Chapter Twenty
Zane
When I woke the next morning with Melina in my arms, I thought I was dreaming. It wouldn’t have been the first time I’d imagined her in my bed, snuggled up next to me. But she rolled toward me, slinging her arm across my chest so her magnificent tits pressed close, and reality sank in.
She was here. In my bed. And she was mine.
At least, for now.
I pulled her closer, burying my nose in her hair, and inhaled her perfect scent.
“Good morning,” she murmured, kissing my chest.
“Mmm,” I hummed as her hand drifted down to my hardening cock. “And good morning to you.”
“Do we have time?” she whispered, her tongue flicking over my nipple.
Fuck, this woman. She was a supercharge of sensuality, and everything about her turned me on. Especially the way she pumped my shaft in a slow, steady glide.
“That depends,” I grunted.
“On what?”
“How many times you want to come.”
Her moan was whisper soft but felt like an inferno as her breath coursed over me.
Pulling her hair, I urged her to look up at me. “Condoms are in the drawer. Grab one and ride me.” I wanted her too much to ask her nicely, especially when my words lit that fire in her eyes.
There was no hesitation. No arguing or reluctance. Even half-asleep, she followed my instructions, tearing a condom off the strip and climbing on top of me as though it was instinct.
But once she was there, straddling me with her thighs spread wide and her slick heat pressing close, everything slowed.
She rolled the condom down my length, her fingers lingering, stroking me once just to watch me twitch. Then she lined me up, held my gaze, and sank down inch by inch.
“Fuck.” My hands gripped her hips, not guiding, just fucking holding on, as she took all of me.
She braced herself on my chest and started to move in a deep rolling grind that had her gasping softly every time she bottomed out. Her tits swayed with the rhythm, and I palmed one, dragging my thumb across her nipple just to hear the sound she’d make.
“God, Zane,” she cried, her voice broken and pleading.
“Yeah. That’s it.” My hips punched up to meet her. “Fuck, you feel good. Take what you need, firecracker.”
And she did. Her head tipped back, her nails bit into my skin, and she rode me with a quiet, focused intensity that was somehow hotter than anything wild or frantic could have been. Like she was savoring every second. Memorizing the feel of me inside her.
I reached between us and pressed my thumb against her clit, circling in time with her movements, and her breath caught.
Within seconds, her body tensed, her rhythm faltered, and she came with a shudder that rolled straight from her body and into mine. I followed her over the edge with my hands locked on her hips and her name on my lips.
“You’re gorgeous when you come.” My hands ran circles over her back as she sprawled over me, still catching her breath. “No, you’re gorgeous all the time. When you come, you’re fucking perfection.”
She laughed against my chest. “You’re not too hard to look at, either.”
“Was that another compliment? I need more of those—we’ll have to repeat this performance tonight.”
“Really?” Her head popped up so she could look me in the eye. “You want to see me again tonight?”
“I want to see you any night you’ll let me.” Fuck, just saying those words should’ve scared the hell out of me. A few weeks ago, it would have. But lying here with her draped over me, her heartbeat syncing with mine, the only thing making my stomach twist was the thought of her saying no.
“I think I’d like that.” She rested her head on me again, her hands running over my skin.
My breath let out, my hope soared, and my dirty mind went into overdrive. “You’re going to fucking love it, trust me.” I gave her ass a light smack, appreciating the way her flesh jiggled under my palm. “Besides, your car won’t be ready for a while—you need someone to drive you around.”
She tilted her head, meeting my gaze. “Oh, I was hoping it’d be ready sooner. I’ve got errands to run this week, and my little sister, Lucy, needs me to take her shopping for a dress.”
“I can take you. Dress shopping is one of my specialties. Plus, I’ve got a few connections. I can get you a good deal.”
“You want to go dress shopping? For my sister?” She eyed me skeptically, even as her cheeks heated with a gorgeous pink glow.
“Believe it or not, I really do.”
She surged up and kissed me, her mouth soft and open, and I wanted to get lost in her again. But with daylight streaming through the curtains, we already risked running late.
“Come on,” I urged. “Let’s get you home so you can get ready for work.”
It wasn’t until we pulled into her driveway and I put my truck into park that I noticed how stiff and unsure she’d become.
After an incredible night and an even better morning, I’d gotten used to her being relaxed around me, but now the tension was creeping back.
It was there in the worried lines around her eyes and the way she curled in on herself.
Like she was already preparing for this to end.
Before she could open the door to get out, I grabbed her hand. “Do me one favor?”
Her breath caught and she stared me down, waiting.
“Just remember what you told me last night…don’t overthink it.”
“Zane,” she groaned, the light returning to her eyes. “That was in the heat of the moment. This is different.”
“It’s not. Every moment I’m with you is filled with some kind of heat. It may not all be sex and passion, but your fire always burns.”
She shook her head, a coy smile playing on her lips. “Not the same thing, and you’re incorrigible.”
