Zayn

by A. R. Ford

  Zayn did not follow when I walked onto the balcony. He continued to hold meetings throughout the day. The only break came when he appeared for lunch. Not even the golden french fries and ketchup attracted my attention. At least the tea appealed to me. I drank several cups while diving deep into the peaceful place in my mind where nothing could hurt me.

  *****

  No mention was made of that event. Zayn behaved as if it never happened. For an entire week, he carried on as if having his office in the bedroom was normal. I gave up trying to sleep late each day as had become my habit. He woke me each morning with a kiss on the head, and a whispered, “Good morning, little one.” Each day, he ate lunch with me on the balcony. Each evening, I resigned myself to sitting on the balcony, eating dinner with him as we watched the setting suns.

  Each night, he snuggled against me, softly snoring in my ear, a massive arm trapping me against him. No longer could I escape to the relative sanctity of the sofa. If I squirmed against him trying to escape, evidence of his arousal made my cheeks fill with color.

  “I cannot fight my need for you, little one,” was his reply each and every time it occurred.

  Trinkets and other gifts were presented to me. Each one was accompanied by Zayn’s lopsided grin. The first gift was a bouquet of flowers tied with a pink ribbon. He knew it was my favorite color. The bouquet contained the specific flowers I admired the most on my first visit to the royal garden.

  A pair of knitted slippers arrived the next day.

  “The artisan who created these took great pains to ensure the size was appropriate,” Zayn added as he pulled the slippers onto my feet.

  I could not be rude and refuse to thank him. “Thank you. The slippers are lovely.”

  “You are welcome.” His voice lowered to the velvety purr that made naughty things take place in my body. My nipples and core remembered what usually followed when he assumed that tone. My body parts tingled, and throbbed with need. Zayn made it even worse by running a hand along my leg, from ankle to knee. “Your skin is as soft as the finest silk.”

  Mouth agape, I simply stared at his hand as it rested on my knee. “Not fair,” I whispered.

  The muffled complaint brought Zayn’s next weapon. He kissed the hell out of me. His tongue invaded my mouth, stroking and dancing with mine. The passion, his desperate need. I felt it all. As suddenly as it began, it ended. I was left staring up at him, lips parted, waiting expectantly for what came next. I was not prepared for it. Zayn rearranged my clothing, a finger caressing my lower lip.

  “My apologies. I could not contain myself.” With those words, he stood up, and retired to the desk where he remained until our noon meal was served.

  The next day, Zayn presented me with a necklace. An intricate pattern created with native gems reflecting a virtual rainbow of colors. My eyes grew enormously round, a gasp coming when Zayn fastened it around my neck. He straightened the necklace, fingers faintly caressing my décolletage. The bastard! He knew exactly what he was doing.

  “It is not nearly as beautiful as you,” Zayn pronounced. “I never thanked you properly for my son who grows strong within your womb.”

  “Thank you for the beautiful gift,” I murmured, fingers tracing the gemstones as I admired it. Zayn’s royal crest. I recognized the pattern now that I had a moment to examine it.

  “The gems are zulchantite. Not the most valuable, but certainly the most beautiful gem on Lonus. I commissioned an artisan to create this the day Dr. Ohnasi allowed you to leave the medical facility, and come here to stay with me. You are pleased?” he rumbled, the finger continuing to trace the outline of the crest. The finger occasionally strayed onto my skin. A zing of electricity jolted me with each not-so-accidental touch.

  “It’s beautiful.” My uplifted face gave him ample access. I wondered if in some strange way I wanted him to kiss me.

  Zayn’s lips brushed mine. His nose circling the tip of mine. A purr of contentment rumbled in his chest. And he pulled away with a smile. “I should get back to work. I am glad you like the gift.”

  I watched open-mouthed, and flabbergasted as he returned to the desk. A clerk appeared not long afterwards with a stack of papers. Zayn listened intently as the clerk reviewed the necessity of Zayn’s signature, and royal seal, on each document. Occasionally, his head would turn, his eyes caressing me from across the room.

