Chapter 21
EASTON
That look in his eyes borders on predatory, an animalistic hunger that makes it clear he’d devour me given the opportunity.
Easiest decision I’ve ever made. He loves challenging me to own up to my wants, to vocalize them.
It goes against everything I’ve ever learned; a childhood, a life with an abuser that took what he wanted without caring what it took from me.
Times have changed, though.
“Please suck my dick,” I whisper in a thick voice. It’s hard to think around all the desire clouding my brain, but Chase has always been able to get me to do the impossible. Everything is within reach if it brings me closer to him. Not even the moon is too far away.
He indulges my demand, but in the typical Chase fashion, I’m in for the long haul here. He presses his nose into the fabric of my underwear and inhales. I shiver and try not to blink so I don’t miss a second of the love of my life and man of my dreams on his knees for me.
Life can be so very grand.
Chase finally pulls me out, tucking the elastic behind my balls and giving himself full rein to wring as much pleasure out of me as possible. I exhale slowly through my mouth, trying to not start begging before he can even begin. The temptation is strong though.
A whimper falls from my lips as he licks a pearly drop of pre-come from my tip. “Chase.” Desperate to touch him, I lock a hand in his silky hair. I’m under no illusions that he’ll surrender control of this game he’s playing, but at least it’ll help keep my knees from buckling.
The heat pooling low in my belly becomes a raging fire as he takes me into his mouth.
It’s a slow, calculated descent into madness from there that was designed to ensure that my brain is far too melted to even consider wandering off on me. Even when I close my eyes, there’s no forgetting who is worshipping me right now.
After he’s done torturing me, he decides it’s finally time to start sucking in earnest, bobbing up and down on my dick and sending me careening towards the edge. “So, so good,” I whisper into the now darkened bedroom.
Chase’s warm, wet mouth is euphoric. He hums in satisfaction, the vibration doing terrible things for my longevity.
Each pull brings a new level of pleasure.
When he swallows around me, I’m done for.
“Fuck, look out.” My vision goes hazy and my ears go underwater.
Each nerve ending sizzles with lightning as I empty down Chase’s throat.
He rights my clothes and gently guides me down to the floor until I’m tucked into his arms as my mind floats in a state of peace and security. “What about you?” I ask when enough brain cells return to remember some basic decency.
Chase chuckles warmly. “I’m good, Chaos. Blowing your mind and getting to hold you after means I’m the luckiest guy alive.”
“Pretty confident over there, huh?”
He squeezes me a little tighter. “Sometimes actions speak loudly enough.”
I shrug. “I guess I’ll allow it because your actions do back it up pretty well.” When the afterglow wears off, I say it simply to marvel at the wonder, “I love you.”
He says it back, and something in my chest warms drastically. He’s wrong about who is the lucky one in this relationship. If only he knew what it was to be loved by him. But silently, I promise him that I’ll make damn sure being loved by me is a close second.
~~~
A high-pitched scream sends both of us sprinting downstairs at lightning speed. Blakely. Chase swears up a storm as his feet fly across the floor. My heart is pounding with the silent plea for her to be okay.
We find her, beautifully alive, with an opened box at her feet and a hand pressed to her chest by the sliding glass door that leads to the backyard. Brady looks up as we come skidding to a stop, his features grim. My stomach sinks with the realization. “What did he do this time?”
Chase’s fingers brush along my shoulder as he keeps going until he can yank Blakely into a bone-crushing hug. “You scared the shit out of me, Blake,” he admits.
She leans in, letting him support most of her weight. “The box scared the shit out of me first.”
Only then does he release her. We all turn to the offending item. “What did he do this time?” I ask again, eyeing it as if a venomous snake might slither out and attack.
Blakely grimaces. “Well. I think there’s human hair in there, but I’m really fucking hoping the blood is fake.”
The four of us share a look. “Well, is someone gonna get a better look?”
“Not me. I saw enough when I opened it. I’m good with the mystery if that’s what it comes to.”
I take a step back. “Now’s when I’m pulling the he tried to kill me card. My vote is going to Brady or Chase.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Chase groans. “If I ever start a tab, you guys are going bankrupt.” He squats down and prods the cardboard warily.
“Would be worth it,” my brother adds.
He’ll get no objection from me.
