“I care about you, V. I won’t sit back and let anyone talk to you that way.”
“You don’t know what the hell you’re saying. You don’t care about me. It’s sex.”
“What’s ‘sex’?” Standing to his feet again, wanting to be on a level playing field with her, Zane watched her intently.
She was purposely trying to piss him off, and if it worked to erase that look of utter helplessness he’d seen on her face earlier, he’d oblige her. “I don’t see any sex going on here at the moment, do you?”
V pinned him with a glare, and he could detect her exasperation. Vanessa Carmichael was never going to accept the fact that he felt more for her than she wanted him to. It couldn’t be changed, and he wasn’t looking to change it. But, Zane also knew when to keep his mouth shut.
“I want you to stay here for a little while. A few days. A week,” he told her.
“I can’t do that,” V argued.
Damn woman.
“You can and you will.” Zane turned away from her, wanting the conversation to be over. V would argue with him until they were both blue in the face, he knew that much.
“Zane, you know I can’t do that. I’ll never get over it if I don’t face up to it,” she said, sounding tired.
“You’re not worried about getting over it, V. You’re worried about getting too close to me.” Zane knew V had issues staying the night with him, or him with her. She’d made that plain and clear since day one. Well, he was tired of playing this her way. He wanted her to stay, and it was clear she needed someone to lean on. He wanted to be that someone.
The look in her eyes told him everything he needed to know. She wasn’t worried about herself or even him. V was worried what others would think. To hell with others. She needed to learn to live her life for herself and stop worrying so damn much about what other people thought.
“You’re staying here tonight.” Zane wasn’t making a request, and she could argue all she wanted.
To his absolute amazement, V flopped back down on the couch and stared blankly at the flat screen television mounted on his wall. She didn’t argue, and she didn’t look at him either. He was just happy she had stopped shaking as well.
An hour later, Zane finally coaxed V into eating something, but since he’d yet to go to the grocery store, they’d had to settle for pizza. He’d always been the type to limit his carbs, aiming for protein and clean foods, but tonight was an exception. With his anger still bubbling, he had figured this was the least of his worries at the moment. Maybe he’d get down to the grocery store tomorrow.
When V pushed her plate away after her second piece, Zane was satisfied with how much she ate. He stared back at her, but she still attempted to avoid his eyes as much as possible.
“What’s Jake texting you?”
“What?”
It royally pissed him off when V pretended she didn’t know what he was talking about.
“Don’t do that shit, V. I know he’s texting and calling you and I want to know what he’s saying.”
She didn’t seem to be in a hurry to answer him, but from where he sat, she appeared to be lost in thought.
“When did it start?” He decided to try easier questions.
V glanced over at him, then back to the table.
“Right after you woke up in the hospital. About three weeks after they jumped you.”
“Is Jake the only one texting you?” Zane didn’t have a clue who the others were, but he wouldn’t put it past Jake to get them to target V as well.
V shook her head. “No. Well, not anymore. For a few days, I was getting texts from unfamiliar numbers, but they stopped.”
“Is Jake still harassing you?”
This time V nodded.
“What does he say?”
For a second, he thought she was going to ignore the question like she had previously, but once again, V threw him for a loop. She handed over her cell phone, and Zane pulled up her texts to find... Holy fucking shit! There were seventeen unread text messages, and as he scrolled through them, he saw they were from the last two hours.
Whore just like your mama
Once a slut always a slut
A Walker man’s bitch now, huh?
Don’t worry, I know where you live
And I know where he lives too
Those were just a few of the nicer ones.
Zane saw red.
Without thinking, he hit the dial button to call the number that the texts had come from.
The phone rang once, twice...
“Ahhh, baby, I knew you’d come running to me sooner or later,” Jake’s slimy voice answered on the other end.
Zane sucked in air, trying to rein in the boiling rage that threatened to burst out of his veins. Gritting his teeth, he turned away from V. “If you know what’s fucking good for you, you no good son of a bitch, you’ll stay far, far away from her, Sanders.”
