I was confused; I wasn’t exactly sure what he meant. I knew it was possible that he resented me for having to protect me, but there was a part of me that thought he secretly enjoyed it. I could tell he wasn’t used to being around women, but there was still something comforting and safe about him.

  I locked myself in my bedroom with a couple of cheeseburgers and nibbled at my dinner when I tried to study. Even when I stared at the textbook in front of me, I couldn’t concentrate at all. The words and phrases swirled in my mind, meaningless, like bird tracks on paper.

  When I stood up to stretch and eat my second cheeseburger, I realized it was dark outside. It was only a little after five o’clock, but it seemed as dark as midnight. Instinctively, I shivered and pulled my sweater tighter around me. I had a nagging feeling that someone was watching me, even after I closed the blinds in my room.

  “Hey,” I said to Zed, walking out into the living room. He was watching reruns of 24 on my laptop, and his focus on the screen was so intent that he didn’t even look up until I’d called his name three more times.

  “Hey, yourself.” Zed grunted and rubbed his tattooed neck with one of his thick hands. “Study your brain out yet?”

  I shook my head. “I had the weirdest feeling that someone was watching me,” I admitted. “I know I’m probably just being paranoid, but…”

  In an instant, Zed was on his feet. I watched as he methodically moved from room to room, looking out the windows in every direction. His heavy footsteps pounded against the carpeted floor, making the apartment shake slightly. When he came back to the living room, he shook his head. “I didn’t see anyone,” he told me. “But I’ll keep an extra eye out.”

  I sat down on the edge of the couch. It smelled like man , like spicy, sweaty, musky man. I took a deep breath and blushed, imaging Zed laying his head down where I was sitting.

  “What’s with you?” Zed demanded, looking at me with narrowed eyes. “You’re acting all jumpy.”

  “It’s fine. Do you want to watch a movie? I could use a distraction.”

  Without saying anything, Zed pulled up Netflix and put on one of The Fast and the Furious movies. I made a face; I hated action movies.

  “Do you want me to heat up some fries?” I got up and walked towards the kitchen. Zed didn’t reply, and when I pulled open the fridge, it was empty. “What the fuck, Zed? Did you already eat everything we bought today?”

  He gave me a guilty smile. “Yep,” he drawled, using the toothpick from his Swiss army knife to clean his teeth. “Do you want a pizza?”

  “Yeah,” I admitted. “I’m starving.”

  After Zed dialed a pizza, I sat back down on the couch, and he scooted over an inch or two. There still wasn’t very much room, and I couldn’t lean back without my side or my back resting against him. I kept sitting up straight and then falling back against him, blushing and apologizing. After the third or fourth time that happened, Zed clapped a strong hand on my shoulder.

  “Just stay there,” he told me, pressing me against his warm torso. I couldn’t believe how much heat was radiating from his body; he was like a human furnace.

  “Okay,” I said. I swallowed hard and felt my heartbeat quicken. When I relaxed my body against Zed, I felt his heartbeat pounding against my skin. The movie played on, but I couldn’t pay attention for more than ten seconds at a time. I was too distracted by Zed.

  “Quit squirming,” Zed mumbled in my ear. His breath tickled my sensitive skin, and I giggled, wriggling against him. The harder I tried to stop, the more I found that I couldn’t stop laughing.

  Zed reached down and held me in place with a firm grip on each of my arms. My sides still shook with laughter, and the momentum made me jerk against him. Suddenly, his touch was gentler. I sucked in my breath and watched as he traced his hands down my bare arms, scraping the skin with his short, ragged nails. I shuddered when they reached my waist.

  Zed reached around me with one arm and pulled me close to him, so I was sitting in his lap. There was already a bulge between his legs, and it poked me uncomfortably in the ass. I shifted around, trying to get comfortable, and Zed groaned. He clenched me tighter so I couldn’t move and ground his hips against my butt. I shivered. Weird feelings were running through my body; I found myself feeling both aroused and terrified.

