Saving Savannah - A Reverse Harem Romance, page 9
“I knew you’d taste good.”
I got up and stood over him with my hands on my hips, admiring my handiwork. As far as birthday gifts went, it was a pretty good one.
“So… you still taking me out?”
He laughed weakly as he put himself back together. I got a flash of those delectable abdominals as he tucked his shirt back in.
“I mean, it’s your birthday and all that. But the deal we made—”
“Is still in effect,” Zane promised.
Nodding eagerly, I quickly gathered up my things. “Good,” I said, as we headed for the door. “Because as satisfying as that was…”
I slipped my hand into his, then winked at him.
“I’m still hungry.”
Twenty-Five
SAVANNAH
“And finally, we have the old burying point cemetery,” said Zane. He swept one arm grandly across the shadowy expanse of crooked tombstones, while using the other to keep me close. “It might not be the most haunted, but as far as I’m concerned it’s the creepiest place in all of Salem.”
I huddled against his body for warmth. Even with Zane’s own jacket draped over mine, a cold shiver ran through me.
“Ever seen a ghost here?”
“No,” he admitted. “But I’ve seen people throw up here.”
“Classy.”
“Yeah, big time,” he laughed. “Not from anything I provided them, mind you. But some people bring flasks and drinks and stuff.”
As it was, we’d been sipping the most delicious hot chocolate from a thermos he’d brought with him. It wasn’t spiked with anything, but it kept us warm from the inside throughout the entire tour.
We’d already stopped off for a quick bite, then dipped briefly into my place so I could change out of my bullshit gypsy gear. Zane had even pretended to look the other way as I stripped down, like a perfect gentleman. On my end though, it was all I could do to keep from jumping him right then and there.
In the end I’d let him do his thing. I wanted to see him in action, as he gave me the grand tour. The whole thing was sweet and thoughtful. I was loving every minute of it.
“The hanging judge, Judge William Hawthorne, is buried here,” said Zane.
“The one from the witch trials?”
“Yes!” His eyes sparkled, lighting up with the moonlight. I could tell how much he loved this. How it was still fun and interesting for him, even though he must’ve done it a hundred times.
“Show me.”
Zane tilted his head apprehensively. “Hmmm. I usually let the group scatter and look for the tombstone themselves. It makes finding it a lot more rewarding.”
I looked out across the hallowed, four-hundred year old burial ground. Broken grave-markers stood everywhere, jutting up at odd angles from the ground like rotten teeth.
“I’m not a group,” I pointed out. “And I’m cold. And it’s dark. And—”
“Okay, okay,” he chuckled. “C’mon, it’s right over here.”
I let him lead me to the tombstone, which was equal parts spooky and cool. Everything was all hand-chiseled back then. The craftsmanship was impressive.
“Aged 76 years. Died May 10th, 1717. Wow.”
Above the elaborate scrollwork a carved skull made up the upper part of the tombstone, along with a pair of angel wings. It looked ghastly.
“People sure were morbid back then,” I observed.
“Yeah, you’re not kidding.” He looked back at me, and his eyes lit up with sudden remembrance. “Oh! Before I forget… I have a gift for you.”
“A gift?” Confusion swept over me. “But it’s your birthday.”
“I know, I know.”
My eyes narrowed as Zane rummaged around in his pockets. I felt a slight wave of panic, then that awkward sort of guilt that always came with not having anything to give in return.
“Did we go straight past casual threesomes,” I joked nervously, “to the dating and gift stage? If so, nobody told m—”
I stopped talking as he thrust something into my hand: a blown-up photo of someone I didn’t recognize. Three photos, actually. Two side profiles and a head-on shot, all taken from a distance.
“Who’s this?” I asked, leafing slowly through them.
“That’s the guy who broke your window.”
My confusion dissolved away, replaced quickly by excitement. “Really? But I have no cameras. Internal or external.”
“No, but the antique shop on the other side of the street did,” said Zane. “I explained to them what happened. They were very nice.”
The man in the photos was short and dark-haired, with bushy eyebrows and a turned-up nose. He wore a very long coat. So long that it scraped the ground.
“I know the screencaps aren’t the best,” Zane apologized needlessly, “but one of them gives a pretty good shot of the guy’s face.” He searched my expression in silence for a moment. “Is it anyone you recognize?”
Very slowly I shook my head. “No.”
“Ah, well at least you know who to look out for in the future,” he said. “Although with the size of the crowds outside your shop, it would be—”
“Zane?”
“Yes?”
I turned to face him, my eyes finding his. “Thank you.”
My lover went bright red for a moment, before eventually looking down. “Nah. It’s nothing.”
“No it’s not,” I told him. “You’re looking out for me. It’s very sweet.”
Zane slipped his hand back into mine for reassurance. Somehow it was always warm, no matter how long we’d been outside. So far we’d seen six different haunted places, two dark alleys, and three murder sites. If I wasn’t walking with my giant, six-foot three lover at my side, I’d never have braved it.
“At this point I’d lead the group into Murphy’s for cocktails,” said Zane. “And everyone would buy me drinks.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Is that what you want?”