“Zane Walker. I heard you were still alive.” There was an insane chuckle following the words, but Zane noticed that Jake didn’t sound nearly as confident as he probably hoped. If Zane had to guess, he was the last person Jake expected to be calling.
“Alive and waiting for you to show your face. Next time, your buddies won’t be there to protect you from me,” Zane seethed.
“No, fucker. Next time, I’ll just kill you.” The phone went dead, and Zane stood stone still for a minute, trying to breathe, trying to contain the anger that threatened to pull him under.
When V’s hand touched his shoulder, he flinched. He had to remind himself where he was and who he was with.
“He’s not worth it, Zane,” V whispered. “Eventually he’ll get bored with this little game.”
Zane’s fury slipped free as he turned on V, yelling his point until she took a step back. “Game? You think this is a fucking game? He’s fucking with you, V. Do you remember what he did to me? He’s not playing a game. The man’s a lunatic!”
Zane walked away, needing a moment to get his bearings. He was infuriated and ready to punch something, only he refused to do so with V around. There was no way he wanted her to see the anger that sparked inside of him.
Zane knew Jake’s mental health was tenuous at best, and he wouldn’t put it past the crazy bastard to do something drastic. Again. He wouldn’t let the son of a bitch get the best of him again, that was for damn sure. Bracing his hands on the edge of the kitchen counter, Zane stared out the small window above the sink, into the darkness.
When V’s hand slid down his back, he allowed her gentle touch to soothe him. He focused on the warmth of her hand as it traveled from his waist up to his shoulder blades and then back down again. A frisson of heat shuddered through him. He wanted to feel her against him. Skin to skin. She was the only person capable of distracting him from this anger that he knew was coming to a head.
Figuring he would have to be the one to make the move, he removed his t-shirt by grabbing a handful behind his neck and pulling it over his head. He resumed his position, dropping his head as he focused on breathing. When V’s hands returned to his back, he hissed at the feel of her cool, silky fingers against his fevered skin.
When she sucked in a breath, Zane remembered all too clearly what she was looking at. There were scars, some big, some small, some from the assault, others just normal battle scars from being one of seven boys. If he had to guess, she was two seconds away from overthinking this.
“Put your mouth on me, V,” he demanded, keeping his back to her, his eyes closed as he hung his head, willing the tension to ease from his shoulders. “I want to feel your lips on my skin.”
Zane’s entire body lit up like kindling fanned by a gale force wind inside of him when her lips touched his back. With each gentle press of her warm mouth to his skin, a shiver ran through him. There was no doubt about it, V could get him worked up like no one ever had before. His body responded to her touch like he’d been lured to her by an invisible force. There was no thinking involved when it came to th
e way V touched him, her mere presence set his body on fire.
Zane wanted her, and he would take her any way he could have her. He’d never felt more broken until the moment he was in V’s arms, knowing that she could heal every open wound he’d ever harbored deep inside of him. When her arms wrapped around his torso, her palms flattening against his pecs while her lips trailed fire across his back, Zane sucked in a breath.
“I missed you, V,” he whispered.
God, how he missed her touch, the feel of her smooth skin against his, the warmth of her breath, the taste of her kiss. For three long months, he’d been deprived of her and Zane had no intentions of continuing to go without.
This was just like the other times. The moment their bodies collided, nothing else mattered. No lingering questions, no annoying issues, no mind numbing fear... Everything disappeared.
The only thing that mattered to him was her.
Zane turned to face her, holding her hands against him so that she couldn’t move away. Once he turned around and could see her, he cupped her face in his palms and stared down into those golden brown eyes.
“Stay with me tonight, V.” Zane was prepared to beg if necessary, and that was something he certainly wasn’t prone to doing. Yet, if it would allow him the opportunity to lay down with her in his arms and wake with her beside him, whatever it took, he was willing to do it.
