He chuckled. “Would that be so bad? Or do they still hate me for leaving their daughter behind?”
“They were pretty angry.” That was the understatement of the year. I believed my father had mentioned a possible castration if he ever laid eyes on Zane again. They’d felt betrayed in the worst way possible. It had taken a lot of begging and pleading on my part to make them realize I didn’t want them to try and find him. I wasn’t ready to face him yet, the memory of his betrayal too fresh in my mind.
Zane slipped his hand inside mine, lacing our fingers together. “I wish I knew how to make it up to you, and to them.”
My pulse rate quickened as I stared at our linked hands. I’d dreamed about a moment like this for the last ten years. Now it was happening and I couldn’t stop feeling guilty about it. He was in therapy. For him to have any kind of relationship with me would compromise that therapy. I couldn’t knowingly do that to him, no matter how much I wanted to be a part of his life.
It scared me, too. What if he walked away again? What if after therapy he realized that I wasn’t enough for him? He’d left me before and I survived, but what about Dustin? I couldn’t bring his father into his life and then have him leave again.
Carefully, I extracted my hand from Zane’s. “We can’t do this.” I stared at him, my heart heavy. “I can’t do anything to compromise your therapy. You know as well as I do that you aren’t to get involved in any new relationships for a year.”
“This isn’t a new relationship,” he countered, slipping his hand back into mine. “It’s an old one, and it’s one I need to fix. If it’s the last thing I do with my life, I need to fix this. It’s the only thing that ever really mattered to me.”
His words touched me, but I couldn’t accept them. “I took an oath, a vow, to never do anything that would harm one of my patients.”
“You aren’t harming me. You’re helping me to get better. Besides, all my therapy sessions have been focused on how I need to set things from my past straight again. Dr. Wilson doesn’t know it’s you we are talking about, but he’s constantly encouraging me to make amends with you as part of my therapy.”
“Really?” I didn’t know why that gave me hope.
“Really.” His eyes dropped to my lips. “Tell me what I can do to make things right with you. I’ll do anything you ask, just say you won’t leave me.” Leaning closer, his hand cupped my chin, sending little sparks racing through me. “Sometimes when I’m with you, I’m afraid I’m going to wake up and find out this is a dream and you aren’t really here. I have this terrified feeling that I’m stuck in some sort of hallucination.” His thumb traced my lips. “If I am hallucinating, I don’t ever want to wake up.”
His lips captured mine, and I moaned. Unable to help myself, I leaned into his embrace, like a camel starved for water. I wanted to drink my fill of him, store it, and keep it so I could take it out for a rainy day and imagine it all over again.
He gathered me into his arms, and I realized they were still strong and muscular, though bigger around than the last time I’d been in them, but they still felt the same—like home.
Parting my lips, I allowed his tongue to sweep inside, and he groaned, as he leaned into me harder. I couldn’t get close enough. I wanted my body pressed against every inch of him. My fingers ached to trail the planes and ridges of his body the way they used to. I wanted to know him again—in every sense of the word.
Breaking away, I pushed back, distancing myself from him. “Zane.” My voice was trembling heavily. “I can’t do this. Not yet. We need to talk about some things first.”
Sighing heavily, he released me, but took my hand again. “We’re combustible, you and I.”
“I know. We always were.”
Silence fell between us for a few moments.
“What do you want to talk about?”
“How close are we to your house? I don’t want to be interrupted.”
He glanced out the window. “We’re almost there.”
I was surprised at his declaration because we were in the middle of downtown, skyscrapers towering over us. He pointed to one of the tall glass buildings.
“I live in the penthouse.”
The penthouse. Why was I surprised?
“I’ve never been in a penthouse,” I said, feeling a little excited over the prospect of getting to see where he actually lived. You could tell so much about a person by how they lived in their personal space—and I was definitely anxious to see his.
The car paused in front of a gate and a guard waved us through, securing the gate behind us. The limo pulled up in front of an elevator and parked.
“We’re here,” Zane said smiling. He didn’t wait for the driver to get out and open the door, instead doing it himself and then offering me a hand as he helped me out. Taking out his wallet, he removed a special key card and placed it in a slot at the elevator.
“Let me guess, your own private entrance?” I asked.
“Yep. This elevator goes straight up to the penthouse.”
“I can’t even imagine living in a place like this, let alone having my own private elevator.”
He grinned. “Wait until you see the views. You’re gonna love it!” His excitement was infectious.
“I can’t wait,” I responded, smiling back.
And I meant every single word.
“Hunting for Cinderella! Who was Z. McCartney’s Mystery Date?”
~Fashionista Style Magazine~
Chapter Twelve
Aubrey
“Welcome to my humble abode,” Zane said as the elevator doors swooshed open and he guided me into his spacious apartment.
Instantly the wide-open views caught my eyes in the floor to ceiling glass walls that made up the exterior of the fabulous space. All around us, tall buildings twinkled in the moonlight like giants stretching toward the sky.
“Come take a closer look,” Zane said, pulling me past the immaculate posh living space, decorated in whites and blues, toward the giant windows. “Isn’t it incredible?”
