And then he narrows in on my clit.
Too much. My legs close in around his head.
He grins as he licks over my clit more, and his hands slowly spread me wide for him again.
“I think your clit likes my tongue,” he says.
“Mmm,” is my response.
“Keep your legs spread, or I’ll stop,” he commands.
I frown. That’s an impossible task, but I see why he commands it from me. He removes one hand from my leg and puts two of his fingers in his mouth before I feel them pushing at my entrance.
I tighten at first, resisting anything entering. It’s been a long time, too long.
He removes one finger and tries again, being so slow and patient with me, waiting until my body accepts him before he pushes.
He licks faster, moving out of his usual slow movements for me. I arch, my muscles relax, and his finger glides inside me.
“Fucking, wow,” I get out.
“If you think that was good, just wait. I’m about to have you screaming and cursing my name.”
I like his promise. And I can’t wait for him to deliver on it.
He slides his finger out, and I curse the emptiness I feel. I want him inside me—more than just his finger, but I’m not ready to tell him that yet.
He starts pushing in again, but this time a second finger joins in. I feel an intense tightness as he pushes further.
“Relax, baby,” he whispers over my clit, licking faster.
I look at his eyes. They scream, begging—trust me.
I do. Fuck, I do.
I let go.
Of my expectations.
My fears.
My observations.
My pain.
My truth.
I’m just here, with a man doing incredible things to my body.
As soon as I let go, Zeke takes complete control. His fingers thrust inside me with expert ability. His tongue licks and nips at my clit. And his eyes promise me the world.
Our eyes lock until I can’t look at him any longer. Everything is too intense.
And then I explode all at once, throwing my head back and clamping my eyes closed. My back arches, my toes curl, and my legs tighten around his head. My pussy clenches down in a ripple of throbs, releasing my orgasm on his fingers.
What. Just. Happened?
My brain seems to thaw, and my first thought is blissful bewilderment.
I smile up at the world, because for the first time, it brought me something good. Even if it was only supposed to last for this short time, I wouldn’t trade a single bad thing in my life if it meant giving up these few minutes with Zeke.
I hear him moving.
I sit up, and then he’s draping a throw blanket over my shoulders. He scoops me up, and we move to the couch before he sets me down on his lap.
His eyes drop down to my lap.
Mine follow.
“Oh, um…” I start, trying to explain why I’m gripping a knife.
He chuckles. “If you castrate me, I deserve it.” He leans forward and kisses my forehead sweetly. I can smell myself on his breath. Jesus, I smell delicious on his face.
I expect him to try and take the knife from me; he doesn’t.
Slowly, I come back to life. To the real world. And he just gave me the most beautiful sin. It felt dirty, wrong, but oh-so-delightful.
I consider thanking him, but it doesn’t feel right, so I don’t. But I do have my question. I know what I want to ask him.
“Who are you, Zeke? A beast or a monster?”
He tucks my hair behind my ear as he grips my neck, stroking me with his thumb.
“Is there a difference?” he asks hesitantly, afraid I’ll say no.
“Yes.”
He nods and then leans back against the couch. I tighten the blanket around me. I hold my breath, waiting for his answer. Will he choose beast or monster? If he says monster, there is no saving him. He’s cruel down to the bone. And this ends here.
But if he says beast, it will give me hope. Beauty was able to tame the beast in the end. The beast had a heart. The beast could still love, even though he sometimes did cruel things. And that makes all the difference to our future.
“Sometimes, I’m afraid that I’m a monster.”
I suck in a breath—dammit.
“But after spending time with you, I’ve realized I’m a beast.”
I smile—yes, my beast. My gentle giant. My anchor, keeping me calm and protected while I wait out the storm.
I got my answer.
But Zeke doesn’t stop there. He tells me his whole truth.
“I lived in Miami. I was born in New York, but I moved to Miami shortly after. I worked for…”
No. Please, no. Don’t say it.
“Enzo Black. He was my best friend and boss. We mainly handled security and created super-yachts for our rich clients. But during my time with him, I did horrible things. I stole, threatened, killed. But every time it was to protect my boss, my friends.”
No…my heart is breaking.
“I almost died saving them.”
No, no, no.
He tucks a finger under my chin.
I can’t breathe.
“Until you. You saved me.”
I exhale. I can’t do this.
“I owe my life to you, not Julian.”
But I have to.
“So when we met again, when your life was threatened to be taken, about to be sold, I knew what I had to do. I had to save you.”
My heart shatters with his words. Because a part of me hoped he was cruel. Hoped I was wrong about him. Pleaded he didn’t buy me to protect me.
“Maybe I did it the wrong way. I should have told you the truth sooner. But I bought you to save you, to protect you from the other men.”
Zeke is a good person. He’s my protector. My savior. I just wish I could say the same thing about myself.
“At first, I couldn’t tell you the truth. Julian had everything bugged. He could listen to our conversations, but I removed all the eavesdropping devices.”
I close my eyes as tears fall—warm, wet, salty tears.
Zeke being Zeke, the amazing man he is and I always suspected was beneath his shell, wipes my tears away.
“Now, I can complete my promise. Now, I can save you.”
There is so much promise in his words—so much genuine affection. I swear I even see a hint of love in his eyes when he looks at me.
And it hurts, god does it hurt.
I swallow back my tears, wiping them on the back of my hand.
Because just like that, my high crashes down.
My world ends.
Whatever we had for a splitting moment is over.
Zeke finally spilled his truth.
Which means it’s my turn to spill mine.
Mine is half-truth, half-sin. Mine is going to fucking hurt—leave a permanent scar where our hearts once were.
But I no longer have a choice between truth or sin. Now I must do both.
28
Zeke
One second, I’m spilling my heart to her, one word away from saying I love her, and the next Siren has me pinned to the floor.
She’s naked still, and I’m only wearing my jeans, but the move isn’t sexual. It isn’t foreplay. It fucking hurts.
She’s straddling me at the waist, with one of my arms pinned above my head, and her knife at my throat.
My eyes widen, searching for truth in her tear-stained eyes. If she could pull a move like this the entire time, why didn’t she? How did she let men kidnap her in the first place? Why didn’t she fight harder against Julian? Against me before now?