by A. K. Evans
“I love you so fucking much, Emme,” he said with his mouth at the base of my throat.
“I love you, too, Zane.”
I pressed my foot into the bed and lifted my hips. Zane rolled to his back and let me straddle his body.
“I had a feeling you’d enjoy the first picture in the book, but I want you to get a view of the real thing right now. That is, if you want it…” I said, trailing off and giving him a coy smile.
Fighting the tightness in his throat he said, “Already told you I’d never turn you down. Whatever you want, whenever you want it. That includes whatever you want to give to me.”
We had slept naked so with nothing in the way I pressed one hand to his chest to steady myself as I lifted my hips and used my other hand to position him at my entrance. I slowly slid down on his shaft and moaned at the fullness I felt with him in me. Zane’s hands came to rest on the top of my thighs while my hands went to my breasts. I’m certain it was exactly like it was in the picture, other than having him underneath and inside me now. Catching his heated eyes with mine, I began riding him. His hands moved up and down my thighs for a bit before coming to grip my hips. He held me steady while he thrusted his hips up into me.
“Oh, baby,” I moaned.
Zane’s hands began traveling from my hips up my sides. When they reached the spot just beneath my shoulder blades he pulled me toward him as he lifted his head. Zane’s mouth captured one of my nipples while my hands went to the bed on either side of his head. I felt Zane’s fingertips gently pinch and squeeze one nipple while his teeth and tongue tortured the other one. He did all this and continued to thrust himself into me. My body was being assaulted by all of the sensations Zane was delivering that I was seconds away from an orgasm.
Teetering on the edge I rasped out, “Baby, please.”
Zane dropped his head back from my chest, brought both hands to my hips, and gave it to me harder, knowing that’s what I needed.
“Oh, fuck…Zane,” I screamed out as my body exploded around him. When my eyes came back to Zane’s I saw that he had watched me come apart on top of him. He was still thrusting into me and seconds later he gave me the opportunity to watch him find his pleasure. It was a thing of beauty.
I collapsed on Zane’s chest and tried to catch my breath.
After several moments Zane asked, “Why did you do it, Em?”
I picked my head up and looked at him before asked, “Do what?”
“The pictures.”
I took a deep swallow and answered honestly when I shared, “It was a year ago I was beaten to within an inch of my life, after enduring years of abuse. I lost someone I loved that day and never thought I’d ever recover. As time went on I found a way to exist, but my life was terribly dark and lonely. Then, I meet you and you refuse to accept the plans I’ve already put into place for the rest of my life. You give me beauty every single moment we’re together and in doing that you brought light into my life again. There’s still darkness, but when I’m with you it’s so bright sometimes I think I’ll go blind. I made the decision to do the pictures when we were out in Vail. After the flowers were delivered and that whole situation happened I saw a bit of that darkness creeping into your life. I wanted to do something that would squash the darkness out for you. I don’t want you to end up where I was only a few months ago. Giving them to you today only seemed fitting for how far I’ve come in this last year thanks to your love.”
“Sweetheart,” he began. “As long as I have you my life could never be dark. Shit happens and we’ll deal with it. I worry about you and sometimes I struggle to remain in control when it comes to your safety. But never Em, my life will never be dark as long as you’re in it.”
I smiled at him and rested my head back on his chest.
“Should’ve listened to Wes,” he said.
My head snapped back up and I asked, “About what?”
“When you and the girls were up here putting together my surprise and I began bitching to him about how long you were taking he told me to relax and that it’d be worth it. Just kept telling me to trust him.”
My eyes rounded. I never thought that Wes would have known what we were doing here. “Charley told him,” I said.
“Does that bother you?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Did him telling you it’d be worth it help calm you down?”
“Not exactly. Though, now that I think about it I’m wondering how he knew what the result would be…” he said, trailing off.
“He has his own photos, that’s why,” I said, nonchalantly.
Zane’s body went solid and I realized he misunderstood.