  There was a scratchy feeling against my neck, and I realized Zed was nuzzling me and shifting my head to the side. I felt him kiss and bite my neck and the feelings of pleasure inside me grew. My panties were damp and warm, and I shifted on Zed’s lap, trying to turn around. Sensing my frustration, Zed grabbed my waist and turned me around on his lap, so I was facing him.

  He hauled my pelvis close, so I was sitting right on top of his erection and then wrapped my legs around his waist. My breath was coming in damp, shaky bursts and I looked into his big green eyes, wondering what was coming next. Zed leaned forward and kissed me, pressing his lips against mine.

  I moaned as I felt him nip at my lower lip with his teeth and slide his tongue into my mouth. I opened my mouth wide as Zed explored my mouth with his tongue, licking me everywhere. He tasted like smoke and beer, and I closed my eyes and sighed with pleasure as his hands gripped me firmly.

  Wrapping my arms around Zed’s neck, I pulled myself up, so I was pressed against his chest. Under my sweater, I wasn’t wearing a bra, and the rough material scratched my nipples. My whole body was tingling with desire, and although I felt confused, I didn’t want to stop.

  Zed slipped his rough hands under my sweater and yanked it off and over my head with record speed. The room was cold, but he wrapped his arms around me and stroked up and down my bare back. The touch of his rough skin made me shiver. I arched my back, and Zed’s hands slipped to my front. He tugged and pulled at my nipples, making me shriek and moan with pleasure. The pain that flooded my body from every pinch was instantly turned into pleasure. He was playing me like an instrument, and I couldn’t wait to see what he’d do next.

  Every time I shifted on Zed’s lap, I felt him groan. His manhood was so swollen that I felt the exact outline through my jeans. It felt especially good when I ground my hips on him and leaned forward, and Zed moaned into my ear.

  “That feels so fuckin’ good, baby,” he murmured, tossing his head back and groaning with pleasure.

  I grabbed his hands and put them back on my breasts, desperate for more of his touch. I’d never been this aroused in my life. Not even when I had those raunchy dreams about Zed the other night and woke up with my hand in my panties. I blushed to think of it now.

  Zed leaned forward and stuck his pierced tongue out, licking and sucking on my swollen and sore nipples. I practically screamed when I felt his teeth glide along my sensitive skin and clamp down. Zed slipped a hand between my legs and pressed it against the crotch of my jeans.

  It felt weird, and I tried to wriggle away, but he held firm, pressing the seam against my labia. He looked at me, and I nodded briefly, then he ripped open the fly to my jeans and pushed me off his lap. I stumbled and landed on all fours on the couch. I heard Zed growl and felt his hands on the waistband of my jeans, yanking them down my pale, skinny legs.

  I held my breath as he tossed my jeans on the floor and ran a hand down my bare back.

  “Spread your legs,” he commanded.

  I spread my knees apart and arched my back further, so my ass was sticking far out into the air. Blushing furiously, I realized that someone could be watching us. I knew that the thought should have scared me, but I couldn’t help it; the idea of someone spying on us made me feel even hotter.

  The crotch of my thin panties was soaked by now, and every time I wiggled my hips, the wet fabric chafed against my labia. Zed spanked my ass, and I yelped and tried to move away. He grabbed me firmly by one hand and held me in place as he spanked me again and again. I was intimidated and scared, but it felt good, and soon I found myself leaning into his smacks. I pushed my ass against his hand and moaned.

  “You little slut, you like that?” Zed whispered in my ear.

  I nodded. One of Zed’s hands grabbed onto my panties and yanked them upwards in a vicious motion. The fabric slid into the crack of my ass like a thong and Zed tugged at it until he’d spread my labia as well. It felt amazing against my clit, and I moaned, squirming my hips and spreading my legs even further.