“No, firecracker. I’m serious. You’re strong, fierce, determined—a fucking smoke show—and there’s no need to worry about things burning down around you, because you are the fire. Don’t ever forget it.”
She leaned across the cab to give me a quick peck on the cheek. “Thank you,” she said as she pulled back. “Just do me a favor and don’t talk like that in front of my family.”
“Promise.” I crossed a finger over my heart.
When we walked into her house, I wasn’t sure what to expect.
I’d never been in this position before. I’d never met a woman’s family or stood in their home the morning after.
It wasn’t something fun-time guy had ever needed to worry about.
But Melina had two sisters I’d never met, a father who’d called me her boyfriend to my face, and every reason to change his mind after I’d kept his daughter out all night.
Despite our talk, Melina still seemed like she was trying to sneak me past her family. “Come up and wait in my room.”
“I don’t…think so,” Vic’s voice rumbled from the next room.
I leaned down, kissing the shell of her ear. “Go get ready. I’ll hang out with your dad.”
The look she gave me was pure shock, maybe mixed with some light terror. But I swatted her ass playfully and walked away, heading to the living room to face Vic.
“Good morning,” I greeted him with what I hoped was a natural smile and not a shit-eating grin. I wanted to make a good second impression, not rub it in his face that I’d just rolled out of bed with his daughter.
“Sit.” He motioned to the couch across from him, a newspaper spread across his lap.
I sat. The couch was lumpy, the cushions thin, and the room was filled with the kind of clutter that only comes from people actually living in a space.
The carpet was worn, the curtains were faded, and family photos were crammed onto every surface.
It should have felt shabby. Instead, it felt more like home than any room in my own house ever had.
These people had so little but held on so tight. My family had everything and couldn’t hold on to each other at all.
“My friend said Melina’s car won’t be a problem to fix.”
Vic’s laughter was labored but loud. “You’re so full of…shit.”
I laughed with him. He was right. I was completely full of shit. The car was a disaster, and fixing it was going to cost me a small fortune. But some things were worth lying about.
The sound of pounding feet coming down the hallway interrupted before I could dig myself in any deeper.
A head of shoulder-length dark hair popped around the corner. “Oh!” She shifted the rest of her body into the room, hesitating in the doorway. “I wondered what you were laughing about.”
“Zane was telling…a story.”
“Okay.” Uncertain brown eyes met mine, and she smiled meekly. “Hi.”
“You must be Lucy.”
Her eyes flared wide. “How did you know?”
I chuckled. “I’ve already talked with Olivia on the phone. Let’s just say she made a big impression.”
Vic laughed some more, and Lucy padded farther into the room.
“I heard my name.” Olivia sauntered in from the other doorway. When she saw me, her eyes widened, but there was nothing innocent or unassuming about the look she gave me.
“Good morning, Olivia,” I greeted.
“It is now,” she said with a beaming smile and came to sit on the couch beside me.
“Behave,” Vic grunted at his middle daughter, but even with his stuttered speech, the lightheartedness came through.
“Oh, please.” Olivia waved a hand at him like he was acting ridiculous. “When am I ever not behaved?”
“All the time,” Lucy muttered with a shy smirk.
“Don’t listen to them.” Olivia angled her knees toward me. She kept a respectable distance, but my stomach still dropped when she leaned a little closer and asked, “So, Zane Alexander, what are your intentions with my sister?”
“Liv!” Lucy objected.
But Vic hushed his youngest daughter with a gesture of his hand and leveled me with a glare. “I’d like to hear his answer.”
Knots formed in my stomach, and a multitude of words swirled through my head, but none of them seemed like the right ones. How could I explain to them what I wanted when I could barely admit it to myself? Especially when I hadn’t really explained it to Melina.
I took a deep breath and shrugged. “I like her.” But even as I said it, the words felt insufficient and thin. Not nearly enough. “I’d say I want to take care of her, but she already does a good job of that herself. So, I guess my only intention is to be with her and make sure she’s happy.”
The room went quiet. I looked at each of them, my pulse thudding in my ears.
Lucy spoke first. “I think that might be the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Yeah,” Olivia agreed, and unless I was imagining it, her eyes were actually glistening. “Way better than Hallmark.”
I wanted to laugh, but my stomach was still clenched, waiting for the only opinion that would truly make or break me in this house.
Vic took his time. He shifted in his chair, adjusted his grip on his cane, and looked at me with an expression that held years of love and loss and hard-won wisdom.
“She deserves it,” he said, his words slow but clear. “She works too hard to make…us happy.”
The knot in my stomach unfurled, and something warm and unfamiliar settled in its place. Acceptance. Not just from Vic, but from all of them. This broken but beautiful family that Melina had held together with nothing but willpower and love.
And here they were, letting me in.
“I plan on giving her a whole hell of a lot, if she’ll let me.”