"How did you figure this all out? Did Ms. Black tell you?"
The distress in her voice tore his heart to shreds. God, the images she was probably experiencing. The last thing he wanted was for her to relive the brutal horror of getting shot. A gun pointed at her chest. Squeezing her hand, he tried to give her his best comforting smile.
"She's dead. A few seconds sooner and you wouldn't be lying here. Just a few seconds. We busted through that the door and I didn't stop to ask her any questions. I will never hesitate to shoot someone who is putting you in danger," Zeke said as the fierceness of his words vibrated throughout the room.
"We interrogated one of Ray-Ray's prostitutes, Merriwell. She spilled most of his operation. If I could've cracked her sooner, Ms. Black would've been arrested before she even knocked on our door. But I didn't."
"Don't beat yourself up, please. I don't like it when your blue eyes shine with sadness." She looked behind him at the flowers, the cards, and the bags of baby clothes all perfectly situated on the ledge of the window. "I see Dee has been here. Only those baby clothes could've come from her."
She sighed, glancing away from him. "I should've never opened the door to Ms. Black. It never occurred to me until a gun was in my face how in the world she knew I was at your house."
"She was a cunning woman, honey. Her criminal record indicated about fifteen years ago, when she was eighteen, she was arrested for prostitution. If I look hard, I bet Ray-Ray was her pimp then. She managed to craft her way from a prostitute into his arms as his girlfriend and right-hand...woman, so to speak. She got a respectable job, working with respectable businessmen. Ray-Ray isn't dumb. He utilizes every weapon he has to create a booming business. He had her teach his other women how to snag those businessmen. How to talk to them, flirt with them, appeal to them in a higher-class way than waving a hand on the street. They were rolling in the dough with prostitution earnings, but that obviously wasn't enough for him. He had to get into the drugs as well." Zeke sighed, holding her hand tightly as he spoke. He could feel her tremble, but he also saw the yearning in her eyes for the information.
"Merriwell told us all about her. She could be even more ruthless than Ray-Ray sometimes. She had a sharp eye and took notice of everything. Maybe she found out you were at my house simply by hearing you, Dee, and Rina talk about it at work. Or maybe she figured it out some other way. It doesn't matter. You're safe. We arrested Ray-Ray as well. He cried lawyer immediately, of course. And who? None other than Mark's dad, Lawrence Johnson, best criminal defense attorney in town."
Zoe's hand shook harder at that, but Zeke squeezed her hand. He didn't want her to worry about anything—ever again.
"Listen, Zoe, honey. You have nothing to worry about. Remember? I got the dad who is the best judge in town. Not to mention, if I really dig, and I'm going to, I think Lawrence is on that list we found. LPJ is listed several times. His full name happens to be Lawrence Peter Johnson. Coincidence...not a fan of that. We'll link him to the list and then I'll bury them both. The best part, because I want you to be free of this mess, is I don't need you to tell me anything she said to you. I got your call. I heard everything. My heart nearly fell out when I heard you and I could hear Ms. Black in the background. I love you, Zoe."
She yanked her hand that he held to his chest, making him lean closer to her. "I love you, Zeke. I said that already. Did you hear me then?"
He smiled tenderly. "I did. I nearly fell out of the car. I wanted to walk back in the house and hear it again. I wanted to have my wicked way with you in every damn spot of the house. But I left for work. Because if I would've stepped inside the house, I would've never made it to work. Maybe I should've walked back inside. Maybe you wouldn't be—"
"I love you."
"I love when you interrupt me to say that," he said, leaning even closer to kiss her lips. "But do you have to interrupt me?"
"Well, I love interrupting you. You get this annoyed look that gets me all hot," Zoe said with a sly grin. "It's over. There's no going back to what ifs or maybes. So if you keep it up, I'll just keep interrupting you."
"Are you arguing with me?" he asked with a glimmer in his eyes.
"Do you wanna argue?" she asked with the same glimmer shining back.
"Maybe. It gets me all hot when you're fired up. I don't think I can climb on this bed and have my way with you here."