  And those wicked, silver eyes. I knew what he was doing. People on earth called this eye fucking. As smoldering as the heat in his eyes was, I pined for him to take me to bed, to let his fingers dance between my thighs. To feel his raw power against me as he thrust …

  I ripped my mind away from thoughts of those trysts. I could not, would not, think about the most insane pleasure I have ever experienced with a man.

  All sorts of strange events took place throughout the days that followed. It appeared Zayn had developed a well-thought-out battle plan.

  And I? I was completely blown away by his mission to right the wrongs he committed, to win my heart and trust once again. I understood how Zayn Bolden easily won the title of warlord ruler of Lonus N88.

  A couple of weeks later, on an early morning of the Lonusian weekend, the alien male who refused to accept my withdrawal, surprised me yet again.

  Zayn woke me early, chuckling when I groaned and burrowed beneath the covers. He wore a robe and the pajama pants he was so fond of. Kneeling on the bed beside me, he reminded me of a feline wanting to play with its game.

  If I could only sleep.

  He was too close, the heat of his body searing my skin, even through the blanket.

  “Come out, little one. I thought we could go for a sight-seeing tour outside the city.” He gathered me in his arms, carrying me as if I were a helpless infant.

  I yawned, knuckling the sleep from my eyes. My eyes opened abruptly at the sound of the shower. The bathroom was filled with steam. Zayn undressed me before he placed me inside the shower. The hot water beating down on my skin was heavenly. I stood with my head down, deeply entrenched in the simple pleasure a hot shower brings. Until Zayn Bolden joined me in the shower, naked as the day he was born.

  A shriek of outrage burst from me.

  Zayn chuckled, a soapy sponge in his hands. “You forget I am more than familiar with your naked body.”

  He dared brush a kiss against my forehead before he grasped my shoulders, turning my body around to face the wall. A groan of pleasure came when he began to wash my shoulders and back. Slightly protruding claws raked lightly along my spine. A deep, visceral shiver shook my body. The next kiss fell upon my neck, at the same place he knew drove me insane with need.

  “No fair!” I whimpered, hands braced against the wall.

  “Is there anything else I can do to please you?” The sponge moved to the front of my body at his words. I nearly sobbed when his hands cupped my belly, a finger tracing a pattern around my navel. “Our son is protected within your womb.”

  My fingers tightened around his wrist. Turning to face him, I lifted my face, eyes filled with tears. “Please don’t do that.”

  “What?” he murmured, his forehead resting against mine. The soapy sponge caressed my body, moving upward over breasts that ached for his touch.

  “I cannot. Don’t make me feel anything.” The words came out in a croak, voice cracking with the intensity of emotion. My heart was breaking. Warlord Bolden saw, and used it to his advantage.

  “It was wrong to accuse you of such a heinous crime, Gracie. I was a fool. Please, forgive me?”

  The first wail broke free at his plea for forgiveness. The dam holding back my feelings burst. Curse Zayn Bolden for seeing an opening and taking advantage. Sobs shook my shoulders. I did the only thing I could.

  I clung to Zayn.

  He lifted me in his arms. Shushing. Cradling me against his chest. The heat of his skin, and his bulk combined with tenderness, was my undoing. Pain overwhelmed me. The pain of Zayn’s words that day. The deeply emotional battle warring within my
heart--wanting to hurt him as he hurt me, and being unable to do so.

  Blubbering like a baby, I remained in his arms. My face buried against his chest, fingers digging into solid flesh that reminded me of what we once had. The tears finally came to an end. When awareness returned, I realized we were no longer in the shower. Zayn had wrapped me in a bath sheet. He even managed to create a turban out of a towel for my hair. I lay in his lap as he reclined in bed. The colorful Dalaakian silk blanket he gave me not long after I arrived, covered us.

  “Your tears and anguish tear my heart apart.” A thick finger beneath my chin tilted my face upwards. Silver eyes examined my face intently. “A chance is all I ask.”

  “I was alone in this world without anyone, including my best friend Eve. And then I found you, a man who treated me like I mattered. The day you said those things about me being pregnant with another man’s child nearly destroyed me. Do you know how much it hurt to hear you wrongly accuse me? Of hearing you call me a whore?” A deep breath filled my nostrils with his scent. The spicy musk that made my senses come alive.

