Zen (18 page)

Zen found some clothes that had not been ruined buried on the floor of his closet. He packed stuff in his suitcase. The pictures that no longer had frames, some of his awards, music and movie discs. It was sad that his whole life could fit into one regular size suitcase. But it was just things, items that could be replaced. What couldn’t be replaced was the people in his life, like Shawna.

He didn’t know what he would do if she agreed to return home with her parents. He felt a pain in his heart at the idea of not having her in his life. He was falling for her fast and hard. His doorbell went off, pulling him from his thoughts. He opened the door without checking to see who was on the other side.

“Shawna?”

She threw herself into his arms and let the sobs out that she had been holding back. Shawna was so out of it she didn’t feel Zen pull her inside his suite or hear him close the door. All she knew was that his strong safe arms were around her.

“I would ask how things went after I left, but I know the answer to that,” Zen said.

She laughed and snorted at the same time, “Yeah, it was pretty awful. Father disowned me, then left. Rage showed up. He and Mother were still arguing when I just couldn’t take it anymore. I had to leave. Can I stay here with you?”

“Mm…” Zen hesitated looking at his destroyed suite.

“I’ll find somewhere else if you don’t want me with you.” She tried to pull away but he wouldn’t let her go.

“Of course I want you. Just not here. My suite is destroyed. I am moving to a new suite.”

She pulled away and took a look around. “Oh my God! What happened?”

“I have acquired a stalker.” He pinked a little as he watched Shawna walk around the room taking in the damage. She was about to go toward the bedroom. “Don’t. It’s worse in there.”

“Worse?” Shawna stood there stunned. How could anything be as bad as this?

“If you give me just a few minutes to finish getting the few things that weren't damaged, we can go to my new suite.”

“Okay.” She watched him go to his bedroom. She felt so bad for him. Here was a wonderful kind man who would do anything for a friend and even a stranger. Yet some sick person would come into his home and destroy things that mattered to him. It made her angry on his behalf.

“I’m ready. How about you?”

“Yeah. Let’s go.” Shawna opened the door for him since he was carrying a suitcase. She then took his free hand in hers and held on tight to him.

She watched her TV and saw Zen leave his suite with that slut Baker woman. This was the last time she would let this bitch get in between her and Zen. Zen was hers and she wasn’t going to let anyone else have him. Even if it meant that he would die too. It could be a romantic joint suicide or something. That’s what the press will call it. She smiled. “I’ll get her out of the way, my love. Just a little longer.”

The next day Shawna and Zen went to her suite to let her shower and change clothes. She held her breath waiting to see if her mother stayed there or not. Thank goodness she was gone. At least for the moment. Her mother didn’t give up easily. She was also grateful to find there was no bloodshed on the floors. It relieved her to know that Rage and her mother didn’t come to blows. Though she couldn’t blame him really. What her mother had done by leaving him like that was atrocious.

“Are you okay, honey?” Zen asked.

She plopped down on the sofa feeling tired, really tired. “I just don’t understand why they have such a problem letting me live my life the way I want to.”

He sat down beside her, taking her into his arms and shifting so she sat across his lap. “They are your parents. They are used to telling you what to do.”

“I won’t leave. My father has already disowned me and I expect my mother will eventually wash her hands of me too. Once she realizes I won’t change my mind.”

“I wish I could help you with this. I didn’t have a family growing up. I went from the lab where I was created to a breeding facility. Then I was on my own. I learned to count on myself. I made my home here on the GCFA ship and the fighters and other members of the GCFA have become the only family I have ever known. I would do anything for them. I have been blessed over the years and I feel it only right to give back. I go home at night and feel a deep emptiness. But with you here with me, I don’t feel the emptiness.”

Shawna felt her heart beating rapidly. “What are you saying, Zen?”

“I…am in love with you. I know it's sudden and I don’t know how things will turn out, but I know that I have never been in love before and I would do just about anything to keep you with me.”

Tears were streaming down her face. “I am so completely one hundred percent in love with you.”

Zen took her lips in a tender but firm kiss. He kissed her with such reverence and love. A love she had never felt before but always longed for. She still couldn’t believe that he loved her. Everything had happened so fast. She didn’t care about that. All she cared about was being in the arms of the man she loved.

He growled with need and tried to take her shirt off. “Whoa. You have morning practice to get to, mister.”

“I don’t want to go to practice. We just announced our love. Now I want to make you my mate.” Zen continued to undo her buttons. “We’ll make love. Then take a nap together. Then I want to take you to lunch. I’ll go to my afternoon training. After that we’ll have a private dinner.”

“You have it all worked out.” She smiled as he quickly unsnapped her bra.

“Yes, I do.” He cupped her breasts with appreciation.

“Well, you’ll have to catch me first.” She scooted out of his grasp and ran around the sofa.

She was caught off guard when Zen leapt backwards over the sofa and almost caught her by the waist. She giggled but managed to put the dining table between them.

