Chapter Sixteen
Olivia
Thursday
Dinner was wonderful, truly amazing. Much better than I expected actually. Zack really had gone all out to cook something that my baby could eat. So much effort had gone into it, it almost made me well up with emotion. Meghan had just the best time with two grown men fussing over her. Since her dad was never around in her life, she didn’t have any kind of male role model to look up to…but now it looked like she had two.
Not that I wanted for them to get too deep into her life. I couldn’t risk her getting hurt by these people. Sure, they seemed to adore her now, but what about if they got bored? What about when they met girls and went on to start their own families? If Ben could put another family before his own child, there was certainly nothing to suggest that Zack and Lark, who really had nothing to do with Meghan, would stick around.
“You need to be smart,” my dad warned me just as he hugged me goodbye at the airport. “Don’t lose your head again. Think about Meghan. You don’t have a support network here, not like you have back at home.”
I ignored his words at the time; I took it as another “I told you so,” but as I watched Meghan play with Zack and Lark, the words made sense. I had to keep everyone at a distance.
“Come on, Meg, let me switch Zack’s console on, I think there’s a superhero game on there you might like.”
While Lark switched on the game, with no complaint about me even though it was far too close to bedtime, Zack moved to sit next to me. His hand rested discretely on my thigh, and he rubbed his thumb over my leg. I gave him a warning look, but he cocked his eyebrow at me as if to ask what I was going to do about it. Admittedly, I had no intention of moving him because it felt nice to be touched in such a soft and sweet way.
I could’ve happily stayed there all night long.
Eventually, though, I had to move because Meghan’s eyes began to droop. I could tell that she didn’t want to fall asleep because she was having a good time playing the game, but she needed to get to bed.
“Come on, Megs,” I told her a little sleepily myself. I guess I was falling into a bit of a sleepy state with Zack touching me. “It’s time for sleep.”
“Nooo,” she whined. “I don’t want to!”
“You can come and play again,” Lark insisted. “Don’t worry about that, sweetheart. Would you like me to carry you on my shoulder to bed?”
“Yay!”
I giggled as Lark flung her over his shoulder. He truly was sweet. Both he and Zack were making it incredibly difficult for me to keep them at arm’s length. I wasn’t sure how to even begin. Now, without me even thinking about it, they had woven themselves into our lives so deeply that they’d be hard to extract.
“Thank you for dinner,” I told Zack softly as Lark went out into the hallway. “That was so kind of you. You went really all out to ensure that Meghan’s food allergies were taken care of. You didn’t have to go that far.”
“Of course, I did!” He smiled brightly, melting my heart painfully. “For that little sweetheart.”
He pulled me close, and for a second, I thought he was about to steal another sneaky kiss, but instead, he simply hugged me. As I pressed my body close to his and I listened to his heart beating rapidly in his chest, I felt closer to him than ever before. There was something somehow more intimate about this than kissing, which obviously confused my brain even more.
Don’t fall for him; I warned myself as I slid my eyes closed and I rested my head against him for a moment. He isn’t falling for me.
“Right, I better go,” I whispered regretfully. “Goodnight.”
“Night.”
As I pulled away, he held my hands for just a second too long, making it even harder for me to go. I had to tear myself away really, and even as I shut my apartment door behind me, I felt like I’d left a part of me behind.
“Thank you for getting her to sleep,” I whispered to Lark. “That was awesome of you.”
He parted his lips for a moment as if he was going to say something, but he seemed to think better of it at the last moment and just nodded instead. I wanted to ask him what was on his mind, but since I had the horrible feeling that it was something to do with Zack and me, I didn’t. I let him leave without discovering what was troubling him.
Once he was gone, I checked on my sleeping angel before stripping down and climbing in the sheets of my own bed. They were nice and cold against my boiling hot body, but somehow, they didn’t relax me at all. I felt animalistic like there was something I desperately needed. I knew what it was, but I couldn’t get it… I couldn’t go back to Zack’s apartment again. Even if he had spent all night getting me worked up, it didn’t mean I should go anywhere near him.
No, it hardly mattered. I could satisfy myself.
I bit down on my bottom lip as I slid my hand slowly down my body. My eyes fell closed as I imagined Zack’s hands all over my body, kneading my breasts, touching my hips, caressing my waist. His course, rough fingers stroking my soft skin set me on fire. The wetness intensified between my legs, and I could feel myself pulsating at my core.
