Chapter 16 #2
Instead, I arch into him, my body answering for me. His hand fists in my nightdress, yanking it up higher until cool air rushes against my bare thighs. He backs me up until my spine meets the door, his hands roaming, gripping, claiming every inch of exposed skin.
“Fuck,” he mutters, his lips brushing against the shell of my ear. “This is a bad idea.”
But he's already pushing the flimsy straps of my nightdress down my shoulders, his mouth following their path, his tongue leaving wet, burning trails across my collarbone. When he gets to my breasts, he pauses, his breath ragged.
“Zane,” I whimper, my fingers sliding into his short hair, tugging.
That’s all it takes.
His mouth closes over my nipple, hot and wet, sucking hard while his other hand kneads the other breast. Pleasure shoots straight through me, sharp and electric. I cry out, my legs trembling.
“Fuck, Mia,” he groans, rolling his tongue over the hardened peak, flicking it, teasing me until my hips buck against his.
I feel desperate, frantic. Zane lifts me easily, his strong hands gripping my thighs as he presses me harder against the door. I lock my legs around his waist, my arms tight around his neck as he kisses me again, deeper, rougher, his cock grinding against my soaked panties through his sweatpants.
“You’re so fucking wet,” he grits out, rolling his hips in slow, deliberate circles. “That for me?”
I moan in answer, rocking against him, chasing the friction.
He growls, his hands gripping the backs of my thighs as he carries me toward the bed, laying me down without ever breaking the kiss. His mouth moves lower, dragging hot, open-mouthed kisses down my stomach as his hands shove my nightdress up, baring me except my panties.
“Fuck, I can’t think straight,” he groans.
Then he’s spreading my legs, settling between them. The first slow lick of his tongue over my clit makes my entire body jolt.
“Zane,” I choke out. “Oh my God…”
He hums, gripping my thighs tighter, holding me still as he devours me. Long, slow strokes at first, teasing me, tasting me, before his tongue circles my clit with devastating precision.
“Fuck,” I gasp, my fingers tangling in his hair, trying to pull him closer, needing more.
He chuckles against me, the vibrations making me shudder. “So needy.”
I barely have time to respond before he sucks my clit into his mouth, his tongue flicking rapidly over the sensitive bundle of nerves. My back arches off the bed, pleasure crashing over me like a wave.
He doesn’t stop. He keeps licking, sucking, his fingers digging into my thighs as he eats me like a man starved.
I can feel the tension coiling, tightening, winding tighter and tighter until—
“Zane, I—I’m gonna—”
“Come for me, Mia,” he growls, sucking my clit hard.
And I do. My entire body locks up, then shatters. I cry out his name as I come undone beneath his mouth.
Zane groans, lapping up every drop before finally pulling back, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, his eyes dark and heated as he looks down at me.
“Fuck, Mia,” he whispers, climbing back up my body, his cock pressing hot and hard against my still-throbbing core. “I need to be inside you.”
“Then do it,” I whisper, reaching between us to shove his sweatpants down.
He doesn’t hesitate. One quick, rough yank, and his cock springs free, thick and hard and already leaking. My breath catches at the sheer size of him, my body clenching in anticipation.
“Are you sure?” he asks, his voice strained, his forehead pressed against mine.
“Yes,” I breathe. “Please, Zane.”
That’s all he needs.
He grips my thighs, lines himself up, and in one smooth thrust, he’s inside me, stretching me, filling me completely.
We both groan, the sensation overwhelming.
“Jesus, Mia,” he grits out, his fingers digging into my hips. “You’re so fucking tight.”
I can’t speak. I can barely breathe. He feels so good, so big.
Zane pulls back slowly, then thrusts in again, deeper this time. His forehead drops to my shoulder as he groans, his entire body trembling.
“Fuck,” he mutters. “I’m not gonna last.”
“Then don’t,” I whisper, wrapping my legs around him, pulling him closer. “Just—please—”
He growls, then starts moving, his thrusts deep and powerful, rocking me into the mattress. Each stroke hits a spot inside me that makes me see stars.
I clutch his back, nails digging into his muscles, meeting every thrust, chasing the pleasure spiraling higher and higher.
“Come with me,” he groans, his movements turning erratic. “Come for me again, Mia.”
His hand slides between us, his thumb finding my clit, rubbing tight, fast circles.
The pleasure slams into me so hard, I nearly scream.
Zane follows with a low, guttural groan, his hips jerking as he comes deep inside me, his entire body shuddering against mine.
For a long moment, neither of us moves, our bodies still tangled and slick with sweat and pleasure.
Then, slowly, Zane pulls back, his lips brushing over my temple.
“This is a bad idea,” he mutters, but he doesn’t sound like he regrets it.
I don’t, either.
I stare at the ceiling, my body still humming in the aftermath of what we just did. My mind, though, is a mess.
Zane’s fingers move lazily over my skin, tracing patterns on my shoulder, down my arm, across my ribs. He’s quiet, but I can tell something is going through his head.
Then, his voice—low, rough, almost hesitant. “I want more than this,” he murmurs against my skin. “More than stolen moments.”
I freeze.
Zane isn’t asking. He’s telling me.
I swallow hard, shifting slightly so I can look at him. There’s no teasing in his expression, no cocky smirk or playful remark. Just honesty.
“Zane…” I don’t know what to say. I don’t know how to say it.
He cups my face, his thumb brushing over my bottom lip. “I’m not Damon. I’m not Asher. I don’t dance around what I want, Mia. And I want you.”
His words send a sharp pang of guilt through me, twisting beneath the warmth of his touch. I reach for his wrist, gripping it lightly.
“You don’t even know if I can give you that,” I whisper. “You don’t know if I can be that.”
Zane exhales slowly, like he expected that answer. His fingers tighten slightly, like he wants to convince me.
“You don’t have to say anything now,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “Just don’t shut me out before you even try.”
“But first, I need to tell you something,” I say softly. “Zane, Damon and I… we had a fling. When Jason wasn’t around.”
Zane doesn’t move.
“It wasn’t a mistake,” I continue, needing him to understand. “I don’t regret it. Not then, not now.”
A muscle in his jaw twitches. “And when exactly was this?”
I hesitate, my throat tightening. “Six years ago.”
The silence that follows is suffocating.
Zane sits up abruptly, dragging a hand through his hair. “Wait.” His voice is flat, but there’s an edge beneath it, like a blade scraping against a stone. “That’s how old the twins are.”
I don’t say anything.
I don’t have to.
I see it dawn on him, the pieces clicking together in real time.
Zane exhales sharply, looking at me like he’s never really seen me before.
“Jesus Christ,” he mutters, rubbing his face. “Does he know?”
I shake my head. “I don’t think so. But…” I pause, the words heavy in my mouth. “I think he suspects.”
Zane lets out a harsh, humorless laugh. “You think?”
I wrap my arms around myself. “I never told him. Not outright. And he never asked.”
“Of course he didn’t ask,” Zane snaps, eyes flashing. “Damon doesn’t ask unless he’s sure. And now you’ve got him circling, looking at those kids like—”
He cuts himself off, shaking his head.
I close my eyes for a moment. “I didn’t plan for any of this, Zane.”
“No shit,” he mutters.
I turn my head toward him, feeling the weight of his gaze on me. “Are you mad?”
Zane stares at me, something unreadable flickering in his expression. “I don’t have the right to be mad,” he finally says. “But I am wondering how the hell we get through this without everything blowing up in our faces.”
My throat feels tight. “Me too.”