by Allie Able
“I'll wake you in a little bit,” he murmurs, as he kisses the top of my head.
I make a sound of agreement before letting the comforting thud of his heartbeat lull me to sleep.
* * *
I wake up sometime later with something tickling my face, and I use my hand to swat away whatever is pulling me out of my peaceful slumber, burrowing deeper into my warm pillow. The pillow shakes under my head and I groan as I open one eye. Zack is smiling down at me in amusement.
“Wake up sleepy head.” He is way too chipper.
I close my eye and shake my head. “No.”
“Come on, baby. I let you sleep as long as I could, but I want to take you to dinner.”
Something tickles my face again and I open both eyes to glare at him. “What in the ever living hell is that. Where did you get a feather?” I grumble.
“It's your hair, Angel,” he chuckles.
I sigh and flip over onto my back while rubbing my eyes. “What time is it?”
He props himself up on his elbow and looks down at me, pushing the hair off of my face. “It's a little after six o'clock. I didn't know if you wanted to shower again or not.”
“Yeah, I do. Thank you for waking me.”
I lean over and give him a brief kiss on the lips before jumping up out of the bed.
“Do you want me to pour you a glass of wine while you're getting ready?”
“Why not.” I smile, before walking into the bathroom and stripping down for my shower. This thing is a work of wonders. It has to have at least thirty jets.
I quickly wash my hair and body before stepping out and drying off, and I’m applying my make-up when Zack walks into the bathroom with my glass of wine and two Advil.
“I figured you may need them.”
“Thank you,” I smile.
I watch him in the mirror as he takes his pants and underwear off before stepping into the shower. God, I love his body. I just want to lick him.
“Stop looking at me like that, Angel, or we won't ever make it to dinner,” he winks.
I laugh as I go back to finishing my make-up. Missing dinner doesn't sound so bad.
About an hour later, though, we walk out of the villa and towards the Italian restaurant. It's still warm outside, but the sun is slowly sinking and the humidity isn't as bad as it was earlier. Zack is wearing black suit pants and a blue button up shirt. He has the sleeves rolled up, drawing attention to his strong forearms.
I hold onto Zack as I try to navigate the cobble stone pathway in my high heels.
“Do you need me to carry you?” he asks with a chuckle.
“No. I think I've got it. Let's try not to scare the other guests.”
“You look stunning, Angel,” he whispers.
I look up into his eyes and sees that he really means that. “Thank you.”
He smiles and leads us inside.
The restaurant is small and intimate. The lighting is low and there are candles glowing on every table. We are seated by the windows and the view is fantastic. “God, this place is just so pretty.”
“I know. I only saw pictures of it before we came, but they don't really do it justice.”
The waiter comes over to get our drink order and Zack orders us another kind of red wine.
I stare at my menu for a second before quickly deciding on lasagna.
After we have our drinks and we order our food, we make small talk through-out dinner. He tells me about the new guy that was hired at the fire station and I tell him about Emily coming into the bakery. I love how there is never awkwardness in our silence. Rarely do I feel comfortable in silence with other people, but with Zack I feel like I can just be me. I don't have to fill a void or keep him entertained.
He pays our bill and we finish our drinks, staring out at the view for few more minutes, before he leads us back to our Villa.
I'm kind of sad that we will be going home tomorrow. I've enjoyed our little getaway and I'm not ready for it to end.
“Why the long face?” he asks, as we step inside.
“I like it here and I'm kind of sad about leaving in the morning.”
He pulls me close to him and kisses my forehead. “We will come back soon. I promise.”
I loop my arms around his back and hold onto him. His hands move to my hair and he pulls my head back so that I'm looking up at him. He studies my eyes for a second before leaning down and laying his lips against mine. I grip onto his sides, as he nibbles on my lips.
“Can I make love to you?” he asks.
“Always.”
His hands move down my back to my ass and he lifts, my arms wrapping around his neck and my legs circling his waist.
He carries me to the bedroom and lays me down on the bed. He leans back and unbuttons his shirt, quickly removing it along with his undershirt. He raises my left leg and kisses my calf, while he removes my heel, before he does the same with the other leg. I lift up enough for him to find my zipper and he slowly lowers it. My dress is tossed onto the chair in the corner and his body covers mine. Spreading my legs, I make room for him and he settles between them.
My hand moves up his back. I love the way his muscles feel under my hands. Reaching where his tattoo sits on his back, I run my fingertips across it.
“I've always wondered why you got this,” I say quietly.
He runs his fingers gently down my cheek and kisses each corner of my mouth.
“I'll tell you if you would like.”
“Yes, please.”
“So polite,” he chuckles.
I kiss his dimple on his cheek before running my lips across his jaw and down his neck.
“Hmm… you're going to have to stop doing that, if you want to hear the story.”
I lean my head back against the pillow and look up at him intently.
“Well, when I was just a little boy, I realized that time was something really important. I always felt like I never got enough time with my dad. I should have cherished it more, but I didn't. Then, I met a little girl who changed my life. I always felt like I missed my time with her too.”
