Page 105 of Written By a Woman

“I ignored everyone,” I ducked my gaze, staring at my hand that was tracing the shape of the tendons in his arm through his jacket sleeve, “I wasn’t ready to face your rejection.”

“I’m not rejecting you, Signe,” Zaid sighed, shrugging out of his jacket, and revealing a simple t-shirt underneath, “I am doing whatever the opposite of rejection is.” His large hands grabbed either side of my waist, his fingers splayed to hold as much of me as he could, “I’m claiming you.”

“Claiming me?” I snickered as I adjusted my side saddle position to swing one of my legs over his lap, straddling him and wrapping my hands behind his neck, “That sounds a little overbearing.”

“Declaring my intentions?” Zaid leaned forward, his gaze on my mouth, “I poured my heart out for you, Signe. And you have said very little in response to it.” He halted, his dark eyes lifting to meet mine. A spark of insecurity lit in them, and I reached forward to press my lips to the side of his mouth while he held perfectly still. His hands didn’t roam, they stayed put on my waist as I gently brushed my lips across his cheek, to the point of his jaw, up towards the shell of his ear.

“I love you,” I whispered, making him suck in a sharp inhale, “I’m so sorry that I plagiarized your appearance, but I’m not sorry that doing so gave you the confidence to talk to me. To expose pieces of yourself to me. To be my friend at work. To share your mom’s cooking with me. To shareyourselfwith me…and to let me attack your handsome face that one night at the hotel.”

I could feel Zaid smile as he ducked his head into my shoulder, and I continued to leave featherlight kisses down his neck, “I love you, Zaid. Geeky-ass, Marvel-themed bedroom, and all.”

I squealed when his fingers on my waist immediately started tickling me, shifting so that he could let my back land on the couch cushions next to us.

“My decorating is still not nearly as embarrassing or cringeworthy as writing an entire romance novel about me,” Zaid grumbled in my neck, his tongue tickling me as well.

“So, what you’re saying is,” I grabbed his head and pulled him away from my neck so I could look at him, “We’re both equally embarrassing and there’s no reason to hold what I did over my head?”

Zaid’s eyes softened, his smile tugging his cheeks as he rested his forehead against mine, “I’m flattered, Signe,” Zaid pressed a kiss to my nose, “I wish you could hear what was going through my head at the time, learning that the woman I had been longing for at work had written erotica inspired by me.”

“It’s noterotica,” I leaned back into the cushions to meet his eye again, “It’s just open-door, explicit romance with a man who looks a lot like you.”

“Remember the Halloween party, when you handed me your phone with smut on it—”

“Oh my god!” Humiliation washed over me, having perspective on the situation now. It was already mortifying to have Zaid read a smutty scene I had written; it created an entirely new level of humiliation knowing that heknewit was about him. I covered my face with my hands in embarrassment, “I’m the worst.”

“Stop it,” Zaid grasped my hands and pinned them on either side of my head, his body resting entirely on mine. His hips settled in between my legs, “I loved it.”

“Shut up,” I giggled as I playfully glared at him.

“I’m surprised you didn’t see the tent in my pants then, knowing thatyouwrote that. That you visualizedmedoing that.”

I smiled up at Zaid, loving how we were having this conversation with me pinned underneath him. One of his feet rested on the floor while the other leg was resting on the couch. Both of my legs folded up on either side of his hips.

“Well…” I smiled up at him, “We don’t have to just visualize it anymore.”

His chest expanded over me as he breathed, his smile slipping just a hint as a predatory gaze coated his features, “I don’t do casual, Signe.”

“I know, Zaid,” I bit my lip at him, loving the tension between us in this moment, “I’m very aware of what being with you like that means,” I inhaled a shaky breath, “I have no interest in anything casual either…I love you.”

A look of intense relief washed over his features as he huffed a breath of air across my neck, his smile reaching his eyes as he leaned down and kissed me hard.

My lips parted for him, getting lost for a moment in the feel of his mouth against mine before he pulled away from me just enough to say, “I’m always going to fight to keep you, Signe.”

“You don’t have to fight,” I rolled my eyes, “I’m with you of my own free will.”

“If I mess this up,” Zaid shook his head, “If I ever mess this up, promise me that you’ll try to help me fix it.” I could see his insecurity again, as he removed his grip on one of my hands to cup my face in his palm, “That even though it might be hard, or I might say the wrong thing, or do the wrong thing…that you’ll still want to try to make it work. To make it right.”

“Zaid,” I turned my head to kiss his palm, my free hand coming up to grip the wrist, “I promise.” I squeezed his wrist for good measure, “I promise I’llwantto make it work. I haven’t felt this way about a man in, well, ever. I’ve never wanted to commit to someone so fully.” I smiled, “How can I make you understand? You’reitfor me. It’s like you said, I’m all in.”

“All in?” Zaid repeated, his thumb stroking my cheek as he locked eyes with me.

“All in,” I smiled up at him, “Want me to prove it?” I reached up to peck him on the lips, “Want to run away to Vegas and elope?” He chuckled once before I gave him another quick kiss, “Want to have a traditional engagement and wedding instead?” I kissed him again, lingering only because he nipped my bottom lip back, “Want to knock me up?”

Zaid froze during our third kiss, making me stiffen in response.

Oh no, too far, Signe.

I collapsed back onto the couch cushions as Zaid’s lips parted and his dark eyes drank me in, “I know you’re joking,” Zaid breathed, “But I don’t think you understand how tempting it is to take you up on that offer.”

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