  Zed yanked at the material and spanked me again, and I felt a spasm of pleasure rocket through my body. He did it once more, and I cried out as shockwaves radiated from my pussy down to the tips of my toes. With his free hand, he reached underneath me and played with my nipples, casually yanking and tugging on them until I was crying out in pleasure and pain. I started begging him to touch me. I didn’t even know what I was saying, but the words were spilling out of my mouth in a torrent of desire.

  “Zed, please,” I begged. “Touch me more, please!”

  He gave a short laugh and stepped away. Suddenly, there was a crashing sound coming from outside. I whipped my head up and looked out the window. All of the desire and sauciness that I’d felt a moment before drained out of me and I was afraid.

  “What was that?” I hissed the words out, looking at Zed. He didn’t answer, and I curled up under a spare blanket on the couch, wanting to cover myself as much as possible.

  “Stay here, Lily,” he ordered. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Okay,” I said in a shaky voice. I spied my clothes on the floor and tugged them on, finger-combing my hair as best as I could.

  Zed opened the door and walked out of the apartment. I listened to his heavy footfalls all the way down the side stairs. There were some quiet voices, and then I heard him walking back towards the front door. Quickly, I ran into the kitchen and grabbed a big knife.

  “Lily,” Zed said as he opened the door. “Pizza’s here!”

  Chapter Ten Zed

  I could have killed that pizza guy. But deep down, I knew it wasn’t his fault. He didn’t know that I was about to have some of the hottest pussy that I’d ever had. He couldn’t smell her sweet scent on my fingers, or in my mouth. He had no idea how fucking lucky I was about to be—that was until he knocked on the wrong apartment downstairs.

  After we ate, Lily excused herself and took a shower. I went out on the balcony and chain-smoked my way through a pack of Marlboros, so I didn’t have to think about her delectable body covered in warm water and suds… Pull it together, man . It ain’t about the snatch this time .

  Predictably, after that little encounter, I couldn’t sleep. I was pissed at myself for not just throwing the pizza down, storming back into the apartment, and fucking her into next week. But she was fucking irresistible. Every glance, every look, every touch from her just made me freeze. I was helpless to her charms, and the hell of it was, I didn’t even think she understood. She was a complete liability, and I didn’t know what the hell I was gonna do when this was over.

  I sighed when I realized that when this was indeed over, I’d never be seeing little miss Lily ever again. She’d be better off, for sure, but I couldn’t lie; part of me was going to miss her. I liked the way she said whatever came to her mind, and her fierce independence, and her scrappy little attitude. If it weren’t for me, she probably would have been dead by now. Thinking about that gave me a sense of responsibility that I hadn’t felt since Rose was killed. It was a scary, heady thing, but I liked it.

  It was pretty stupid of me to get involved with her in the first place. I knew that now. But I swear, if anyone had been in my shoes, they would have done the same thing. She was made to be obsessed over, just like I was made for prison. If I was lucky, I could stay out of prison. But no matter how lucky I was, I didn’t think I could stay away from Lily.

  Peyton and I had a short talk that night; he promised that he’d have an assignment for me tomorrow. I didn’t tell him about my call with the contact. He didn’t need to know that he’d sent me on a wild goose chase. Half of the guys I was friends with now were crooks, this one didn’t seem to be any different. Lily had a singing gig the next night, and I wondered if I could slip away for a while and make some phone calls. This whole PI thing was proving to be a little difficult when I had a five foot nothing troublemaking girl with me.

  ***

  Lily

  When Zed had brought the pizza back inside, I could barely eat. It was like my appetite had just gone away with my desire when I was scared. But when he was back inside, and I knew things were safe again, I started thinking about what would have happened if we hadn’t been interrupted. Surely, he wouldn’t want to have sex with a virgin—what guy would? No, it was probably for the best that we weren’t able to carry through with it.

