“Hey,” I shyly reply, snuggling in closer to his warm body. His arms are wrapped firmly around me, and my hand is resting on his bare chest. Zayn is ripped in all the right places, and I just want to suction myself to his smooth tan skin and cling to him for the rest of my life. I close my eyes as I nuzzle into his warm chest, and a contented sigh escapes my lips as he dots tiny kisses into my hair.
We’re as close as two people can be, and I haven’t felt this happy in a long time. The solidity of his erection presses into my lower abdomen, and my libido bolts upright. Heat flares in my eyes as I stare at him, liking he isn’t hiding his morning wood from me. I like this raw uncensored version of Zayn. He’s never been more real to me or more attractive. My fingers trail through the stubble on his chin and cheeks as I get lost in the comfort of his alluring eyes.
“Any regrets this morning?” he asks.
I instantly shake my head. “Not a single one.”
His lips press sweetly to my brow for a few delicious seconds. “We talked about everything last night except the elephant in the room.”
Kai and Rick came and got Zayn’s bike last night, and I drove us back to Abby and Kai’s house, where Zayn asked me to stay. I didn’t need to think about it, readily agreeing. We didn’t share more than hugs and a few kisses, preferring to stay up until the early hours talking about my parents, his parents, the elite, his brothers, and both our plans for the future. We purposely didn’t talk about Joaquin or our relationship, but I’m glad Zayn is addressing it now. I want everything on the table so there are no more secrets or lies.
I press a kiss to the underside of his jaw, silently fist pumping the air when a shudder works through his body. Knowing I affect him as much as he affects me is a real ego boost. “I know we need to talk about it, but I need to use the bathroom first.”
He kisses the tip of my nose. “Take your time. I’ll grab us some coffee.”
It’s difficult to pull out of his arms because I feel so safe and warm in his embrace, but I badly need to pee and brush my teeth. I stifle a yawn as I crawl out of bed, stretching my arms up to loosen my tired limbs. I have got no clue what time it is, but I doubt we’ve had more than four or five hours of sleep.
“I love seeing you in my clothes as much as I love having you in my bed.” His gaze rakes wolfishly over my body, clad in his T-shirt and my black lace panties.
“I aim to please,” I joke, teasing the hem of the shirt up a little higher, exposing a sliver of my belly.
“Emery,” he growls, and the deep tone does delicious twisty things to my insides.
“I take mine with cream and sugar,” I say, grinning as I saunter across his bedroom to the en suite bathroom, deliberately sashaying my hips.
“You’re my kind of trouble, Miss Copeland,” he calls out after me, and I have the biggest grin on my face as I enter the bathroom and attend to business.
When I return after freshening up, Zayn is propped up in the bed, with the comforter pooled at his waist, drinking from a mug. “We have the house to ourselves,” he says, his gaze devouring me with wicked intent as I walk toward him.
“That’s an added bonus.” A glorious smile crosses over my mouth. “But we need to talk first.” Sliding into the bed on my side, I take a mouthful of coffee, and it’s perfect. Just the way I like it. Setting it down, I lean over and kiss him. “I love you.”
“Em.” He places his mug down on his bedside table and grasps my head firmly in his hands. “You are the love of my life, and I’m never letting you go. I’m going to worship the ground you walk on and cherish you like the treasure you are until my dying breath.”
Tears stab my eyes, but they’re happy ones this time. Zayn is every bit as romantic as his older brother, but I don’t articulate that thought. I think he’s a little touchy being compared to Kaiden all the time, and I get it. He’s his own person. “You say the sweetest things.” My fingers trace gently over the bruising on his face and the little cut on his lip. It’s sealed and healing fast, but I hate seeing him injured and in pain. “Does it hurt?”
He shakes his head as his hands move to my arms, his fingers trailing up and down my flesh, leaving a slew of fiery tingles in every place he touches. “I’m fine.” His eyes peer deep into mine. “Let’s talk about us.” Vulnerability flashes across his face, and I move in closer, leaning my cheek against his chest and listening to the steady beating of his heart. “I’d like to go first,” he adds,and I sit up against the headboard, clasping my hands around my mug and drinking my coffee as he speaks.
“I want you back. I want a chance to give you the world and prove to you that I’m not that guy you knew before. I’d like a clean slate so I can do everything right this time, and I promise, I swear to you, I will do everything in my power to make it up to you. I will grovel, get on my knees and beg, and bow to your every command. Just please give me another chance. I want to be your boyfriend more than anything.”
I cup his beautiful, beautiful face with my free hand. “I want all of that and more. Everyone has said I need to make you work for it and I should give you hell, but I can’t do it.” I put my half-empty mug down on my nightstand as Zayn finishes his coffee and sets his mug aside. I crawl into his lap over the comforter and tip his face up to mine. “We have lost enough time, and you have been in hell most all of your life. I’m not going to send you back there to prove a point.” I place my palm over his warm chest, right where his heart is. “Promise me you’ll be faithful and honest, and that’s all I need to hear.”
His eyes drill into mine with solemn promise. “I swear I will always be faithful and true to you. No more lies or secrets.” His fingers lace through my hair. “I can’t promise we won’t ever fight because I’m a moody possessive bastard, but I will try not to smother you. I just want to make you happy, Em, because you make me so fucking happy, and you’re my person. I want to be that for you too.”
“You already are, baby,” I say, leaning down to kiss him. Our mouths meet in a marriage of passion and pent-up longing, and I’m grinding on top of him without even realizing it. “Wait.” Reluctantly, I tear my lips from his and ease back. “We need to talk about Joaquin before we do anything else.”
A groan spills from his lips, and a muscle clenches in his jaw. I trace my fingers along the taut pull of his jawline, urging himto relax. When his eyes meet mine, I start explaining, keeping it short and to the point. “I met him a few weeks ago at Pulse. He came back to my place, and we slept together.” Pain flares in his eyes, and I run my fingers through his hair, gently massaging and caressing. “I made it clear I wasn’t interested in more, but we ended up hooking up one other time. He didn’t stay either night, and when he pursued me, I told him repeatedly I wasn’t interested in a repeat, or dating, or a relationship.”
“He wanted that with you?”
I shrug. “Honestly, I don’t think Joaquin really knows what he wants. I think he might have liked the idea of me more than anything.”
Zayn slowly nods.
“I spoke with him yesterday. I told him I love you and I wanted to try to fix things between us.” His eyes light up with hope, and I bend down and kiss him briefly. “He was actually great about it. He said he wanted us to be happy and wouldn’t stand in our way.”
Zayn arches a brow as his hands land on my hips. “You think he truly meant it?”
I bob my head. “Yeah, I do.” I tug on his hair, tilting his head back. “I don’t want to come between the two of you, and it’s important to me that you patch things up with him. Do you think you can do that?”
