Chapter 25

When Lara woke, she was no longer the big spoon.

Instead, Zavien was sprawled on top of her, his face nestled in the valley between her breasts.

She had a feeling she had put him there, judging by how her hands were cradling his head. Then again, he had somehow lodged his hands beneath her to cup her ass, so who could really say for sure.

Either way, it was a nice way to wake up—unbelievably, with the same man that had her pulling her hair out at the mere thought of him.

“Do you always feast on existential crises first thing in the morning?”

Lara lowered her contemplative gaze from the ceiling to him. His face was tilted upward, his eyes drooped with sleep, and a lazy smile spread across his lips. “How long have you been awake?” she asked.

“Long enough to hear your snores turn into moans. Having wet dreams about me, Lara?”

She rolled her eyes to hide the fact that that was exactly what had happened. “You wish,” she scoffed.

He hummed in thought, turning his face toward her skin to press a lingering kiss between her breasts. “And what if I do? If I rub your ass three times, will you grant it?” He flashed her a cheeky smile and rose up on his knees to tower over her.

She managed a surprised laugh before his hands gripped her hips and flipped her over onto her stomach. “Zavien!” she squealed as he smacked her ass before rubbing it. “Okay, okay, you made your point,” she said between giggles, wriggling beneath him.

“Did I?” He growled into her ear, his chest bearing down on her shoulder blades as his erection pressed against her backside.

With a happy hum, she pushed her ass against his manhood, and then his lips trailed kisses down her spine, eliciting long sighs.

Suddenly, a knock sounded, and they both froze.

After a couple of moments, another knock came, and Zavien sighed. “I have to get it before Pablo starts barking.” He climbed off her and stepped into his sweats.

“Okay,” she murmured, rolling onto her side to watch him go. It was disappointing to be interrupted, but she could appreciate the view it gave her. She had never seen disheveled sleepiness look so good on someone before.

Zavien had left the bedroom door ajar, so it didn’t take long for her to hear that he was talking to Mr. Nakamura, who had the key to her apartment. She flung herself off the bed and into one of Zavien’s T-shirts.

“I’m sure you can understand I can’t just give you the key. I need to see Miss Hendry,” Mr. Nakamura said tiredly.

“She’s asleep, I—”

“Mr. Nakamura!” Lara scuttled out of Zavien’s room, no doubt the picture-perfect example of a complete mess.

The building manager’s eyes went wide in surprise, and although Zavien had donned his mask, the surprise in his eyes was clear as well. “Ah, uh, yes, hello,” Mr. Nakamura said, clearing his throat and avoiding looking at her.

She frowned in confusion, first at him and then at Zavien, who met her gaze for a split second before looking away too.

“Well, here’s your key. Don’t let me keep you,” Mr. Nakamura stammered, his face going beet red as he made a hasty escape.

“What was that about?” Lara asked after Zavien closed the door.

His shoulders quivered with quiet laughter. “Lara, there’s a good reason I didn’t call for you to come out here.” He shook his head and pulled off his mask. Fighting back a grin, he took her by the waist and spun her toward the full-length mirror hanging by his shoe rack.

Her jaw dropped as she stared at her reflection.

Lara had suspected that her hair screamed, “I just got fucked!” but she hadn’t expected her lips to be swollen, her neck to be covered in red spots, and—oh God, was that a handprint on her thigh? She poked at the purplish marks and, yep, definitely a bruise.

“You are a menace! Look at me!” she shouted.

Zavien sidled up behind her, sliding his hand over the bruise so she could see for sure who had put it there—as if it wasn’t already abundantly clear. “I am. You should see the marks on your hips and ass,” he said with a self-satisfied smirk.

Her face turning bright red, she gingerly lifted the hem of the shirt. Sure enough, more handprints, ghosts of fingers, and red marks marred her skin. “I should be angry,” she mused as she studied her reflection, “but it’s kind of turning me on.”

“That makes two of us,” he muttered into her hair.

***

Zavien, it turned out, was an expert at getting under not only Lara’s skin but also her hood. All her car needed was a jump to get it back up and running, which made sense since she had drained the battery by forgetting to turn off the headlights.

After about twenty minutes of letting the car run, they went back upstairs together. Before she headed into her apartment, she tried not to act like a giddy teenager when Zavien pulled his mask down to kiss her cheek.

She was pretty sure that she had failed in that endeavor, but she couldn’t bring herself to be too torn up about it.

Due to begin her shift in a couple of hours, she had just enough time to shower, cover the hickeys on her neck with concealer, and make herself a dinner to go that did not consist of rice and beans.

By the time she finished, she felt accomplished and far more human than she had the day before. With a smile, she scooped up her spare keys and headed out the door.

To Lara’s delight, Zavien stepped out of his apartment at the same time.

She smiled at him, ready to hit him with some quip or another, but her face fell when she took a good look at him.

He stood before her in an attire she had come to know well: a button-down shirt, nice dark-wash jeans, clean shoes, and a jacket draped over his arm.

Zavien was dressed for a date.