  I couldn’t sleep when I got back to bed. And I couldn’t study. All I could think about was Zed and the fact that I’d almost just lost my virginity to my bodyguard. My bodyguard ! It sounded so weird when I thought about it like that. I wondered if Zed had ever thought about doing it for hire; it seemed like he would actually be pretty good.

  Before I got in bed, I took a shower and tried to relax. As I washed my hair under the relentless stream of warm water, I thought about my gig the next night. Would Zed let me go? Would he make an ass out of himself? Or would he flirt with other women when we were there? I hated to admit how much the last idea rubbed me the wrong way.

  Even after my relaxing shower with lavender body wash, I still couldn’t get my mind off Zed. I blushed as I lay in my bed, thinking of all the ways he’d touched me and the things he’d done to me. I never would have thought of myself as a passionate woman, but that was exactly the response he inspired in me.

  My blush turned a deep scarlet as I remembered how he’d tugged my panties across my swollen clit, bringing me close to orgasm. Slowly, I slipped my hand down my belly and rested it on my labia. The skin was sensitive and soft to the touch, and I moaned quietly as I slipped my fingers further into my panties.

  My hands were soft and slight, but I closed my eyes and imagined that Zed was touching me. As I got wetter and wetter, I thought about his face between my legs, his tongue licking me carefully between my thighs. The thought made me shiver; no one had ever gone down on me before. The farthest I’d ever gotten with a guy was when I went on a date with someone and we made out afterward. It hadn’t been fun, and though he’d seemed to enjoy himself, he’d never called me. I’d wondered if I was the problem.

  Zed didn’t make me feel like a problem. He made me feel sexy, womanly, and confident. I wondered if it was possible that I was falling in – well, falling in something with him. Sure, he was annoying and rude and chauvinistic at times, but he couldn’t be all that bad; he was taking care of me, after all. He was protecting my life when he didn’t know anything about me.

  The sun was starting to peek through the blinds when I realized that I hadn’t slept at all. I’d stayed up all night, thinking about Zed. With a groan, I realized I had a shift at Dawning Center and a singing gig tonight, both after my final.

  I got dressed in black cloth pants and a pink sweater, putting my hair up in a high ponytail with a bow. I looked cute, but nothing I owned came close to sexy, except the dresses I wore at The Pink Diamond. I knew it would be impossible to look good for Zed, but that didn’t mean I didn’t feel frustrated. At least I’d be able to wear something hot that night when I sang.

  When I walked out into the living room, Zed was sitting on the couch and drinking some coffee. He grunted in my direction, and I felt a bit stung.

  “Is that how we’re going to talk to each other when we’re not about to have sex?” I asked, heat rising to my cheeks.

  Zed gave me a weird look. “I didn’t say anything,” he replied in a suspicious voice. “Why you always gotta be on my case like that?”

  I shook my head. “Forget it. I have to work at Dawning Center after my final today, and then I have a gig tonight.”

  “Okay. I’m going to do some business when you’re working at the daycare. I won’t be gone long, maybe an hour, tops. I’ll give you my phone, and you can page this number if you’re in trouble, okay?” He handed me his cell phone with a sticky note on the top. I nodded.

  “Sounds good,” I said hesitantly. “Thanks.”

  “No problem.” Zed stretched, grazing his knuckles across my ceiling like he always did. “Do you want a ride?”

  I nodded. The ride to school was awkward. Zed followed me into the classroom like he’d done before, but I didn’t feel the same strange nervousness. Instead, I was able to focus on the final. I was the first one done, but instead of feeling proud, I just felt empty. Part of it was that I dreaded apologizing to Anne after disappearing last week, but part of it was that Zed was ignoring me. I didn’t know how he could go from being so hot to so cold in an instant. In fact, it was almost insulting the way he’d waltzed back inside with the pizza, as if he cared more about eating a third dinner than he did about having sex with me.

  When we pulled into Dawning Center’s parking lot, I expected Zed to leave. Instead, he hopped out of the car and followed me inside.

 

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