"Why not?" she asked with a smile that held a slight come-hither look to it.
"Do I need to lock the door? Don't tempt me, Zoe. I will not hesitate to take you. Especially when you talk to me that way," he said, almost moaning in anticipation.
"I think you should lock the door. When you look at me like that… What can I say? Those eyes just undress me with little effort," she said, biting her lip as she tried to hide her smile.
He stood up without thought, bringing his lips to hers before she could utter any more tempting words. He dug his tongue in, meeting her tongue with ease. She playfully matched his fervor, giving him a small moan that had him leaning farther onto the bed. As he kissed her deeply, he tried his hardest to resist the temptation to join her on the bed. He could take her right here, right now, the pleasure zinging to life. He knew he couldn't. The reason had nothing to do with being in a hospital. He could care less where they were. He would divulge in pure bliss with her anytime, anywhere.
The one, and only thing, to stop him was the mere fact she had been shot. She needed to heal. He didn't think she would admit it, but she had to be hurting. She just woke up from an injury that could have killed her. That simple thought had him slowing down the kiss. He mingled his tongue one more time with hers, lightly bit her bottom lip, and pulled away. "Don't tempt me, Zoe. You need to rest."
He sat back down, clasping hands with her again. "I love you. So much that I might give in to you. Please, don't make me."
"I love you. So much that I'll listen," she said, closing her eyes.
"Or it could be that you finally feel you need to heal. Rest, honey. I won't be leaving your side until you're released from this hospital."
"Promise?" she asked as her eyes opened once more, yet slightly drooping back down.
The love poured from her eyes as he held her gaze. He knew from the beginning he wouldn't have to worry about her falling in love with him. Even if she wouldn't have been able to say the words, he would've still seen it in her eyes.
"I promise. Close your eyes. Rest up. You're in for it when we get home. I have some serious, serious plans for you."
"What kind of plans? How serious?" she whispered, as she closed her eyes one more time. "I think I'd like to hear a taste of what's in store."
"Well, the first thing I'm going to do...it sort of involves a red dress that fits like a glove to every delicious curve on your body. I will slide my hands down your back, slowly, making sure I feel every part of you. Then, once I reach the end of the dress, I'm going to caress my hands up underneath to your soft, luscious ass and squeeze. 'Cause that's one of my favorite parts. And then, with slow, hungry steps, I will back you up against the wall and love you as you wear that delicious red dress," he said with a gentleness in each word so he didn't fire up his body too much by the erotic images he just painted.
"Mmm...I can taste that already," she whispered, her eyes still closed.
He leaned closer, holding her hand tightly. "Next, after we're both quivering with pleasure. I'm going to carry you to the bed, still deep inside you and gently lay you down. I'm going to peel that dress off taking my sweet time, kissing every inch of your body as I do. When it's fully off, I'm going to ravish each breast, taking my time to show you how much I truly love them. And when you're begging me to stop and to move my hips just a little, I'm going to start real slow. When I can't take it anymore, I'll lean down for you to take over and give me one of your love marks. Because they make me feel so good. That, my sweet Zoe, is a little taste of what's in store for you."
He stared at her beautiful face. Her eyes were closed. Her li
ps in a tender smile. But she had fallen asleep.
He wondered how much she had heard. He'd have no problem describing that again. Speaking those enchanting words had him wanting her with a passion. No matter how much he tried to control himself, he had foolishly made himself ache even more for her. He scooted on the chair trying to adjust himself when he heard a snicker across the room. He glanced over to the doorway to see Ben standing there.
"I only heard the ending. But damn, man. You had me hot and bothered by those words. I'm always a blubbering idiot when it comes to women. Can you teach me?" Ben said, walking further into the room and stood at the foot of the bed.
"If I didn't want to let go of her hand, I'd kick your ass right now," Zeke said, rolling his eyes. "But hey, if you want some pointers to help you with Rina, then I'm game."
Ben jerked as he shuffled on his feet. "Forget I said anything. How is she doing? Has she woken up yet? Your sweet words penetrating through?"