“Zack,” I whisper.
“Shh… it's my story,” he jokes. “Like I was saying, I never could find the right time to tell this girl how I felt. I loved her very much, but the years went on and I kept letting time pass me by. Long story short, I got this tattoo as a reminder that time keeps moving, even if sometimes we really wish we could make it stop or even if we wish we could go back and change things.”
I stare up at him in complete awe. I'm speechless and I actually don't know what to say.
“Angel, please don't cry,” he whispers, kissing away the tears that I didn't even realize were falling.
“I love you,” I whisper.
All at once, his eyes burn into mine and his hands move to my cheeks, holding me in place.
“Say it again,” he whispers with intensity that I've never heard from him before.
“I love you so much. I think I've always loved you. In my eyes you are everything.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Zack
I FEEL LIKE I'VE WAITED forever for her to say those words. I know I've heard her say them before, but I knew she only meant it in a platonic way.
“You are my everything, Angel. I love you with all of my heart. Never ever doubt that.” I crush my lips to hers and my tongue slips into her mouth.
I need her.
I need to feel her.
Moving my hand around her back and unclasping her bra, I pull away from her mouth long enough to slide the straps down her shoulders and toss it to the side. I gently nip at her bottom lip, before moving lower to her neck, licking and biting at the sensitive skin there.
She moans and moves her hips against me as I kiss my way down farther and lick her collarbone before moving lower and sucking her nipple into my mouth. I give it a little tug with my teeth and soothe the sting away with my tongue.
Lexie's hands are in my hair, pulling at the strands i
n desperation. I move over to the other breast and show it the same attention.
“Zack…”
Pulling my mouth back, I blow on her wet nipple, making it pucker even more. I look up at her as I kiss my way down her tone stomach, stopping to pay special attention to her hip bones. I found out pretty quickly that if I bite or lick anywhere near them that she loses control. I'm not disappointed when her hips lift off of the bed and she moans out in pleasure.
Chuckling against her skin, I move lower. Her little pink panties are soaked through. Hooking my fingers into her underwear, I slowly pull them down her legs. I toss them to the side and she bends her knees, pulling them towards her chest. I use my hands to hold her legs in place and her toes point up in the air as I bend my head and lick up her center. I can taste the juices practically pouring out of her.
“Oh my God,” she moans loudly. I let go of her legs and gently lower each foot to the bed, propping them up beside my head. She looks down at me as I flatten my tongue and run it over her clit.
“I want to see your face, Angel,” I say, roughly against her core.
She nods her head and fists the sheets beside her hips.
Moving my fingers down to her opening, I slowly slide two of them inside of her.
She's always so fucking tight.
I move them back and forth at a slow pace, as I gently lick around her clit.
“Zack, I need more,” she pants.
“I know you do baby, but I'm enjoying you.”
“Please don't tease me.”
It's the neediness that I hear in her voice that has me giving her what she wants, so my fingers stretch her, as I move them a little faster, and I suck her clit into my mouth.
“Yes. Just like that.”
There is nothing sexier in this world than this woman telling me exactly what she wants.
Her hands find the back of my head and she pushes my face harder into her. If I wasn't so fucking turned on, I would have to laugh at her brazen display, but I'm practically fucking the mattress.
Her walls pulse around my fingers and she cries out my name as her back bows off of the bed. I have to hold her hips down with my free hand just so I can keep my mouth on her. Once she's calmed a little, I remove my fingers and lick them clean, before moving my mouth to her opening and lapping at all of her juices and licking her clean as she continues to moan and squirm above me.
“Come up here,” she begs.
I lift up on my knees and quickly remove my pants and boxers. My cock is so hard that it's curving up towards my belly button. I lie between her legs and lower my mouth down to hers. Our tongues roll together in a deep kiss and her hand moves between us. I suck a sharp breath through my teeth when I feel her moving it up and down my length. I drop my forehead to her shoulder, while she rubs my cock through her wetness. She positions me at her center and I lift my head to look down into her eyes. I twine my fingers through her hair and hold on tight as I push just the tip of me inside of her.
“I love you,” I whisper.
“I love you more.”
“That's not possible, Angel.”
I slowly sink inside of her warmth, not stopping until my pelvis is resting against hers.
“Why does this always feel so good? I always feel so full with you inside me.” She stares into my eyes.
“Because it's us and we were made for each other.”
I lower my mouth back to hers as I slowly withdraw and push back in over and over again.
I've made love to Lexie several times and whether it's against a shower wall or on a sandy beach, whether it’s fast or slow, it is always making love to me, because this woman owns my heart, body and soul. This time feels different though. This is something that I can't explain.
I keep a slow and steady pace. Lexie hooks her legs around my back and moves her hips in sync with mine. I can feel her walls beginning to tighten, as I adjust my hips so that I'm bumping against her clit with every stroke.
Her eyes continue to stare into mine and I can feel the sweat dripping down my back.
“I'm going to come,” she moans.
