Belonging to Lust

It was finally the weekend, the very end of the week the young kids look forward too with earnest. For Zaiyia it was different. Saturday and Sunday became the most depressive days of the week, not Monday like for everyone else. She spent all her time home being around Heath who was being as distance with her as always, and as annoying as it was to see, it hurt something fierce to her heart. It was like waking up with a knife embedded in your chest and after getting the damn thing out and stopping the bleeding the previous day, then you’re forced to walk around for two days without any form of pain reliever ti fight back the agony. My god, did it hurt! Saturday night, Zaiyia stood over the stove cooking dinner wearing the most empty and stoic expressions on her face, and it wasn’t because she was hungry.

Heath stepped on into the kitchen and leaned again the doorway to watch her closely while her back was turned to him. This was one of those rare times they were in the same room together and she hadn’t known it, giving his green eyes full advantage to roam over every curve, and strand of hair on her head. He kept silent as he took in her long black braids cascading down her back decorated with tiny gold cuffs. The very ends of her hair dangled over her full behind that looked just as good in loose pajamas as it did in her tight jeans. Her skin that was exposed by her clothes was deep, rich, exotic and seemed to glisten under the stove light in a mix of bronze and copper…maybe even some gold. A knock at the front door brought Heath our of his reverie, reminding him of the sole reason why he had come to see her in the first place. It was clear from the small jump she made that she had also been a bit startled by the sound. Clearing his throat, Heath straightened himself up. “Don’t worry, it’s just Maverick and Anneliese. They called me earlier and let me in on their decision to invite themselves on over for dinner.”

Zaiyia glanced over her shoulder to see the sexy Heath Sullivan in all his tall, ripped glory, and she just wanted to die. How could God be the most merciful if she’s not even allowed to have this magnificent being before her!? Feeling the ache within her heart sharpen like a blade, Zaiyia dropped her deep brown eyes to the floor to lessen the pain by avoiding looking him. “B-But I don’t have enough food here to feed them…”

“Oh, that’s quite alright.” Maverick’s voice called from the living room as he and his twin made their way to the kitchen doorway where Heath was conveniently blocking their way. Maverick tapped him on the back of his big brother’s shoulder. “Hey, man, can you move? We’re trying to say hello to your little guest.”

Heath sighed to himself and rolled his eyes before relenting and stepping aside, allowing his siblings to enter. “Whatever.”

Anneliese shoved her way past her two tall brother to face Zaiyia with an exited grin and held up a box of graham crackers and a bag of marshmallows. “We brought smores, girl! We’re all gonna go pig out by Heath’s campfire!” With the grin still on her face, her eyes wandered up to her big brother, silently asking him if that idea bothered him at all.

With his arms crossed, Heath let out another sigh. “Sure, let’s do that.”

With a shrug, Zaiyia finished dinner while the others set up the chairs around the setup. After placing them in tubberwares and tucking them into the cool insides of the refrigerator, Zaiyia left the house to join the three Sullivan’s by the fire. From what it sounded like they were catching up with each other, mainly Maverick who apparently was on another business kick of his own. Zaiyia sat herself down between the Anneliese and Heath, Maverick being right across from her. She helped herself to some already made smores the others had made for her while she’d been putting away tonight’s dinner and listened in and out to their conversion while also being mindful of the powerful man sitting next to her on her right. It was only when Anneliese said her name did she looks up from the campfire. “I’m sorry, what did you say? I was spacing out.”

“I asked you how school was coming along.” Anneliese repeated her question, her eyes filled with sympathy. “Heath mentioned the kids are still giving you a hard time.”

“Oh.” Zaiyia mumbled, not really wanting to explain all the craziness that was happening at school with them. I mean, with a friend she didn’t mind talking about it, but with the Sullivan family it didn’t seem appropriate for once. She didn’t want Heath to know about the new drama that’s been going on and the attack she went through sometime that week. The thought of him getting angry and inserting himself into her business didn’t sit well in her stomach, especially because that would lump them back together only for them to possibly have sex again and have him reject her for the billionth. Yeah, no thanks. “Yeah, they’re just a bunch of jerks. I don’t pay them any mind.”