“Female, you are asking for trouble here,” he warned her with a twinkle in his eyes. They narrowed on her free breasts as they bounced around. Damn it, she was beautiful.

Shawna smiled knowing she was distracting him. She unhooked her jeans lowering them just an inch. He growled in response. “What’s the matter, Zen? Things getting hard for you?”

He snorted, “I’ll show you just how hard you little vixen.” He ripped his shirt off, kicked off his boots, and quickly shucked his pants. He never wore underthings so his heavy cock sprung free. He knew he had turned things around. She was breathing heavy and staring at his throbbing parts.

He was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. Golden and smooth everywhere. He was hypnotizing. She couldn’t stop looking him over. She was so distracted that she didn’t see him when he jumped on top of the table and reached for her. She was pulled up on the table and flipped onto her back.

Zen covered her with his body. He took her lips in a fierce kiss. The rest of the clothes came off with tearing sounds neither of them paid any attention to. Shawna responded to his kissing and touches hungrily. She moved her now naked body against his with a desperate need. She ached inside for him.

His hands expertly glided over her body building the tightness she was feeling inside. He broke the kiss only to nibble his way down her neck, over her collarbone and licked a path to a stiff waiting nipple. She moaned as he took the nub deep into his hot, wet mouth.

He spread her thighs and stroked her folds with his thick digits. “Baby, you are so damn wet for me,” Zen groaned with need.

“Please, Zen. I don’t want to wait,” Shawna pleaded with him.

“Me either.” Zen moved her legs wider fitting himself between her thighs. He surged forward driving fully into her. They both moaned from the pleasure of him filling her fully.

Shawna raised her legs up and wrapped around his hips. She tilted her hips upwards with each thrust, driving him further inside of her. She was desperate for him to get moving. “Zen.”

“I want to savor you, but I don’t think I will last that long this time,” Zen growled.

“You can savor later. Fuck me now!”

God he loved her. He pounded into her harder and deeper, making her whimper with need. She clung to him as he moved in her, taking her higher and higher. Sweat built on both their bodies, making them both slicker. He drew her moans of pleasure and released some of his own. Her inner walls gripped him, bringing him great pleasure squeezing his shaft. Zen twisted for a different angle bringing even more pleasure.

He thrust harder almost savagely as he took her. She screamed her release right before he came inside her. He had the same thought running in his head, “Mine…mine…mine.”

They did exactly as Zen said they would. After they made love they took a quick shower and a nap. She was refreshed and ready to face the world again. Just not in a hurry to face her mother.

They had a quick lunch at the ship’s restaurant. He kissed her a couple of times before he left to go to his afternoon training. She texted Jimmie to meet her in the lobby. She had a feeling her mother would be seeking her out and she wanted to avoid her for as long as possible.

She sat by the windows looking out into the black space. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Someone was watching her. She looked around the lobby but didn’t see anyone. As a journalist, she learned not to dismiss her intuition. She pretended to be texting on her phone but looked with her eyes. Nothing seemed out of place. But the feeling didn’t go away.

She noticed Jimmie as soon as he got off the elevator. He had his camera bag and a folder with him. She gave him a welcoming smile. “Hi, Jimmie.”

“Shawna. Where’s mister big and sexy?” Jimmie sat down across from her.

“Afternoon practice.”

“Cool. I’ve got some pictures from the fight.” He handed her the folder he had in his lap.

She took them while looking around one more time. She opened the folder and flipped through the pictures. “These look great.” She paused on a picture of her dancing with Zen at the after party. They were looking at each other like there was no one else around.

Jimmie frowned.

“Do you have these saved on your computer or on a backup disc?” she asked.

“It’s only on here for now.” He handed his digital camera to her.

Shawna filtered through the camera. She quickly deleted all the pictures Jimmie had taken of her and Zen in close touching poses. She wasn’t sure if they were ready to go public yet. Her parents just found out and they weren’t handling the news very well. Which was an understatement.

Jimmie grabbed the camera back but was too late. “Hey, you can’t delete those. You know it’s a big story whenever Zen the Sin has a fling. The tabloids pay big bucks for pics like that.”

“I'm not the story and this is not a fling,” she told him strongly.

He held up his hands in surrender. “Easy. It’s your call. Just so you know, you are not the only reporter on board this ship and I am not the only cameraman.”

Shawna looked around the lobby again as Jimmie’s meaning became clear. She may have deleted Jimmie’s pictures, but that didn't mean someone else hadn’t taken some pictures too.

“Take a look at the spread for the magazine so far.” Shawna opened up her laptop and handed it to Jimmie.

They worked for most of the afternoon in the lobby on the magazine story. Shawna sent off the draft they had for approval by her editor. Jimmie walked her back to her suite. She was excited about her dinner with Zen. They were ordering it to be delivered so she had bought a special negligee for the occasion. When she had asked Jimmie for his manly opinion on it, he had blushed big time. The cashier thought it was cute and asked him out.