Chapter 19

19

Zara

I heave a sigh of relief as soon as Creed walks through the door.

Lorenzo goes to meet him in the foyer. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah. Thanks for staying. I’m keeping the guards on the door for the night.”

“Should I be worried?” his advisor whispers.

“No.” It sounds like Creed claps him on his shoulder or back. Then I hear the door open and close.

I get up as soon as Creed walks into the living room. “How did it go?”

“Emilio doesn’t suspect me,” he replies as he grips my waist and walks backward to the sofa. He slumps onto the cushion, pulls me onto his lap, and kisses me, picking things up where we left off. I wrap my arms around his neck, relaxing at his touch, the taste of him, even his rich scent.

“That must be a huge relief, right?” I eventually ask when I pull away.

“Yes.”

I study his face, his tightly clenched jaw, and his lowered eyes. “Why don’t you sound happier?”

“Because…I wanted to be able to tell you that I saw your daughter. Tristan wandered around the lower level of the house, but we didn’t see her.”

“Oh,” I say in surprise. “Well, thanks for trying to check on her for me,” I tell him sincerely. “She probably doesn’t even stay in the main residence. In fact, does Emilio seem like the type to put up with a whiny three-year-old in his pristine home?”

There’s no way in hell Emilio would ever let Oriana in his house. I know this for a fact, but don’t tell Creed.

“Probably not,” he agrees. “I’m sorry, micetta mia . I can’t imagine how awful it must be to not know where your daughter is or be able to see her whenever you want.”

“It’s not easy. It feels like…like part of my soul has been missing for over three years now. July fourteenth is my favorite and saddest day of the year. That was the one day and night I got to spend with her. I held her the entire time. She didn’t cry even once. She just stared up at me like she was the happiest girl in the world.” I blink away the tears. “Sorry. I know you were probably expecting more ass grabbing tonight when you got home, not my sob story.”

“I can handle both,” he says as his big palms slip underneath his jacket to grab my bottom.

“You’re going to have to give me something else to wear eventually.”

“Not yet.”

“At least a fresh suit jacket tomorrow?”

“We’ll see,” he replies with a quick kiss on my lips. “What have you been doing while I was gone? ”

“Just sitting here watching television. It sort of feels like I’m on vacation. I can’t remember the last time I had a chance to just sit around and do nothing all day. The worst part is that I have too much time to think.”

“About your daughter?”

“Yes. And you,” I admit.

“What do you think about me?”

“I just wonder what happens next. With us.”

“We’re married. What else is there? I like this marriage of ours so far, even if it’s less than ideal for you…”

“It’s not so bad.” I feel safe with Creed.

“I missed you tonight. I missed having my tongue between your legs.”

“I-I missed that too,” I admit. Even though it feels selfish to let him keep going down on me without offering him anything in return. I love it.

“Good.”

Lifting me off his lap, he stands up holding me like I weigh nothing and then gently lowers my back to the chaise end of the sofa, so I’m lying flat. He kneels on the floor and grabs both of my legs, pulling me until my ass is right on the edge.

Creed slips both of my knees onto his shoulders and then leans forward and swipes his tongue from my asshole to my clit. Before I can fully recover, the tip of his tongue flutters rapidly over my clit.

“Oh god!” I groan.

“You taste even better than I remembered,” his deep voice rumbles from between my thighs. His tongue batters my flesh again as I squirm and gasp. “This is exactly what I needed. Now scream my name when you come for me.”

He’s so damn good at oral that it should be illegal. I imagined that a rich, powerful man like Creed Ferraro would prefer women to get on their knees for him, not the other way around .

But the way he laps at me leaves no doubt in my mind that he isn’t just doing this out of obligation. He thoroughly enjoys it. His grunts and groans every time I wiggle or moan sends me flying so high.

When I reach down to grab his head and pull him up after the last of the tremors, he resists. Instead, he keeps at it, making me come for him again. The second time, I do shout his name to the ceiling. It’s a plea both for more and for him to stop because I’m so sensitive down there...and empty. I want him in me, stretching me, filling me up.

But he doesn’t even shove his fingers inside me. He just keeps licking me until I come a third time.