The uncertainty in her gaze was disappointing, but the fact that she hadn’t said no gave him hope. Taking one of her hands in his, Zane led her over to his bed. He sat on the edge of the mattress and looked up at her, reveling in her beauty. Just having her there with him was more than he could’ve wished for. He wasn’t used to feeling like this, but he always knew, once the time came, he wasn’t going to question it. He felt something for V. Something strong, possessive and these overwhelming emotions, although foreign, consumed him entirely.
Zane slid his hands under the edge of her shirt, slowly lifting the cotton as he moved upward, his palms skimming her satiny skin as he went. “Stay with me. Tell me you want to stay.”
V nodded her head, her eyes meeting his. Zane could see the emotions warring inside of her.
“I need to hear you say it.” More than he needed to hear it.
“I want to stay with you,” she whispered.
The words had him flinching internally, his heart constricting with the emotions that crashed like a tsunami within his chest.
“You’re so damn beautiful, V.” She would never believe that he meant more than just her outward appearance, so he left the words at that. He was never much for verbal displays of emotion, but with V, he felt as though he had to tell her how he was feeling. Even if she merely graced him with that skeptical look she’d perfected so well.
“Take it off,” he insisted, placing his hands on her waist, feeling the velvety warmth of her skin beneath his palms. The adrenaline from the abundance of feelings he wasn’t used to having took over, and Zane needed her more now than ever before.
V slowly lifted her shirt, pulling it over her head and holding onto it for dear life as he watched.
“Drop it.”
There was no longer uncertainty in her gaze, in its place, blazing heat. V liked when he got forceful with her. He’d done it a time or two, and each time he noticed how she changed. If he had to guess, she preferred giving herself over to him, letting him take the reins so she could just feel. Something he was pretty sure V didn’t do often.
When her shirt hit the floor, he let his eyes trail from her navel up to her breasts. “Now the bra,” he stated, ensuring he kept the command in his tone.
Her breath hitched, but she didn’t fidget and she didn’t attempt to pull away from him. Her hands disappeared behind her back, moments before her bra was released, sliding down her arms until her dusky pink nipples came into view.
He wanted to suck them. He wanted to feast on them for hours, making her squirm in his arms. The urge to clip the perfectly pebbled tips with his teeth was brutal.
“Move closer,” he instructed, moving his hands down to her hips.
She took another step closer, almost giving him exactly what he wanted. Sitting on the edge of the bed, his mouth was perfectly aligned with her full, luscious breasts. Not much more than a handful, but perfect in every way.
Allowing his gaze to meet hers, he paused for a moment as he stared back at her.
“I want to own you, V,” he whispered the words and witnessed her deep inhale. She bit her bottom lip, but she didn’t pull away.
“Do you want that? Do you want me to own you?” he asked, not expecting a response. “To take you how I want, when I want?”
Zane had never been more serious about anything in his life. Whatever it was about her, he found he craved her like a drug. He didn’t want to let her go, and the more she tried to get away, the harder he wanted to fight to keep her. Only he got the impression, she didn’t actually want to get away. She was just too scared to admit it to him.
“Answer me,” he commanded, pulling her hips firmly until she was forced to take another step closer. “Do you want me to own you, Vanessa?” he growled the question again.
“No one owns me.” Her tone was reserved, but lacked any sort of conviction, and he knew he had nailed it. Vanessa Carmichael was a submissive at heart. She knew it, and he knew it. But she obviously didn’t have it in her to say as much.
“I want to own you,” he repeated, his hunger evolving, turning into something greater than him. “I want to make you mine. Mine, V.”
When she didn’t answer, he slowly slid his hands upward, over the curve of her waist, over her ribs. He gently cupped her breasts, lifting them as he caressed them with his eyes. He could see every labored breath she took in the rise and fall of her chest, but she didn’t say a word.
