Lost, Found, Loved

by London Casey

  I exited the bedroom and hoped to smell coffee. But I didn’t smell anything.

  But I heard Parker’s voice.

  “Hey, hey, hey, just take it easy for a second,” he said in a low voice.

  I crept down the hallway a little.

  “Abby, listen to me.”

  I stopped in my tracks. I stood in the middle of the hallway and could partially see the right side of Parker’s bare body as he sat at the table.

  “I know what you’re thinking. I know it’s hard. It’s hard for all of us, Abby. The three of us are in this mess.”

  My nostrils flared.

  Why was he talking to her?

  “I’m trying to take care of everyone here.”

  My heart pounded.

  “You know what I told you before, Abby,” Parker said. “I love her. I love Bella.”

  I started to smile.

  Maybe this wasn’t the worst…

  “I love you too, though,” Parker said. “I love Bella differently. It’s a time-thing, okay? We were together for so long it’s hard to just stop that.”

  What?

  “I swear though, about the way I feel about you. I know we shouldn’t have let things go on as long as they did without talking to Bella first. It was stupid to put ourselves in a position for her to find us the way she did. But with her here now…it’s nothing. I promise, Abby. It’s nothing.”

  I felt sick.

  I slowly stepped back, over and over.

  Until I got to the bedroom.

  I thought about what to do next. I could strip down to my bra and panties and pretend like nothing ever happened. Or I could kick Parker right in the balls.

  He didn’t just mess around with Abby once. This had been going on for a while. I just got lucky enough to catch them.

  Lucky enough.

  I didn’t take any of my clothes off. Instead, I sat on the edge of the bed. I looked at my bags. They were still packed.

  If I left again, I wasn’t going to come back.

  Or maybe…

  I hurried over to my bags and tossed them to the bed. Then I went to the closet and grabbed even more clothes.

  Then I grabbed my cell phone.

  I couldn’t believe what I was about to do.

  There was no way he was going to answer…

  “Bella?” the sexy, rough voice said through my phone after just the first ring.

  “Zayne?”

  “Bella. Are you okay?”

  “No,” I said.

  “What’s wrong?”

  I looked at the door. Parker was sitting out there talking to Abby on the phone. Talking about their affair. Their relationship.

  “I’ll do it,” I said.

  “Do what?” Zayne asked.

  “I’ll go to the wedding with you.”

  “What?”

  “You heard me. I’ll go to the wedding.”

  “Bella…I shouldn’t have-”

  “Shut up, Zayne,” I said. I swallowed hard. “Here’s the thing…I’m going to go to the wedding with you…but you’re going to do something for me…”

  21

  ZAYNE

  As fast as the call came through, it was over. Bella talked fast, with force, and then hung up on me. One minute I was in bed, alone, and then I was wide awake. Hell, I had spent so many hours awake in the damn bed, thinking about her, it was pathetic. To top that off, Tate forced me to take a few days off in a row. I wasn’t the kind to just sit around and be lazy. Or just drive around town for the hell of it.

  But now, the time suddenly might have a purpose.

  I threw the covers off me and grabbed my phone in case Bella called again. I didn’t mentally count the days and hours since I’d last seen her, or at least, that’s the lie I told myself. If anything, I just wanted to see her and calmly explain why I did what I did, and that I was actually sorry. I wasn’t trying to hold her hostage. I wasn’t trying to use her.

  Every time I thought about it, I felt worse. The woman had been on the run from a guy lying to her. A guy who slept with her best friend. Then she met me as a stranger, and the first thing I did to her was pull her into another lie.

  I stood in the kitchen and paced around. I finally settled into the corner nook and grabbed the counter, holding tight, staring at the door. Each time it felt like an hour had gone by, I looked at the clock and it had only been a minute or two.

  I couldn’t believe how early in the morning it was when I heard the knock at the door.

  I jumped forward, but then stopped. I didn’t want to look desperate. I wanted to look…

  Shit, I care about how I look in front of her?

