Chapter Three
Colt
It’s half past six and Sarah’s finally up, walking into the kitchen in her pale blue scrubs, her long blonde hair still messy from sleep as she ties it into a ponytail.
A few silver strands catch the light, I love those; I love all of her.
Hard-working and soft-hearted, the kind of woman who’ll stay late at the hospital just to hold an elderly patient’s hand; she’s everything good.
She walks over and gives me a sweet kiss.
I return it instantly, cupping the side of her face, thumb brushing her cheek.
I love the pants off this woman. Funny though, how I don’t feel even a flicker of guilt about what I did to her son a couple hours ago…
but the thought of anyone else touching either of them makes my blood boil.
She turns toward the table and nearly jumps out of her skin. “Christ, Arch!” she laughs, hand flying to her chest. “What are you doing up, love?”
Archie’s sitting at the table in his track kit, shovelling cereal into his mouth; the branded stuff he likes. I wasn’t about to let the kid run sprints on an empty stomach after earlier.
Archie grins at her, easy as anything. “Morning.”
She tightens her hair tie again and tilts her head. “You’re never awake at this hour.”
“Uh… I just…”
I watch Archie start to flounder, eyes darting. Before he can dig himself into a hole, I clear my throat and rub a warm hand down Sarah’s back.
“My fault, love. Couldn’t get back to sleep after I woke up at four,” I say casually. “Didn’t want to turn all the lights on and wake you, so I accidentally bumped into his door pretty hard when I was heading downstairs.”
Archie lets out a short laugh. “Yeah… one hell of a way to wake up.”
I catch the filthy double meaning in his tone and have to fight back a smirk.
Sarah turns to me, looking genuinely apologetic. “Sorry, babe. Did I kick you again?”
I huff a little laugh. “I didn’t say that.” She does kick like a damn mule in her sleep; right now, it’s the perfect cover.
She kisses my cheek, soft and quick. “Well, sorry for disturbing you both.”
Then, like the good mom she is, she walks around the table and hugs Archie from behind, arms looped around his neck. “It’s nice to see you before work for once, baby.”
Archie smiles up at her. “You too, Mom.”
Sarah pulls back, about to say something else when her eyes catch on his wrist; her whole face changes. “Uh… Archie?”
“Yeah, Mom?” He lifts another spoonful of cereal toward his mouth.
She smacks the spoon right out of his hand with a sharp little slap. I frown as she grabs his wrist and lifts it, staring at the dark bruises and teeth marks I left behind.
“What happened?” she asks, voice full of concern. Then she pushes his chair back a little and her eyes drop to the visible bite on his inner thigh. “Archie?”
Archie goes wide-eyed and shoots me a panicked look across the table. Shit. I inhale sharply through my nose, forcing myself to stay calm. My heart is hammering, but on the outside, I keep my expression easy.
Sarah crosses her arms and stares Archie down like only a mother can. “Well?”
Archie lets out an awkward laugh. “I just… fell on the track yesterday, Mom.”
She raises her eyebrows and points at the clear bite mark on his wrist. “Sweetie, I’m a nurse. That ain’t no bruise from falling. Someone bit you.” Her eyes narrow. “Are you having sex?”
Archie chokes on air. “Mom! I am not talking about sex with you!”
I bark out a genuine laugh despite the tension. “Come on, hon. Leave the boy alone. He’s an adult.”
Sarah shakes her head, still looking equal parts amused and concerned. “I didn’t think my son would be into letting someone bite him like that.”
I grin wide at her sass.
Archie mutters under his breath, just loud enough for both of us to hear, “Didn’t give me much of a choice…”
Sarah spins around. “Archie! Oh my god…” She bursts out laughing into her hands, cheeks pink. “Okay, well… you’re old enough that I don’t have to give you the full speech, baby. Just use protection and don’t go catching anything, alright?”
I grin behind my coffee mug and take a slow sip, watching Archie turn bright red. His eyes dart to me, completely mortified; I just wink at him. He thumps his forehead against the table with a defeated groan.
I feel a strange rush of satisfaction. With Sarah I’ve never been dominant; not once.
She doesn’t like that side of things; she wants soft, sweet, and equal.
And I’ve always given her that because I love her.
But that dominant, possessive part of me has always been there, simmering underneath.
I’ve just never had anywhere to put it… until Archie.
With him, I can finally let it out; and fuck, it feels good.
Sarah turns back toward the counter to pour herself coffee. I step up beside her, voice warm and gentle like it always is with her. “Let me help you pack your bag, love.”
