Page 84 of Words We Didn't Say

“Oh, God. Was it Mum? Did she say something to you? I begged her not to—”

“Stop!” I grabbed a pillow off the sofa and tossed it at him. It bumped into his chest and hit the floor, but thankfully, he stopped pacing. “What the hell is going on?”

“What’s going on?You said we need totalk!That’s code for—for—” Emotion choked his voice. Tortured eyes met mine. “Are you dumping me again?”

My chin dropped.

I was hopeless. Zach had been trying so hard for weeks, opening up and sharing more about himself, but talking still wasn’t easy for me. I should’ve been honest with Zach and sent him a message with ‘DTF’ and an eggplant and peach emoji tacked on the end. Even he could decipher that, right? Hewould’ve already stripped me out of the stupid lace thong riding up my booty and been, you know, DTF.

Zach’s chest still heaved when I cupped his face in my palm, and his gaze stayed locked on his feet.

“Hey.” I urged him to relax with a kiss on his jaw. “Look at me.” I waited for his eyes to lift to reassure him with a smile. “Zach, I’m not breaking up with you. I’m not. Okay?”

“O-Okay.”

“I’m sorry. I was upset you didn’t want to come over, but I was too scared to tell you.”

His eyes widened. “You wanted me to…come…over?”

“Y-Yeah.”

The line of his mouth was grim, dark lashes lowering when his eyes started to roam my body. His fingers skimmed the trim of the kimono to reveal another sliver of my skin. “Come…over?”

Teeth in my lip, I nodded.

He traced the ridge of my collarbone, pushing and bunching the satin. I shivered as cool air rippled over the black, lacy breast exposed to his greedy eyes. “Eden. I didn’t realise you meant…” He groaned. “You want me to…stay?”

“Only if you want to.” I hated the uncertain waver in my voice.

“Consider your invitation accepted.”

My feet lifted off the ground. I let out a helpless squeal as he threw me over his shoulder.

“Zach!” I flailed my legs and whacked playful hands on his back. “Put me down!”

He smacked my backside with a loud crack. “Unfortunately, I’m unable to fulfil your request. Your waiting period has expired, and now, I must completeallmy duties under our agreement.” The bastard was laughing! “Point the way to your bedroom.”

I kicked out a leg in the direction of the hallway. “That way.”

Quick strides, one easy toss off Zach’s shoulder, and I was sprawled on the bed. The room was dark, the only splinter of light from the kitchen, but I could see the grin on Zach’s face. Two plonks on the wood. He’d kicked off his shoes. The mattress dipped. A big hand clutched my neck, pulling me closer, holding me in place for a toe-curling kiss.

“Are you sure you’re ready?” His breathless question was whispered into the crook of my neck even as he frantically unknotted my robe.

I grabbed his hand and shoved it between my legs. His fingers blurred along the damp patch of lace, and a groan huffed against my skin. Dizzy on the cologne ghosted on his neck, I undid the buttons of his shirt, stripped the linen off his shoulders, balled it up, and tossed it on the floor where it belonged. His belt unbuckled. The button on his trousers popped off. I tugged down the metal zipper.

Zach tore his lips away. “Slow down.”

“I don’t want to.” I tried to force his weight on top of me by pulling on the waistband of his trousers. I wanted to sink into the mattress underneath him. I wanted him to pin me down. Do his worst. “I want you.”

“You know our rule.”

“Forget the stupid rule,” I said. “I want you. Inside me. Right now.”

Zach chuckled, but he didn’t hurry. In fact, he slowed down even more, pressing kisses on my shoulder and running his finger over the lace barely covering my skin. “This is so pretty.” He fumbled trying to undo the clasp. “You always dress up so…so…nice.” My bra disappeared. “What’s our rule, Eden?”

“I always come first,” I grumbled.

“Tell me how…”

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