"As a matter of fact, she heard the first part. She woke up a little bit ago. It was heaven to hear her speak. She's tired, though. I almost lost her, Ben. I still can't get over that."
"It'll take some time. But you have each other to get through it." Ben walked over to the chair next to Zeke, picked up the purple dress, and sat down. "Dee's been here I see."
"Yeah, I begged her to get a coffee. Her and Rina walked out a while ago. She was driving me nuts. She's a good friend."
"Yeah, you're in for it when your little girl gets older. Auntie Dee is...whew...let's not think about it actually," Ben said, setting the dress on the ledge behind him.
"I agree. I don't want to think about it. We can think of ways of how you'll ask out Rina. I'm down with that," Zeke said, glancing at him with a smirk.
"Glad to see you're feeling better. Your moodiness was starting to annoy me and worry me. But if I gotta walk around this hospital to find a pencil. I will."
"You and your pencil," Zeke said, shaking his head.
"Is that what men do? Talk about their dicks? That's disgusting," Dee said, walking up to the bed, surprising them both, as they hadn't heard the door open.
"We were talking about pencils. Real ones...that you write with," Ben said.
"Ooookay. If you say so," Dee said.
"She woke up. She's resting again. Where's Rina?" Zeke said, noticing the way Dee looked at Zoe.
"What? And you made me go get a stinking coffee. Now that pisses me off. Rina's father called. She's still talking to him," Dee said with a piercing stare.
"Are you going to hurt me? Is that what that look means? I didn't know," Zeke said with a shrug. "Don't make Ben find a pencil. He likes to throw them at people. He'll defend me. Right, Ben?"
"Yeah, right after I throw the pencil at you first," Ben said, nodding in agreement.
"Why at him first?" Dee asked.
"Oh, you know—"
"Because he's a douche. You said so many times," Ben interrupted him.
"He's managed to reduce himself from that status. Unless I see something that warrants it to rise up a level," Dee said with a pointed glare at Zeke.
"You do scare me. I won't lie," Zeke said.
Ben laughed, hitting his knee in amusement. Zeke looked at him, grinning like an idiot. "That one over there is now on your douche list."
Ben glowered at him as Dee turned her head slowly to Ben. "And why is that?" she asked, her tone implying that they better quit messing with her.
"Didn't I tell you, Dee? I thought I did," Zoe said, opening her eyes slowly.
Dee looked at Zoe, a smile replacing her death glare she had been giving Ben. "Girl, don't scare us like that. I hate seeing you like this."
"I already got that speech. It won't happen again," Zoe said, gently grasping Zeke's hand tighter.
"Good. Now, what did you tell me that I forgot?" Dee asked as she gave Ben a slide glare. That simple look, barely touching him, made him squirm in his seat.
"He likes Rina," Zoe said with a gentle smile.
"Oh, does he now? He finally admitted to liking her," Dee said, now giving him her full attention.
"I never admitted to shit. Rina's nice, she's beautiful, she has this voice that...I don't like her like that," Ben said, shaking his head in denial.
"Hmm… You have now entered the list of douches. You don't like her my ass. I won't tolerate just anyone dating her," Dee said, firmly.
"I don't want to date her," Ben exclaimed.
"She's nice, she's beautiful, she has this voice that... What was all that?" Zeke asked.
"De-nial. Don't confuse it with the river," Zoe said with a laugh.
"Did Zeke tell you that? Did you two have a laugh about that at home together? I hate you all," Ben said.
"No. I just came up with that. Why?" Zoe asked, confused.
Zeke kissed her hand as he leaned closer to her luscious lips. "Because I said the same exact thing to him before. Only the woman who speaks to my heart would think to say the same beautiful words."
Zoe tenderly smiled. "You did, huh?" She pulled him closer, so close he stood a breath away from her lips. "Can you speak a little more about that delicious red dress? Tell me again how you're going to peel it off me."
"I can whisper those words to you all day. Even better for you. Wait until I actually peel it off. Slowly, carefully, deliciously, with a kiss each inch it rises," he whispered against her lips.