I grab her lunch bag and start loading it properly; extra fruit, the sandwich I made earlier, a couple of her favourite protein bars, and a big bottle of water.
I also always make sure she has a spare set of scrubs, because of that one nightmare shift where she got covered in bodily fluids and had nothing to change into.
I double-check everything, making sure she’s set for her ten-hour shift.
She watches me with soft eyes and leans into my side. “What would I do without you?”
I kiss the top of her head. “You’d survive. But I’m glad you don’t have to.”
All while Archie is still sitting at the table, face hidden in his arms, probably dying inside.
…
A little while later, after Sarah’s had some toast and coffee, I grab her work bag and carry it out to the car like I do most mornings.
She follows me out, scrubs looking crisp, hair neatly tied back.
I set the bag on the passenger seat and turn to her, pulling her in by the waist and kissing her properly, full of real affection.
“Love you, sweetheart. Have a good day. Try not to let them work you too hard.”
She smiles against my mouth, hands resting on my chest. “Love you too. I’ll do my best.” She pauses, then adds like she always does, “Maybe we can do that stir-fry you like for dinner?”
“Sounds perfect,” I tell her, brushing a stray strand of blonde hair behind her ear.
She gives me one more quick kiss, then climbs into the car. I shut the door for her and step back, waving as she reverses down the driveway; until she disappears around the corner.
The second her car is out of sight, that darkness settles over me again; heavy, hungry, and completely unapologetic. I step back inside the house, close the door, and lock it with a soft click. We still have a full hour before Archie and I need to leave.
I head into the living room and find him exactly where I expected: sprawled out on the couch, looking half-dead to the world.
The kid’s usually only just dragging himself out of bed at this time.
Seeing him there in his track kit, already marked up under his clothes because of me, does something primal to my chest.
I walk over, slide one hand under his head, and lift it gently. Archie makes a sleepy little sound but doesn’t fight it. I sit down where his head had been and lower him back down so his cheek rests on my thigh. He cracks one sleepy eye open, blinking up at me.
“Sleep,” I tell him. My hand settles on the side of his neck, thumb stroking lazily. “You’ve got an hour. Use it.”
Archie doesn’t argue. He just rolls onto his side, nuzzling in closer, using my thick thighs as a pillow. His breathing slowly evens out again, warm against my leg. I keep one hand resting possessively on the back of his neck, the other draped over his shoulder.
Mine; for the next hour, he’s all fucking mine.
I lean my head back against the couch, eyes slipping shut while the local news plays quietly on the TV across the room. Some anchor is droning on about traffic and a new construction project downtown, but it’s just background noise.
My hand stays heavy on the back of Archie’s neck, thumb slowly stroking the warm skin there as his slow, even breaths fan across my thigh.
Why the fuck doesn’t this feel wrong?
I love Sarah, I really do; she’s the best thing that’s happened to me. I’d burn the world down before I let anything hurt her. And yet here I am with her son’s head in my lap, covered in the marks I put on him a couple hours ago, and I don’t feel a shred of guilt. Just this deep, dark satisfaction.
How long can this even last? Is today a one-off? Just blowing off years of steam that had been building without me realizing it? Or is this the new normal now; sneaking around, marking him up, owning him every chance I get?
I glance down at Archie; he looks so peaceful like this, cheek smushed against my leg, completely trusting even after everything I did to him. What happens when he wakes up properly and the reality hits him? Will he flip out? Get pissed? Tell me it was a mistake and we can never do it again?
And tonight… we’ll all be sitting around together for dinner, like a normal family.
I’ll want to sit next to my wife, laugh with her, hear about her long shift at the hospital.
But I know I’ll also want this; Archie close enough that I can feel his heat, maybe rest a hand on his thigh, knowing he’s still marked as mine.
How the hell do you love one person this much and suddenly want to devour her son?
This urge must’ve been buried somewhere deep for a long time.
Any normal stepdad would’ve dropped the laundry basket the second he realized what Archie was doing last week, apologized, and slammed the door shut.
They would’ve tried to forget it, scrubbed the image from their brain.
Me? I stood there and watched… watched him stroke that thick cock, watched the way his abs tensed when he came. I didn’t leave until he was finished.
So, what the fuck is wrong with me?
I look down at him again. My hand slides possessively into his hair, gripping lightly. Archie makes a soft, unconscious sound and presses closer.
Whatever this is… I already know I’m not going to stop… not unless he makes me.