Chapter 14
DORIAN
Mom: You can’t continue to push me out of your life. I’m your mother.
Mom: If you continue to act like this, I will have to change your mind.
Mom: The more you act like that man, the more you do resemble a Cage.
Mom: If you don’t call me back, I will tell them the truth about who you are.
Mom: How could you stay in that house? You know what that house means.
Mom: I’m going to tell them.
Me: Tell them all you want. You’re the one who will end up hurt more than me.
I ran my hands over my face, then tossed my phone onto the bed.
Why had I even replied back to her? Just feeding into my mother’s narcissistic personality would be the end of it.
“Are you okay?” Harper asked as she walked out of the bedroom, squeezing the water out of her hair with a towel. I swallowed hard and just stared at her.
I loved watching her move, watching her walk. And frankly, at this point, I loved watching her breathe because a week ago she had scared the shit out of me.
She’d stayed overnight for observation, and we came back to her apartment. Lucky lay on the small armchair in the corner, watching her every move as well. He had been just as scared as I had been after we’d come home, and he’d watched Harper like the guard dog he was.
Since I was close enough to him, I reached out and ran my fingers through his fur. He bumped my hand for deeper pets, and I just smiled.
“I’m fine. Just glaring at my phone.”
Her gaze went to the middle of the bed where the phone lay, and she turned back to me. “Your siblings or your mother?” she asked, and I held back a snort.
“I suppose it could be anyone at this point,” I said drily.
“While I know why you’re avoiding all of them, there’s really only one that I wish you would avoid for the rest of time.”
I moved forward then and slid my hands through her wet hair. Lucky let out a whimper, and I knew he was jealous I was now petting my girlfriend, but he would get over it.
“I don’t plan on texting my mother back again. But yes, that was her.”
Harper grimaced. “What did she say this time?”
“The usual bullshit. How I owe her.” I paused. “And how she’s going to tell my siblings the truth.”
I hadn’t known if I wanted to even say that out loud. Because there were probably only three people in this world who knew the truth. Maybe more if I thought about lawyers and other people good at keeping secrets, but in reality, it was just the three. And two of them were in this room.
“She wouldn’t. She can’t be that stupid.”
I threw my head back and laughed. “Oh. She would be. To get me to do what she wants? She’ll act the idiot.”
“How is her ruining her own reputation—albeit whatever it is—going to help? All it does is hurt the both of you. Not that I think your family is really going to react in a way that will harm you.”
“I don’t know how they’re going to react.”
My phone buzzed again, and Harper pushed past me to pick it up.
“If it’s my mother, just throw the phone out the window. I’ll get a new one.”
“It’s Aston. I didn’t read the text though. I’m not that into your privacy.”
“I don’t have any more secrets from you, Wellesley.
” And wasn’t that a strange thought. Somehow Harper Wellesley had become the center of my universe.
The person I shared everything with. It should scare me.
It should terrify me, and while a part of me agreed and went down that path, the other part not so much.
It felt as if that was what was right. What was needed.
Maybe I was just losing my damn mind.
“What did Aston say?” I asked.
Harper gave me a look and then plugged in my passcode, because of course she knew it now, to see.
“He says to call him back and stop hiding. Because they’re wondering why you keep acting so grumpy since you’re finally with a woman that can make you happy.”
Her cheeks pinked and she looked up at me.
“Maybe I should read all of your texts if they’re going to be that helpful.”
Scowling, I took the phone from her.
“I’m not being grumpy.”
“Says Mr. Grumperson.”
“Is that what we’re going to put on my stocking?”
“Yes. Though getting all those letters onto one part might be an issue. I’m not that crafty but I bet if I asked Ms. Patty she’d do it.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes. Because asking Ms. Patty to make a unique stocking for me for next Christmas won’t invite any speculation on her part at all.”
Harper just grinned, which was exactly what I wanted her to do. “They sure want to know exactly what’s happening in this apartment, don’t they?”
“I can feel them lurking beneath the boards.”
“That’s my team working, but sure.”
I moved forward, cupping her face. “You don’t have a fireplace up here. Do you even have a stocking?”
“I do, though I didn’t really celebrate Christmas this year.”
I winced, vaguely remembering the holiday myself. I’d been at Aston’s, and the rest of the Cages had taken their turns. Trying to blend so many new traditions with different families wasn’t easy. And I had been more standoffish than usual for good reason.
But the fact that Harper had spent it alone gutted me.
“I’m sorry I didn’t reach out. I should have.”
