“Lana, he’ll be fine,” Hale says. “He’s just embarrassed that he doesn’t know how to act with you. He truly has no sexual experience. I’ve done everything besides have sex so I’m not as uncomfortable as him but I get it.”
My panic levels lower at the reassurance but I still feel like I need to make this right with Zedd. He deserves to feel like an equal and feeling less-than because of the extent of his sexual experience isn’t okay with me. Besides, I quite like the thought of Hale and him not having crossed that line with another woman.
I lean forward and crawl on all fours to the edge of the bed and scramble to stand. Addressing the guys, I say, “I’m going down there to talk with him. Please give us a few minutes alone.”
At their acceptance, I blow out a breath and walk out of the room, bounding down the stairs on a mission to ease Zedd’s mind. I find him with his back to me, head stuck in the fridge as he digs around. Here goes nothing.
I make my way to him on light feet and set my palms on his back.
He jumps. “Fuck, Lana. You scared me.”
“Sorry … I just wanted to come down here and talk to you privately. I owe you an apology for letting that happen upstairs. It’s too soon for that.”
He turns around and grabs my hands. “Lana, you don’t need to apologize. It’s something I need to become comfortable with on my own.” Sensing that he has more to say, I squeeze his hands, encouraging him. With a quiet exhale, he says, “I just worry that I won’t be able to satisfy your needs like the rest of the guys will. Even Hale has done more than me.”
I want to shake my head at him but I get it. He just doesn’t see that pleasure isn’t only about skill—it’s about connection. He needs to realize the extent, the depth, of our connection.
I step closer to him, until I’m flush with his chest, and look up into his hazel eyes. “Can I kiss you, Zedd, baby?”
He lips part on instinct and he nods. I reach up and twine my fingers in his hair, pulling him down as I had Luke, but gentler, slower. As our lips meet, I keep it light, letting him settle into the sensation, but he surprises me by crushing me to him almost instantly. His arms band around my waist and he molds me into him, groaning into my mouth.
Perhaps I underestimated him.
Flicking my tongue to tease his mouth, he eagerly opens up and meets me with his own. I grip his shirt in my fists, pushing up onto my toes to deepen the kiss. His arms loosen from around my waist and his hands drift to my ass, surprising me with his forwardness.
Against his mouth, I say, “You’re a pretty great kisser, Zedd. Are you sure you haven’t done this before?”
I can’t help but tease him because it feels like he knows exactly what he’ll do with me.
His hands tighten on my ass. “You’re going to be my first everything. Luckily, it just feels natural with you.”
Melt my panties off, why don’t you?
Unexpectedly, he loosens the hold he has on my ass and I drop back to the flats of my feet, confused by the abrupt change.
I look up to read his face but he’s just looking at me adoringly. He leans down to kiss my forehead, lingering there momentarily. “I need to get to cooking for my girlfriend. Can’t have her going hungry on our first official night together.”
His girlfriend. I like the sound of that.
Smiling up at him, I say, “You’re right! The Queen must be provided with nourishment.” I clap and spin on my feet. “Get to work, peasant!”
As he chuckles behind me, I launch myself onto the corner of a couch, just as the rest of the guys make their way downstairs. They plop down on the large, beige sectional next to me and we momentarily have to remove Zedd from the kitchen so he can rescue us from the challenges of technology. He figures out how to work the app on the TV and turns on the first Transformers movie.
Thank you, Witch Bitch, for not being completely out of date with other realms.
“Marathon time!” I squeal as the opening credits play and Zedd makes his way back to the kitchen to cook. I pull him by the hand and drag him down for a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for cooking, Zedd.”
The guys echo my sentiment, to which Zedd cheekily replies, “I’m only doing this because of my girlfriend! Not for you, assholes.”
Aaand we’re back to normal. Thank the Goddess.
By the time the first movie is finished, the table in front of us is set with plates, glasses, drinks and a meal of oven-baked chicken and fresh veggies. We devour it as the second movie plays. Leo and Luke offer to put the dishes away and I rest against the sofa, a full meal and sleep deprivation lulling me to give up the fight with fatigue and let my eyes drift shut.
Just a quick nap.
The sound of guns and cars crashing has me stirring against the warm body I must have sought out in my sleep. I slept through the first Transformers? The world is truly ending.
As I snuggle into the person I’m molded into—sorry, not sorry, Hale—he says, “Are you awake, Little One?”
Wiggling against him, I grumble, “No.”
He chuckles. “Well, the rest of the guys have taken turns showering already. I stayed here since you were sleeping so peacefully. Do you want to take a shower or a bath?”
Ah, a hot shower sounds so nice. “I’ll save the bath for another night. I’ll just head up and take a quick shower. Thank you!”
Scrambling out of his lap, I run up the stairs, desperate to feel the near-scalding water against my grimy skin. Bleurgh. The memory of Witch Bitch’s portal comes to mind and I suddenly want to wash it all off.
Just as I go to open the door, it swings open to a half-naked Ash, with a towel wrapped around his waist. Droplets of water run down his large frame, the wetness accentuating his defined muscles, and I trail a particular one that starts from the hollow of his neck, over his chest, kissing his abs, down to that tantalizing V-line before it disappears into the towel wrapped around his waist.
I want to lick those drops off of him. Fuck, I want to be as close to him as the water—
“Don’t look at me like that, Lana,” he says, a warning in his voice. “I don’t have the same control as the others and I will very eagerly mark your ass as mine the second you consent.”
His words do nothing but spur on the heat spreading inside me. Mark me? It makes me want to orgasm on the spot. Looking him up and down with a coy smile, I bite my bottom lip.
He shakes his head. “You’re not ready for me, Lana.”
It’s like he dumped ice over the fire that was building. Did he really just insinuate that I can’t take him? Like I’m beneath him? I glare at him and flick my hair over my shoulder, pushing past him and into the bathroom. Firmly shutting the door behind me, I lock it.
Fuck him.
I strip off my clothes and climb into the walk-in shower. Multiple showerheads hang from the ceiling and on the side of the wall. I turn the handle, surprised that the water is already preset to the temperature I like. Just hot enough to scald for a second before it starts loosening my muscles. I guess there are some pluses to the witch realm.
As the heat of the water cools my anger, I think about Ash. Is he right? Am I just upset because of what I think I heard? I allow myself to truly think about what I’m ready for.