Chapter 16 Ghosts from the Past
Ghosts from the Past
Davidson
Leo slumped in my arms, his cum smearing between our bellies. Holding him impaled on my cock, I carried him up the stairs and into the bathroom.
When I put him on his feet, his gaze dropped down and his shoulders slumped.
“Leo.”
He jerked. “Yes?”
“Are you still angry with me?”
“No. Of course not.”
“Then what’s going on?”
“Nothing,” he blurted automatically and stepped into the shower.
I followed him into the stall and reached between his ass cheeks. My cum had leaked out, so I smeared it up and down through his crease.
“Tell me what’s going on,” I said firmly, turning my words into a command.
At my tone, he relaxed into my touch. He leaned with his cheek onto the tiled wall and pushed his ass out. “I’m worried about my overreaction and what you might think of me.”
I kept stroking over his slick hole and took the showerhead. I aimed the stream at his hole and rinsed it carefully while holding it open with my fingers. “I don’t think you overreacted. And I liked your jealousy and possessiveness. It aroused me. I don’t want you to worry about it anymore.”
After a long exhale, Leo simply said “okay” and closed his eyes.
I soaped up my hand and began rubbing through his crease.
He was breathing deeply, his back curved beautifully as he leaned into my touch.
When he was clean, I slid a finger into his body—just a small reminder, a clear gesture of ownership.
Leo opened his eyes and gazed at me over his shoulder, lips parted, cheeks flushed.
Timidity. Hope. Fear. He’d let me do anything, wouldn’t he?
“Are you still afraid of me, Leo?”
“Sometimes,” he admitted in a weak whisper. “But I need that fear, Davidson.” Shame warped his lovely face. “It helps. Knowing that you’ll punish me if I step out of line helps.”
I pulled my finger out and set the showerhead back onto the hook. Then I turned Leo to me, positioning him so his back was under the spray, warming his skin. Holding him by his shoulders, I searched his expression.
“I know you like orders, darling. They bring you peace, and that’s okay. I like giving you orders, and I love it when you do as I say. But I want you to obey because you trust me and not because you fear me.”
“I want that too.” He swallowed and bit his lip. His smile was heartbreakingly hopeful.
“What do you fear the most, love? You know I’d never hurt you.”
“I know. I’m afraid…” Leo took a deep breath, exhaled, and his gaze grew determined. He was gathering courage. “I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed with me once you get to know me.”
My chest burst with pain. “Oh Leo,” I breathed. I hugged him, peppering kisses all over his forehead and temples. “Every day, every hour, with every detail I learn, I want you more. Every little imperfection makes you more perfect in my eyes.”
He shuddered, roping his arms around my neck and clinging to me. When I found his lips, the tension slowly left his body, and he kissed me back.
Later we lay in bed, and my mate played with the sparse hair on my chest. We’d been quiet for a while, and I thought he might fall asleep soon, but something had changed between us after the confrontation with Seth. The barriers were crumbling, our bond growing stronger.
“The tipping point was his birthday dinner,” Leo began, voice low.
I knew immediately he meant Fabio Altera.
“He had this heavy, massive oak table in his dining room. It was fifteen feet long, made from a single tree trunk. A gorgeous piece of woodwork. He invited a group of friends, mostly alphas, some of them I knew but not well. It was a grand dinner, and I was supposed to be the main course. He chained me to the table by my wrists and ankles. He had the chains made especially, golden paint and all. I wore a lace jockstrap and a lace mask over my eyes. I felt so decadent lying there like an offering to a god. They ate around me, and he fed me. He said nobody was allowed to touch me unless he said so. All those hungry eyes on me… I even provoked them, angling my body just right, licking my lips. When he began teasing my ass with his fingers, I moaned and writhed. People got a little more drunk, and a little more daring. A couple of alphas jerked themselves, watching me. He dragged me to the edge of the table, held my legs open, and ordered everyone to kiss my hole. They did, and I liked it.”
The ugly feeling in my gut wasn’t jealousy, was it? Maybe I sensed where Leo’s story was going, and I didn’t want to hear it. But it had happened, and I wouldn’t be able to erase it. I couldn’t wrangle Leo’s past, but I would help him heal.
“He fucked me in front of everyone, which I enjoyed. But then he pulled out, and someone handed him a shot glass with a little bit of white powder on the bottom. He tipped it over his slick cock.”
I struggled against my need to squeeze my Leo. I held still, letting him speak.
“I mouthed no and shook my head, and he saw. But he ignored me. It took barely a minute for me to feel it. Until today, I still don’t know what it was.
Aside from weed and alcohol, I have no experience with drugs.
I felt hot all over, sweated buckets, and my heartbeat went through the roof.
My vision got blurry, and I couldn’t speak, only slur.
And Fabio’s guests took turns inside me.
The thing is, physically, I was aroused and coming in waves.
It felt like heat, and I guess I must have looked as if I enjoyed it.
Besides, most people knew Fabio and I played around a lot, so they probably assumed I was into it.
The orgasms got gradually more painful, and I must have passed out because I woke up in his bed the next day, long after lunchtime, alone.
After all of that, he’d left me alone. When I stumbled into the shower, streaks of cum and traces of blood ran down my thighs.
And I knew I had gone too far. I showered, dressed, and snuck out.
I checked into a hotel and slept for another day.
The next week, I was on a plane away from Dalton City.
I lived on the East Coast for a few weeks while I was selling the apartment and taking care of the businesses.
He tried to contact me, but I threw out my old phone.
Then I moved to Ardaine, hoping he’d never find me. ”
I swallowed, unable to speak.
For his birthday, Altera had drugged Leo and had him gang-raped.
My mate. Raped.
I would have shifted, flown over the ocean, found Altera, and ripped his spine out, but Leo’s scent helped me to stay put.
“Leo.” A deep breath. “You can always say no to me. Always.” My voice shook.
“I know.” He lifted his face and met my gaze, a small smile curving his lips. “I’m safe with you.” He sounded sure, and I exhaled.
He fell asleep soon after that, but I didn’t. I needed to calm the hell down. For the next few hours, I worked through the senseless anger in my head and plotted how to take Altera down without endangering Leo.