“I had dinner with Scarlett and Luna. Ivy was out of town. I wasn’t alone.” Harper smiled softly. “You’re never really alone in Cage Lake.”
Her home. That wasn’t mine.
We were both steadfastly ignoring the fact that I didn’t live in Cage Lake. I might be staying there for a time, but I did have responsibilities back home. From the way that her eyes darkened for just a moment, I wondered if she was thinking the same.
My phone buzzed again, and I sighed, looking at the family group chat blowing up.
They were all worried about me. Wondering why I was still in Cage Lake. Finally asking why I was fixing up that house. But I didn’t answer. I was just so tired.
“You can put your phone on silent for now, but you do realize he’ll just show up.”
“Yes, but I need more time.”
She cupped my face and kissed me softly. “Okay. More time it is.”
I let my phone fall to the blanket and pressed my lips to hers. “I think I know what we could do to pass that time.”
She smiled against my lips. “Oh?”
“Oh.”
I crushed my mouth to hers, moaning into her. She ran her hands up my back, as we both moved into one another. Harper’s nails dug into my back, and I slowly explored her mouth, taking everything in.
She tasted of mint and hot cocoa.
Lucky made a noise and moved out of the bedroom.
“I think we have officially scarred that dog,” I said dryly.
“Oh no, we did that last night when you had me bent over the chair, and he came walking in to see what was going on.”
“What? It was doggy style. He must have seen it before,” I said so innocently that she just rolled her eyes.
“You have your hand on my tit and I want your dick in me right now, and you’re making doggy style jokes?”
Said dick pressed against the seam of my pants. “Yes.”
“Well okay,” she teased, before she pulled off her T-shirt.
She had just showered, and now I was going to dirty her all up. And, because there was a God, she hadn’t worn a bra. Her breasts were heavy, her nipples tight pink points that begged for my mouth. I leaned forward, licked at one, as my fingers played with the other.
“Dorian,” she panted.
“Do you want my mouth on your nipples? Or on your pussy?”
“Do I have to choose?” she asked, shifting against me.
I just smiled before paying delicate attention to each breast. Her tits overfilled my hands, and I had big hands. I was one lucky man.
I shoved down her sweats and groaned. “You’re not wearing panties either?”
“I didn’t feel like it.”
“Don’t sound all innocent. There’s nothing innocent about you,” I growled.
“You’re the one that deflowered me,” she sing-songed.
In answer, I lifted her by her thighs and tossed her on the bed.
She gasped, laughing, as I threw myself on top of her. She spread her legs, cradling me, as I licked up and down her neck, her jaw, down her breasts.
“I really want to fuck these,” I mumbled.
“Would that feel good?”
I groaned. “I love teaching you all the new things.”
She just grinned, and I continued to lick down her body. When I pinned her thighs wide and lapped at her cunt, she tried to shoot off the bed but couldn’t.
“Play with your tits, I want those nipples hard and waiting for my mouth. I need to explore this beautiful pussy.”
I sucked at her labia, then speared her with two fingers. When she groaned, I ran my thumb in circles over her clit. She came in a burst, gushing over my hand as I sucked and licked every ounce of her. “Sweet and tart. Like my personal drug.”
She blushed from head to toe, and I just continued to eat her out, loving the way that she was still so new at this, so sweet. And so eager to learn.
I stood up, tossed off my shirt, and pulled down my pants and boxer briefs.
“Sit at the edge of the bed.”
“Wow, I didn’t know you were in the mood to order me around.”
“Wellesley,” I growled, and she shivered before scooting to the edge of the bed.
“Like this?”
I nodded and tapped her thigh. “Spread yourself for me. I want you wet and dripping by the time you’re done.” Eyes wide she did as I said, and I slid two fingers between her folds. “So swollen. It’s going to be aching for my cock soon.”
“So what are you going to do with my cock,” she asked as she reached forward and gripped the base of me.
I groaned, head falling back. “I have plans for you.”
She leaned forward slightly, and I took control, wrapping her hair with one fist and stopping her. Then I tapped her bottom lip with the tip of my cock, and her eyes widened.
“Soon. Lean back.”
She frowned. “I don’t get to taste you?”
“Eager much?”
“Of course.”
I just grinned but pulled at her hair slightly so she would lean back.
“Now I want you to lift your breasts up and press them together. Present yourself to me.”
“Oh.” Her eyes wide, she did as she was told.
“So fucking hot.”
I put my hand to her chin. “Spit.”