that said it was definitely bad news.
“Just tell us,” Nina said, bracing herself against the counter.
Zeke wanted to hold her, to support her, to make sure she knew she wasn’t alone, but he stayed put.
“Robert… the man who you knew as Robert, he’s dead.” Montgomery kept his gaze on Nina.
Zeke stared at her, too. He wasn’t sure what he was waiting for, but he expected something. Sorrow? Anger? He didn’t know.
“I’m not surprised,” Nina said after a minute. “And I’m not all that disappointed.”
“Nina,” Mont said.
Nina held up a hand to stop him from getting to her. “No. Don’t tell me I should feel bad. He lied to me, and he was just as bad as her. He wasn’t a victim. He wasn’t innocent. If she sent him, he was more involved than I ever knew. She doesn’t send people unless she intends for them to not return. He served his purpose. He got in my head, in Frannie’s head. He doesn’t get my sympathy.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Mont asked.
Nina shook her head. “No. I’m not okay. I’m not going to be okay until all of this is over. But that has nothing to do with Robert. And you being here isn’t the end of what you need to tell us, so spit it out.”
Zeke stepped forward, realizing Nina was right. That wasn’t enough for Montgomery to call and say he needed to talk. Something else was going on.
Montgomery looked at Zeke. “We’ve been summoned. They need our help. All three of us. Now.”