Chapter 21
Avidya
When I woke later, I was alone in Zachariah’s bed with the comforter over the top of me. I vaguely remembered him bringing me up, before getting in himself. He had muttered something about broken promises as I curled up beside him, basically pinning him to the bed in my sleep filled haze. I had never slept better, and I wasn’t exactly ready to get up and start the day either.
What was my life going to be like now? Would I really be able to get the things that mom had told me about? And if so, would I like what I found in the boxes? Would I find out who father really was? What about the family I would be marrying into soon enough?
Opening my eyes, I took a look around the room. It was just like the one that Zachariah had originally given to me with the layout and furniture style. The only difference was the window that looked out over the backyard and the doors that opened out into the balcony.
I could see myself falling in love with this house easily, along with the man that owned it. It was simple, clean, but had a lot of history with the original parts that could be saved. It felt like a home, so unlike the place I grew up in. I wasn’t sure why that was, and I didn’t dwell on it as I pushed my way from the bed and towards the bathroom.
After brushing my hair and teeth, I padded downstairs, still sore and tired. I still wore the same clothes that Zachariah had picked out yesterday for me, too lazy to change. Once downstairs, I heard his voice from where his office was and made my way in that direction. I had yet to really figure out what he did, or who he really was. I felt like I needed to know before I got in too deep if I haven’t already.
As he spotted me in the doorway, Zachariah gave me a captivating smile and a hand motion to go to him. He had his phone stuck to his ear as he talked to whomever. He sat there, relaxed, glancing from the computer screen that sat upon his desk, to me as I made my way over. I didn’t want to bother him if he was working, but I craved his touch. Craved to be held in his arms again.
“Hang on a sec, Melio,” Zachariah said, putting the phone on mute and turning his full attention to me. “I should be done soon. Did you sleep well? How’s your pain?”
“It’s fine,” I answered, twisting my hands in front of me as I looked between him and the floor.
“Sit,” he patted his lap before opening his arms, giving me room to have a place on his lap. The way he spoke, I knew it wasn’t a demand, but an option. An option I gladly took.
Once I was in his lap, my legs over the side and feet dangling over the arm and my head against his shoulder, he returned to his phone call. One arm wound around me, holding me against his chest. His presence alone made me feel more at home. I never wanted to leave, let alone leave his lap.
It was strange, though. My father never liked anyone overhearing his phone calls. I knew if he was on the phone, I made sure to stay out of hearing range. It wasn’t often as the years went by that I even tolerated his presence in my life. Father became . . . different with each passing year. Now, with Zachariah, I felt safe, like an equal.
“There has to be another source,” Zachariah said, not upset but in a different way that I wasn’t used to hearing from him. He was all business.
“But who? . . . . I see . . . No. . . . What if we did that? What are the stakes? . . . . Na, that’s too high, not worth the risk of any of us at the moment. There will be another way to drag them out. . . .”
I was lost, but that was to be expected. I didn’t mind, though. Zachariah’s scent was strong right at the base of his chin and neck, and I couldn’t help but breath him in. He was addicting. I knew addictions were never a good thing as God’s words rang through my mind. Addictions were all consuming, and a struggle every day for most people. I had never had an addiction until now.
Zachariah was my addiction, and I would gladly bathe in him for the rest of my living days.
My lips on their own accord softly kissed his neck, just barely touching him. It was enough for him to freeze mid-sentence before continuing on. The second time, I let my lips linger, a tad bit harder against his skin, feeling him as he relaxed under me.
What was wrong with me? This was never something I would do, was it? Why wasn’t he stopping me?
I didn’t stop, putting my lips right up to the underside of his chin, leaving opened mouth kisses in its wake. I couldn’t help but smile, feeling pleased that I could cause a reaction out of him. Maybe I did have more power than I originally thought.
“I’ll call you back,” Zachariah grunted out before tapping the end button on his smartphone. Then, to me, he spoke. “Although I enjoy this, you’re gonna gain someone’s attention soon.”
“No one else is here,” I spoke, confused, against his skin.
Zachariah groaned out, and it went straight to the spot between my legs. Within milliseconds, his lips crashed against mine after he pulled my face upwards. His lips were hard, demanding, against my own, but yet soft. He knew how to control me, just like I wanted.
I kept my eyes closed, enjoying the sensation of his lips on mine. He made all my worries go away. Made me forget about what the future that was so unknown to me now. Most of all, he made me feel things I didn’t know how to explain.
Pulling away after a few moments, Zachariah placed his forehead against my own, panting. I nearly whined, not wanting him to stop. I wanted more. More of something.
“I can get carried away with you,” he spoke, running the back of his hand down the side of my face as I lazily opened my eyes to meet his dark lust filled ones. “But we can’t rush into this.”
“What is this?” I asked, blinking at him. As I spoke, I couldn’t help but let my lips brush against his once more.
