Where I Belong

Chapter 36

FEELINGS

ADDISON

It's been a month since that morning at the Necrodopolus' house when the truth about Zed and how he came into this world was spelled out for him.

I want to be able to say that things were smooth and easy from then on out, but… even though his parents came and visited the studio and the three of them spent some time together, with everything out in the open it was like there was still a gaping hole between them.

As the days have gone on, things have started to improve. It's been devastating to watch, Zed's mom especially, as she's had to fight to prove to her son that she has only ever seen him as one of her own. Every time I look at her, I just want to pull her in for a hug for being so incredibly supportive and selfless where her family is concerned.

Tonight is Zed's birthday, and although he was adamant that he only wanted to spend it celebrating with me in bed, as tempting as that idea was, I was even more adamant that he spend time with those who love him.

With the help of his mom, I've organized an evening that will bring his two families together for the first time. I'm nervous. I can't help but be after he's kept his life split in two for so long, but I have every confidence that it'll be a great night.

"Are you sure we can't just stay here?" Zed asks, poking his head around the door frame to his bedroom where I'm getting ready.

"No, we can't. I can, however, promise you that whatever your imagination is conjuring up right now can be done when we get back."

He pulls me into him so my back presses against his front. "Hmmm…" he hums against my exposed neck. "Is that right?"

"Yup."

"I could get used to this living together thing." His hands roam over my towel-covered body before tugging at the bottom and watching in the mirror as it falls from me. Neither of us has brought up the fact that since the morning we visited his parents I've barely been home. Every night I've found myself here in his arms, but at some point, we're going to need to address it. "That's better." His hands skim up my stomach to palm a breast, teasing and pinching my nipples as we both watch. "You sure I can't convince you to stay in?"

"Absolutely not." My voice is breathier than I intended, giving away my desire from having his hands on me.

"But the things I could do to you…" He kisses down the column of my neck. Goosebumps erupt across my skin as he moves down to my shoulder. "I could kiss every inch of your body… Trace every line with my tongue…"

"Zed," I part warn, part beg as his words ignite a hunger in me I'm not sure I'm going to be able to ignore.

"You can feel it, can't you? Me moving slowly inside you, stoking those flames that are only getting stronger…"

My head falls back against his shoulder as he walks his fingers down my stomach. He teases over my heated skin before his fingertips finally connect with the exact place I need them to.

"Oh god…" I moan, my eyes closing as I absorb the sensation.

"It's a real shame we're going out…" His hands leave me, and after ensuring I'm not going to fall flat on my back, he takes a step away from me.

His eyes hold mine in the mirror. They're alight with desire and filled with hunger. "Shouldn't you be covering up that body? We're going to be late."

A growl of frustration climbs up my throat. "I hate you," I call as he disappears into the bathroom.

"Likewise, Kitten."

I laugh, turning towards the clothes that I laid out on his bed earlier to the sound of him getting reading in the distance. I've refused to tell him what I've got planned for tonight. I can only assume that he's expecting it to be just the two of us.

I'm in the kitchen, transferring things from my usual purse into my clutch for the night when his footsteps head toward me. I drop my lip gloss inside my bag before looking up, and I'm glad I did because if it were still in my hand, there isn't a doubt that it would be heading for the floor right now. Zed's wearing a plain pair of black dress pants, a Gucci belt, and a classic white shirt tolled up his forearms. My mouth waters as I take in the way the fabric clings to his lean body. I bite down on my bottom lip to stop myself from sighing with contentment that this incredible man before me is all mine. He might be an arrogant asshole, but he's my arrogant asshole.

I make my way up to his face, running my eyes over the scruff that covers his jaw. My thighs clench as the memory of how it felt between them only this morning hits me like a truck. His lips curl into a sexy smirk, knowing exactly where my mind has gone before I find his eyes. The happiness in them sparkles back at me, but I don't miss the heat that threatens to overtake the longer he stares.

"It's not too late to change your mind…" he taunts, taking a step toward me so he's close enough to take over every one of my senses. His scent fills my nose and I almost throw caution to the wind and drag him back to the bedroom.

"Nope, we've got people waiting for us," I blurt out as an excuse, more for myself than him at this point.

"People?"

"Yup, people. And they're expecting to see the birthday boy."

"They're not expecting us to stay long though… right?"

I laugh at him, and somehow I manage to break our connection so I can grab my jacket and slip my phone into my clutch. "The car should be downstairs. We need to go." He groans behind me but follows my lead when I head to the door.

The weather might be starting to warm up as spring progresses, but with the clear sky above us, it's bitterly cold as we wait for our car.

Noticing my shiver, Zed pulls me into his body and wraps his arms around me. He stares down into my eyes as his warmth seeps into me.

"I've most definitely fallen out of hate with you, Addie-Cat."

"Oh yeah," I tease.

"Yeah, because I've fallen in love with you instead."

My breath catches at his confession and tears immediately burn the backs of my eyes. I've felt it from him a million times, his little touches here and there, the way he looks at me when he thinks I'm not paying attention. Deep down, I knew how he felt, but hearing it… Hearing those words from his lips… They're everything I didn't know I needed.

