Live For It

|24|

The warm water felt like my savior as it soaked my body, rinsing it clean of any tension from earlier. I would just stand here for twenty minutes if I didn't have to hurry and get to sleep. Tomorrow is going to be unpredictable, and I need as much rest I can get for it. 

I shut the water off after fully bathing and reached around the large glass walls guarding the shower to grab a towel. Clutching the fluffy cotton close to my body as I stepped onto the cool tile of the large bathroom, I felt the drops from the tips of my wet hair fall down my skin. 

I stopped in front of the mirror, wanting to brush my teeth before going back out to change into something comfortable. 

I looked more than rough, fresh bruises in places I didn't even realize were hurt to begin with. I scrunched the ends of my hair up continuously as I walked out of the bathroom after finishing up my routine. 

Obviously this motherfucker could not leave me alone for one goddamn second, because now I had the Don paying me a visit at almost 3 AM. 

I eye Zion cautiously as his eyes snap up to meet mine. He placed the book- my book- back down on the side table near my bed and my hands clenched around the edges of my towel, keeping it stuck to my body. 

"What do you want?" I question, knowing damn well that if I 'misbehaved', my hope to see my cousins and solve this huge problem will go down the drain. 

He stands, pushing himself up from the white chair placed in the corner beside the bedside table. His eyes make their way down to observe my appearance, and I suddenly remember how bare I am. 

He had taken his suit jacket off since I had last seen him, but I wasn't really interested in actually having any more encounters. 

"I want you to understand something, Zhara," he replies, pressing his chest to my towel-clad body so my back hits the wall. My neck craned to look at him directly in the eyes, barely able to stand still because of the close proximity. It was too familiar. 

"And what is that?" I ask carefully, my legs feeling a bit shaky from having to keep my guard up in such a position. 

"I want you to understand that you cannot and will not be the one throwing orders around like you actually have control over things that I own," he threatens slowly, his warmth hitting my damp skin, "and I have had quite enough of your little scheme planning, so next time you mistake my power for your control, I will show you exactly what real power is."

My mouth went dry with loss of words, even though I had a million responses running through my mind, at least half of them ending in me getting killed. 

"I dare you, Zion Armani," I spoke quietly but seriously, standing up straight against him. If he wanted a challenge, I would happily take him on. And maybe that was my first mistake going into this life, but it definitely wouldn't be my last. 

His jaw tightened in a set stance as my words sunk into his mind, giving him the permission he needed. 

His hands latched at my waist, pulling me even more flush against him as he leaned down so his lips grazed my ear. My neck shivered as I went still in his grasp, trying not to enjoy the feel of his toned body against mine. 

I should not be feeling this way. The emptiness of my stomach flooded with different emotions I couldn't describe. 

"You're a damn catch, Zhara. Such a fucking catch," he whispered hastily into my ear as his grip tightened, and suddenly everything telling me to stay away from him vanished, and my heart thumped so loudly in my ears, I wondered if he could hear it.