Chapter Fourteen Zoey #2
Neither of us said a word, but the looks on our faces must’ve given Jake his answer because he cursed under his breath and took a menacing step toward Ford. I started to move into his path, but Ford was faster, squaring up to Jake with a clenched jaw.
“You need to back down,” Ford said. “Zoey might decide to give you the whole story in time, but that’s up to her, and I won’t let you pressure her.”
“You won’t let me?” Jake’s voice was incredulous. “Who the hell do you think you are?”
“I’m hers.”
A shiver ran down my spine at those two simple words. But they seemed to just piss Jake off.
“You don’t need to stand between me and my sister,” he snarled. “Move it!”
But Ford didn’t budge an inch, and before I could intervene, Jake shoved against his chest.
They were pretty evenly matched size-wise, but Jake put a lot of anger behind the move, and Ford stumbled backward.
Right into me.
I let out a surprised cry as his body collided with mine, losing my balance and starting to fall to the ground. It was only Ford’s fast reflexes that kept me from landing hard on the concrete, his strong arms wrapping around my waist and pulling my body flush against his.
“Shit, Angel. Are you okay?” he asked once I was steady on my feet again, bringing his hands to my face and cupping my cheeks. His worried blue eyes ran over every inch of me, as if I’d somehow gotten hurt even though he caught me before I fell.
“Yeah,” I said, bringing my hands up to his wrists. I felt his heart racing at the pulse point. “I’m fine. Really.”
“Zoey.” Jake’s voice was rough. “I… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”
Ford whirled toward him. “Damn right, you shouldn’t have! What if she’d gotten hurt?”
Jake looked guilty, and I decided I needed to defuse this situation. It had already spiraled out of control once.
I placed a hand on Ford’s arm. “Walk me back to my bungalow. Please.”
The tension drained out of him immediately as he turned back to me. He tucked me under his arm.
“Zoey.”
I looked at Jake and felt a pang in my chest. “I’m really okay, Jake. I promise.”
I wasn’t just talking about the shove, and he knew it. His eyes still glinted with anger when he glanced at Ford, but he didn’t say anything else as we turned away. Kirsten was still standing nearby, silent and unable to hold my gaze.
Good. Even if she didn’t mean to spill the beans, I was annoyed with her for causing this mess. The last thing we needed was a scene like this the night before Ryan’s wedding. Luckily, no one was around to see it.
Ford kept me close to his side as we walked, and I didn’t try to pull away.
After the drama of the evening, I thought that maybe we both needed to be close to each other.
I was shaken by Jake’s reaction. Not because I was scared of him.
He wouldn’t have hurt me for anything in the world, and I knew that he probably wouldn’t have done much more than push Ford, no matter how angry he was.
It was the way that his questions dredged everything up that made me uneasy. Yet, I didn’t have the urge to push Ford away. In fact, when we reached the bungalow, I invited him inside.
Was it reckless?
Maybe.
But my emotions felt like they’d been scraped raw, and I needed the kind of comfort only he had ever provided.
“I need you,” I said as soon as the door closed behind us. My hands fisted his shirt as I pulled him in close. His lips were inches from mine. “I can’t promise more. I don’t even know if I… I just want you.”
His arms snaked around my waist, and he yanked me into his hard body. It was achingly familiar, but things had changed so much between us now that there was a rush of something new in my veins. Nerves and longing twisted together to make every part of me pulse for him.
Ford lifted me into his arms, and my legs went around his waist as he carried me into the bedroom.
It was dark, but we didn’t need light for this.
We tumbled onto the bed and tore at each other’s clothes until we were both naked.
His hands were everywhere, cupping my tits and squeezing my ass.
Tracing the curve of my side and stroking my clit.
He didn’t linger anywhere for long, and the teasing was driving me crazy.
There was something reverent about it, and the way he kissed me felt like a branding. His tongue delved deep and he swallowed my moans.
Eventually, he broke away to kiss down my neck, his teeth grazing my skin in a way that sent a shudder through me.
“Ford,” I panted, parting my legs and pulling him closer. “Please.”
His dark chuckle made my core tighten. “Tell me what you need.”
“I need you inside of me. God, I’m aching for it…”
He settled between my thighs, and I felt his erection gliding over my slit then notching at my entrance. But he didn’t push inside yet. “You’re so slick for me. That’s right, Zoey. You know exactly what you want, don’t you?”
His words were whispered in my ear, his warm breath washing over my neck. My hands glided down his back, and I sank my fingernails into his ass. He jerked his hips forward with a cry of surprise, burying himself deep inside of me.
“Oh, yeah,” he groaned. “You’re so hot and perfect, aren’t you? My Angel.”
Holding himself above me with his fists pressed into the mattress, Ford snapped his hips back and forth over and over again, his movements uncoordinated and unrestrained, taking what he needed and giving me pleasure that I craved.
My legs came up, wrapping around his waist and shifting the angle of my hips in a way that made me see stars. My blood roared in my ears, and I couldn’t think, couldn’t even breathe properly.
Every bit of me was consumed by this man, and despite all of the messy emotions and doubts between us, I allowed myself to have this. I sank into the pleasure of it, broken moans falling from my lips as I came hard, my core spasming around him in a way that felt so good it almost hurt.
“There it is,” he groaned. “Come for me, baby. I want to feel you choke my cock.”
His mouth was on mine again as he reached his own peak, and the kiss was messy and desperate. Perfect.
I clung to him as we both rode out the pleasure, and by the time it was done, I didn’t think I’d ever been more satisfied or exhausted.
Ford left the bed for just a moment, coming back with a warm, damp rag from the bathroom.
My eyelids were already heavy, and I couldn’t bring myself to move as he cleaned us both up.
Then, he slid back into the bed, pulling me tight to his side and covering both of us with the blankets.
I didn’t know what the future held, but I knew this felt right, even if it was just for tonight. Eyes closed, I pressed a kiss to his chest just before I let sleep take me.