“Of Charley,” I added. “I did a boudoir photo shoot with Charley before Christmas because she was struggling to come up with a gift to give Wes. Her photos turned out beautiful and she said that Wes said it was the best gift he’d ever gotten. I’m guessing he knew you’d appreciate the photos of me at least as much as he enjoyed his of Charley.”
Zane rolled us in the bed so I was now on my back and he was hovering over me. “I guess that’s one thing I can say that Wes and I have in common. We know what constitutes a good gift. Sweetheart, they were fucking beautiful pictures and I love them. I have to amend an earlier statement, though.”
My brows pulled together.
“This place ever bursts into flames I won’t give a shit if everything I have burns to the ground as long as I have you and those pictures safely outside of it with me.”
I giggled and said, “I love you, baby.”
Zane pressed a kiss to the tip of my nose before he said, “Love you, too, Em.” His eyes searched my face before he continued, “So, you feeling ok about tonight?”
Tonight was our Tribute-to-Taj night. The guys, meaning Zane, Wes, Stone, and Luke, had agreed to join my girls and me out for a nice dinner where we’d reminisce about Taj and the goodness he gave to all of us. Then, we were going to go to Lou’s where Elle was going to put on an impromptu show to honor Charley’s late brother. We figured a few drinks would be part of the festivities as well so Lou’s was the perfect location.
“Yeah. I mean, I’m sure it’s not going to be easy, but I think it’ll ultimately be really good for all of us. I am actually very much looking forward to a night out with everyone.”
I paused a moment before I said, “Zane?”
“Yeah, Em?”
His voice was gravelly and so very sexy.
“Fuck, I love your voice when you answer me like that.”
Shit.
I slapped my hand over my mouth and pulled back from Zane.
“I didn’t mean to say that out loud,” I mumbled with my hand still over my mouth.
Zane chuckled.
“You wanted to ask me something?” he said, a full-blown grin spreading across his face.
I shook my head. “I can’t now. I’m mortified.”
“Sweetheart, why are you embarrassed? You just gave me those gifts over there, which required a whole hell of a lot of courage to pull off, but telling me you like the sound of my voice sends you over the edge?”
I shrugged my shoulders.
“What did you want to say to me before?”
I looked away from him and admitted, “I was going to ask you if you wanted more.”
“More what?” he asked, as he used his fingertips to push my face back to his.
I swallowed hard and bit my lip. “Love.”
“Emme…do you need more?” he pressed, his voice gentle.
I nodded and quietly added, “I’d like it.”
“Then you tell me. I’m your man, Em. It’s my job to take care of you, in every way that you need me to take care of you. Told you I would always do that. You want more, sweetheart, I’ll always give it to you.”
I stared at him a moment before I confessed, “I want more, baby.”
With that, Zane picked me up and carried me to the shower, where he gave me more.
Chapter 29
Emme
>
“Well that was harder than I thought it was going to be,” I said to Zane, my mood melancholy. We just left dinner with our friends and were on our way to Lou’s for Elle’s performance. Charley told us at dinner that she and Elle had spoken a lot about Taj over the past couple of days. Elle wanted to make sure that she put on a good show to appropriately honor her future sister-in-law’s late brother. Hearing that made me realize that dinner may have been difficult to get through, but Elle’s show was going to be much harder. I was thankful for the fact that we were going to be at Lou’s, where I knew we’d be able to have a steady flow of drinks to numb the pain. Of course, I always had to watch how much I had considering the whole one kidney situation.
“You did good, though, Em. I’m proud of you,” Zane began. “Have to admit, it was nice to learn a little bit about him. I’m not one to get too sentimental, but wish I could have met the guy.”
My body warmed at Zane’s words. “You would have gotten along great with him,” I said. “He was a surfer and he was a lot like you are with snowboarding; exceptional at it with what seems like very little effort to the outsider. Of course, those of us who know you know that you are very serious about what you do and that you work hard at your craft. Taj was the same way with surfing.”
Zane reached over and squeezed my hand. “Think you’ll be able to make it through Elle’s show?”