“Well since it’s my birthday, I figured we should celebrate.”
“Fine, then lead the—”
“Back at my apartment,” Zane added quickly, with a sideways smile. “Which, it just so happens, is conveniently located not far from here.”
I looked back at him perplexed. “I thought you lived with Erik?”
“I sorta do,” he confirmed. “There’s lots more room, and it’s closer to work.” He shrugged. “But until my lease runs out on the old place, I still have the majority of my stuff there.”
“So let’s go.”
“Well it’s very small,” he warned. “And a little shabby. And not really… decorated all that well.”
“Is it clean?” I chuckled.
He hesitated for a moment. “Primarily.”
I squeezed his hand promisingly. “And does it have a bed?”
Zane had been fun and adorable and protective all night. Not to mention informative. And of course, really, really cute.
“Oh yeah.”
I stood on my tip-toes to kiss him.
“Then count me in.”
Twenty-Six
SAVANNAH
If Zane’s apartment was small or shabby, I really wouldn’t know. We were inside all of three seconds before we were all over each other. My legs buckled through a minute or so of kissing and touching and grinding, before he pulled me through the cluttered blur and into his blessedly warm bedroom.
We were naked in no time, which was both a blessing and a curse. I would’ve liked to take my time stripping my lover’s magnificent body. Dragging my hands and lips over every ridge and ripple, as I let my fingertips and mouth explore acre after acre of hard, smooth muscle.
Zane pushed me onto the bed, where heat from the overhead vents washed over our naked bodies. It contrasted wonderfully against our cold skin. We’d been outside for hours, so entering the warm world of his apartment felt almost like slipping into a hot tub.
“I need you…”
It was a desperate truth. I’d gotten so wet blowing him, I’d spent half his cute little tour thinking about this moment.
“Zane, I—”
He took me by the hips and rolled me over him, twisting around until we were locked in a hot sixty-nine. I gasped as his tongue slipped inside me. His two big palms grabbing both cheeks of my ass, pulling me down onto his wet, eager mouth.
I’d like to say we went on for hours; sucking, tasting, teasing each other. But it was too hot. Too frenzied. The second he was fully hard I was pulling him from my mouth and sliding my body forward. Pressing the throbbing, mushroom-shaped head of his cock against my saliva-coated entrance, and then impaling myself all the way down in one long, glorious sigh.
Fuuuuuck.
It was like coming home. Scratching some unreachable itch that I’d suffered through all night.
My back was to him as I began rocking gently, testing my limits. He had no way of seeing the ridiculous smile plastered across my face.
“Goddamit, Zane.”
It felt like heaven. Being stuffed so full that it somewhat hurt, but then enjoying that hurt as well. Zane’s hands guided my hips, shifting with my every movement. Letting me have control, but backing me up on every thrust.
No words came this time, from the back of my mind. No internalizations warning me, or even urging me on. We fucked purely. Simply. Like two animals rutting in a flood of heat and adrenaline, until my body stiffened and my head flung back and I screamed my climax at the suspiciously low popcorn ceiling of his tiny bedroom.
“UNGHHH!”
My initial grunt was followed by an explosion that rocked my world. A flutter that began in my stomach and blossomed outward, consuming the entire lower half of my body in a searing white wave of orgasmic bliss.
I rode the entire thing out with my hands splayed across Zane’s beautiful, rock-hard thighs. Screwing myself down on him. Using his body for my own personal pleasure, as the last shuddering waves of joy dragged me back down to reality.
Then I collapsed sideways… and my lover spread my legs wide and slid right back into me.
Ohhhhhhhhh…
I felt totally spoiled. Like the luckiest girl alive. My brain was still reeling from its endorphin rush as Zane began kissing me again, this time taking me with slow, deep thrusts. It was personal. Sensual and intimate. More like making love than fucking…
There was a flutter of heat in my stomach as the intimacy levels flew off the charts. I hadn’t felt like this in ages. I hadn’t wanted to.
But now…
Don’t fight it.
It was hard not to. Not after everything that had happened. Not after the series of events that had caused me to come all the way up here.
Just this once… enjoy it.
Zane kissed his way down my neck as he made love to me, rocking my body slowly and deliberately beneath his. He was buried achingly deep. Crushing me wonderfully beneath his gorgeous body, but supporting the bulk of his weight on his two corded arms.
His lips left my neck. Everywhere they touched my skin they brought it to goosebumps. He dragged them slowly downward. Kissing some more, until he reached my right shoulder…
Alarm bells flashed in my head. My body stiffened.
Then he was kissing my scar.
It was an ugly thing; all white on pink. A starburst of smooth, fibrous tissue that extended outward in every direction. I waited for the inevitable questions: What is this? How’d you get it?
Instead, Zane kept on kissing me. Touching me. Making love to me, as if nothing happened.
Then his lips passed lower, and then lower still, until they closed over one stiff nipple. My body relaxed. My hands sifted through his soft blond hair, pulling him into me. Spreading my legs even wider, to take him as deep as he wanted.