He drops his head until his lips brush against mine and he gives me the sweetest, most emotional kiss of my life. When he pulls back and rests his forehead against mine, a single tear slips from my eye and runs down my cheek.

"What's this?" he whispers softly, reaching up to wipe it away.

"I… I…" I stutter, struggling to pull myself together enough to express how much he means to me. "I love you too." The smile he graces me with melts my heart. I know he's still struggling after the bombshell that his mom's not his biological one, but he's opened his heart up, not only to me but also to Zoey, in a way I never could have imagined when I first stumbled back into his life.

The arrogant bad boy I thought I hated has totally stolen my heart, and I couldn't imagine it any other way.

"Car for Zed?" a voice shouts, dragging our eyes from each other. We both laugh when we find our Uber sitting at the curb with an impatient driver waiting for us to surface.

Shit, yeah. Sorry, man."

Zed drops one more quick kiss to my lips before taking my hand and guiding me to the car to begin our evening.

I left the details of tonight down to Zed's mom. When we spoke on the phone a few weeks ago, it was obvious she needed to do something for Zed after the bomb they dropped on him so I left her to it, although not before I mentioned that a Michelin star restaurant might not have been a good choice and to keep it simple. Thankfully, when she messaged me with where she'd booked I discovered that she'd listened to me. Her restaurant of choice was a bistro that had recently opened up not far from the studio. One glance at the website and I knew Zed would feel totally at home.

I'd mentioned that we were meeting people, but I'd refrained from giving him any names. As we walked inside, I'm assuming that Zed's only expecting to find one of his families waiting for him, either his Zombie Ink crew, or his real family, but much to his surprise when we're directed to out table he finds everyone. Both his worlds sitting together around one huge table.

"Hoooooly shit," he mutters beside me, his eyes wide as he takes everyone in.

"Happy birthday!" everyone sings as he stands motionless.

"How did you…"

"I had a little help."

His mom chose that moment to get up from her seat. "You like it?" Her eyes are a little glassy as she looks up at her youngest son.

"It's perfect. Thank you." Turning away from her once he's pulled her into a hug, he looks over everyone once again. "I guess some introductions are in order."

Zed names both his parents, Bucky, Lacey, and Bree… who is suspiciously sitting as far away from Bonzo as possible. With all the family drama and the real beginning of our relationship, I haven't had a chance to ask her about what's going on there. She's been giving us space, too. She tells me it's because this time is precious, but I have a suspicion she's just avoiding me.

He moves on to introduce his crew, and to his delight, everyone happily accepts each other and conversations spark up around the table. We rake a seat, and it's only then I realize there's an empty one beside Wyatt. Zoey didn't show. My heart drops that she felt like she couldn't be a part of this. I can't say I'm overly shocked, she's never dealt with this kind of family thing, so I would imagine it's a little out of her comfort zone.

The waiter had just come over to begin taking our orders when someone comes rushing over and a huge smile spreads across my lips.

"I'm so sorry. The bus just stopped in the middle of the route and gah!" She waves her hands around frantically while her chest heaves. "I ran the rest of the way trying not to be late."

"It's okay, you're here now," Zed says, standing and pulling her into his arms. "Everyone," he says, turning toward the table and totally ignoring the waiter with his notepad poised to take down orders. "This is my little sister, Zoey." He points everyone out, his parents got up to hug her before Zed gestures to the seat beside Wyatt. She walks over and drops down into the seat, almost instantly getting dragged into conversation as Wyatt points at the tattoos on her exposed arms.

I look around at everyone as they chat or look down at the menu before them to make their final choice and pride swells within me.

Leaning over, I whisper in Zed's ear. "You're really fucking lucky, you know that right?" He does a sweep of the table much like I just did.

"Yeah, I'm starting to understand that. Fuck knows why, I don't deserve half of it."

"Zed Necrodopolus, don't be so modest. You deserve this and so much more."

We have the best night. So much so, that I almost forget about the desire he left me with earlier. Almost.

Everything about the night is perfect. Everyone chats like they've known each other for years. Well, everyone except Bree and Bonzo. No matter where Bonzo is, Bree makes sure she's as far away from him as possible, making both of us more and more curious as to what was going on.

As the evening progresses, Zed's parents say their goodbyes and we head to a club to dance the rest of the night away.

The guys buy everyone two shots of tequila before we hit the dance floor. Zed pulls me into his body and moves his hips with mine in time with the music.

"Hmmm," I moan into his neck. "Why haven't we done this before?" With my arms resting over his shoulders, I absently play with hair at the nape of his neck.

"Because I'd rather dance with you when you're naked." As he moves, I feel the length of his growing erection against the softness of my stomach.

"Is someone getting ideas?" I ask with a quirked brow.

"Kitten, you're pressed up against me. I have ideas when you're merely in the room, let alone touching me."

I laugh before he captures my lips with his and our tongues join in with the dancing. I'm totally lost to what everyone else is doing around me as I focus on the incredible man in my arms. We dance together until the burning desire that crackles between us gets too much and Zed excuses us to an Uber he has waiting outside so we can go home and continue his birthday celebrations in the privacy of his bedroom.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I can't believe this is the final chapter before the epilogue! Sorry for not updating much of anything else lately, but I'm stuck with terrible writer's block. Luckily, this was already complete!