In Death I Live by Lindsay Becs
ZORA
I wakeup feeling warm lips kiss down my spine. Grinning into my pillow, I stretch with a moan. “Morning, angel.”
I roll to my back so I can look at my sexy wake-up call. “Morning,” I reply sleepily.
River drops a kiss to my lips, tugging my bottom one between his teeth as he pulls away, then, smacks another peck there. “Put on some warm clothes. It snowed all night and still is. Let’s go play in the snow.”
I snort a laugh. “For real?”
“Yeah.” He ducks his head shyly. “The boys are all getting ready too.”
“What time is it?” I ask, surprised that I slept later than everyone else. Especially Grey, who is a late sleeper and hardly ever rises much before noon.
“It’s ten,” he answers, ripping the blankets off of me.
“No,” I whine, curling into a ball, not wanting to get out of bed yet.
Chuckling, he pulls on my arm. “Come on, come play with us.”
With an exaggerated sigh, I sit up. It’s then that I see he’s in a long-sleeve Henley and snow pants, looking fucking adorable and sexy. “Please tell me you’re going to wear a cute little hat too,” I tease.
“Fuck, yeah.” Then he nods to the end of the bed. “Those are some extras we have. They’ll probably be big, but they’ll help keep you warm and dry.” Then he pauses with a smirk. “Well, warm anyway.”
I throw a pillow at him. He turns to leave me to change, laughing on his way out. “Wait,” I call after him, jumping up from the bed to meet him at the door. “Everyone is coming out to play?” I don’t say his name, but he knows I’m asking if Dom is joining the rest of us.
It’s been five days since he came into the kitchen and dropped the bomb that he’s going to use my son’s paternity and me as pawns to kill his father. We have two days until the big day, and he’s been ghosting all of us, just like he had the week before.
River’s face turns to a frown as he shakes his head. “Hurry up. Cruz and Grey are already outside, and I have no doubt the fuckers are probably stockpiling snowballs to attack us with,” he says, trying to bring back the playful mood. With a wink, he leaves, and this time I let him go.
I’m quick to brush my teeth and braid my hair into two side braids. Pulling on a pair of leggings to go under the snow pants and a long-sleeve thermal shirt, I put on warm socks and stuff my feet into the pair of boots he left that are conveniently my size.
Before I put on my jacket, I decide I’m going to go find Domonic and find out why he’s being an ass. Stomping my way through the compound, I’m already starting to sweat from my layers by the time I reach his wing.
Ducking into his wing I'm not surprised to find him in his office, bent over his desk. I don’t knock, just push inside.
He doesn’t even look up. “I told you I’m not going out to play in the fucking snow,” he snaps, probably thinking I’m one of the boys.
“You didn’t tell me.”
He picks his head up to look at me, then sits back with a sigh. “They send you in here to make me feel bad?”
“Nope, I came all on my own. And I’m sweating from all these layers and walking through Narnia to get here. So the least you could do is get your ass up and come out with us.”
“Zora…”
“What, Dom?” I challenge. “I haven’t seen you in days, since you told me you’re going to use me as another pawn in your fucking game. I think you could spare an hour to come show me a good time before my life and the life of my son are put on the line, don’t you think?”
“I don’t have time for your tantrums right now,” he says, turning back to what he was looking at before I came in.
“Fine. Be a fucking Scrooge. But don’t expect me to like you when this is all done.”
I don’t give him a chance to respond before I turn and slam the door shut behind me as I run downstairs. I push aside all the hurt I feel from Dom and tell myself to enjoy the day.
I have three other boys who adore me waiting outside to have fun. And that’s exactly what we’re going to do.
Once I put on the jacket, gloves and hat, I feel like a marshmallow as I slide the back door open. I’m laughing at myself as I barely make it down the steps without tripping and rolling the rest of the way down.
Then, I’m hit in the face by a snowball.
“Oh, fuck,” I hear Grey say.
“Angel, I didn’t mean to hit you in the face. I’m so sorry,” he says through a laugh.
“No, he’s not! He has perfect aim,” Cruz sells out his best friend.
“Asshat!” River yells at Cruz.