  I gritted my teeth.

  I was at the door wearing nothing but pajama bottoms.

  I opened the door and Bella stood there with a bag on each shoulder.

  “Bella,” I whispered.

  “Can I come in?”

  “Of course.”

  I backed up, and she stepped into the apartment. She dropped the bags to the floor. They were the same ones as before, except they looked fuller.

  I looked at her as I shut the door and locked it.

  “What…” I pointed to the bags. “I…”

  Bella stepped toward me and put her hands to my chest. She looked up at me.

  “I’d like to know what you want from me,” I said.

  “First… I want you to take me. Right now, Zayne. No questions. No stopping.”

  My hands grabbed her ass and lifted her up. The scene was a little too familiar for me. Her hands went for my neck, then to my face. Her nails dug into my skin. Goddamn, there was pain pouring out of those pretty brown eyes of hers.

  “Don’t fucking wait,” she growled at me.

  I loved this new attitude of hers.

  And I wasn’t going to let her down again.

  I put her on the table. Just like before, it scratched against the floor. I kissed her. I kissed her like I was never going to see her again, but that could damn well happen in a second. Maybe she was here to use me. If so, fine. I couldn’t get her out of my head as it was, so why not get her into my bed?

  I kissed her down to her neck and all around it. Kiss after kiss, her skin like honey. I broke away for a second to take a breath. She leaned back against the table, her legs wrapped around my body, pulling me.

  She could feel my bulge and it was growing thicker and fuller by the second. I pressed against her, sliding my right hand to the small of her back, holding her where I wanted her.

  “Yes,” she purred.

  My other hand grabbed for the bottom of her shirt. I eased my hand along her skin and felt the swell of her breast. But I wasn’t going to play fucking games for hours here. I brought my hand back down and pulled her off the kitchen table. Standing in front of me now, I took her shirt off and threw it to the counter.

  My fingertips inched down her shoulders. I leaned down and kissed her left shoulder. Her nails jabbed into my sides as she sucked in a breath and jumped up to her toes. She slammed her shoulder in my face but I took that as a sign that she liked it.

  I kissed a line from her shoulder to her neck. She tilted her head. I could smell the sweetness of her hair. It was all coming around me like a tight blanket. Trapping me. Stealing all my air and all my purpose.

  I slipped my hands down into her pants and took them down as far as I could reach. My hands touched her curvy hips and stayed there as she wiggled and stepped out of her pants.

  That’s when I picked her up for the second time and took her to my bedroom.

  No fucking spare bedroom bullshit. Bella was all mine, and that meant being in my room, my bed, and doing exactly what I told her to do.

  But I wasn’t going to speak with words. My hands were going to do the talking. My mouth was going to speak without sounds, just what my tongue did to her.

  I put her at the edge of the bed but didn’t let her fall down to it. Not yet, darlin’. My hands slid up her sides and around to her back. She thrust h
er chest at me, shivering. When our eyes would meet, it was intense. She trusted me. She wanted me. This was so different from anything I was used to.

  My fingers twisted and unsnapped her bra. I slowly eased it down her arms and tossed it toward the door. I put a small distance between us, leaving her exposed to me. My hands touched her sides. Not her hips, but up at her ribs.

  “Fucking hell, darlin’,” I whispered. “You are so beautiful.”

  “Then show me,” she said. “Stop talking, Zayne.”

  I smiled.

  She was vicious and cute at the same time. My heart and my cock were tied in a knot together because of this woman.

  I pulled her toward me again, still holding her at her ribs. My thumbs were right at the swell of her breasts, but I didn’t touch her. Instead, I kissed her, right above her breasts. I started slow, kiss after kiss, inching down. I moved toward her right breast, and at the last second, I changed my mind. Just to fuck with her. My mouth engulfed her left breast as though I hadn’t had a drink in weeks.