After that, I’m incapable of doing anything except trying to remember how to breathe as my limp arms rest over my head.

“I can’t...no more.”

But Creed doesn’t move from between my legs. His damp lips press soft kisses to the insides of my thighs. Eventually, he says, “Seventeen to go.”

“Seventeen?”

“More orgasms for you.” With another kiss to my thigh, he says, “I thought Emilio would kill me on the spot today.”

“I’m glad he didn’t.” I lower my arms and run my fingers through his hair. He leans into my touch like he craves the non-sexual intimacy.

“I wish I could trust you not to tell him the truth. But now more than ever, I know I can’t.”

Sitting up in concern, I tighten my fingers in Creed’s hair, lifting his face as I try to reassure him. “You can trust me not to speak a word to him. Why would I want to tell Emilio the truth when he’s only going to blame me either way?”

“Because you could give me up in exchange for your daughter back. ”

I’m momentarily speechless. “That thought never occurred to me,” I admit. “Not only because I don’t want Emilio to kill you, but because it would never work. There’s nothing I can say or do to get custody of Oriana, not while Emilio is alive.”

“I want to believe that,” Creed says as his sad eyes remain locked on mine.

“Since we’re talking about honesty…did you put Lorenzo up to the twenty-questions tonight?”

“Twenty questions?”

“He was asking me about my connections to Izaiah.”

“Fuck,” he mutters as he gets to his feet, then offers me a hand to help me stand up as well. “What did you tell him?”

“Nothing. I told him I wouldn’t answer his questions unless you told me to.”

“Good,” he says with a sigh. “He may be suspicious, but at least you didn’t give him any details.”

“So, you didn’t put him up to it as, like, a way to test me?”

“No. I haven’t told him, Dre, or Tristan anything about you and Izaiah. All they know is that we’re married.”

“Well, Lorenzo obviously suspects there’s some connection. Do you trust him enough to tell him what really happened?”

“I don’t know who the hell I can trust with this shit,” Creed grumbles. Pressing a kiss to my forehead, he says, “I’ll talk to Lorenzo and make sure he comes to me with any questions from now on rather than putting you on the spot like that.”

“Thank you.”

While my life has been anything but easy, I realize that it’s not all champagne and caviar in Creed’s world either. Well, he probably does have plenty of both of those things at every event he goes to, but he also has to live his life without knowing who he can or can’t trust.

Nobody pretty much sums up who I think he should trust .

He considers Dre, Tristan, and Lorenzo to be loyal enough to never doubt, but probably not many others.

For some reason, I want to be one of the few people Creed cares for and believes in.

Stroking my fingers through his hair, I tell him, “How about we call it a night and go lay down? You can sleep cozied up to my ass you dreamed about all night.”

“Not sure if I could do that and resist you, even though it sounds fucking amazing.”

He’s basically saying he doesn’t think we can cuddle without having sex. And while I could say to hell with it and let him inside me, I like where things stand right now — with me getting all the orgasms and him aching, demanding nothing for himself from me. I’ve never been on this side of the fence before, and I like it.

“Then how about you tuck me into my bed, and we both get some sleep?” I suggest.

His fingers slide down the side of my face until his thumb brushes over my bottom lip. “I’ll tuck you in, but first, have you had enough to eat today?”

“Yes. Your refrigerator is full of food.”

“Good. Let’s have breakfast together tomorrow. I’ll have my chef cook for us.”

“Deal,” I agree. “What else do I have to do in the morning or during the day?”

Taking my hand, he leads me down the hall to the bedroom where he even throws back the covers for me to climb into the giant bed.

“Thanks for tonight,” he says as I settle in.

Does he mean… Wow. I should be the one thanking him.

Creed grabs one of his fresh white tees from the closet and offers it to me. “Get some sleep. I’ll join you shortly.” He places another kiss on my forehead, and then he just walks out, leaving me sitting there in his bed alone .

I’m puzzled because I shouldn’t want to spend more time here with Creed. That wasn’t part of our deal when I agreed to marry him. But he makes me feel…safe, as crazy as that sounds.

And I’m baffled but hopeful that one of these days, after he licks me so good, he’ll drag me to his bed and finally have his way with me.