  The faintest brushing of his lips against mine brought a sigh. I could not fight against my love for Zayn Bolden. An impossible task, it exhausted me nearly as much as the numbness that surrounded my heart since that day. What was I to do? Surrender and accept his apology? Or continue to waste away in misery as I had in the past days?

  “I will never hurt you again.” With a knotted fist pressed against his heart, he uttered an oath. “I swear this on my life. I only wish to love and protect you, Gracie Thomson.”

  The turmoil of it all brought a groan. I covered my face with my hands. Zayn waited patiently, his hand stroking the length of my arm. “But how can I know?”

  “Give me a chance to show you. The proof is in the pudding, as you earthlings say.”

  For the first time in weeks, I laughed. If anything, my alien warrior had a humorous side. He showed that side of himself often enough during the time we became acclimated with one another. Poking fun at himself came as easily as jesting about other matters. The decision was made in an instant. I had to trust him. I prayed this was not a mistake.

  “Okay.”

  My whispered word of acceptance was answered with a growl rumbling in Zayn’s impossibly wide chest. He lowered me to the bed, a hand removing the towel from my hair, the bath sheet from my body. I did not resist. No, I craved his touch. Once the blanket fell away, I realized he was naked, and impressively aroused.

  There was no rush. Zayn’s fingers tugged nipples overly sensitive and pining for his touch. His mouth lowered to suckle one inside. His tongue flicked and teased. And those thick fingers. Gods help me. One hand roamed across my belly, straight to my aching core. There was no rush. His fingers danced, stroked, and tugged until I cried out. My hand led his shaft home. The first thrust stretched my core wide, nodules stroking against that hidden place that drove me insane with erotic ecstasy.

  We moved together innately, each knowing the other’s needs before they were voiced. As he always had, Zayn brought me to the peak first. There was no pause as before. He continued to drive me higher, kissing, caressing, holding me tenderly with massive hands and arms capable of violent retribution. His roar came at the same instant as my cry of completion.

  Afterwards, he pulled me onto his chest. Our hearts hammered in perfect sync. The colorful blanket pulled over us, he nuzzled and murmured his love. Our baby’s first fluttering movements came within my womb. My hand cupped the area, love filling my heart completely.

  “What is it?” he murmured, a big hand covering mine as he eased me onto my back.

  “Your son dances within me. I daresay he approves of our reunion.”

  Zayn’s laughter spurred my giggle. “I wholeheartedly approve. Certain parts of my body are quite grateful for your forgiveness.”

  “I have never had makeup sex before. If this is what it’s like, can we pretend to argue at least once a day?” I turned onto my side, propping my head in the palm of one hand.

  “Makeup sex? Yes, I think I should issue a decree to that effect, little one.”

  “You wouldn’t!” I chided, color filling my cheeks at his serious expression. “Would you?”

  “Unofficially. Such sensitive matters are of a need-to-know basis. And we are the only ones who need to know.” Zayn pressed me into the mattress as his mouth and tongue teased my ear and throat. “We should reschedule the sightseeing.”

  “Yes,” I whimpered. “There are sights I need to see here in this bed. Now.”

  A growl of approval came when Zayn lowered his body onto mine. “You certainly are bossy now that you grow round with my heir.”

  Much, much later, I managed to reply, “It’s not pregnancy that made me this way.”

  “What made you demand to have your needs sated?”

  “You, Zayn Bolden. I need you as much as I need air to survive.”

  The skin at the corners of his eyes crinkled at my words. “Then we agree. Neither of us should be separated from the other. Our happiness and survival are dependent upon our love for one another.”

  Chapter 10: Zayn

  “I find it odd that Gracie is not at your side,” Zanzi mused before taking a sip of coffee. She preferred the strong, bold taste of Lonusian coffee over the pallid varieties found on other planets.

  We sat in my study, having breakfast. Gracie remained in bed sleeping after a weekend of carnal delight at my hands. I, on the other hand, felt energized and ready to take on any challenge. Even Zanzi’s blunt observations failed to raise my ire.

