Page 22 of Finding Haven
Meanwhile, his words have my spine stiffening, a reflex I’m hoping none of them catch. Slipping my phone from my pocket, I do my best to discreetly pull up Buttersweet’s camera feed. The beating of my heart instantly feels unsteady, pounding in my chest as my eyes land on Quinn through the cameras. My entire body suddenly feels riddled with tension, and I’m trying to remember how to properly move oxygen through my lungs.
She’s here. She’s coming with us, and I’m nowhere near prepared to be within her vicinity.
I should have worked on what I’m going to say to her. I mean, she knows who I am. We met at the hotel bar, and I’ve been in the bakery a few times now, but she doesn’t know I’m the man who has been calling her “Sugar” like she’s some kind of treat I can’t wait to devour. Lying by omission was never my plan. I had no intention of hiding the truth from her. Hell, I didn’t go looking for her account on Frisk; I just happened to stumble across it.
And then paid for her highest level of subscription, proceeded to comment on her posts and videos, pay for not one but two private sessions,anduse security hacks to track down where she was just so that she didn’t have to buy her own lingerie like a fucking addict.
That part isn't important.
What’s important is that after today, no more secrets will exist between us. At least where our identities are concerned. There is no way I’ll be able to maintain the mystery of my username after spending an entire day sucked into her orbit, wrapped around her sunshine.
Just as I’m finally able to pull in a deep lungful of air, my breath is stolen once again when I glance out the window of the SUV to see Quinn walking behind Ace and Chelsea. She’s sauntering towards the vehicle with a bright smile stretched across her lips. It almost feels too intimate to see her face without one of her signature lace masks.
I should get out and open the door for her, but I don’t. My body feels like it’s coated in a palpable tension and weighed down by lead. I doubt that I could force my limbs to move even if I tried. The feeling intensifies when the door swings open and Quinn climbs into the seat beside me.
“Hi, Zack!” she chimes as she buckles her seat belt and pulls her honey-blonde hair over one shoulder. “Any idea where we’re going?” She turns slightly in her seat, shifting her body to face me.
The thought of whipping out my phone and messaging her on the app crosses my mind. Might as well just rip the band-aid right off. I quickly dismiss the idea knowing it could potentially ruin the rest of the day for everyone if her reaction isn’t in my favor. Ace and Chelsea don’t need any more stress added to their plates after this last week.
One corner of my lips turns up into a slight smirk. Her brows narrow as her eyes search mine. She huffs a playful scoff. “You’re not gonna tell me, are you?”
“Not a chance, Sugar.” The nickname slips off my tongue before I have a chance to stop it, and I watch as Quinn’s eyes widen.
17
Quinn
Sugar.
What are the freaking odds that Zack would call me by that nickname? A nickname that only NoMer—
The way my brain halts is reminiscent of rubber tires screeching to a sudden stop.
NoMerZ.
Zack Mercer.
Have I seriously been so absorbed in the the cam sessions that I completely failed to realize that Zack, the man I met at the Elysian hotel bar, the man who works there as the Head of Security, is the same man who has been working his way into my heart with his kind words and deep gravelly voice?
I’m not sure if the universe hates me or loves me at this point. Pretty sure it’s a little bit of both.
A deep blush slowly creeps up my neck and rises to my cheeks as his words sink in. Biting my bottom lip, I quickly turn away from him and look out the window, hoping to hide my reaction. What does he expect me to say in a car full of people? Maybe that’s exactly why he chose this moment to let that little bomb drop. He knows I won’t be able to say or do anything while we have anaudience.
And now I’m just supposed to pretend that everything is perfectly fine while we go. . . do whatever it is we’re doing. There’s absolutely no freaking way I’m going to be able to focus on anything other thanhim.
Zack.
Thoughts and emotions rage through my mind like a hurricane. How long has he known who I am? Did he find my cam site before or after we met that night at the bar?
I’m not sure which would be better.
I’m not sure I care.
The man sitting beside me with a chiseled jaw, dark hair, and warm whiskey eyes is the same man I talked with for hours last night. The same man who watched me come for him on camera. The same man who called the boutique and paid for my lingerie. The man who, just last night, stroked his cock until he came across his own stomach with my name on his—
Oh my god.
He almost said my name when he came.