As I tugged on my clit and began to stroke it, I tried to settle into a satisfying rhythm, but something was missing. It felt good, but I knew that it could feel a whole lot better if only I were brave enough to take that bold step. I glanced towards my bedroom door with a wicked smile playing on my lips.
It didn’t matter if I raced across the hall once more, did it? We’d already done it once; it would hardly be a crime to do it again. It didn’t mean we were headed towards feelings or a relationship or anything crazy like that.
Screw it!
I leaped up and grabbed an oversized tee shirt from the side before throwing it over my body. I also slid a purple G-string over me, to cover me just a little bit. Zack clearly wanted this, he had been giving me hints all night long, and I wanted it, too. We were both adults; we could act crazy if we wanted to. I grabbed the baby monitor and practically ran across the apartment before I had the chance to change my mind.
My heart pounded in my ears as I knocked quietly on Zack’s door. It hadn’t occurred to me until that very moment that Lark might still be there. I desperately hoped that wouldn’t be the case.
The door opened a creak, and I was stunned to see an extremely wet Zack with only a smile towel wrapped around his waist. My heart leaped up into my mouth, and the buzzing lust vibrated right through my body. He looked so good, even fucking better than last time, and it made me feel all coy and sensual all at once.
“Again?” Zack smirked.
“Last time,” I promised him. “Can I come in?”
He grabbed onto my shoulders and pulled me inside, before flicking the lock closed behind him. “Last time?” he questioned. “Better make it a good one then.”
He kissed me hard and fast, snaking his hands around until he had a tight grip on my butt. With his fingers so tantalizingly close to where I was desperate for him, a loud groan fell out of my mouth. This felt so much better than me touching myself, and he hadn’t even gotten to me yet.
“You can’t seem to keep away, can you?” His smug tone filled my chest with intense warmth. “There must be something magical about me.”
“Shut up, will you,” I snapped. “I’m not here to talk.”
With that, Zack picked me up and carried me into his bedroom. As he tossed me backward onto his bed, I propped myself up on my elbows and watched him intently as the towel slipped away from him. This was the first time I had seen him fully naked – and I had to say, he was utterly breathtaking. Despite his injury and the fact that he hadn’t been able to workout as much as he was probably used to, he still had the sort of muscular body that belonged in a freaking fantasy. His chest was broad, his arms thick, he even had a V shape in his muscles that ran right down towards his very impressive, throbbing length.
I gulped excitedly and waited.
“Take it off,” Zack growled at me as he nodded at my tee shirt. “If I’m naked, then you need to be, as well.”
I leaned up into a sitting position and lifted the material off me slowly. As soon as my chest was bare, I tossed the offending article and pushed my chest out to him. Then I slid the panties off and threw them away. Just as I wanted, Zack was on me in a heartbeat, kissing me everywhere. His lips were all over my cheek, my neck, my collarbone, my breasts…
“Oh God, Zack,” I moaned as he ran his tongue all over my nipples. “Fucking hell.”
I ran my fingers down his muscular chest as he sent me wild with his mouth. I needed to touch him; I wanted to hold him in my hands, I desired to hold that incredible length of his between my fingers…
As soon as I grabbed onto his shaft, Zack pushed me backward so he could look me up and down as I touched him. I slid my hand up and down him while he devoured me with his eyes. He stared at me as if I was something to be eaten – and damn it I wanted him to swallow me whole.
“Fuck, Olivia, that feels so good,” he gasped at me. “You have no idea.”
“I want you,” I panted as I arched my back towards him. I tried to angle myself near to him; I wanted to invite him in. My core pulsated almost painfully, and if I didn’t get any satisfaction soon, I thought I might die.
But since Zack didn’t seem to be taking any control, I figured it was up to me.
I spun him around and pinned him on his back. His eyes widened in shock, but he also looked happy, too. Much as this was all about me getting a sexual release, I liked Zack enough to want him to have a good time, too.
“Where are your condoms?” I whispered to him in what I hoped was a seductive way.
He nodded towards his bedside table, so I leaned over from him, and I grabbed one. I tore the foil wrapping away from it and slowly pushed it down over him. Somehow, even rolling a condom over his throbbing erection was sexy as fuck.
Then I angled myself over him and slid down on him, sucking in a deep breath of air as I did. This is what I was looking for – this was what I wanted. Zack inside of me was exactly what I needed, and now that I had it, I felt whole all over again.