God, I’ve missed this…
I moaned into my lover’s mouth as we continued screwing. Kissing. Grinding.
It’s been so, so long.
Minute after minute he thrust slowly in and out of me, holding me with his entire body. Not changing positions because the position was perfect, until finally clenching his jaw in ecstasy as he thumped and pulsed and flooded me with his seed.
Screaming his name, I came with him.
Twenty-Seven
SAVANNAH
“So you’re not from here either? A transplant, like me?”
We were lounging in bed, cuddled up in the filtered moonlight. Talking about anything. Everything.
Almost, anyway.
“I’m originally from Portsmouth,” Zane answered softly. “I left early, though. My father ran off, my mom remarried. My only siblings were step-siblings, and I never really got to know them. The whole stepdad thing never took, not that they had much time for me anyway.”
“Aww. That’s terrible.”
“Yeah. It’s alright. I was barely home to begin with. Always out doing stuff.” He shifted, cradling me closer against his warm, hard body. “I took a bunch of odd jobs that kept me busy. Even tried community college, but changed my major three times before I called it quits.”
He was tracing his fingertips over the curve of my body, from hip to shoulder. Every time he dragged them lightly along my rib cage, I squirmed into him.
“My mother called me a restless soul,” Zane finished. “Probably just to absolve herself of responsibility, being that she was ignoring me anyway. But she was also right.”
“Where’d you work?”
“I did roofing in the summer, and painting when the weather got cold. Eventually I signed onto a few fishing boats, mostly charters. I enjoyed the people. I liked being outdoors, too.”
I snuggled into him, kissing his chest softly. “But?”
“Same thing as always,” he shrugged. “I got bored of it fast. Either it’s in your blood or its not, and those fishermen take that stuff pretty serious. I left Gloucester one day and wandered down here. And I never looked back.”
“Until the next time you’re bored,” I teased.
Zane chuckled and nodded. “Yeah. Till’ next time.”
He pulled me tighter, skin against skin. I felt ridiculously comfortable, secure in his arms. Like I was made to be held like this.
“So are you going to tell me about you?” he asked casually. “Or no?”
I expected to stiffen, as always. Instead, for some reason, I still felt relaxed.
“What do you wanna know?”
“Whatever you want to tell me,” Zane said simply.
I gazed up lazily at the popcorn ceiling. Trying to form patterns and images in the back of my mind.
“I’m from the south,” I began slowly. “But you knew that already. I came up here for a change of scenery. To break ties and settle down someplace new,” I shrugged, “and Salem fit the bill.”
Zane yawned into the shadows of his bedroom, then kissed me on the forehead. “I can relate to that.”
“Being a palm-reader,” I went on, “this seemed like a lucrative place to go. Lots of tourist traffic, looking to spend money. Good work all year round, but especially in the fall. Especially now.”
“And especially where your shop is,” Zane offered. “Right in the middle of the street fair.”
“Yeah. That too.”
I slid a leg over him, feeling the warmth and wetness of our lovemaking. Zane dropped a hand on my thigh, where it fit perfectly.
“The guys told me you were a foster child.”
“Uh huh.”
“Mind if I ask…” he began hesitantly, “what happened to—”
“My parents were hopeless drug addicts,” I said. “They couldn’t stop. They lost custody of me very early on, and never looked back.”
“Shit,” Zane swore.
“Yeah, it was definitely shit,” I agreed. “Luckily I was taken in by my grandmother, at least for a while. Those were good years. Happy years. But then my grandmother kicked off, too. I came home from school one day and found her still in bed from the night before. She just never woke up.”
“Fuck. How old were you?”
“I was in fourth grade,” I answered. “So I was nine.”
Zane’s arm stiffened, clutching me protectively. Bringing me even tighter against him.
“That’s miserable Savannah,” he said. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. Shit happens.”
He wasn’t pushing, wasn’t pressing. He was only holding me. It made me want to tell him more, though how much more I really didn’t know.
“Things eventually got bad for me down there,” I said abruptly. “Down south.” I swallowed hard. “I came up here to get away from it all. So if I sometimes sound like I’m avoidin—”
“No,” said Zane. “Don’t do that. You don’t have anything to explain.” He turned to face me on the pillow. We were eye to eye. Nose to nose. Our lips practically touching, which only made me want to kiss him some more.
“You tell us what you want to tell us,” said Zane. “That’s all. Nothing more. Nothing less.”
Now he did kiss me, pressing his lips to mine. It was soft and sweet. Over within seconds.
My stomach couldn’t help but roll excitedly at his use of the word “us.”
“We’re just really glad you’re here.”
Twenty-Eight
SAVANNAH
The song was playing again, and it was loud this time. Obnoxiously louder than before, even as the agony in my shoulder was joined by pain in my back and neck…
My ears were still ringing, the way they did after a loud concert. And there was a smell now too. Acrid and terrible. A sulfuric, burning smell, followed by a haze of grey smoke inside the car.
The car.
I looked up and everything was a blur of motion. I could barely make out one shape from another. And yet I was the one in control. I was still driving, and the responsibility that came with the sudden knowledge was absolutely terrifying.
