Page 36 of The Enforcer (Damn! #2)

“Lily.”

His voice sounded rough, almost hesitant, a raw edge of vulnerability threading through the words. Fear lingered beneath the surface, fear that whatever he was about to say would change everything between them.

She didn’t turn immediately, giving him a moment to come to her. He did. Always. His hands slid around her waist, pulling her back against his chest. She felt the tension in his body, the barely restrained fury that still simmered beneath the surface.

“You’re still angry,” she said, her voice a caress against the storm inside him.

“Not angry,” Zane said, his lips brushing the curve of her neck, but the heat in his voice betrayed him. “Just… unsettled.”

Lily turned in his arms, her hazel eyes searching his. “Because of Leif?”

“Because of everything.” His hands tightened slightly at her waist. “I came so damn close tonight, Lily. If anything had happened to you…” His voice trailed off, his throat working as he swallowed hard.

Her heart squeezed painfully. She reached up, cupping his face between her hands. “But nothing happened. I’m here. We’re okay.”

Her thumbs brushed gently over the rough stubble along his jaw, sustaining him as much as herself.

“I’m right here, Zane,” she said, her voice barely louder than a breath.

“And I’m not going anywhere.” She tilted her head, her eyes searching his, her voice trembling with the depth of her emotions.

“You saved me… again. But I need you to know, I don’t just need your protection. I just need you.”

His dark eyes locked onto hers, the raw intensity in them making her breath catch. “I can’t lose you,” he breathed. “I can’t.”

“You won’t,” she promised, her voice soft but fierce. “You never will.”

Zane’s eyes searched hers, as if looking for something, reassurance, hope, maybe even forgiveness. His mind replayed the night, every sacrifice that had brought them to this moment.

The danger was gone, but its shadow lingered, a reminder of how close he had come to losing her. He had been willing to give everything, his life, his soul, to keep her safe. The realization tightened his grip on her, a silent vow forming in his mind.

No one would ever come close to threatening what was his again. How her life had been balanced on the edge of a blade. It all pressed down on him, making it harder to breathe. But in her eyes, he saw none of the fear or uncertainty that haunted him. All he saw was trust.

And love.

Lily took a steadying breath. “Zane… I need to tell you something.”

His gaze sharpened instantly, his body going still, every muscle tensing as if preparing for another blow. His eyes darkened. A flicker of apprehension flashed in his eyes, his body bracing for something he wasn’t ready to hear. “What is it?”

Zane’s pulse hammered in his ears, each beat echoing like a war drum.

The air between them grew heavier, thick with all the unspoken words and the sheer magnitude of what was to come.

His instincts screamed that something was about to change, something that would alter his world forever. But there was no turning back now.

“You’re not just protecting me anymore, Zane.”

A flicker of confusion flashed in his eyes, quickly replaced by something darker. His grip on her tightened just enough to make her pulse flutter. “Lily…”

She didn’t speak. Instead, she took his hand and guided it gently to her abdomen, placing his palm over the flat expanse where a new life was growing.

For a moment, Zane didn’t move. Didn’t breathe.

“You’re…” His voice was hoarse, his expression a mixture of shock and awe.

Lily’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears as she nodded, her voice so soft, a fragile thread that barely stirred the silence between them. “We’re going to have a baby, Zane. At least, I’m pretty sure we are.”

Silence stretched between them, thick and charged. His hand remained on her stomach, unmoving, as if he was afraid to believe it. For the first time, he felt completely undone. The fiercest protector, reduced to a man standing on the precipice of something he had never dared to dream of.

A family.

His family.

His mind struggled to catch up, to process the magnitude of what she had just told him.

A life, their life, growing inside her. His breath hitched, and his fingers flexed slightly against her abdomen, a silent need to feel what he couldn’t yet touch.

His heart pounded in his chest, and for the first time in a long time, the indomitable Zane Dante felt something foreign and overwhelming. Hope.

“When?” His voice was rough, almost broken.

Her lips trembled toward a smile. “I think… I think it happened the first time.”

Her mind drifted back to that night, when everything between them had ignited with raw intensity.

It had been desperate, wild, and so full of unspoken emotions she hadn’t dared acknowledge then.

But now… now, that fire had transformed into something deeper.

Fiercer. It was love, raw and consuming, yet tender and undeniable.

Now she knew. That night had changed everything, even if they hadn’t realized it yet.

Zane’s gaze snapped up to hers, his expression shifting. His breath caught, and for a heartbeat, he couldn’t speak. “The first time?”

Memories of that night surged back, how he’d taken her with raw, unfiltered need, how he had lost himself in her completely.

The intensity, the urgency, and the connection they hadn’t yet been ready to admit.

But now… now, knowing that night had created a life between them, it hit him with the force of something unstoppable.

Emotions warred visibly beneath the surface. “You’re sure?” His voice was low, as if he was afraid the moment would shatter if he spoke too loudly.

Lily gave him a soft, almost shy smile, her fingers brushing over the dove on her palm. “Yeah… I probably got pregnant that night.” Her voice was quiet, her gaze dropping for a moment. “The first time we…” She hesitated, her throat tightening.

Zane’s eyes darkened, his forehead dipping to rest against hers as he murmured softly, “Made love.”

But Lily shook her head, a tiny, sad smile touching her lips. “No,” she insisted. “It was just sex then.”

Before he could argue, she lifted her hand, the one with the delicate dove tattoo etched onto her palm. She placed it gently against his, aligning it with his matching mark, their skin touching, Brand to Brand.

“It’s lovemaking now, isn’t it?” Her voice trembled, her heart laid bare. “I mean… it is for me because I love you, Zane. With all my heart.”

Zane’s throat worked, his eyes darkening with emotion. He covered their joined hands with his other, enclosing them as if shielding something precious.

“It was always more than sex, Lily,” he whispered, his voice rough but filled with conviction.

“Even when I didn’t know it… even when I fought it…

you owned me. Every part of me. You were in my blood, in my soul, long before I had the courage to admit it.

I could lie to myself, tell myself it was just physical…

but it was never just that. It was you. Always you. ”

He kissed her hand, his lips brushing the Branded dove, lingering there for a moment longer than necessary as if he could seal every unspoken promise into her skin.

His breath warmed her palm, and when he finally lifted his head, his eyes, usually so hard and calculating, were softer now, reflecting a vulnerability he rarely let anyone see.

In that moment, he wasn’t just a protector, a warrior.

He was hers, wholly, completely, and without reservation.

“And now?” His voice strong and absolute. “Now, I love you with everything I am. With everything I’ll ever be.”

Lily’s eyes shimmered with tears as she leaned into him. Their kiss was tender, sealing every unspoken promise between them.

Zane’s arms came around her, pulling her close, his hands cradling her gently, protectively. His lips left hers only to whisper against her skin.

“I’ll protect you both,” he vowed softly, his voice a vow that echoed in her heart. “Always.”

Lily pressed her forehead to his, her voice a quiet vow. “I know. But you don’t have to do it alone anymore.”

Zane’s hand lingered on her belly, his thumb brushing over the place where their child grew. His voice carried the weight of everything he was. “Our family.”

Lily leaned into him, her heart full, her soul at peace.

“Our family.”

But wait! What happens when Cade is forced to choose a Severin for his bride? Don’t miss a minute of the blistering romance in The Chief!