Heath had been watching her the minute his sister tried to get her attention by saying her beautiful name. he had remained silent as he watched the flames dance on her skin, making her deep skin shimmer with bronze gold. He was mesmerized by the sight, and it recalled to his mind the time his nieces called Zaiyia a Goddess when they first met her. It wasn’t until now did he realize how right they were. As much as he wanted to sit there staring at her full lips, brown eyes with hints of gold, and the light bouncing off the tiny gold cuffs in her hair, Maverick’s advice to her had his green eyes snapping towards him and narrowing into dangerous slits. “I think you should kick all their ass for what they did to you.”

“Shut up, no one asked you!” Annelise too shot Maverick the same glare, and because she was closer she leaned over to smack him on his arm. When she straightened up she turned her attention to Zaiyia and gave her a soft sympathetic smile. “You don’t need to be fighting anyone. If I were you I’d just switch schools and start over there.”

Zaiyia sighed, not having heard that advise for the first time, but now that it’s coming from Anneliese she was starting to see that it must be the best option in her case. Still her stubbornness wouldn’t allow her to accept defeat. Her eyes lowered to the last bite of her smores. “That’s the thing though, I don’t want to leave my school and attend another one.” She lifted her eyes to both Maverick and Anneliese. “I want to stay here and figure out the issue. I want to see this crap through.”

Maverick was surprised that she wasn’t going to take the chicken way out, in his opinion, and Heath annoyingly found her decision to be very admirable, but at the same time he was still concerned over her safety, especially after seeing the aftermath of the locker room fight. Out of three Sullivan children, Anneliese was the first to speak up. “Yeah, but I still don’t see how that’s a good idea. You’re just keeping yourself in the midst of danger.”

“I agree.” Heath said, finally voicing his opinion as he stared into the flames of the campfire.

Annelise’s eyes snapped to her big brother in confusion. “Well, if you agree with me then why haven’t you enrolled her in another school, Heath?”

“Because I don’t want to go.” Zaiyia repeated, cutting him off before he could open his mouth.

Gesturing with a hand towards Zaiyia, Heath replied. “You heard the lady.”

Frowning at her big brother, Anneliese let out a suspicious comment that drew in her twin’s attention. “Huh.”

“What is it?” Maverick asked her, his eyes focused on making a double smores sandwich.

Annelise’s ignore her twins’s question to turn her attention back to Heath, raising a questioning eyebrow at him. “Since when do you let kids make their own decisions?”

Heath shot her a look of confusion, not understanding what she meant. “What are you talking about?”

“Well, when you were forced to raise Maverick and I you never allowed us to make any decisions for ourselves.” Anneliese explained before gesturing with an open hand towards Zaiyia. “And yet you let a 16-year-old girl here make a huge decision that could ultimately put her safety at risk.”

His sister had a damn good point, and he knew it. Not having a legitimate reason other than the fact that he slept with Zaiyia twice and found it difficult to see her as the 16-year-old she physically was, Heath opt for a response with humor that would hopefully dispel the topic entirely. Hoping it would work, Heath let out a sigh and leaned back in his chair, linking his hands together he rested them behind his head. “Need I remind you that you both were a couple of idiots when you were her age?” He nodded with his head to Zaiyia and lied…somewhat. “She’s not.”

Maverick burst out laughing, much to Heath’s relief.

Anneliese merely rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, shooting Heath a disapproving look. “Yeah, well, I still think you’re doing the wrong thing and putting her at risk by keeping her in that awful school.”

Heath let out another sigh, this one more weary, and rubbed his face with both hands. He couldn’t agree more with his little sister. He was putting Zaiyia in the face of danger…