Page 13 of Honor and Claim (A New Reign #2)

Chapter Thirteen

COSIMA

“ Y es, it does bother me.” I can’t help the tartness in my tone; it just comes out of me.

“Too bad.”

I snort a laugh, not sure what to make of this Z.

He’s different but not really. I can’t explain it, but I like it.

This is the closest I’ve felt to him in a long time.

I love how open we are both being about our true feelings.

Even though I’m hiding some of mine behind sarcasm, he knows me well enough to expect this from me. He said so himself earlier.

“All I’m saying is why not watch me in person?” I flick my hair off my shoulder, giving him a smirk. “Isn’t it better in person?” Z lets out a small groan, his cock hardening more under me. I’m starting to think that thing never goes down. Which I will be taking as a compliment.

"I will be watching in person from now on. You'll miss your freedom." Not sure I agree, but time will tell. Z could take off again. If I’m pregnant, the news could freak him out, and all the progress we’ve made could go straight down the drain.

"You still haven't told me why you took off after, you know."

"I fucked you with no regard for your virginity." He clenches his teeth. He does that when he's trying to mask his anger or temper it. "Did I hurt you?"

"No." It didn't hurt. There was a slight pinch, but I was so wrapped up in him and what was finally happening between us I didn't care about anything else. I wanted that moment with him more than I had wanted anything else in my life.

"I thought I dreamed it. I don't know." He shakes his head, his expression like he's contemplating what had happened. "I was for sure still drunk. That had to have been it. It jumbled together."

I stare at him, taking in what he's saying. A ball forms in my stomach. "Oh God." I try to move, but he doesn't let me. "You didn't want to have sex with me.” I close my eyes. "I took advantage of you."

Z bursts into laughter, and my eyes fly open. "What's so funny?"

"You didn't take advantage of me. That's a ridiculous notion. I wanted it. Dreamt of it too many times before to even admit it openly.” Damn, why is it so hot when he says he wanted it?

"Yeah, but not enough to ever do anything about it. If not for that asshole or me coming to your room, where would you be? Still fighting with me? Off ignoring me?" This isn't making me feel better.

"Cosima, listen to me." He grips my chin, pulling my gaze back to his.

"You and I as an us was inevitable, and it was that asshole that helped nudge along what was always a foregone conclusion.

I left that house the next morning knowing I needed to get my head right because the dream felt so real, and I knew if I saw you, I might pounce on you, and I was sober, so I got the hell out of there because I thought you were still pissed about me going off on you and wouldn't take kindly to me claiming you. "

"Claiming me?"

“All right.” He smirks, making me glare at him. “Letting you be aware of my claim because I promise you this, sweetness. I have never in my life ignored you.”

“I am hard to ignore.” I huff, shrugging my shoulders.

“Impossible to ignore.” He wraps his arms around me, pulling me into him. I bury my face in his neck.

“The stupid note.” That had really been a dagger in my heart.

“I was apologizing for yelling at you.”

I lie there with my head on his shoulder, not sure what is next. “This is a lot to take in.”

Z strokes his fingers up and down my back. “But it’s time. I can’t keep going on this way.” His voice sounds pained.

“I can’t either. It’s been so hard. I’m mad you’ve waited this long.” I give his neck a small bite.

“Don’t be a brat.”

“I think you might enjoy it when I’m a brat.” I know I can’t deny that I enjoy getting under his skin.

“I enjoy anything when you’re near.”

“Oh, that’s why you sent me away.”

“First off, I didn’t send you away. Your parents and you came to the decision.”

“And you agreed to it.” I lift my head.

“You were young. Fuck, you’re still young, and you know this isn’t going to land well with the rest of the family.” His words only stoke the worries I've already been having about how they’ll all react to the news of him and me being together.

“You act like you’re a million years older than me.”

“In a lot of ways I am.” I place my hand on his cheek. He leans into my touch. Z has been through more than I’ll ever understand.

He lost his family. I can’t fathom that. I adore my parents and my grumpy brothers, who think they know everything. They have sheltered me from a lot of things, and I grew up having their love and knowing they would always be there for me.

Does Z worry that they will cast him out for this? I want to ask him, but for once in my life I have a sliver of self-control. Why hadn’t I thought about that before now?

“How about we enjoy time together without everyone else knowing? It could just be us.” I smile, glancing over to the door. “And Marks.”

“She left.”

“What!” I gasp. I wiggle to get up. “Z?—”

He relents, letting me scramble off the bed. I find sleep shorts I’d tossed on the ground, God knows when. “She didn’t leave.”

Z stands, getting out of my bed. “Fix your hair.” He stares at me.

“You look all sexy and whatever.” I wave my hand up and down at him. He’s gorgeous from top to bottom. Everything from his messy hair to his lean but broad build, to those thick thighs of his, turns me on.

“And whatever?”

“I’m not stroking your ego, okay? I think we both know I’m the pretty one and you’re the smart one.”

“You’re both, but I thought I was sexy at least.” Z pretends to be offended. "And you have my shirt." Smart? Compared to him and hell, everyone in my family, not so much. I push that thought away.

"Right." I glance down at myself.

"But it doesn't matter. Marks bounced."

"No," I protest, rushing out of the room and toward hers. The door is halfway open, so I go right in, not seeing her stuff. When I turn around, Z is standing in the open doorway. "She just left? Why does everyone continue to do that to me?”

Z mutters a curse under his breath. He comes over to me, wrapping me in his arms. “Marks can be flighty,” he tries to reassure me. I peek up at him through my lashes.

“Am I annoying?”

“What? Why would you ask that?”

“I don’t know.” I shrug. “No one ever sticks around.”

“Sweetness.” Z’s hands cup my cheeks, his thumbs pushing my chin up. “Everyone adores you. No one is a stranger in the room when you’re there. That’s a gift, but I think a side part of that is it can spook people. I don’t know Marks’ whole story, but I know it’s not typical. She’s a loner.”

“Her upbringing wasn’t normal.” I know that neither was mine, but mine was, however, filled with my family. It took Marks years to meet Tova in person. I suppose it says something that she hopped on a plane with me and has stuck by my side. “I just hope she didn’t think she had to leave.”

“Marks isn’t going anywhere.”

“What is with you and Marks? How do you two know each other?”

“Come on. I want to feed you. We can talk while I cook.” Z leans in, pressing his mouth to mine. "Fuck, do I love that I can do this whenever I want to now." I smile against his lips. "I really have missed the hell out of you, and I don't mean only these past few weeks."

"I missed you too."

"Things are going to be different. You're not going to doubt what I feel for you." I swear there is a hint of a warning there.

"Good." I don't ever want to question us.

"Marks will be back. People are pulled to you."

"If you say so." Not sure I believe that. It doesn't feel that way.

"I know so." He presses another kiss to my lips. This one is firm and possessive, making sure that I feel it down to my toes.