Conviction (The Cassano Series Book 4) (6 page)

Sadie

I open my door and Victoria is standing in front of me.

“What are you doing here? Last I heard you were in Jersey.”

“We got back a couple of days ago. It was a short trip. Are you going to invite me in?”

Sighing, I step aside for her to enter my condo.

“What’s up?”

“I came to apologize.” She sits down in a chair, so I go to the sofa and take a seat, tucking one of my legs beneath me.

I can’t help but stare at my sister. One thing that has happened since she got involved with Adrian is she is more confident and has better taste in clothing. She’s actually out of her jeans and in a pair of cute red shorts.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Simon possibly going to prison. I should’ve either convinced him to tell you, or I should’ve told you myself.”

“I accept your apology. I must admit that I’m surprised I’m receiving one.”

Victoria looks away from me. “I’m trying to change, Sadie. I love you, and I want us to be closer and talk more and tell each other everything. It’s hard for me to get out of detective mode.”

I smile at my sister. This is the most she’s ever opened up about her feelings for me.

“I love you, too, and I would love it if we were closer.”

“How are things between you and Simon? Adrian told me you weren’t speaking to him after you found out the news.”

“I forgave him. He’s persistent and high-strung, so I’m sure you can imagine how over the top all his texts were. I couldn’t take it anymore, and I missed him like crazy.

“It’s so cool we’re dating brothers. Maybe in the future we’ll be one big happy family.” My grin fades. “Well, as long as they can stay out of prison.”

“Adrian believes this will be resolved soon.”

“I hope so. I can’t imagine being apart from Simon for a long stretch of time.”

“I understand, but we’ll all get through it together. I have to head out, but let’s go shopping soon. Call sis, too. I’m sure she’s down for buying more baby clothes or stylish maternity outfits.”

“She’s going to freak over the fact that you want to go shopping with us.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I love the changes I’ve made, too.”

I go to my sister and throw my arms around her.

“Adrian’s been good for you, but I know you’ve helped him, too. You’re loyal and kind.”

Victoria hugs me back, and I’m relieved to have worked things out with both her and Simon.

Zev

“Jersey, I have to see Noah. It’s been days. He’s texted me twice, wanting to schedule the deal. I think he’s afraid Victoria is going to weasel her way in. He’s so damn selfish and arrogant. I knew he wouldn’t make an alliance with her,” I say into the phone.

“Alright. Come back to work, and make it happen, but you better channel every ounce of will you have to keep from killing him.”

“I will. See you tomorrow night.” I end the call and wipe my forehead with my towel. Sweat still beads there from my workout. I stroll from the gym to my bedroom. It’s two in the afternoon, and Tara has been napping since lunch.

For fuck’s sake!

Why did Kylie buy Tara such damn sexy panties? She’s on her stomach asleep, tangled in the sheet. The lower half of her sensuous body is outside of it, taunting my already waning control.

It’s been four days since I brought her here. Four days of lying next to her sultry, soft body. It’s smooth like silk and curvy in all the right places.

I’ve worked out every day, trying to release the sexual tension, but I might die if I go one more hour without really touching her.

A groan escapes me. Tara shifts her little ass in the bed. She claims she’s not in pain anymore, but I’ve barely touched her body, afraid that I might hurt her.

I stalk over to her and eye her plump lips. They’re parted, and she lets out a whimper. Another strangled groan leaves my throat, causing her to stir again.

I’m struggling not to pounce on her, so I head straight to the master bath. The hot water from a shower pelts my shoulders, easing the tension in them. Tilting my head back, I let the water roll off my thick hair.

I imagine Tara in her satin, black panties again, and an erection takes shape. Trying to ignore it, I grab the soap and lather my body, minus my straining cock.

If I touch it, I’m not going to let go until I have a release, and I’ve already masturbated two times since she got here. I feel like a fucking teenager. Closing my eyes, I rinse the shampoo from my hair.

“You missed a spot.” My eyes fly open, and Tara is facing me with a seductive smile. Her bare body is before me with droplets of water splashing onto her pale, creamy skin. Her pink nipples pebble, protruding far from her perfectly round tits.

She reaches for the soap, and once she has created a lather in her hands, she takes my cock into it and strokes it. A low growl vibrates from my chest, and I shove my fingers into her long, blonde strands.