"Take me home, Zeke. I want to wear that dress."
"Soon. Oh, my beautiful Zoe, soon. For now listen to the words I whisper in your ear. I love that red dress. But mostly, I just love peeling it off you," he said, right before he kissed her senseless.
Epilogue
7 1/2 months later
The pain Zoe saw in Zeke's face was almost laughable. He didn't know the meaning of pain. She didn't think any man could know the true meaning of pain. But she would help him experience a little bit with her. It was only fair. She squeezed his hand harder as she watched him grit his teeth and try to smile to hide his pain.
"Zoe, honey. You're doing great. One more push. That's it, honey."
Glaring at him out of the corner of her eye, she decided she wasn't squeezing his hand hard enough. "If you say that one more time, I'm going to break your hand." She tried to crush his hand even tighter to get her point across.
He wasn't able to hide his wince that time, but he smiled anyway. "I'm only trying to give you encouragement."
"Encouragement? Encouragement?" she exclaimed as another contraction made its way to the surface. "Why isn't the damn epidural doing its job? I can still feel the pain."
"You're doing great, Zoe. You dilated very fast. It's almost over. Just like your husband said, only one more push. I see the baby's head. Push for me," the doctor said in a soothing manner.
Zoe clamped her hand harder around Zeke's as she gave another push. She dilated fast. Who cares? She'd been pushing for a good two hours with every single person in the room stating, "One more push." Lies. Why didn't the baby emerge already? She couldn't take it anymore.
"You did good. The baby's head is right there. We need another good push when the next contraction comes," the doctor said.
Zoe lay her head back a moment to gather some patience and blew out a few breaths, trying to calm down. It didn't work. "We're never having sex again. Never. I can't take this pain."
Zeke's eyes got wide, making him squeeze her hand back this time. "Don't say things like that, Zoe. Please. Go ahead and break my hand. Do what you gotta do to get through this. But don't you ever deny me like that."
Zoe glanced at him, almost smiling, until another contraction made its way. She sat up, pushing, gripping his hand with as much fierceness her body would allow. Zeke held on tight, gritting his teeth again at the pain, but said nothing. She could already picture Zeke's muttering about the annoying way Ben had been right. He had told her all about the teasing Ben dished out, including the dreaded words he never wanted to hear from her.
No sex again.
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She couldn't help but laugh, catching Zeke's confused look. She had said it on purpose to help him experience some pain. Breaking his hand would never work. Denying sex would have to do the job.
Of course, he didn't have to know she was only kidding right now. She would never be able to deny him sex. She enjoyed it way too much. He could pleasure her body in so many different ways it would be impossible to lose that.
"Yes, there you go, Zoe. I think one more push will do it. I truly mean it this time," the doctor said softly.
"You're doing great, honey. Just think of our beautiful baby boy and how great it will be to hold him in your arms finally," Zeke said, kissing her hand.
"A boy? We're having a girl," she said with a smirk.
"Are you arguing with me, Zoe?" he asked as a sly grin formed.
"Do you want to argue? I can argue."
"You know what happens when we argue. And sadly, I have to wait until you fully heal until I can show you what happens when we argue," Zeke said, kissing her hand again.
The doctor chuckled at their happy squabbling. "You wouldn't need to argue if you found out what the sex of the baby was a few months ago."
"Oh, but we enjoy arguing, Doc. If you know what I mean," Zeke said with a sexy grin and wink to go with it.
"Oh, I think I know, Mr. Chance. Here we go, Zoe. One good push," the doctor said in a soothing manner.
Zeke kissed her hand as she prepared herself for the oncoming pain. She gripped his hand firmly and pushed for the last time. As soon as she felt it was all over, she crashed her head to the pillow and turned to see Zeke's beautiful blue eyes shining at her.
"You did it, honey. You did great," he said, kissing her hand several times before glancing at the doctor. "What's the verdict, Doc?"
"Come over here and cut the umbilical cord and see for yourself," the doctor said, a soft smile on her face.
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