Chapter 39
Addie
Aglass of red wine appears in front of me, followed by an affectionate squeeze to my shoulder.
“It’s all going to work out how it needs to, Addie,” Ryan says softly.
“Will it? Michael didn’t take Zane to have a friendly chat. He’s in trouble for something—I just can’t imagine what. He’s one of my best friends, Ryan.”
“And you’re wondering how you could either be lied to or ignorant of a hidden personality.” Ryan says it as a statement, not a question.
Because he’s right. “Am I so naive that I could be fooled for years?”
“No, Addie. You aren’t. I don’t believe someone could become one of your best friends and be lying about who they are at their core.”
What he’s not saying is that Zane was likely lying about something. Michael wouldn’t have brought him in for questioning if he didn’t have proof of wrongdoing.
My sip of wine sits bold and heavy on my tongue. “I can’t stand this uncertainty. How much longer will we have to sit here waiting?”
Ryan shrugs. “Until they get the truth. Zane seemed resigned to the inevitable, so maybe he’s telling them everything without too much trouble.”
It’s been hours since Michael took Zane away. After Ryan finished creating the bride’s bouquets, he brought me back to their house while Mom and Vivi delivered the flowers. Ryan got a text a little bit ago with a heartfelt message from the bride.
He then got tagged in an Instagram post, praising his talent and willingness to step up for her big day. The woman has over fifty thousand followers. Ryan has already received multiple DMs from people requesting flowers. Eliza joked that she’ll need to brush up on her social media skills.
She’s probably not too far off base. If this keeps up, Ryan won’t be able to take on all the requests he gets, but the exposure is incredible regardless.
I’ve finished my glass of wine and am debating pouring another when Michael comes striding through the front door. The thundercloud parked on his forehead is so dark, he doesn’t even notice us sitting in the living room. He heads straight upstairs without a word.
I raise an eyebrow at my brother. What the hell could’ve happened that he wouldn’t give us an update first?
“It’s all you now. I’m passing on my baton.”
Smirking, I stand from the couch. “Thanks for keeping me company today. I know you like to deliver your arrangements yourself, but I’m really grateful you stayed with me. I’d have gone crazy by myself.”
“I’ll be here anytime you need me. Always.”
I peck a quick kiss to his cheek and head upstairs. Blowing out a deep breath, I tap on Michael’s door before peeking into his room.
“I’m not in my right mind for company, Adalaide.” His words are practically growled at me.
“That means you need company more than ever.” I plop down on the edge of his bed, my shoulder leaning against his.
“Not this time. If you stay, all I’m going to end up doing is hurting you.”
I shrug. “So hurt me.”
Michael’s head snaps up so quickly it would be comical if waves of anger weren’t radiating from him. “You don’t mean that.”
“I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t. You’re hurting, Michael, and you can either shove it down and pretend it’s not there, or you can use me to get rid of it.”
“I don’t trust myself right now, and neither should you.”
Instead of responding, I strip off my clothes until I’m bare to the only man I’ve ever loved.
“Adalaide,” Michael snaps.
I move to stand between his legs, holding my hands up so he knows my intention.
When he doesn’t move, I palm his cheeks.
His dark eyes hold a well of emotion, pleading for me to see him, to meet him where he’s at, and help him find a way out.
“Michael, I’ve been in love with you since I was a preteen.
I’ve stood by your side through all the times you were at your very best and all the times you were at your worst. Not a single moment has ever made me question my feelings for you.
You’re it for me. I’ll never love another man the way I love you.
Trust me to know my own mind and what I can handle. You’re not alone in this anymore.”
His palms slide up my outer thighs until he digs his fingertips into my hips.
Determination fills his gaze, his mind moving into the one space where he has full control over himself.
I have no doubt he got into the BDSM lifestyle at first because he liked not having to worry about someone touching him without permission.
Then it became a way for him to finally have control over the way his body reacted to someone else.
I can’t imagine the freedom that allowed him.
“Use me, Sir.” The whispered words do the trick.
His shoulders straighten as he stands. “Get on the bed, face down, with your arms over your head.”
I do as instructed, pressing my face into his soft comforter. Goosebumps slide across my skin as I strain to hear Michael’s movements.
Something wrapping around my wrists startles me.
Michael’s deep voice rumbles in my ear. “Jumpy, little sub?”
He doesn’t wait for me to answer. Instead, he yanks my arms straighter to tie the soft fabric to the headboard.
I test the knot, knowing I don’t have a hope of escaping.
The idea makes my heart pound with adrenaline.
I’m completely at his mercy right now. Michael can do whatever he wants to me, and I won’t be able to do anything but take it.
Yet, with one word from me, this would all end in a heartbeat.
The whole dynamic is intoxicating.
“Get onto your knees.”
It’s an awkward slide until I can get my balance under me. Then my ass is in the air, exposing how aroused I am by this scene.
“It never gets old, seeing how wet you get just by following my orders,” Michael murmurs.
He lifts my left ankle and buckles a soft leather cuff around it.
Then he does the same to my right. Before I can figure out what he’s done, my legs are spread as far as they can go. He’s used the spreader bar again.
A bolt of panic races through me before I can stop it. I literally cannot move now.
Michael gently runs his hands up and down my flanks in a soothing gesture. “You look fucking beautiful, Adalaide. I’m in awe of the way you give yourself to me without hesitation.”
I melt at his words. I’ll never understand how he knows what I need before I even do.
“That’s my good girl. What’s your safe word?”
“Red.”
“Do you need it?”
“No, Sir.”
He kisses the fleshy part of my ass cheek before leaving me bereft of his touch. My ears strain to figure out what he’s planning next. I can’t place the sounds, and it makes my heart race.