Ducking my head, I plunge my tongue into her mouth. She’s brushed her teeth and tastes so damn sweet.

“You’re pretty sneaky.”

“I think I should show you how present I am.” Gripping my shaft more firmly, she strokes me faster as her other hand grazes over my balls.

Her fingers brush my inner thigh, and her tongue finds its way back into my hungry mouth. Provocatively, she faintly swirls it with mine.

Clutching her hair harder, I release her lips and fight for the air she steals. “Fuck, I’m going to come, baby.”

“Do it. That way you can hold out longer when you make love to me.”

As her hand glides over my pulsating cock, her thumb rubs down the outer vein. I lose all control, my cum spurting all over her hand.

Tara has opened the door to a monumental amount of pent-up desire. I might have to change my mind about work. If she’s well, we might be held up in my bedroom for days. I only pray I can erase her recent negative feelings about sex.

My legs feel like they could buckle as I pull her against me and press several kisses to her hair.

“Promise me you feel better, or I’m not touching you.”

Her blue eyes along with one corner of her mouth tilts up at me. “I promise.”

Now, the difficult part. I look up to the ceiling, letting the water rain over my head.

“I’ve never made love.”

Entwining our wet fingers, she brings them to her mouth and kisses every one of my knuckles.

“Just think of it as ‘hanging out,’ only on a more personal level. I have faith that you’re going to be spectacular at it.”

I look down at her, and she’s giving me a playful smile, but I’m only thinking of serious shit. I press my mouth to her soaked hair and trail my lips down to her ear.

“Why did you have faith in me so quickly? What did you see in me?”

“Some people become their pain, Zev. They want those around them to feel the same misery. Otherwise, it would mean they were the only ones on this earth who weren’t worthy of being loved because someone or some event made them believe they didn’t deserve any better.

“But I saw kindness behind your pain. We spent days talking about things that bring happiness. The way you watched me smile told me you wanted free from the hurt. You hadn’t let it consume you like you wanted to believe.

“Once you told me about your mother, I knew you needed a woman to show you that you could love and trust again. That’s what I saw, and I wanted to be that person.”

Her eyes look away from mine, and I see the tears welling like a wave in her ocean blues.

“Then you rejected me. If it couldn’t be me, I at least hoped that one day it could be someone. It’s one of the reasons I did what I did with Noah.

“I hoped once your anger subsided, you would realize you could trust a woman to love you even if that woman wasn’t me.”

Fuck, I love her. My heart could burst over how much gratitude and adoration I feel for this woman.

“It was always you, Tara. It could only ever be you.”

Blood is thundering through my veins. A thousand pounds of weight rests on my chest. I imagine being in my gym, lifting, pushing it off of me: the hurt, the mistrust, the negativity. I shove it all away. My heart is finally free to love to its fullest capacity.

I pull her naked body flush against mine and squeeze her, wishing my emotions could seep into her.

“I love you, Daisy. I love you so damn much. The sacrifice you made for me overwhelms me. You’re part of the Cassano family now.

“You’ll be cherished and protected. I’ll show you that you can trust me, too.”

Tara

Water rolls off of Zev’s thick, black eyelashes. He’s gazing at me like I’m the only other person in the universe, and I feel every bit of the love he’s bestowing.

The pressure in my chest thrusts the billowing sobs from my throat. His loving words are too much. He shuts the water off and grabs a towel outside the glass door. It glides over my hair as I weep.

Noah Sanders let his pain consume him, turning him evil. Zev probably thinks I’m crying from what Noah did to me, but I’m crying because Zev has already replaced it with something beautiful. His words alone will prevent me from scarring.

My cries subside as he dries my body. He rubs the towel over my legs, and I cling to his slick hair. A longing in me cultivates from his kindness and gentleness, and I’m aching for him to touch me in the most sacred places.

Hurriedly, he dries his body. The towel is thrown out the door before he scoops me into his arms like it’s nothing and carries me to his bed.

He leaves me alone as he goes back to the bathroom, and I wonder what he’s doing. He returns with a strip of condoms. I like knowing they’re not in his bedside table.

Zev climbs over top of me with a sober expression. He’s not rushed, and a sense of trepidation owns the space around us. His biceps cage me in as he presses his palms into the mattress and stares down at me.