Pulling back, he answered me, not holding anything back. “I really don’t know, Avidya. But God, I want so much from you. I never thought I’d find a woman that could give me what I never thought I was missing. I hadn’t wanted to marry anyone unless I absolutely had to. But you . . . you make me crave for that type of relationship since I saw you that night where you bowed to me. Yes, you were given to me, and you are mine, but you are so innocent in all this. You know nothing of the life you have grown up in. You know nothing about the people that surround you.
“I want marriage with you, and we will have that in time. For now, our bodies sing to one another. I truly believe that God has brought us together for some reason.”
“You are as addicted to me as I am you,” I summed up, looking into his eyes.
“Yes, I suppose so,” he said, a smirk on his face. “You have already changed my life.”
“I don’t know who I am,” I told him, dropping my eyes.
“That’s okay,” he spoke as though he already knew that. “You have time to figure that out. We will figure that out in time.”
“But what will happen to us? To me?” I asked, almost fearing the answer.
Cupping my chin, he made me look at him before he answered. “My parents are probably already planning an engagement party, as I don’t bring anyone to meet them. Ever. So, we will get married within the year. You are welcome to go to college, get a job at a place that I believe to have high security for your safety, or you are welcome to work in my family if you so decide to.”
“No college,” was my first thought. “But what does your family do?”
“Many things,” Zachariah answered, leaning back and pulling me against him once more. “We have a number of businesses, Violet is the family doctor, as we do require her services more times than I like to admit. My mom does a lot of the fundraiser gatherings, plus helps my sister-in-law when needed.”
“And you? Your dad?” I asked after he paused for a few seconds.
“I don’t want to scare you,” he sighed out.
“I’ve seen you kill,” I reminded him. “And yet I’m sitting on you lap, no less. You haven’t scared me away.”
“That is true,” he laughed, not ashamed that he did, in fact, kill right in front of me. “I work with my grandfather and father. I help keep things running and bringing in money where it needs to. When it needs to. Normally, I have my own men keep track of all those girls that you saw, but I do check up on their care often.”
“You also kill those that betray you,” I stated quietly.
“I never said I was the good guy,” he replied, almost sadly.
“You are,” I said, sitting up to meet his eyes. “You do what you have to live the life you were born into. It is expected of you. You are the good underneath everything. You are good to me.”
“You are different, Avidya,” Zachariah said as he looked into my soul. “I will never hurt you. Not on purpose.”
“Nor will you hurt anyone that you are close to,” I said, knowing it was true.
“Never,” he said. “I would give my life to keep those I care deeply about safe. You included.”
“Why me?” I asked, generally curious.
“Because of who you are. You may have been wronged from the moment you were born, but there is a reason. A reason why you have been put on my radar. I’ve known about you for years; I have done my homework so I basically know everything there is to know about you. Or at least what there was. But you are so different than I expected. You aren’t the spoiled girl I figured you would be raised to be,” Zachariah answered. “Now that I have met you, you mean just as much as everyone else that I care for, if not more. You are mine, Avidya, and I take care of what belongs to me.”
“Okay,” I responded, trying to wrap my mind around what he said. I knew there was more to everything. More to who I was, where I came from, and more on who this man was. It could all wait for now.
“Is that all?” he asked.
“For now,” I smiled. “I’m sure I’ll have more questions later.”
“I am sure you will,” he laughed. “Now come, your belongings should be arriving in the next hour, and you need to eat.” He patted my leg in the process, a silent sign that I needed to get up.
I followed Zachariah to the kitchen, where he already had a silver bowl filled to the brink with a variety of muffins.
“Help yourself. Coffee?” he asked, pushing the muffins towards me as I took a seat at the island.
“No thank you,” I replied, picking out a blueberry one.
“Not a fan?” he asked towards the coffee.
“Not really, no,” I answered. “Not a fan of the taste, but I do love the smell.”
“I’m surprised by that,” Zachariah stated. “So, did Lynn say what was in the boxes?”
“Nothing, really,” I answered. “Just that it would contain the information about my birth parents. I have no idea what could be in them if anything important.”
“Guess we’ll find out in time,” Zachariah shrugged. “At least I do have it confirmed that Lynn and Cody are not your biological parents, nor any relative of yours.”
“A genius could have figured that out,” I joked before stuffing another bite of the muffin into my mouth. These muffins had to be the best I’d ever tasted.
“She did make the comment that she set Shemoli up to take me,” I hinted.
“I know he had a hand in it,” he stated. “Everything that keeps coming out puts you in more danger by the day. I’m afraid it’s not going to change anytime soon.”
“And marrying you will be safer?” I asked, giving him a look.
“In some ways, yes,” he said, looking at me in a seriously. “It will certainly provide the protection that you need, but I am also a man with my own enemies, so that will likely increase yours as well.”
“So, I will be hunted down either way,” I summed up.
“You won’t be hunted down,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “I can keep you safe, so there is absolutely no reason to worry, Avidya.”
“My safety is one of my least worries,” I muttered out before quickly finishing off the rest of my muffin.