The three of us take a large step backwards when he pulls the lid off. Chase grimaces at the contents. “Blake, call your cop friend. It’s not blood, but this hair is definitely human. Asher’s, probably. Hell, while you’re at it, call the private investigator. Maybe he can do something with this.”
My stomach drops as a loud buzzing starts up between my ears.
Surely he’s not… dead. No way. That kid isn’t dead because of me, right?
Because I didn’t care to find him in Boston, and I provoked Aaron by running in the mornings with Blakely.
There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that he was infuriated with me getting away from him again, but it will only get worse if he thinks I’m not afraid of him.
Now that kid’s hair is in a box, and someone is going to have to tell his Grandma that her baby is gone after years of never letting him be forgotten.
I think I’m gonna pass out.
Like he heard me, suddenly Chase’s warm hand is pulling me to the floor.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. It’s going to be okay.
Just breathe for me.” The familiar sound of his voice is soothing and despite the panic in my brain, my body knows it should listen to him.
The first inhale burns, but the next one comes a little easier.
When the worst of it passes, I just stare at the floor with my head between my knees and try and focus on the way he overtakes my senses when it all gets to be too much. His voice in my ear, his hand on back, the smell of his cologne in the air I breathe.
I never stood a chance of not falling head over heels for this guy.
Not that I really wanted one, deep down.
The entire time the cops are here, the three of them prowl like guard dogs.
Always keeping an eye on me, but to be fair, I’m watching them just as closely.
To someone less familiar with her, Blakely is composed and rational, if a little bit distressed given the circumstances.
She never cries, doesn’t lose it. She doesn’t even start fussing with her hair, which is what she’d do if there weren’t strangers here and something bad happened.
We’re all pretty aware that we have no idea how far Aaron’s talons can reach, but with his history with ducking and dodging cops, him having inside connections can’t be ruled out.
But we’re the perfect picture of the gaps in protection from stalking.
We’re cooperative, and they apologetically admit that there isn’t much they can do until they have proof and a more heinous crime to fall back on.
That’s not the word they use, of course, but it doesn’t make it less true.
I’m also welcome to file a restraining order, but seeing as he could—and will—walk right through a piece of paper, I’m gonna pass on that one.
“Trust me,” Brady urges, sitting beside me on the couch after everyone left finally. “It’ll drive you truly insane. Until you see a body, you have to believe he’s alive. Keep operating like he’s still okay.”
My hallowed-out heart gives a weak thump. “He’s just a kid. Someone is looking for him. If this is what sent Aaron over the edge and killed him…” The sentence trails off, but my brother knows the end. Knows that losing Asher like that would kill me.
Brady sighs heavily. “I promise, Eas, the only thing you can do is keep believing he’s alive.
What makes this different, though, is you know this asshole.
We’re working off the pieces we can put together, but you’re the only one with the blueprint.
You know how to get to him, so it’s all your call.
If you walk up to Blake right now and tell her that this plan is too risky, she’ll believe you.
So if you separate your worry about Asher and all the negative emotions this brings up on a personal level, you’ll find out if this is worth it to try and antagonize him. ”
“You gotta stop being so insightful, Brady. It’s getting weird.”
He chuckles warmly before getting to his feet and holding a hand out for me. I take it and the two of us go find the rest of the troops. “You okay?” Blakely asks, eyeing me carefully.
I take a deep breath, trying to not freak the fuck out that my instincts could determine if a seventeen-year-old lives or dies. “Yeah, I’ll live. You?”
If this is too much for her to handle, I would understand completely. “It’ll take more than that to scare me off,” she tells me with a wink.
“Good, because I’m going straight to Hell for this next part. Aaron can’t torture me with Asher if he’s dead, so I don’t think we should let up. Today showed that we’re getting to him. If we can continue, he’ll make a mistake.”
Three faces morph from varying degrees of grim to determined. “If you’re in, we’re there with you,” Chase tells me.
Blakely echoes the same, followed by Brady telling me he’s proud of me.
I don’t know what to do with that exactly, but there isn’t a doubt in my mind that I will not be giving up until that psychopath is behind bars and Asher is safe.
“We tried so fucking hard to do this for you, babe. But since that couldn’t happen, there is no one better to find that kid and get him back home,” Blakely tells me when she notices my thoughts starting to stray.
It has to be enough.