  Bella let out a gasp as I groaned, tasting her breast. The tip of my tongue quickly darted up, down, left, right, feeling her nipple harden to my touch. I swirled my tongue around her nipple and sucked as I pulled away. I pushed with my hands to keep her from coming with me as I pulled away. I took her to the edge as she gasped. Then I opened my mouth, and her breast fell free.

  Her cheeks were a deep shade of red, her mouth open.

  “Fuck,” she managed to say in a breathless voice.

  But I was just getting started.

  I kissed down to her belly. I kept my hands where they were, only moving them enough so that my thumbs could gently flick and tease her erect nipples.

  My lips savored the taste of her body as I continued down. When I was on my knees before her, I nibbled at the top of her panties. It was my subtle warning of where this was about to go. She wanted me in bed, but I wanted everything of her first. I wanted her to lace my tongue, to coat me with her desire as I brought her the edge of climax.

  That’s when I slid my hands down and grabbed the sides of her panties as they rested so perfectly against her hips. I pulled, exposing her even more. Her honeyed center made my nose twitch and my tongue flicker. The soft smoothness of her body was a thing of perfection.

  I eased her panties down to her feet and gently cut my hands between her legs and reversed my course, moving back up, opening her legs. Bella reached down and dug her nails to my shoulders for balance.

  I grinned.

  She wasn’t going to be able to keep her balance when I was done with her.

  I came forward and kissed her tender mound. I nuzzled my nose against her skin as she jumped and let out a whimper.

  “That’s right, darlin’,” I said, purposely letting my hot breath spread across her even hotter center.

  My tongue then took a sample, darting between her legs, touching her damp folds, curling my tongue to bring her forward to me.

  She gasped and thrust up at me, her body taking control.

  I brought my hands to her hips to guide her as I helped myself to a long and satisfying taste. I was careful of her new tattoo. The tattoo that I put there. Something about it was fucking sexy as hell.

  I pulled away and growled, her taste and scent all over me now.

  Then I went back for more.

  I was ravenous, my tongue seeking her soft clit. I circled around her and then flicked, her hips quickly starting to buck each time I touched her nub. That was her sweet spot, which was no surprise to me. But I was here to tease her, taste her, have her, show her how beautiful she was.

  My tongue explored downward, curling, feeling her tightness as her body welcomed me.

  Fuck…

  I thrust with a growl, my tongue entering her clenching warmth. It sent instant shockwaves through my body, my cock angrily pulsing in my pants. I couldn’t wait much longer until I fully had her. But I wasn’t done memorizing her with my tongue. And I wasn’t done making her finish.

  I backed away from her beautiful body and slowly started to stand. The look on Bella’s face was everything to me. A mix of surprise, desperation, and a vixen rage that told me there was a secret side to her that I was slowly getting to show itself.

  “On the bed, darlin’,” I ordered.

  My hands pushed her hips. She fell to the bed and grabbed for the sheets. I came forward and kissed just below her belly button. One of her hands grabbed my hair, pulling it as she groaned loudly.

  I kissed back down until I was between her legs again. My tongue moved faster, more rampant, slightly turning my head, savoring her. My tongue ran in all directions, my mind working as though the tip of my tongue was a tattoo needle and I was leaving her with something she’d never fucking forget. I brought my right hand to her core and thrust two fingers into her.

  That’s all I needed to bring her to the edge.

  Her hips rocked gently as she pulled at her legs against the side of the bed. Pulling herself tighter to me as she slowly began to release.

  “Zayne,” her voice purred in a deep growl. “Oh…Zayne…”

  Her ass lifted a little off the bed and slammed back down.

  Done.

  I groaned as my tongue went to work even faster, wanting to collect all the honey I had worked so hard for.

  I stayed with her, feeling her throbbing to my touch and my tongue.

  With my free hand, I grabbed the front of my pajama bottoms and shoved them down. My cock popped free, thick, full, ready for her. It fucking hurt. Goddammit, this woman made it hurt.

