Page 25 of Honor and Claim (A New Reign #2)

Chapter Twenty-Five

COSIMA

" Y ou take your love for the color pink to a whole other level." Tova laughs.

"Why, thank you," I say. Pink should be taken to every level. If there is a level, there should be pink on it.

Pink wasn't always considered a feminine color throughout history, but if we've stolen it, so be it.

Although, I'm not opposed to bringing more back into men's worlds.

Right now the only man I'm thinking about is my own, and he could use some pink in this room of his.

All the colors are dark, except for the glow of his one million computer screens.

"Is that a pink cat balloon statue? I've only ever seen them in dog form." Tova picks up the statue off the corner of Z's desk. "I love it."

"Hold on for a second." I scan the boxes I have lined up against the far wall, trying to find the correct one. "Here!" I rush over to the box, opening it to pull out another. "You can have it." I hand it over to Tova. She eyes the row of boxes.

"How many more have you got in there?"

"There might be one more," I admit. They were on sale, which actually wasn't helpful.

"You're insane." Tova laughs harder. "Are you still poking at Z? I thought since you two were together, that might die down."

"That will never die down." Our banter is half the fun. I think it's our foreplay, but everything leads to sex, so I can't be a hundred percent sure. "Wait, you think this is to poke at Z?" I glance around his room.

We've been back in the States for a few weeks now.

I'm not sure what's going on with the whole Sal and Amato family thing, but it has to still be going because I'm on house arrest. It wasn't bad the first week, but I'm starting to go stir-crazy. I know it puts Z’s mind at ease to know I’m safe. Especially after what happened with the whole shopping trip with Tova and Marks. I’m sure that’s still fresh in his mind, so I can’t blame him for taking extra precautions. Even though it sucks for me.

“There's a lot of pink on his desk,” she points out.

“It’s to brighten his day. I’m trying to give the dark web an accent of color.”

“And a mascot?” She holds up the pink cat statue.

“Mascat,” I correct, making her laugh again. Having Tova home with me has made being cooped up a lot more bearable.

As much as I love it here, the home I grew up in can fit more than a few families. I'm ready to have my own place with Z. To create that space together.

“I haven’t heard from Marks in a bit. You?” Tova asks.

“No,” I say, unable to hide my disappointment. “I, ah—” I pause, not sure if I’m breaking girl code, but Tova is a girl, and she was friends with Marks first, so maybe it’s okay to tell her.

“What? Are you hiding something from me again?” Tova's lips part, her eyes filling with sadness. There is no way I can keep what I know from her. I already slipped away with Marks to Italy, which I know hurt Tova’s feelings. She felt left out, and I don’t want her to feel that way again.

“Don’t get sad! I’ll tell you.” Her mouth forms a line. “I will, holy crap. I’ll fight a bear with a Taco Bell spork to get that expression off your face.”

She snorts, that disappointed, sad expression fading away.

“It was kind of more of a moment, and it slipped my mind until just now because she’s still being so flighty.”

“Oh?” Tova brows rise.

“It went down between her and Z, and him knowing a secret about what she’s up to.”

“Oh, so he’s keeping secrets too!” Tova throws her hands up. Now it’s my turn to lift my brows. These men have all kinds of secrets we don’t poke around about. “Yeah, okay. That we can let slide. For now.”

“That was kind of the same thing Z said. That whatever the secret was, it’s maybe around our family; I don’t know.” I huff out a breath because, yeah, I don’t get it.

“Really?” Her nose scrunches, and I’m sure mine’s doing the same.

“Ope!” I snapped my fingers. “Also that she might be a stalker.”

I try to think if I can remember more. I was still really caught up in Z showing up then; my mind had been racing with so many thoughts that day.

“But Z told her he would keep his mouth shut for now. Unless I asked him. But it was kind of clear that she didn’t want me to know or was embarrassed about it. ”

“Embarrassed? Marks?”

“Good point.” Does anything embarrass her? It’s actually one of her many superpowers. We both stand there pondering this.

“Wait, hairy thighs are coming to mind.” I stare at Tova because, out of everything she could have said right now, I just didn’t see that one coming.

"Hairy thighs?" I repeat her words to confirm that I heard her correctly. Tova nods. "I mean, thighs are nice, don’t get me wrong. I'll take them hairy or not. Z's aren’t bad, but his ass, that's where it's at. He’s got some junk in the trunk. Good for grabbing on to.”

