Page 15 of Finding You
Chapter Seven
Zion wasn’t sure what possessed him to ask Raven out to dinner, but he’d done it without a second thought. Now here he was, pacing near the B & B’s registration desk, waiting for her to come downstairs.
“Raven’s getting them ready for bed, and just so you know, I think she’s nervous about leaving Drew and NayNay with us,” Dorian whispered, keeping her voice low because a few guests were in the dining room playing spades.
Zion stopped in his tracks and looked over at her. “You think so?”
“Yeah, you should talk to her. You don’t want her worrying about them all night. They’ll be fine with us, and if anything comes up, we’ll call you guys.”
Zion nodded. “Okay. Let me go up and see what’s going on.”
As he jogged up the stairs, he realized he’d forgotten to ask which room Raven and the babies were using. But when he reached the second-floor landing and listened, he knew. His mother had given them one of the larger suites, and it was at the end of the hall.
He was looking forward to spending time with Raven, and if he was honest with himself, he wanted to visit the twins.
For a person who still wasn’t ready to embrace the title of daddy, he sure was acting like the babies were his. After spending the morning with them and Raven, Zion was slowly coming around to the idea. Still, he needed to know for sure before he started planning for any type of future with them.
When he reached the doorway, his gaze immediately gravitated to Raven who was standing at the foot of the bed changing Zanaya’s diaper. Zion was reminded of the first time he saw her in Vegas. Considering the hotel bar had been full of people, his attention had immediately latched on to her. He couldn’t explain how that happened because there’d been plenty of beautiful women there, including her friend Teresa.
But like now, Zion only had eyes for Raven. He vaguely heard his mother, who was on the other side of the room talking to Andrew, but Zion couldn’t pull his gaze from Raven. His eyes roamed down her shapely body, noting she wasn’t as slim as she’d been the first time they met. Probably because of having the twins, but she was no less sexy. She was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Her braids were in a loose bun on top of her head with a few hanging down and framing her gorgeous face. The pale-pink sweater, that stopped just above her hips, hugged her full breasts and teased his eyes. Then there were the dark-blue skinny jeans that molded over her curvy hips and butt.
She was like a perfectly wrapped gift on Christmas morning, and his body stirred as memories of their night together bombarded his mind. The hotel room. Holding her in his arms as they danced. Slowly undressing her luscious body. Feasting on her exquisite breasts.
He swallowed hard and adjusted himself as his jeans grew tighter in certain areas. That had been an incredible night when life was less complicated. Now, here they were getting ready to go on their first date. Talk about doing things backwards, butthere was so much more to consider now. If by chance the kids weren’t his, would he still pursue Raven?
As he continued watching her, a“yes”screamed through his brain, and his mind whirled at the realization. What he felt for her was more than physical, and he’d known that all along. Which was why he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her after all this time.
Zion’s heart squeezed and a sudden warmth spread through his body as he took in the room. His mother might actually be holding one of her grandkids…hiskid.
Just yesterday, before running into Raven and learning about the babies, he was saying he wasn’t ready to be a family man. Yet, if those paternity tests identified him as the father, his whole life was going to change.
“Oh good. I’m glad you’re here,” his mother said as she strolled toward him. “While Raven is getting Zanaya situated, you can change Andrew’s diaper. I need to run downstairs for a minute.”
She held Andrew up in front of Zion, and the baby gave him a slobbery smile while gnawing on his tiny hand and kicking his legs.
“Hey, lil man,” he said as he reached for the baby.
Zion nuzzled Andrew’s neck while talking to him and blowing raspberries against his soft, scented skin. He smelled fresh and clean with a hint of baby powder, and Zion loved the soft cooing the little guy was doing.
Still playing with him, Zion held him up high, twisting and turning him back and forth while Andrew smiled, gurgled, and continued to kick his little legs.
“Zion, you might want to be careful,” Raven said over her shoulder. “Your mom just fed Drew a bottle, and he might…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Andrew spit up on him.Shit.Zion grimaced and held the baby away from him after somelanded on Zion’s cheek. As well as on his white button-down shirt.
Yuck!What the hell was it with him and people throwing up on him?
“Oh, no,” Raven said, rushing over to him with Zanaya tucked in one arm and a towel in the opposite hand. “I’m so sorry. I should’ve said something sooner.”
Instead of wiping the baby’s mouth, she used the towel to wipe the spit-up off Zion’s face. Then she started on the mess on his shirt. All the while, she kept apologizing.
“Hey. Hey. Don’t worry. It’s not that serious,” he said. “I’ll change into one of my father’s shirts before we leave.”
Her shoulders drooped, and frustration showed on her face. When she started to walk away, Zion hurried and reached for her. He wrapped his arm around her waist, tugged her back to him, and his body tightened with the familiarity of her lush body.
He wasn’t the only one affected. Raven shivered against him, and then he remembered she’d told him never to touch her again. He had done it without thinking, but when she didn’t move away, Zion held her closer.
Heat rushed through him, nipping at every nerve as he forced himself not to bend down and place a kiss against her temple. The temptation was strong, and he felt weak to control himself.