My eyes traveled lower, dropping to the streets beneath us. At this time of day, the streets weren’t overly busy, but I imagined they would be in the morning. “This is a gorgeous view of the city,” I said, glancing in the direction of the ocean before turning to look at Zane.
“Kind of like being on top of the world, isn’t it?” he said, staring at me instead of the view.
“It’s only fitting. The best for the best,” I replied, returning his compliment from earlier. I smiled and squeezed his hand. “I’m happy you’ve been so successful, Zane. Truly.”
“Really? Because all I’ve ever been able to think of is how none of this means anything without you.”
Once again, his mouth descended to mine, kissing me hotly and he backed me against the glass window. My pulse rate quickened, especially as I realized I could feel every inch of his very hard body against me.
“Aubrey,” he whispered as he broke away, moving his lips to my ear. “I want to peel you out of this dress and worship every single part of your body over and over again. Please let me. You’ve been driving me crazy all night. I can’t stop thinking about how much I want to be with you.”
His words were like an elixir to my soul. They were the words I’d craved to hear for ten years. Oh, how I wanted that too—wanted to say yes more than I’d ever wanted to do anything in my life. But I had to tell him the truth first.
“I . . . I can’t yet. We . . . we need to talk about important things.” I could hardly form a coherent thought as he masterfully continued to weave his spell around me.
He pulled back slightly, staring into my eyes. “Let’s talk about important things afterward. Please, just this once, let me love you like I should’ve been doing all these years—like I wanted to do all these years.”
A cry escaped my lips as his words broke me, causing tears to fall. “I want that so much, too. I just don’t want to take advantage of the situation. We need to talk.”
“Later,” he said again, pressing his mouth back to mine.
Heat flooded through me as I wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing him with everything I had in me. My heart pounded faster as his hands slipped behind me, hugging me tighter, before searching out the zipper of my dress and dragging it downward.
Mouth never leaving mine, he slipped his hands under the straps to my gown and pushed it off my shoulders. Stepping back just enough so that the dress fell in a puddle at my feet, he left me standing before him dressed in only a strapless bra and matching panties.
“Wow. Look at you.” His eyes traveled over me from head to toe. “You still have the power to render me completely speechless.”
Smiling, I reached out and pulled him back. “You seem to be talking just fine.”
His lips captured mine again, his hands sliding to either side of my face as he cradled it gently. “You know I’m going to have bruises after tonight, don’t you?” he whispered against my mouth.
I giggled at the odd comment, despite myself. “Why’s that?”
“Because I keep pinching myself to see if I’m dreaming.”
The smile slipped from my face. “So do I, but I’m going to stop. If this is a dream, I don’t want to wake up.”
“Me, neither.” His hands slid up my body until they found the hook of my bra. Releasing it, it fell to the floor on top of my beautiful designer gown.
Sliding around to the front, he palmed the weight of my breasts, bending to suck and tease my nipples. I moaned, leaning against the window behind me for support.
“I like the changes to your body,” he said, his tongue darting out and licking me. “Your breast are bigger, and your hips are slightly fuller. Womanhood looks good on you.”
His words both heightened what he was doing and frightened me, as well. I was afraid he might put two and two together and guess my secret before I had the chance to tell him. Those changes he loved so much were because I’d given birth to his son.
My thoughts were quickly discarded though as his hands slid lower, his thumbs hooking into my lace panties. Slowly, he pulled them down, until they joined the rest of my clothing.
Again, he paused to stare from where he knelt in front of me. “So beautiful.”
“And yet you still seem to be fully clothed,” I reminded him.
Chuckling, he stood. “Let’s remedy that, shall we?” Immediately he shrugged out of his jacket, letting it fall to the floor as well. Pulling off his tie, he went for the buttons of his shirt.
“Hey. That’s my job,” I said, replacing his hands with my own as I quickly finished what he’d started and pushed his white shirt off his shoulders, revealing his glorious tattoo. There’d be time to observe it later. Right now I was too impatient, my hands dropping to the belt at his waist, undoing the buckle and unzipping his pants.
His boxer briefs were bulging and I had a moment of panic. I’d forgotten how big he really was, but my memories of how he’d made me feel in the past filled my mind, sending sparks of excitement clear through my body.
He kicked off his shoes, as I continued to stare at him. “You just gonna look at it?” he teased, chuckling.
“I forgot how big you are,” I replied honestly and he laughed harder.
“The better to please you with, my dear.”
I snorted, unable to suppress the sudden flurry of giggles that escaped me. “Does that make me Little Red Riding Hood?”
“Well, you have been wearing that killer red dress. And if I’m being honest, it made me feel like a big bad wolf all night. All I’ve been thinking about is the many ways I’d like to devour you.”
“Hmm. I don’t recall Red Riding Hood eating the wolf. Do you?”
“What do you mea—”
His words stopped as I pulled his giant dick out and knelt down, slipping my mouth over it, just like I used to do for him in the past.
“Fuck,” he groaned out, leaning forward and bracing his hands on the window behind me. Staring up at him, I watched him close his eyes and clench his teeth as I sucked on him heavily.