Meanwhile, they’re all too focused on calling each other names to notice that I dropped down to make my own snowballs. “Oh, boys!” I yell before I lob three snowballs, one at each of them. My aim isn’t great, but they all take a hit in some way. River in the arm, Grey in the leg, and Cruz in the stomach.
“Oh, it’s on, baby girl,” Cruz threatens before throwing another one at me.
We have a big snowball fight until River has to call a timeout because his shoulder—the one that had been dislocated—starts to hurt him. I don’t mind though. I’m excited to just enjoy a fun carefree day with my boys.
We build snowmen—which, of course, Grey had to give a penis to his—and make snow angels. Cruz bets Grey that he can’t fill the steps enough to sled down them, and then he takes on that bet. He’s been filling in the stairs with snow ever since.
We all turn our heads to the sliding door when we hear it open. The boys are shocked when they see Dom in his snow gear walking toward us, but I just give him a knowing smile.
He barrels straight for me, not stopping until he picks me up and drops me in a pile of snow, falling with me. “You came out to play with us,” I muse, feeling satisfied.
“I guess I want to make sure you’ll still like me,” he says, staring into my eyes earnestly, a small grin pulling on his lips.
“Stop ghosting and maybe I will,” I sass.
He lets his grin go and then covers it up by kissing me. Instantly, I open for him, kissing him back. I might have been mad at him, but I need and want him just as much as the others.
Grabbing a handful of snow, I shove it in his face when he pulls away. I wish I could have captured the shock on his face when I did too, because it was a look I don’t know if I’ll ever get to see again. I can’t stop laughing, even when he bends to kiss me and the cold, wet snow from his face slides down my neck.
He growls as he keeps kissing and tickling me, throwing snow at me as I try to get away from him. But when I manage to make another snowball and throw it at him before he can stop it, all he does is sit there on his knees and laugh.
Domonic Chadwick laughs. And it’s the best sound I’ve ever heard.
Soon, the boys all join in as we start part two of our snowball fight. Everyone is breathless and laughing, covered in snow, and it’s the most fun I’ve ever had in my life.
Miss Mel comes out with a tray of hot chocolate and marshmallows and cookies, and we all sit to eat and warm up. Well, all but Grey, who goes back to his steps.
“Hey, Miss Mel, you put that special something in the hot cocoa?” Cruz asks her before she heads back inside.
“You know I did, Mr. Morgan.” She winks at him and then heads inside.
“She wants me,” he says when she closes the door behind her, making us all laugh.
“What’s the special something?” I ask. “Should I be scared?”
“She puts Bailey’s in it,” River answers.
“No, she doesn’t, shithead,” Cruz laughs at him. “She puts RumChata in it.”
“You’re both stupid. It’s Kahlua,” Dom adds his opinion, shaking his head.
Smiling, I yell over to Grey, “What do you think Miss Mel adds to her hot chocolate?”
Not missing a beat, he says, “Whipped cream vodka.”
I stand up and run to the door. “Where you going?” Dom asks.
“I have to find out who’s right.” Miss Mel is still in the kitchen when I step inside.
“Everything alright, Miss Zora?” she asks me softly.
“The boys all have different opinions of what you put in the hot chocolate. I need to know who’s right.”
She smiles wide before saying, “I put something different in each of their hot chocolate.” She laughs. “They each have a favorite mug, and I know they’ll all grab for their favorite when I bring in a tray full.” I stare at her a moment, smiling at this woman who has raised these boys in the silent background of their lives, knowing them better than they even know themselves.
“What did you put in mine?”
“Extra chocolate.” She winks. “Go, it’ll get cold.”
I give her a quick hug and then head back outside with my boys, each sipping on their own special hot chocolate. I pick up my mug and take a sip, closing my eyes as the warm chocolate fills my mouth.
Opening my eyes, I have four pairs of eyes on me. “What?”
“Who’s right?” Cruz asks.
“You’re all wrong. It’s chocolate liquor,” I tell them, because that’s what’s in mine.
“No way!” River yells, making me laugh into my mug. I just lift a shoulder, knowing that I’m going to keep this secret to myself.