“What’s going on?”
I had started to roll over, but he was there and scooping me up in his arms. He lifted me up and started walking out of the office.
“What are—what’s going on?”
“Nothing. Everything is perfect. You can go back to sleep.”
He carried me into the bedroom, taking and laying me down, and pulling the bedsheets over me. He was tucking me in. “Everything is going to be fine. I’ve got this. I found the golden goose.”
“You did?”
“I did.” He gave me another kiss, and then began to pull away. I reached up, grabbed the back of his head. and pulled him back down. His mouth found mine again, and this kiss was more awake. Hungrier.
“I thought you were asleep.”
I kicked the covers off me and pulled him over me. “Not anymore.”
“Ava.” He was hesitating.
I didn’t want him to hesitate so I reached up, and moved his pants down, though, God, did I love watching him walk around in those sweats. Seriously defined muscles, and sometimes he wore a gold chain. I reached for it, finding it around his neck. He must’ve put it on when he was hacking. I used it and pulled his mouth to mine. He’d told me once that it’d been a gift his dad once gave him. It was a sort of initiation when he graduated from Cain University. He didn’t always wear it, but I was glad he was wearing it tonight.
I wanted. I needed. I was in control here.
“Ava.”
“Shut up.” I scissor-kicked him so he was on the bed, and I was up, above him.
I sat down, straddling him, finding him right where I needed him. And at the touch, I paused, just once, before I moved over him. He groaned, his hands finding my hips. He began kneading me there, but he was sitting up, finding my mouth.
He battled for control, the way I’d known he would. He liked going rough, which I liked too, but there’d been some times when he went slow. Tender. I didn’t want that, and I could feel the build-up in him. He was riled up from the hacking. So was I. I was riled up for him, and I was fully fucking awake and dripping for him.
I began moving harder over him, a hand planted on his chest.
He moved with me, urging me down, as his mouth opened over mine, his tongue slipping in.
This man. He’d been a boy when I’d first met him. A bully. Mean. Then he changed. He became a man, and now he was my man and I was breathless from needing him. From yearning for him. Another emotion was rising up in me, curling around my spine, and I felt it building. It was making me breathless all over again, but I opened my hips and sank farther down on him, and tried to clamp that feeling from bursting out of me.
Not yet.
He rolled me over, rising up over me, and I stretched, savoring from this viewpoint too. I loved watching as Zeke held himself above me, watching me, catching my chin, and holding me in place so I could feel him looking into me. It was like he was reading into my soul, seeing beyond every wall I had, every thought that was in place, every hesitation, and he blasted through them. Because he could. Because he was Zeke.
My Zeke.
He leaned down, his mouth touching mine in the softest kiss, and he asked, a whisper against my skin, “I’m going to make love to you tonight.”
Yes, yes. Please yes, and I let all that out of me in a soft sigh as his mouth moved down my throat, down my body. My shirt was lifted up and over me, and his mouth was on my stomach. He kept going, searching, exploring. My shorts were pulled off. My thong was next, and he was kissing me there, holding me in place as I screamed, then I was erupting. And still he took his time, his hands moving over my body, then sliding under me, lifting me up as he moved back over me.
He paused at my entrance, his eyes finding mine. We held each other’s gaze and I reached for him, cupping the side of his face, before I lifted up and kissed him. As I did, he slid inside of me, and I sighed, “Yes.”
He groaned, his forehead finding my shoulder. He held still before lifting his head again, finding me. He was waiting for me to give him the go-ahead. I grinned because I fucking loved when he did that. I reached up, grabbed a hold of his gold chain, and I pulled on it as I slammed my hips against his.
That was my go-ahead.
He began thrusting, and I stretched out, riding with him.
I woke up to darkness.
It was all black. The ceiling fan was working, and I looked over. Zeke was next to me, his chest rising up and down steadily.
I remembered what he had said earlier. He found the golden goose.
Everything was going to be fine.
He called me honey.
I was a honey and a babe.
My stomach was just melting all over again.
I slipped out of the bed, headed for the bathroom, and officially got ready for bed. When I was done, I snuck back out, and crawled into bed.
He rolled over, his head buried into his pillow, and his hand found my hip. “You okay?”
I nodded before saying, “Yeah. Bathroom.”
His fingers squeezed me a little before he began caressing me, rubbing his hand up and down over my hip. “Ava.”
I stilled. “What?” I reached for him too, finding his chest and I began rubbing him in the same manner. He sighed, his entire body settled under my touch.
He said it, so quietly, “I love you.”
I paused, my whole body paused. Had I heard him right?
I lifted my head up. “What?” I wanted him to say it again. I wanted to hear it again.
He pulled me over to him, hugging me to him. “I love you.”
“Zeke.” My hand spread out, and I was feeling the hot and steady rhythm of his heart. I waited… I was going to tell him back.
His snores told me I’d have to wait.
I let out a soft sigh but relaxed over him and he hugged me even more to him in his sleep.
I loved this too. Cuddling. It was something new to me. I’d never cuddled with anyone before, but now, I just let myself collapse on top of him.
It felt like the most natural thing in the world to do.
I fell back asleep too.
21
ZEKE
I was on top of the world, or that’s how I felt.
Ava was still sleeping when I eased out of bed, so I considered it a success that I didn’t wake her up. I left my gold chain with her. She’d enjoyed holding onto it last night. My plans for the day were to kick ass, grab some coffee, and go back and make love to my lady. I was in my Jeep and heading out to cross off number one. I was halfway to Banker Mitchell’s house when my phone rang.
Blaise calling.
I never hesitated on answering my dude’s call, but I was hesitating now. But fuck. He was calling at this time because he’d heard something. If I didn’t answer, he’d keep calling and he’d sound the alarm so everyone would be calling. That was just how my boy operated.
I hit the button. “Early for a call.”
Blaise swore. “I have access to your doorbell camera. You forget that?”
Shit. I had.
“Where are you going at five your time?”
I made a face, one that he wouldn’t see and one that I wasn’t proud of, but that’s how I was feeling right now. “Dude—”
“Dude, don’t! Talk to me before you do something stupid. I can’t fly back to bail you out, and after getting a call from my sister, I know that you’re going to do something stupid.”