“My love.”
He tenderly takes my hips and runs his hands down my thighs to spread them even wider. Not looking away from my eyes, he lines himself up and slowly sinks inside me. The sound that comes out of my mouth only seems to fuel him because his eyes flash moments before he presses his hips against mine and pushes as deep as he can get inside me. His body blanketing mine, arms tucked under my body and his hands cradling my hands in his palms. I am wholly and completely his to take.
Boy, does he.
Zeke makes love to me slowly, tenderly and not once does he look away from my eyes. There’s so much said between us without words at that moment. We move together in this dance as our bodies climb the fever pitch we’re creating. He pulls all the way out and I almost don’t recognize the sound that comes out of my mouth. It sounds wild and needy.
“Not going fast tonight, baby. Feel me. Feel it.”
He continues to glide in and out. I can feel how wet I am when a little of my arousal trails a wet path down to my ass before falling on to the bed. The hairs on his chest tickling my sensitive nipples. Every single nerve ending firing at once. He bends, nose to mine—tip to tip—and pushes deep, causing me to scream out in pleasure. That seems to be the straw that breaks the camel’s back, my scream. The vibrations of his approval coming from deep within his chest, causing ripples of goose bumps to dance across my skin. He keeps his pace a few more thrusts before he plants one hand in the bed and the other goes to my hip. He curls his fingers around and pulls my body up with each thrust he plants deep. The new position makes him hit deeper than he ever has.
I lose ability to do anything but feel as he takes me slow and deep. His gaze never leaving mine. Not even when he plants himself deep and his groans and mixing with my screams as we find our release at the same time. I gasp, my over sensitive body waring with the need to try to figure out what I just saw pass through his gaze. Gone so fast, I’m convinced I made it up.
Fear?
No, that can’t be it.
I try to find it again, but all I see is overwhelming love in his sleepy observation. Not wanting to sour the moment, I shove it aside. Maybe I was seeing things.
“Thank you.”
“Not sure what you’re thanking me for, honey.” I laugh a little, causing his thickness to slip free from my heat and my laugh turns into a breathy moan.
“My girl likes me inside her.”
“You girl loves you inside her.”
He smiles, shifting our bodies so his back is on the bed, and I curl into his side, resting my head against his chest.
“Thank you for bringing me back to life.” He tightens his arms around me and kisses the top of my head. “I love you so fucking much,” he whispers.
My eyes start to burn as the tears start to build.
“Honey,” I gasp on a quiet sob.
“Yeah, you’ll say yes.”
My mind goes back to his declarations earlier. Yeah, he’s not wrong. I know without a doubt in my mind that when he asks, the answer will now and forever be yes.
“Salt and The Sea” by The Lumineers
I wasn’t expecting the uniform.
I knew he worked, Chelcie and Ash had mentioned it a few times. I should have asked, but I didn’t want to fuck up and ask the wrong question and lose how open he was being. I want to know everything, but I want him to want to give it to me when he’s ready. I may genetically be his father, but I’m not his dad. That honor belongs to my brother. I want to be in his life, but not taking Asher’s place. This is Zac’s show, and I’m not going to rush him.
He moves through the restaurant with an easy gait, relaxed but still alert. He smiles at a few people as he passes and I feel my chest get tight.
I’ve missed so much of his life. Had it not been for Olivia, I would have missed it all. It’s a miracle that I’ve been given this chance at all, no way will I take this for granted.
“Hey,” he says to me as he bends to slide in to the booth across from me. “Sorry I’m late, I had to finish up a call before I was able to head over. I wasn’t sure how much time you had, but went ahead and had someone cover the rest of my shift so I wouldn’t be rushed to leave.”
“How long have you been a cop?” I ask him, looking down at his uniform. The bold “COOPER” I see makes my throat feel thick.
My boy.
A cop.
I make a mental note to have the guys check into his unit. No such thing as being too careful. Most cops I know are damn good men, but there’s a few that aren’t. If my boy will be out there risking his life to protect Hope Town, I’ll make sure he has a captain that would risk his life to protect his men.
“Couple of years. Went to school, but couldn’t see myself stuck with a job that would have me glued to an office. Lee had been trying to get a few of us to join the force, but it was important to Mom and Dad that I finish school first.”
His cheeks get a little color on them at the mention of Asher and Chelcie. I hate that he’s feeling any bit of uncomfortableness over this.
“Hey, let’s just get this part over with. Asher will always be your dad, Zac. I’m not trying to replace the role he’s had in your life. If you want to think of me as a father, damn that would be fine with me, but Ash is your dad.”
He studies me, stirring his spoon in his coffee while he does. “No one said I can’t have two.”
Well, fuck me.
“That what you want?”
He places his spoon on the napkin it had been resting on and holds my gaze, showing me just how much he wants that without words.
“I wasn’t joking when I said I spent years wishing for you every chance I got. Dad and I talked about what happened and why you did what you did. I understand it, even if it sucks that it had to happen. I’m thankful …. Now. Now I have both of my dads. Just not sure what to call you, to be honest.”
My body moves with silent laughter. “You can just call me Coop, bud. No need complicating things. Something else feels right, then go with that. There’s not a single rule to this and, way I see, we can figure it out together.”
“Sounds good.”
“You always like this?”
“Like what?”
“Reasonable.”
He laughs, the rich sound so much like my own. “I can be as unreasonable as it comes, but I’m not stupid. You saved lives that day and sacrificed your own so that everyone that matters to both of us were safe. Mom told me you didn’t know she was pregnant. Doesn’t seem right to continue punishing a man who’s doing a real bang up job of punishing himself. Don’t you think?”
I nod, a small smile curling up one side of my lips.
A pretty young lady comes up to the table before either of us have a chance to speak again.
“Hey there.” She smiles at me and looks over at Zac. Her smile falls off her face slowly. “Zac.”
Looking over at him, I see some of the cocky confidence sparking fire as he looks up at the server with nothing short of a predatory grin.
“Bess. Looking nice today.”
“I look nice every day and you damn well know it.” She looks back to me and replaces the annoyed look she had given Zac with a friendly smile again. “Can I get you something to eat?”