The familiar salty taste of his pre-cum filled my mouth as it glided over the silky skin that covered the iron rod beneath, my hand moving up and down at his thick base as I jacked the part of him my mouth couldn’t take.
It was amazing how easily I fell back into being with him. It was as if no time had passed and we were naturally doing the things we’d always done together.
Of course, some things had changed. While he’d had a pretty rockin’ muscular body before, he was so ripped now it looked like it had been carved out of stone. And there was the fact that this wasn’t going to stop with a blowjob. I was pretty sure I was about to get sufficiently fucked, and I was looking forward to every second of it.
I had no idea what would happen after tonight, but I was going to enjoy each moment of the time I had in his arms again. There was no way I was passing up this gift he was offering. I’d dreamed about it for too many years.
Lifting my other hand, I fingered his balls and he groaned loudly, reaching down to grab my hands. “Stop, Aubrey, or you’re going to end this before it even gets started. I’m too excited to be with you again.”
Standing, I slid my hands over his chest, reading the muscles of his body like I was a blind person and he was braille. “I understand,” I whispered. “I just want to please you.”
“You always please me,” he replied gruffly, lifting me up and pressing me back against the thick glass. I wrapped my legs around his waist. “Babe, I can’t wait another second.”
Slightly repositioning, I felt his shaft at my entrance and I groaned as I slowly pressed my weight down on it, allowing him to easily slide inside me.
“Still so wet,” he groaned, nipping at my neck. Pulling back, he slammed into me hard, stretching me deep and fully. I couldn’t help my cry as my fingers bit into his skin.
Locking gazes, he continued to pound into me, right there against the glass, and I briefly wondered if anyone was awake still and enjoying the show. But it didn’t matter to me. I didn’t care if the world was watching. All I cared about was that Zane was back inside me.
“I’m on the pill, by the way,” I muttered briefly, noting that once again he wasn’t wearing a condom. Thank goodness for my crazy periods that had made a need for them. Heaven knew I hadn’t needed them for any other reason.
“Good to know,” he breathed out heavily, smiling. “Guess I should’ve asked first.”
“Shut up and keep fucking me,” I teased and he laughed.
“Be careful, or I’m going to give it to you even harder.”
“Baby, I want it as hard as you can give it. I don’t want to be able to walk afterward.” I wanted everything he had.
Grinning, he nodded. “I’ll happily oblige your request.”
Moving faster, he pounded into me so hard my boobs started bouncing with the rhythm and I had a moment of worry that he might fuck us both right through the window.
It was as if he read my mind. “No worries, tempered Plexiglas. We’re safe from everything but the neighbors’ prying eyes.”
“Ahhh!” I shouted, the first wave of pleasure cresting over me, and apparently the sound excited him more because he gave it to me even harder. My cry escalated, the sensation overwhelming me, as my insides clenched around him in a spasm so hard I wasn’t sure I was going to survive it. “Zane!” I shouted, as he continued to drive heavily into me, causing wave after wave to crash through me, my orgasm seemingly unstoppable.
Everything was caught up in the intense sensations inside me. I’d never experienced anything like this—ever—not even the first time we’d been together.
Realization slammed through me. I loved him—passionately. I’d never stopped, even though I’d been hurt and angry with him. There was a reason I didn’t date much. There was a reason I’d never slept with another man. I was still in love with this one. He was the only one I wanted.
It frightened me. It always
had. There had never been anyone else for me. Only Zane—my Zane—the Zane I’d grown up with.
Tears fell from my eyes, mixing with my moans of pleasure. Growling, he continued to move, suddenly releasing a great shout. “Fuuuck, Aubrey. Fuuuuuuck!”
Warmth shot inside me, filling me up as he continued to groan and pump as he climaxed, until he finally slumped against me.
A fine sheen of sweat covered his skin from all his effort, but he smiled, before his face grew concerned. Staring at my tears, he cursed. “I hurt you, didn’t I? I’m so sorry. I just got so carried away because—well, because it was you.”
I laughed, wishing I could show him how amazing he’d made me feel. “You didn’t hurt me. Not even a little. It was incredible. Thank you.”
“Don’t be thanking me just yet.”
“Why not?” I asked with a smile, running my hand through his hair.
“That was just the pre-fuck.” He grinned seductively.
“The pre-fuck?” I arched an eyebrow, confused.
“Yeah. I haven’t been with you in so long, I couldn’t hold back enough to do it properly. Now that the pre-fuck is out of the way, I can take my time making love to you.”
“Making love?” I didn’t miss those words.
“Call it whatever you want, but now the complete and total worshipping of your body is about to commence.”
“Are you planning to kill me with sex tonight?” I asked, already warming up to his words. Apparently he was too, since I could feel him stirring inside me, again.
“Hey, you were the one who said you didn’t want to be able to walk out of here. I’m very motivated to give you what you desire.” He grinned that deliciously sexy five star grin of his.
“I’m happy to know you aim to please.” I clenched my muscles around him and he flexed inside me, eliciting a moan from me with the action. I was so tender it made even the slightest movement inside me almost feel orgasmic.
He chuckled. “Ready for round two?” Soft kisses punctuated his words.
“I am.” I was so ready for anything he wanted to give me.