The click of a bottle comes next, and I jump when cold liquid drips onto my ass. We’ve talked about beginning my training to take him there, but we never settled on when to start. Apparently, it’s now.
I gasp when he breaches that forbidden star. His one finger feels massive despite the smooth glide of his thrusts. It’s not long before I start canting my hips to take him deeper, my movements minute due to the restriction of my range of motion.
The pressure of another finger is intense, but quickly turns to pleasure. I wasn’t sure if I’d enjoy having anything back there, but I can officially say this is better than I could’ve ever imagined.
“Are you ready for more, Trouble?”
Words elude me, so I nod my head, moaning out my pleasure. That is, until something ginormous presses against my ass. I automatically tense, not quite ready for a foreign object to be shoved into a place where things don’t normally go.
But then Michael begins to strum my clit with his fingers, and my pleasure spikes.
“That’s it, baby. Let me make you feel good. I seem to recall you wanting to experience what it would feel like to be filled in all your holes. Seeing as I’d likely murder anyone who even thinks about touching you, this is the next best thing.”
I’m on the knife-edge of my orgasm. The plug is fully seated, lighting up nerve endings I didn’t know I had.
And then Michael presses the head of his cock to my dripping entrance.
“Oh, Jesus Christ.”
Michael slaps my ass, making me clench around the plug and his tip. “That’s not my name, Adalaide.”
“Sir—”
He pushes further into me.
“Shit. Oh, hell.”
A dark chuckle rumbles behind me as he continues to split me in half. I’m transcending beyond pleasure at this point. My body is vibrating with the effort of taking Michael’s thick cock into me.
And then he starts to thrust, rapidly moving in and out of me until I lose all sense of my surroundings.
My entire focus is on the pressure radiating from my core. I’m going to shatter into a thousand tiny pieces, only to be made anew by the love of my life. When morning comes, I will be irrevocably changed.
Michael reaches around me to stroke my slippery clit. The stimulation sends me soaring into a screaming orgasm I’m not sure I’ll ever recover from. My toes curl as waves of pleasure crash through my body until I’m a shaking mess of a woman.
“Unnngh. Fuck.” Michael grunts as his thrusts stutter, unable to keep the rhythm as my body tightens around his.
He comes in spurts, his muscles quivering the same way mine did. It eases something inside me, knowing his release was equally as powerful as mine.
His forehead is pressed to my spine, dots of sweat transferring onto my skin.
Our ragged breaths are the only sound in the room, and I hope to god that Ryan had the good sense to either leave or put on noise-canceling headphones.
There’s no way either of us was quiet enough to keep from broadcasting exactly what was happening in here.
Michael straightens and begins to untie my restraints. After flipping me onto my back, he massages the reddened skin around my ankles and wrists. The gentle pressure helps me come back down from the high without crashing out.
Then he begins the slow process of removing the plug from my body. With every slow glide in and out of my hole, I’m revved back up, until I’m writhing on the bed, begging for more.
Without hesitation, Michael seals his mouth around my clit, and I explode for the second time. He slowly brings me back down to Earth until I’m able to blink my eyes open. It takes a second for me to focus.
Michael looks like the cat who ate the canary. “So, shall we put plugs on the list of things we’ll do again?”
I crook my finger at him, needing to kiss this enigmatic man. Pressing his chest into mine, he kisses me with every ounce of love he feels for me. It’s a slow kiss meant to reconnect us after such an intense scene.
Michael pulls away a few minutes later to clean me up, the warm washcloth rough against my sensitive skin. He presses an apologetic kiss to my stomach before gathering me into his arms. As has become habit, I fold my hands across his chest and lay my head down.
He runs his hands in contemplative circles up and down my back. Now that he’s had a chance to get his chaotic thoughts under control, I’m hopeful he’ll tell me what happened today.
The next words out of his mouth aren’t what I expect though. “Zane is my half brother.”
I fling my head back to look Michael in the eyes. “What?”
He reaches over to his nightstand and grabs his wallet. Inside is a folded Polaroid, and he hands it to me.
“Oh my god,” I whisper as I take in the two boys. One is very obviously Michael, who can’t be older than four or five, and the other must be Zane. Their names are scratched in black ink on the thick white edge.
“I didn’t remember him until today. I blocked a lot of my childhood out of my head—for obvious reasons—but the minute he called me Mikey, I knew exactly who he was.”
I place the photo inside his wallet before lying back down on his chest. “That must’ve been such a shock.”
He snorts. “You have no idea. I actually ran away and threw up in some bushes. Then I remembered that he’s been your friend for years. He had to know who I was, and I needed to find out what his motive was.”
He tells me the whole awful story of how the two of them grew up and how it felt when Zane left and never came back. By the end, tears are streaming down both of our faces.
“Do you want a relationship with him?” I can’t think about my own relationship with Zane right now. I’d have my own meltdown, and Michael needs me more. It will be my turn soon enough.
“I don’t know. My first instinct is to say no. I’ve removed everything that reminded me of my childhood from my life. But on the other hand, he’s the only family I have left. He was my best friend and is part of the only good memories I have of growing up.”
“The good news is, you don’t have to make any decisions right now. If it takes you years, then it takes you years.”
“I think I need to make an appointment with my old therapist.”
“That’s probably a good idea. She’d be an unbiased sounding board to help you work through all the emotions Zane has caused to resurface.”
Michael’s dark gaze pins me in place. “Thank you for knowing what I needed when I didn’t. I was spinning out, and being able to focus my attention on you helped the chaos turn to order.”
“I’m glad it helped. I’ll do whatever it takes to make you happy, Michael.”
“Having you in my life and my bed is enough, Trouble.”
“I think we’ve officially met our quota for surprises. The next few years should be smooth sailing now.”
Michael chuckles. “Let’s hope like fuck that’s true.”