  I growled and pulled away from her pussy and kissed up her belly. I stopped at her belly button and flicked my tongue a few times before pulling away completely.

  Bella grabbed for my body, scratching at me. Her left hand slid up to my chest while her right hand slid down. It took her a few seconds to realize that I was hard and that I was naked.

  “Oh, fuck,” she said as she looked down at me.

  Her right hand grabbed for me, her fingers trying to wrap around my steel shaft. She slid the palm of her hand down my hardness, twisting at my root, easing back up. I hissed as she moved with a slow perfection again.

  Then I grabbed her wrist and curled my lip. “No fucking way, darlin’.”

  “No way what?” she asked.

  I pinned her hand down to the bed and held it there. With my other hand, I grabbed myself at my heavy root and came forward. I gave her a second to feel me, my full tip opening her.

  And that was it.

  I pressed forward and entered her. I thrust with all my might, needing to be as deep as her body would let me. My hips slammed down to hers. The bed bounced. Bella let out a loud moan. I grabbed her by the waist, still being careful of the bandage on the tattoo, and I held her there and did exactly what she asked me to do.

  I fucked her.

  I pulled back and hammered forward. Harder, faster, wanting to see if I could make the bed groan as loud as she was. I watched the way her body moved, almost like she was dancing in this slow, sensual way. Each time she rocked those hips left to right, I felt her squeezing against me, wanting me to finish.

  I held on with everything I had, never wanting it to end.

  I sucked in a breath and readied myself. There was only so much I could take. I tasted her sweet honey on my lips. Her nails had left subtle marks up and down my chest. Her hands shook as she tried to grab my waist but ended up giving up and gripping the sheets. She had them pulled tight to her body, messing the bed.

  My feet were planted flat on the floor, her legs around me.

  As I thrust hard, Bella put her head back and arched her back. She let out a loud yell and threw her hand back to grab a pillow. She tried to put the pillow over her face, but I wasn’t going to allow that. I grabbed it and threw it off the bed.

  I lowered myself down to her and looked her in the eyes.

  “Let the fucking neighbors hear you,” I said.

  “Zayne…”

&
nbsp; I growled and couldn’t hold myself back anymore.

  I pulled back and gave myself one more second to breathe and realize what was in front of me. I thrust forward and lost control.

  And all I could think was that I hoped it wasn’t the last time we were together.

  22

  BELLA

  We managed to work our way up to the top of the bed, like normal people. We cuddled under the covers, wrapped up in each other as though it was something we’d done for years together. That was the thing about Zayne. He just struck me. He just got me. There was a connection that was seriously terrifying. Because it was so real. I wanted to rest my head on his chest but I couldn’t stop looking up at him.

  It wasn’t even nine in the morning yet, and my body felt like it had done a day’s work, and then some.

  “Okay, darlin’,” he said. “What the hell is going on here?”

  “I already told you I would go to the wedding with you.”

  “Right. The wedding. The thing that put us over the edge the first time.”

  “No. You lied to me about my car.”

  “I know I did. I’m sorry I did that. I didn’t want you to go. It was really stupid of me to do that, considering everything you went through. To be fair, I didn’t know any of that when I first told the lie.”

  “But you still lied.”

  “Because I could sense something in you, Bella. And in me. I’d never talked with anyone like I could with you.”

  “I’m sure all your hookups love to hear about your fiancée ruining your life,” I said with a grin.

  “Look, full disclosure here,” he said. “After you left…I didn’t like being alone. I was mad at myself, darlin’. I was mad you left. So I…”

  “In this bed?” I asked.

  “No. No fucking way.”

  “Okay,” I said. “I don’t really care, Zayne. I don’t know why I don’t care, either. I think I’ve finally gotten to the last piece of hope here.”

  “Don’t say that, Bella.”

  “I slept with Parker,” I blurted out.

  Zayne’s face dropped. His nostrils flared and his lip curled for a second. But then he nodded. “Makes sense.”