“I’m tasting you first. Your mouth. Your neck. Your nipples after that. Your stomach and thighs. Then, I’m going to taste your pussy. I’ve missed it.”

Gradually, he lowers his mouth, and for a second I swear I feel his lip quiver over mine. He’s fearful he’s going to screw this up, but I know otherwise.

As I wrap my arms around his neck, his tongue slips between my lips. It circles the inside of my mouth … exploring, probing, seeking solace. We’ve kissed like this for several days, but Zev makes each one feel like the first.

He drops to his forearms and lets a hand brush down the side of my breast and my waist. My body quakes and my stomach sinks in as his thumb grazes along it.

His mouth is open and wet as it drags along my jaw and trails down my neck. He’s still exercising the control he’s had to hold onto over the last few days.

“Daisy,” he whispers as his lips continue to mark a path down my chest. His tongue twirls around my nipple, and my fingers play with his hair.

“You’re mine,” he declares. His words are in a soft-spoken tone, but they’re desperate and sensual, rendering the claim he has made over my mind, body and soul.

“My delicate flower.” He groans and sucks on my nipple. His tongue sweeps, teeth nip and breath coats it with a blazing heat.

“Zev.”

On a journey, his mouth descends, his tongue skimming down my stomach. “Speak to me, baby. Tell me what you want from me. I’ll do it. Anything.”

“Keep loving me with your mouth. Make me come for you.”

His growl vibrates against my stomach before he’s moving his mouth again. His lips reach my inner thighs and kisses press to each of them.

The tingling sensation is a prelude to the pleasure he will lavish over my body. I whimper and lift my hips from the profound desire.

“Please, more.” One long stroke down my slit is the next sensation. I moan loudly, this time thrusting my hips upward with force. Glancing down, I watch Zev smile.

“Eager are we?”

“Lick me. I’m pleading.”

“Yes, sweetheart. Anything for you.” Fingers open me, revealing my clit. I feel the cool air before his hot tongue. It swirls slowly around it, teasing me and inciting a loud, embarrassing moan.

Zev chuckles, and I relish the sound of it. His tongue begins to flick, directing me to that blissful place. The way his hands pull at the apex of my thighs, opening me up farther, only adds to the pleasure.

He knows the speed and pressure I need, and once he latches onto the hood of my clit and sucks, I shove against him.

“You’re soaking me. So fucking wet. Come on my face.”

His tongue goes back to licking, and his dirty talk sails through my ears and straight to my core, causing an explosion of ecstasy. I writhe against his mouth that won’t let up until I’m spent from my orgasm.

He rises to his knees, and I will my eyes open. His thumb and finger start at the top of his mouth and drag around it, wiping it clean. A smug smile of satisfaction reveals a hint of his dimples.

In no time, he’s ripping a condom wrapper and slipping it on. He falls over me, landing on his arms. He buries his face into the crook of my neck.

“Are you OK?” I ask.

He lifts his head and skims a finger over my cheek.

“Yes, I’m trying to gather a little control, so I don’t hurt you.”

“That was magnificent. I need to feel you inside of me.”

Planting a kiss to my lips, Zev shifts to better position himself between my legs. Gently, he pushes into me and squeezes his eyes shut. His face shoves against my neck again, but he doesn’t move his lower body.

“You’re not going to hurt me. I need this, Zev. I’m ready.” His erection is rock-hard inside of me, his body wanting to do what his mind thinks he shouldn’t.

Brushing my hands up his back, I begin to move beneath him. It’s only seconds before he’s moving, too, rocking against my motion.

His cock slides back and pushes into me, his breath bathing my neck from his groan.

“Look at me,” I command.

He lifts his head and stares at me. His eyes are glazed with a thick desire, but I also see his reluctance. Gliding my fingers through his hair, I anchor my gaze to his and encourage him to move faster. My hips elevate, along with the sound of my moans.

This ignites the passion in him, and he thrusts harder, his eyes still never leaving mine. The love and lust is revealed, a flame overpowering the gold flecks of his hazel irises.

Our breaths collide, ebbing and flowing with every inhale and exhale, exactly like our bodies, until we’re coming together. It’s a beautiful harmony of pleasure and commitment.