Page 52 of Laila Manning (Shadeport Crew #3)

I felt his presence, even in my dream sleep, and I reached for him with my eyes closed. Months ago, fear would have engulfed me as I imagined a shadowy figure lurking above me in bed. Now though, the only shadow that got near me was Zeke’s darkness, and it turned out I craved him.

I didn’t open my eyes as his naked body pressed against mine from behind, arms and legs entangling around me to pull me impossibly close to him. His skin smelled like soap, but not his. Which meant he had showered at the shop before he came to me.

Turning in his embrace, I laid a kiss against his jaw as I finally cracked my eyes open. It was still dark, and I was glad he was with me before sunrise. “I love you.” I whispered.

His reply came in the form of his lips on mine, hungry and powerful, possessing me as his hands roamed my body. “I love you.” He replied finally as he rolled me onto my back, with him instantly finding that place between my thighs that he fit perfectly .

I was wet from his release earlier, and he slid right in without another word. We didn’t need them though, our bodies knew how to communicate.

He took me slowly, torturously slow, rocking his thick, veined cock into me from root to tip while he sucked and bit my skin, leaving marks and soothing ones from before.

I tipped my head back and silently cried out his name as I came for him, giving in to his pleasures as he followed me over the edge.

The only noise was our breathing and the erratic beating of my heart in my chest as he pulled out and lay on his side facing me.

I could just make out the features of his face in the darkness, and I ran my fingertips over the chiseled muscles of his jaw. “Is it done?” I asked after a while, unable to imagine the outcome any longer.

“Yes.” He whispered. “It’s done.”

“How do you feel?” I asked.

“Calm.” He licked his lips, “Finally.”

“Good.” I nuzzled my nose against his and took a deep breath. “Sleep now, baby. Everything else is okay for now. Just rest.”

“Mmh.” He hummed, closing his eyes and settling with me in his embrace.

“Where’s Kade?” Zeke’s voice rumbled, breaking through my thoughts as he pulled a short-sleeve shirt over his head, fresh from the shower. My pulse skipped, my body reacting without permission as I tried to ignore the way his tattoos caught the light, the way his muscles flexed with every movement.

I licked my lips, struggling to untangle my thoughts. "The gym," I stammered, the words heavy in my mouth, fighting to control the way my body betrayed me. "He went with Jed."

Zeke’s eyes shifted to me, an almost predatory gleam in them as he started to move toward me, his confident stride purposeful.

The weight of his presence, the raw energy he exuded, made my knees weaken.

He didn’t need to touch me for me to feel his power, the kind that commanded attention and respect, and somehow… safety.

“Good,” he murmured, his voice low and steady, but the smile that tugged at his lips promised something else entirely. “We have somewhere to be.”

My body tensed. “No,” I whined, sagging against him. “I thought you were asking because you wanted to—”

“Oh, I do,” he interrupted, stopping in front of me, his fingers lightly grazing my skin as he held my gaze. “But there’s something I need to show you first.”

I groaned in frustration, but there was no denying the excitement stirring inside me. Zeke was always full of surprises, and as much as I hated unpredictability, I craved it with him. He was the chaos to my calm, and I couldn’t help but love him more for it.

“Ugh.” I sighed, defeated by the way he always had a way of pulling me along with him, even when I wasn’t sure I was ready. But I followed him without another word, helpless to resist.

Last night he killed two people because of me—yet this morning he chuckled and flirted with me like he didn’t darken his soul for me. And I loved him so deeply because of it.

When we left the barracks, he opened the door to his sleek car, and I hesitated before slipping into the passenger seat.

The hum of the engine was a strange comfort, the vibration beneath me like a steady pulse I could depend on.

We pulled out of the driveway, and I half expected him to turn right toward the exit of the gated community, but he veered left, then left again, entering a private driveway down the street.

My confusion deepened as I glanced at him, his jaw tight as he focused on the road ahead.

“Explain.” I demanded, unable to hide my curiosity.

“Just wait,” he said, a grin tugging at his lips.

We passed through a manicured front yard, the house coming into view, its elegant colonial structure standing tall behind grand pillars. A basketball hoop hung over a garage door, a peaceful scene that seemed so out of place, yet oddly perfect in its own way.

It was smaller than the mansions that lined the streets in the community, but it had so much charm and warmth, it felt like a home .

I couldn’t help the way my thoughts wandered—thoughts of Kade, the kid who deserved to grow up in a place like this, a place where he could be safe, loved, and free. It was the kind of life I would have wanted for him, and yet, none of us had grown up the way we deserved.

“Come on,” Zeke urged, pulling me from my spiraling thoughts, taking my hand in his and leading me toward the front door.

“What are we doing?” I asked, my voice unsteady as I followed him through the grand entrance. “Zeke, what is going on?”

“I want to show you something.” His words were firm, but his touch was gentle, guiding me forward as he opened the door and walked right in, as though he owned the place.

I stopped in my tracks, my heart pounding as I glanced around.

“Zeke!” I hissed, dragging my feet. “We can’t just walk into someone’s house. ”

“An hour ago,” he said, his voice casual, “it became my house.”

I stared at him, wide-eyed. “What? You—what? ”

“I bought it,” he said, his grin widening as he pulled me inside. “Ryker didn’t want the house next door to his estate being sold to someone else, so instead of letting some stranger take it, I bought it.”

The weight of his words slammed into me. My mind struggled to process it. “You—bought this? For us?”

Zeke nodded, the intensity in his eyes softening.

“I don’t want the two of you in the barracks anymore.

You deserve more than that. More than I ever had growing up.

I want us to have a place of our own, a real home, together.

I don’t care where it is—this house, another one—I just want you and Kade to have something we can make ours. A place where we can heal.”

Zeke ran the pad of his thumb over my cheek tenderly, “I’ve worked my entire life for other people’s glory, and I’ve saved every penny of my money the entire time.

Waiting for a rainy day to spend it. Waiting for someone worthy to spend it on.

” His face softened, “And I have that now, with you. And with Kade.” I opened my mouth to say something, but I couldn’t come up with anything.

So, Zeke kept going. “You deserve a home, Laila. And I know this place isn’t the biggest house out there, and it’s not as modern or updated as it could be, but we can make it whatever we want.

We can make a home here. We’d still be close to Elora and Carly, we can put a gate in along the property line, or we can sell this and buy a house wherever you want.

I don’t care. I just want to get you both out of the barracks and into a home where you can both start building something. With me.”

“Jesus Christ.” I flung myself at him, throwing my arms around his neck as he lifted me into his arms. “I don’t know what to say, I don’t know how to feel worthy.”

“You are. And you don’t have to say anything other than yes or no.

” He pulled back. “This house or a different one, but I want you, me and Kade to have something like this. Something that we can fill with love and laughter and happiness.” Pushing his nose into mine, nuzzling me, “God knows the three of us could use some fucking happiness to settle into.”

“Yes.” I whispered, nodding emphatically, “Yes we do.”

“Good.” He grinned, beaming at me as I slid down his body, looking around the home he wanted to give to me.

I pushed down every doubt-filled, unworthy feeling that tried to surface, and embraced the gift of love I never imagined finding.

I forced myself to let the excitement and happiness fill me instead of worrying about the catch or the fallout on the other side like I normally would.

I deserved this.

Zeke deserved this.

Kade deserved this.

And my god, I was going to make the house a home worthy of both of them, as if it was my only purpose in life. The three of us were going to find our own happiness within the walls of this home, and we were going to heal.

No, fuck that.

We were going to thrive.