I let out a sigh. “I’m almost dreading it. Don’t get me wrong; she’s incredible, but I have a feeling this is going to be brutal.”
“You feel like you need to leave, you say the word.”
I looked to Zane, who had just pulled into a parking spot at Lou’s. “Taj died for me, Zane. I’m pretty sure I can suck it up for a couple hours and pay homage to the guy who saved my life.”
Zane gave me a small smile. “Ok, Em. But, the minute I think it’s becoming too much for you, I’m taking you out to get some fresh air. You take a break and you can go back in. Got me?”
I nodded.
With that, he turned off the truck, hopped out, and rounded the front of it to come to my side where he helped me out. I had worn a sleeveless navy blue lace mini dress. I didn’t want anything overstated or showy considering the occasion, but I still wanted something nice. In fact, when I had finished getting ready earlier at Zane’s house and he saw me he got this heart-melting look on his face before he stated, “You look really pretty, Emme.”
We walked up the steps to the saloon and made our way inside. All of our friends were filtering in together since we left the restaurant at the same time. We walked toward the stage and found Elle’s crew already on stage getting everything set up. Surprisingly, she was sitting at a table front and center that was already reserved for our group, but she wasn’t alone. Levi was with her. Oh boy, Wes was going to have a canary.
“Hey, Elle,” I greeted, as Zane and I approached the table.
“Hi, Emme,” she said as she stood and pulled me into a hug.
I looked to Levi with a smile on my face and offered, “Hi, Levi.”
He stood and nodded to me with a quick, “Em.”
Zane then looked to Levi and asked, “Wes know you’re here with her?”
Before Levi had the chance to answer Elle jumped in.
“Not that it’s anyone’s business, but Levi is not exactly here with me. I’m pretty certain he’s here on your behalf. Regardless, Wes doesn’t have a say in what Levi or I do, which unfortunately, isn’t much of anything,” she announced on a roll of her eyes.
I looked to Levi to see he was definitely frustrated. It was then that the rest of the group joined us. Everyone said hello to Elle and Levi. When Wes approached he pulled Elle into a hug and gave her a kiss on the top of her head. She then took off to get ready for her show.
Wes then moved to Levi and said, “Not getting into shit tonight; it’s about Charley’s brother. I’m just hoping you didn’t lie to my face at my place a couple weeks ago.”
“I didn’t,” Levi said, his face deadpan. “Told you I wouldn’t disrespect you in your house and I kept my word.”
“Hoping you keep your word outside of my house, too, and that you don’t do shit behind my back.”
“There’s nothing to worry about, Wes. I’m here tonight for Zane and Em. Arrived here before everyone else, though. And just saying, you don’t want me disrespecting you and I get it, but I’m also not going to disrespect her. So, you might not like it, but I’m not going to be a dick to your sister and completely ignore her.”
Wes nodded and moved away.
I let out the breath I was holding. The tension quickly dissipated and everyone took a seat at the table Elle had reserved for us. Nikki ordered a round of shots for everyone on the way in and the waitress brought them over to us a minute after we were all seated.
Nikki held out her glass as she said, “I’d like to make a toast.”
Everyone turned their attention to her.
“One year ago today, my best friend and my sister, Charley, lost her big brother. We were all devastated by the loss of him. His selfless act to protect and save our sister, Emme, is one that should be honored. What you might not know is that Taj was a big brother to all of us and sacrificed a lot for each and every one of us girls. For Charley, he gave up nights out with friends when he was eighteen to take care of her after their parents died. He encouraged her to pursue her dreams every single day. For Monroe and I, he sacrificed many nights of restful sleep or date nights just to keep us out of trouble. Oh, who am I kidding? It was mostly me he was keeping out of trouble.” Nikki said as she looked to Monroe. “I know you’re going to kill me for this babe, but for Monroe he always insisted on making sure that any guy who wanted to date her knew she was something special and that they better not try to take advantage of her, as if her three older brothers weren’t already scaring the guys away.”
