Page 63 of Ceremony of Lust
“Thank you, Henry. I appreciate your concern.”
“Zev, I know what you do for the Elders. You think it’s some big secret, but it’s not. You’ve done something to them, and this is their retaliation.”
“It’s time for you to leave,” I tell him, grabbing him by the arm and all but dragging him back to the elevator. “Thank you for stopping by and telling me.”
He spins to face me just as the elevator doors open. “Watch your back, Zev.”
His warning is ominous, and when the doors finally shut, I return to the living room where my wife stands, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“He’s right,” she says quietly. “Who are we to think the Elders will ever let you be free?”
I gather her into my arms and let out a heavy breath. A heavy pit settles in my stomach, and I recognize it as regret. “I’m sorry I brought you into my mess. You didn’t have a choice, but you have one now, Yael. If the police come and question me about Leann, you can walk away.”
“Are you saying you murdered her?”
“No, I’m not. I didn’t even know she was missing.”
With her hands firmly on my cheeks, and her eyes soft, she says, “Then why would I walk away?”
35
Yael
“Oh, my God,”I breathe out as I step inside the house.Ourhouse. “Is this really happening?”
Zev struggles behind me with a box I refused to let the movers take with them. “Welcome home,” he says, setting the box down gently. Then he reaches for me, scoops me into his arms, and carries me up the stairs to our new bedroom.
“It feels like a miracle.” I sigh as he sets me down just inside the room. My feet gravitate toward the windows where the sun pours into the room and fills it with a golden glow. I hear Zev’s footsteps on the carpet behind me, and soon, his large, warm hands are slipping around my waist, tugging me back against him.
“You’re a fucking miracle,” he growls in a sexy and seductive way. His hardness presses against my backside, and I know unpacking boxes is not on his mind. “And it’ll be a miracle if I don’t fuck you right here, right now.”
I spin out of his grasp and playfully push him away. “You can’t do that,” I tease. “The movers are still here.”
One dark eyebrow lifts as he methodically steps toward me. “Do you really think that will stop me, Yael?” His hands brush the front of my skirt. “If I want your pussy, no one is going to stop me.”
My insides warm, and my core clenches. “Be patient,” I tell him. “When it’s just you and me, I’ll let you fuck me all over this house.”
One corner of his mouth lifts. “That was my plan, sweetheart.” I start to move past him, but he reaches out and snags me around the waist, dragging me back against his chest and his hard cock. “And Yael? You won’tletme do anything. You’re my wife, and every inch of you belongs to me.”
He releases me and walks out of the room, cool as a cucumber, as if nothing happened. As if I weren’t about to lift my skirt and let him fuck me against the wall. I take a moment to compose myself before walking downstairs to check the progress of the movers.
Closing on the house and moving has been the perfect diversion from the news Zev’s friend Henry brought us. It’s allowed me to focus on more than the front door, which I seem to watch like a hawk, waiting for the police to come. Zev assures me if they suspected him, they would have contacted him when she first disappeared, but I feel uneasy about all of this. I try my best to stay positive, to focus on other things, but eventually, my mind drifts toward Leann and her suspicious death.
For the rest of the day, Zev steers clear of me as I direct the movers carrying in heavy loads of furniture, but when they’re finally gone, he finds me easily enough in the lush backyard.
“This place is heaven on earth,” I say with a sigh as I lean my head against his shoulder.
“Change is coming,” he says quietly. “You can be whoever you want here, Yael.”
“What do you mean?” My head pops up, and I look at him. For once, he’s not dressed all in black. He’s wearing a simple white T-shirt and a pair of well-worn jeans. The all-black uniform he’s normally in makes him appear sinfully sexy, but this lighter, more casual look is different. He still looks handsome, but he looks younger, more relaxed. Where has he been hiding these t-shirts, and are there more? Maybe he’s talking about himself too. He can be the man he wants to be living here and not in Ripley.
“Do you want a job?”
I shrug. “I’ve never really thought about it. I don’t really have any skills other than being your wife, and some might say I’m not very good at that.”
He picks up my hand and kisses the back of it. “You’re the only wife I’ll ever want.” He’s quiet for a second. “Well, maybe you don’t want to wear skirts and dresses all the time. You already dress however you like when it’s just us. You can do that living here.”
I smile. “I wouldn’t mind wearing pants,” I half joke.