“I'm right behind, Angel.”
I lean my mouth down to hers but keep my eyes open so I can watch her face the moment she goes over the edge. She gets impossibly tighter, right as she throws her head back and comes.
I try to keep my pace as she rides out her orgasm, but I falter when she squeezes me so tight. I plant myself as deep as I can go and spill my come inside of her.
It takes us both a long minute to get our breathing under control. I gently kiss her neck as I continue to glide in and out of her. I can feel my come dripping out of her and that thought alone has my cock hard ready to go again.
I roll us onto our sides making sure not to lose our connection. Lexie lifts her leg over my hip and reaches down to where we are connected.
“Are you still hard?” she whispers.
“Yeah,” I chuckle.
“Mmm…”
She moves her lips to the underside of my jaw and lays little kisses down my neck.
I move my hand to her ass and hold her in place, as I begin to slowly thrust in and out of her again.
“I can't help it, Angel.”
“Who's complaining?” she smiles. I can feel her lips move against my neck and I groan in response.
“If I could keep you wrapped around my cock all day, I would,” I admit.
“We might need drinks and food,” she jokes.
“We could stock up every once in a while.”
She giggles and I can feel it in her pussy.
“Shit,” I curse under my breath.
I smack her ass and speed up my thrusting a little.
She moans and arches her back, driving her body down on my cock.
“I love you,” she whispers.
“I love you more than anything, Angel. I will never get enough of you. Never.”
* * *
I wake up the next morning to the sound of my cell phone ringing. I blink open my eyes and look down at Lexie. Her hair is a complete mess. Her cheek is resting on my arm and her mouth is wide open. She is wrapped around me like a starfish and to think, this is the woman who admitted to not being a cuddler. I chuckle as I try to move her without waking her up, but she's like dead weight. My phone stops ringing and I think about just ignoring it, until I hear it start back up again. I sigh and finish moving Lexie off of me. Climbing from the bed, I find my boxers, pulling them on as I watch Lexie cuddle deeper into the covers.
I grab my cellphone from the dresser right as it starts ringing again. My Aunt Korean's name is flashing on the screen. I quickly put it to my ear and answer, as I walk to the French doors.
“Hello?”
“Zack,” she whispers.
I can instantly tell that something isn't right. “What's wrong?”
“It's your mom, honey. You need to come home.”
I can hear the tears in her voice and my stomach clenches.
“She's okay right now, but she's in the hospital.”
“What happened? Did she have a car wreck or something?” I start pacing the room not knowing what else to do.
“No. It was nothing like that. I went to her house to check on her this morning. I found her passed out on the kitchen floors. They have her stabilized, for now. The doctors will explain when you get here.”
For now? They have her stabilized, for now?
“Why do I feel like there is something you aren't telling me, Aunt Korean?” My voice breaks and I have to clear my throat.
“Oh, honey. I wish I could protect you from this. Just come home, okay?”
“I'll be there as soon as possible,” I choke out.
I disconnect the call and let my arm drop to my side. I'm in a daze. I know I need to get my shit together and get home, but I can't seem to move.
“Zack,” Lexie’s voice brings me out of the fog. I turn to look at her and see that she is sitting up in bed, with the sheet wrapped around her.
“What's wrong?” she asks.
I run my hand over my head and close my eyes, before looking back at her. “It's my mom. I need to get to the hospital immediately. We need to go.” I set my phone down and start throwing on some clothes.
Lexie jumps from the bed and walks towards me. “What happened?” she asks, laying her arm on my shoulder.
“I don't fucking know. Aunt Korean said that she found her on the kitchen floor and that the doctors would explain when I get there.”
She squeezes my arm and stops my frantic movements. “It's going to be okay.”
Her words do nothing to soothe the tightness in my chest, but I nod my head in agreement and move away to start packing up our clothes. The pressure in my chest is getting tighter and I feel like I can't breathe.
Please God, let my mom be okay.
* * *
The drive home is a quiet one. Neither of us says much. I'm stuck in my own head and I'm not sure what's going through Lexie's.
I pull up to the hospital three hours later, park and quickly walk through the Emergency Room entrance with Lexie walking close behind.
I'm not sure where she's at, but I give the attending nurse her name and she asks us to have a seat.
What feels like hours later, another nurse comes to get us. She leads us through the double doors and tells us that my mom is in the ICU.
Lexie grabs my hand, but I hardly feel it as we walk into the room and I see my mother’s small body lying in the hospital bed.
“The doctor will be in shortly,” the nurse says quietly.
I nod my head and continue to stare at my mom. She has her eyes closed and she looks so pale.
“Hey.”
I move my eyes away from her and look to my Aunt.
“What's going on?” I whisper.
Lexie's hand squeezes mine, but I don't have it in me to acknowledge her right now.
“Why don't we wait for the Doctor to come in,” Aunt Korean says, as she walks towards me.
“Please just tell me what's happening. Is mom sleeping?”
“Yes, she's sleeping. She is heavily medicated, but she's just sleeping.”