“Tonight, V,” he said before using his forefinger and thumb to tweak one nipple at a time. “Tonight, I own you. I want to show you what it’s like when you give yourself to me completely.” He lifted his eyes until they met hers once more as he waited for her response. “I'm living for right now, V. Not yesterday, not last month, not tomorrow. Right this second. Right here. With you. Tonight.”
He wasn’t going to push her, he didn’t need to, but he wanted her to understand the depth of what he was feeling.
V nodded her head in agreement. “Tonight. But just tonight,” she whispered.
V wanted this as much as he did. Only Zane knew that this was for more than just one night. He wasn’t willing to settle for just one night. He wanted more from her than that, but he wasn’t going to scare her away just yet.
♀♂
V couldn’t believe the words had come out of her mouth. Not that they weren’t true. She just couldn’t believe she had stated them out loud. She wanted Zane to own her. At least for tonight.
It was so much easier to give herself over to him, to let him control her pleasure than it was for her to think about it. She spent too much time thinking. Too much time running from her own feelings. With Zane, she didn’t have to do that because he was willing to control her. She never would admit that she had submissive tendencies, but she had realized them after the first couple of times she was with him.
Zane was dominant, controlling, protective, and aggressive. She was drawn to him. She had seen it previously, but he never openly stated as much. She could hear it in his voice now. See it in the way he was looking at her.
V wanted to please him by giving in to what they both wanted. She just wasn’t sure whether she could commit herself fully. Not long term anyway. Never in her life had she allowed anyone to get close to her. Not close enough to hurt her anyway. Zane, whether he knew it or not, actually had all the power over her no matter how much she tried to deny it. If it were possible, he would be the only one who could break her heart.
She might not have it in her to commit to forever, but tonight she could do.
Standing before him in her skirt and heels and nothing else, she expected to feel ex
posed. She didn’t. Not with his gaze straying across her skin, or his work roughened fingers pinching her nipples until she couldn’t hold back the cry that tore from her throat.
That was one of her favorite things about Zane. His hands. They were large hands, proportionate to his size; the skin callused from working with machinery. And the man knew how to use them to please a woman.
Zane released her breasts, moving his hands down her stomach, never fully pulling away, and the rasp of his skin against hers was so damn titillating, she felt her pussy throb with anticipation. She wanted to feel him inside of her, the way his muscular body felt pressing down on her...
He forced her to take a step back when he lowered himself to his knees in front of her, her skirt being pushed farther down her legs. Zane first removed one shoe, then the other, his mouth trailing sweltering, wet kisses at the top of her mound, and she wanted to grab his head and hold him to her. She wanted to touch him, to taste him, to take him fully into her mouth and make him beg her, but V knew she would be the one begging soon.
By the time she was completely naked – which didn’t take long without her panties in the way because they were still in his pocket – the sun had set almost entirely, only a shimmer of red and orange banding through the open window that overlooked a narrow valley at the back of his house. It gave the room an otherworldly feel; making the moment seem that much more intimate.
There were so many things about this man that she craved, but his ability to turn her into a crazed romantic was not one of them. V wouldn’t deny enjoying sex. She didn’t have it enough as far as she was concerned, which was probably the reason she’d become so attached to Zane.
He knew exactly how to play her body, how to make her scream his name. The only thing she wanted to do was close her eyes and enjoy the sensation she knew wouldn’t last forever, but she wished it would.
“Spread your legs,” Zane instructed, still kneeling before her, his hands on her thighs, those bedroom eyes penetrating her as he peered up at her.
V hurriedly pushed her legs apart, nearly stumbling when he separated the wet folds of her pussy, not wasting any time before his tongue slid deep. She wasn’t going to be able to stand on her own two feet for long. Her thighs trembled, her knees were like jelly. She gripped his head, holding him to her as he pierced her with his talented tongue, tormenting her clit with delicious swipes back and forth, up and down.
Zane (Alluring Indulgence) Page 9