"What's wrong with my thighs?" I spin around to see Z standing in the doorway, his arms filled with boxes.

"Are those mine?"

"Does anyone else around here have a shopping addiction?"

Chef Marcello does, but I keep that to myself. I'm not outing him. No way do I want to be on his bad side. His homemade Pop-Tarts are to die for, and I’m not losing my breakfast privileges.

"It's not an addiction." I gasp. "I'm making us a home." I wave my arms around the room. "I also have to spend some of that money. It keeps reappearing faster than I can go through it."

Z gave me a card and told me it was for our joint account.

The number of zeros attached to the balance was insane.

I thought as his wife I should spend some of it to, you know, help him out.

You have to make a man feel needed. Right?

I don't know. Sounds good in my head, and I've got nothing else to do right now.

The thing is, no matter how much I spend, it just reappears. It's magic, really.

"If that makes you happy, dear," Z chuckles, taking my boxes over to the other side of the room and stacking them nicely. He even goes about straightening a few of them while giving me a view of said nice ass.

Yeah, I'm kind of a mess, and he's well organized. Z doesn't appear to be bothered by my disorganized chaos. Hey, he chose to love me, and all of my messiness is a part of it.

“What are you two up to?” Z asks, as he strides over toward me and Tova. Why is this man walking even sexy to me? He leans down, taking my mouth in a kiss.

“Ahem.” Tova clears her throat, bringing us back to reality. I might have forgotten we’d been in the middle of something.

“We were both just saying that we were worried about Marks. We haven’t heard from her much lately.” Oh, Tova is good. She’s not wasting any time trying to pump my husband for information.

“I’m sure she’s fine. It’s Marks; it’s not like she hasn’t been flighty before. She’s probably on a job or something.” Z tries to placate Tova. I keep my mouth shut, knowing that if I ask Z, he will tell me the truth, and I don’t want to put him in that position. Even though I want the scoop.

“Maybe.” Tova knows he’s deflecting. “But I think there’s something else going on. She’s my best friend, and I’m going to get to the bottom of whatever it is.”

“Hey! What am I, small potatoes over here?” I interject.

“You’re my family. My sister.” Tova rolls her eyes.

“War said for me to tell you that he’s in his office.” Z directs it at Tova, knowing that will end this line of questioning about Marks.

“Is this your way of telling me to leave nicely?” Tova challenges him. She even tries to make a serious face. Which she is getting better at.

“Yes,” Z tells her.

“Hey.” I smack his chest, hurting the back of my hand. How does he spend so much time at a computer and still manage to have a hard body?

“He does need to speak to you.” Z takes my hand, kissing the back of it.

“All right.” Tova brushes her bangs out of her face. “Laters,” she says before disappearing through the doors.

“So.” I bounce on my heels. “What do you think?” I ask, motioning to his desk.

“Cute.” He nods.

“Really? You like the pink?”

“Babe, you can paint the whole room pink. I don’t give a shit. If it makes you happy.”

“I know.” I slide my hands up the front of his chest and around his neck.

“You okay?”

“Yeah.” What can I really complain about?

“Getting bored?”

“A little. I mean, my current goal is trying to spend all your money, but I can’t even do that.” I sigh dramatically, making him chuckle.

“You know I’ll just keep replenishing it.”

“Oh.” I huff. “Well, now what am I supposed to do?” I ask. “I mean, besides you. I can only do that so much. The vagina can only take so much.”

“That’s why you got a mouth.” I burst into laughter. Z picks me up, spinning me around. “I’m going to take you out tonight.” He stops spinning, putting me back on my feet.

“Really?!” I’m dying to get out of here, even if only for a few hours. I’ve been trying to hide it, probably not well, but I knew Z was doing the best with whatever he has been handling in regards to the Amato family.

“Got a dress in one of those boxes?”

“A dress?” I give him a playful smile. “I’m sure I can find a lot more than that. How much time do we have?” Because I’m about to give my husband a full-on fashion show.

“For you, I’ve always got all the time in the world.” He grips the back of my neck, leaning down to kiss me. I moan into his mouth, forgetting all about any show and ditching all my clothes.

That is, after all, my husband's favorite look on me.