  “She was tired and wanted to sleep a bit longer.”

  Zanzi laughed, a hand covering her mouth. Her narrowed eyes pierced me. “Something tells me you are the reason for her lack of energy. I take it the plan went well?”

  “Have you no tact, Zanzi? Gracie would be horrified to hear what you have said.”

  “You look happy for the first time in days. To what do we owe this to?” Zanzi continued eating as she waited for my reply. I felt as if she could see inside my soul. No doubt it was a skill she gained while raising me through the rambunctiousness of youth.

  “Gracie agreed to give me a second chance. I followed your advice. I stayed by her side, ate every meal with her, refused to let her sneak away in the middle of the night as she has since her return. I have given her gifts. I wooed her as I should have to begin with. You have no idea how relieved I am that she agreed.”

  Zanzi and I sat in silence while we finished the morning meal. Time with the woman who was as much a mother as my birth mother, was always relaxing. I could trust her, count on her advice.

  “You have done well. Your little one is good for you. It reminds me of when your father first met your mother. Theirs was an instant attraction. There was nothing he would not do for her. A timeless love, one that our people need to see again to reunite them.”

  The words stirred something inside me. “I want to have something special for Gracie. A dinner to honor her, and announce our baby for the world to know. Would you help me?”

  “Anything for you. Tell me when you would like to have this event.” Zanzi finished off her coffee while I contemplated the details.

  “Two weeks from now. Would that give you time to work with key staff, and arrange the event?” I drank the last of my coffee, uncaring it was now cold and bitter. Life was good with my little one happy once again, and at my side where she should be.

  “Plenty of time. The usual guest list, I assume?”

  We spent some time discussing details of the event. Zanzi and I planned events before, but never something of this nature. I knew with her heading the planning it would outshine anything seen on Lonus N88, perhaps in the galaxy. We parted ways with her assurance she would touch base with me in a day, or so, to discuss progress.

  I made my way to my chambers. Closing the door quietly behind me, I stood watching as Gracie slept. Her blonde hair formed a fuzzy halo around her head. The blanket had slipped down t
o reveal most of her bare back. My heart welled with the strength of emotion I felt for this human female. I knew, without doubt, that I loved her. Winning her trust, and a second chance reminded me how close I had come to losing her. If she had succeeded at the reassignment center this moment, or any moments like this, would not be possible.

  The mere thought of Gracie terminating because of something I did made my gut clench, and blood run cold. I would never let anything threaten her--ever.

  The direction of my thoughts made the need to seek solace with her rise. I slid beneath the blanket after undressing. I pulled her against my body with one arm. She sighed, a hand coming to rest in the center of my chest. Strands of her hair tickled my nose when I leaned close to nuzzle her cheek. A mumbled word strained to be free as she stirred.

  “You have slept the day away, little one.”

  Gracie rolled onto her back, stretching both arms while simultaneously arching her back. Strawberry tipped breasts were fully on display. She had no idea how arousing the image was. “It’s in the middle of the day,” she mumbled, lashes fluttering as she roused.

  “My point exactly. And here I find my mate sleeping the day away, naked, taunting me with her magnificent breasts. What am I to do with her?” My teeth nipped at a sensitive area of her neck before my mouth seized hers in a lazy kiss.

  “You taste like coffee.”

  “Blame Zanzi. She kept me at breakfast drinking coffee while she dissected my mind like one would a fetal pig in an earthly biology class.” I smoothed the hair away from her face. A knurled finger chucked her chin. “If you’d like to lie abed all day, I have ideas as to how we might pass the time.”

  A giggle lit Gracie’s green eyes with amusement. She pushed against my chest halfheartedly. “You wouldn’t dare keep me from going to the bathroom, would you?”

  “Of course not.” When Gracie hopped from bed, and ran toward the bathroom, I gave chase. I caught up with her just as she sat on the commode. With both arms crossed on my chest, a grin pulled my lips away from teeth wanting only to sink into her tender flesh. “Empty your bladder, madam, I have plans for you.”