Heavy Heart

Chapter 28

After we had a little visit with Mrs. Trulley, Zack went to his room to pack a bag for my place. He left the two of us alone, which made me a bit nervous. His mother stared at me from across the kitchen table, an unreadable expression on her face. I shifted uncomfortably in my chair and tried to look anywhere but into her face.

"So, Layla. What are you and my son doing tonight?" Mrs. Trulley asked with a coy smirk on her face. My face flushed as my eyes shot up to look at her. I struggled to find words, my mouth lost all moisture. She seemed to enjoy watching me squirm, as I cleared my throat. Eventually I shrugged and managed a whisper, "Maybe watch a movie." She rolled her eyes and nodded. I'd never met a guy's mother before in that context. Mrs. Trulley adjusted her reading glasses and muttered, "Sure. A movie sounds fun."

It felt like Zack took forever in his bedroom. As his mother studied me sitting across from her at the table, I tried to think of something to say. I looked around the kitchen and saw a wedding photograph, I pointed at it and mumbled, "That's a beautiful picture." Mrs. Trulley turned to glance over her shoulder and nodded, "Yes, that was my wedding day. I married my highschool sweetheart Rick, that day. It was a beautiful day. We were married for fourteen years."

I vaguely remembered that Zack's father had died when we were still in highschool. I couldn't recall the details though. I could tell Mrs. Trulley was waiting for me to say something else so I blurted out, "What was the weather like?"

She laughed and shook her head, "It was warm. We got married in early September so we still had summer weather. I remember Rick was so nervous he'd sweat through his shirt before pictures so he had to change into a different one before the reception. He was so nervous, I think he thought I would change my mind right before I walked down the aisle." I smiled and nodded. Mrs. Trulley narrowed her eyes at me as she continued, "I loved that man with all my heart. Our son reminds me so much of him, so selfless and kind. He would do anything to make the people he cares about happy. Zack can be a bit naive about people's intentions, especially if they are not good."

It felt like her comment had slapped me across the face. I knew she was issuing me a warning in a not so subtle way. Mrs. Trulley's eyes didn't shift from staring at me, she let the silence fill with tension. I wasn't sure what Zack had told her about our fight so I wasn't comfortable volunteering information to her, but I wanted to offer some kind of reassurance to her. I cleared my throat and forced myself to look into her face, "I know what you mean. He is a wonderful man, I am very lucky he wants to spend time with me." She offered me a small smile and nodded.

"Ready to go baby?" Zack asked as he came back into the kitchen with an overnight duffle bag. I let out a heavy breath, relieved to no longer be alone with his mother. Mrs. Trulley stood up carefully and hugged her son. He whispered something in her ear I couldn't hear but she chuckled and nodded into his shoulder. She turned to face me and offered me a kert nod, "It was nice to see you, Layla." I held out my hand to her, she reluctantly shook it before we left.

As I climbed into my car I sighed and muttered to myself, 'Cold old witch.' I was relieved Zack was in his own truck because he couldn't hear me. I followed him to my place, replaying the abrupt conversation I'd had with his mother. I could tell she wasn't impressed with me, Mrs. Trulley probably thought I was playing with her son's heart. Perhaps, I was. I didn't have time to ponder that much since it was a short drive to my house. Zack parked on the street, leaving the driveway open for me. He pulled his bag over his shoulder and strode behind me through the front door.

Zack dropped his bag the moment the door closed behind us. He wrapped his right arm around my waist while his left hand moved my hair to the side so he could kiss my neck. I moaned softly as he trailed kisses up from the crook of my neck to behind my ear. His left arm moved around my body to completely encircle me against his chest. Zack whispered softly, "I missed you, Layla." I bit back a deep moan he nibbled on my neck.

I reached behind my head to run my fingers through his hair. Zack chuckled against my cheek and started to move forward toward my bedroom. I let him move us to the doorway. Once we were in my room I pulled my shirt off and turned around to face him. Zack smiled wide at me as I unbuttoned his flannel shirt and pushed it off. I pulled his t-shirt over his head and trailed my fingers over his pecs and down his stomach, looping my fingers into his jean pockets. I kissed him with urgency, plunging my tongue into his mouth. He groaned at my assertiveness and pulled his hands up to cup my face, deepening the kiss. I moaned into his mouth, "I've missed you too, Zack."

We tumbled into bed that night, exploring each other with sensual kisses and touching. My body seemed to call out to him in a primal way. I'd never craved a man's touch before like that, but when Zack's hands were on my skin it felt like fire and ice at the same time. It warmed me up but also sent chills down my spine. I wanted more, I craved more. We finally dozed off long after we should have gone to sleep, especially since we both worked the next morning.

When my alarm rang out in the morning I slammed it off with disgust. Zack moaned, shifting his body closer to mine. He growled into my ear, "Let's call in, baby. I'm not interested in leaving his bed." I smiled and nodded, "Yeah. Ok." We both submitted our absences through the call-in line and went back to sleep. Zack rolled over so I could be the big spoon, which made me smile wide as I let my dreams take over listening to the slow symphony of his breathing.

"Coffee." a voice whispered in the middle of a sexy dream I'd been having about Channing Tatum. I opened one eye to see Zack's sweet face staring at me with sleepy eyes. I clamped my eyes shut and squished up my face in protest. He laughed and pulled me closer, both of us still naked from the night before. Zack whispered in my ear, "We do have to get up at some point." I shook my head, pulled him on top of me, "Nope, I don't think we do."

Zack rested between my legs, his elbows up on either side of my head. He smirked down at me, "Baby, it's past eleven. I'm getting hungry." I bit my lower lip and blushed slightly as I whispered, "Eat me then." Zack's mouth dropped at my boldness. He dropped his face to my neck and started trailing his lips across my collarbone to my breasts. He traced his tongue around my nipples, sucking each one into his mouth slowly, biting down a bit before releasing to go to the other one. I gasped at the stimulation and threw my head back against my pillow. Zack moved back and forth between my breaths, trailing heated kisses and licks until I was a moaning mess under him. I panted, "Oh, Zack, I want more."

Abruptly, he moved up to my lips and kissed me hard. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and head, pulling me as close as possible. I felt his hard penis at my entrance. I knew I was wet and ready, but before I could consent he looked down at me and smirked, "I'm afraid my hunger won't be satisfied by sexual favors. I need real sustenance. So let's go find some food." Zack moved away from me and crawled out of my bed. The loss of contact sent a cold shiver through my body, I involuntarily grumbled at the loss of his touch. Zack looked back at me with a soft smile and wink. I rolled my eyes and sat up reluctantly, "Alright, I'm sure we can find something to eat if we must get out of bed." He laughed and pulled a pair of clean boxer shorts out of his duffle bag along with a new white t-shirt. I pulled my robe on before we headed to the kitchen.