I looked to Monroe. Her eyes were glassy, clearly reminded about how protective Taj was of her. When my eyes drifted to Stone who was sitting next to her, I saw he was watching her, his mind working.
“And then there’s Emme,” Nikki said, directing her attention to me. I felt my throat get tight and my eyes get wet. “Taj made the greatest sacrifice when he rescued Emme, his baby girl, one year ago. I know sometimes you struggle with it and regret making the decision to call him, but babe, if he were here today and had to do it all over again knowing the outcome, he’d do it in a heartbeat. So today, I’m grateful for all of the sacrifices Taj made and his selflessness when it came to keeping all the girls he deemed to be his baby sisters safe. I still mourn the loss of him, but I find comfort in the fact that I was privileged enough to be part of his short life. With that, I’d like to say cheers to Taj.”
“Wait,” Charley said.
Everyone, who now had their drinks in hand mid-air, stopped to look at Charley.
“That was beautiful, Nik. Thank you. I just want to add one more thing,” she said as she looked to me. “I know you wanted today to be about Taj, and it is, but I feel like there is something else that needs to be said. Taj died a year ago, but he didn’t do it in vain. He did it saving you so that you could live a life full of love and happiness. It’s taken you some time, honey, but you’re here and you’re finally happy. You’ve been able to see and feel what real love is supposed to be and nobody deserves it more than you, baby girl.”
Tears spilled over my cheeks as I smiled at my sister. Zane’s arm tightened around me and squeezed a little.
Monroe lifted her glass in the air and said, “To Taj.”
We all followed suit.
Seconds later, Lou was up on stage introducing Elle. When Elle had the floor, she made a statement before she began her set.
“A couple months ago I met a girl who became my brother’s fiancée and would grow to become one of my closest friends. I didn’t know when I first met her about the hardships she faced in her life that brought her into our world. Over time, I learned about those tragedies and I’m blown away by her.
I know now that regardless of what she’s faced in her past she brings such joy into the lives of all my family members, especially my big brother. I can’t imagine my life without my brother and I don’t know how she stays so strong, day in and day out. So tonight, I want to help my friend and future sister-in-law, and her friends celebrate the life of and pay tribute to an incredible man that I wish I would have had the honor of meeting. This is for Taj.”
Elle immediately went into her set selected specifically for the occasion. The rest of us sat there initially just staring at her, too emotional to do anything else. Halfway through Elle’s first song I chanced a glance at Levi and found that he was riveted to her.
I leaned into Zane and whispered, “You think there’s any chance Wes is going to ease up on the whole situation with Elle and Levi?”
He looked to me with his brows drawn.
“Baby, look at your brother,” I said as Zane turned his head toward Levi. “He feels something for Elle and I get the sense that she feels something for him, too.”
“Agreed, but Wes is very protective of Elle.”
“We’re talking about Levi. He’s not some random guy off the street. What does Wes need to protect her from?”
“With Levi? Nothing. But, it’s not our place to tell Wes how to feel about it, unfortunately. If Levi wants to pursue something with Elle, he’ll do right by her and he won’t hide it from Wes.”
I nodded and rested my head on Zane’s shoulder as Elle continued her set. Throughout it, Charley, Monroe, Nikki, and I all had a couple more shots. I tried to always chase mine with water knowing drinking too much wasn’t something I should be doing. Thirty minutes later, Elle finished her set and came to join us. The four of us thanked her for putting on such an incredible show and then all five of us girls took off to the ladies’ room.
Zane
The girls had all just taken off to bathrooms and I sat there at the table with Wes, Stone, Luke, and Levi. The guys were talking about something, but I wasn’t paying much attention. I was too consumed with thoughts of my girl. I wasn’t around a year ago when she nearly lost her life, but this day was seemingly so significant in my own. I met Emme only three months ago; yet, I felt like I had loved her a lifetime. I spent the last several months trying to get inside her head and her heart. It was the single most frustrating experience of my life, but the reward I received once I got in was worth every ounce of effort I put into making her mine.
