Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
As I gaze upon Zay’s face, I’m truly taken aback by his features—so unusual, they would look strange individually, but together… He’s stunning. Waves of long black hair fall over his forehead, partially obscuring eyes the color of clear jade. He sports a strong nose that adds to the sharp angle of his stubbled jaw, and his lips are perfectly full and kissable.
This isn’t right. He shouldn’t look so… God-like.
“Are you ready, little rose?” he whispers, green eyes alight with hunger. I swallow hard, tugging weakly against my wrist restraints as he reaches for me. I half expect him to have his way with me again—something I truly wouldn’t mind now that the shock of Landon’s betrayal has worn off. There’s something in the way he looks at me that tells me he wants to do right by me. To protect me.
Instead of taking me, he unhooks the pins holding my arms above my head. My body slumps forward, but Zay is there to catch me, holding my weight tenderly as he does the same to my ankles. When I’m free, he scoops me into his strong arms, holding me tight against his chest as he steps toward the door. We ascend a flight of steps, at the top of which are two twin doors. The one directly ahead is cracked slightly, letting in rays of moonlight and the gentle zest of cypress on the wind.
So we are in the Forest…
I don’t get to ask any questions before Zay fishes out a key and inserts it into the door on our left. Artificial light streams in, and I squint my eyes tight as Zay steps into a large, well-lit room. There’s a small kitchen off to the side, a living space with a couch and TV, as well as a crimson door at the far back of the space that I assume leads to the bedroom.
My throat bobs as Zay makes a beeline to that door. I clutch his shirt tightly as he opens the door, allowing me to get a good look at the California king taking up most of the small bedroom. Instead of laying me on the bed like I assume, Zay takes a left and carries me into the bathroom I hadn't noticed before. He sets me gently on the side of the tub as he turns to the faucet, holding his hand under the water until he gets the temperature just so.
“Zay… What are you doing?” I whisper, wrapping my arms tightly around my chest.
He jerks his head to me, a deep eleven between his brows. “Drawing you a bath. Is this not okay?”
“No, it is… I just…” My voice falls off, too embarrassed to tell him no one has ever done something so small for me.
Seeing my expression, Zay reaches out, holding my chin gently in his palm as he seems to read my mind. “Allow me to correct this wrong for you, my precious rose. Let me pamper you for a while.”
I nod, unexpected emotion welling in my eyes as Zay helps me climb into the tub. The warm water laps heavenly against my tired muscles, and I sink back with a sigh, allowing my eyes to drift close as Zay wets a washcloth and begins cleaning me.
After a few minutes, I realize he’s still wearing his gloves. I grab his hand and Zay jerks back, alarm written all across his face.
“What… what are you doing?”
My face heats. “I was… I wanted to take your gloves off. I’ve never… felt you before.”
A slow smile works across his face. He allows me to remove the coverings, looking at my profile with such deep adoration it causes my toes to curl. “I’m obsessed with you, you know that?” he murmurs. “So. Fucking. Obsessed.”
I lower my eyes as I feed my hand into his, marveling at the way his fits so perfectly in mine. If I’m honest, I might be a little obsessed with him too. It’s fucking insane, but I am.
“Carlotta…”
I look up in alarm, frowning at the sadness held in his beautiful eyes. “What is it?”
“I’m not a good man, my rose,” he says, tightening his hand around mine. “I’m a bad man—a terrible man. And I don’t deserve someone… someone as glorious as you.”
I shake my head at the preposterousness of the situation. He’s stalked me, kidnapped me, spun me around his little finger, and now he’s worried he’s not good enough?
“Fucking men,” I laugh, throwing my head back as Zay looks on in confusion.
“Did I… did I say something funny?”
I nod, unable to stop the shit-eating grin from working its way across my face. “You’re just a funny guy. Now that you have me, you’re thinking of giving me away.”
He growls menacingly, snapping his hand to the back of my neck and pulling me close. “I will never give you up, Carlotta. Of that, you have my word. I may be a bad man, Carlotta—a dangerous man—but I promise that I will be good for you. Will always and only be good for you. ” He releases me, a devious smirk on his face as he takes the washcloth back to my skin. “I’m merely warning you. There are many things you do not know about me. Things that may cause you to want to run away.”
“Hmm. And those things are?” I murmur, my lids closing in bliss as Zay works shampoo into my scalp.
“The organization I work for—The Sanctum. They will not be happy if they find out about you.”
“And will they?” I ask, my heart clenching for one terrible, fear-filled moment. “Will they hurt you if they find out?”
Zay shakes his head, a small smile tugging at his lips. “I’ll protect you, my rose. I will protect you with my dying breath. The world will burn before I let anything take you from me.”
My heart swells as he leans in, the electricity crackling between us something from out of this world. I let him kiss me for the first time, and the rest of the world falls away as Zay expertly works his mouth with mine.
He pulls me from the tub, water falling from my body and pooling to the floor with every step Zay takes toward the bedroom. He lays me on the bedspread and makes love to me, whispering loving, filthy words into my ear until we both find our oblivion.
His cock throbs gently inside me as he holds my face, peppering kisses across my cheeks and whispering over and over again how beautiful I am. Hours later, when sleep finally claims Zay, his cock is still firmly nestled inside me, my body clutched possessively to his chest. Just before I follow him into the dark, it occurs to me how right this feels.
I’ve never truly felt safe falling asleep with a man—not even Landon—and it’s a special kind of comfort I don’t want to lose.
Of course, if Zay has his way, I never have to worry about losing him.