Chapter 22
Zeke
I’m at a loss for words.
I’ve worked so hard to make it on my own, but I’m tired, and after Talon’s confession, accepting his help doesn’t feel like defeat.
“You are helping me. I’m safe for the first time in my life, and that’s worth more than any dollar amount,” I tell him.
“That’s the bare minimum of what you should have had all along,” he points out.
“But I didn’t have it, and now I do, thanks to you.”
Talon nods, and I expect him to argue because I know he wants to do more for me, but instead, he shifts our position on the couch. Standing, he pulls his pants on, then sits back down so he’s leaning up against the armrest, and I’m between his legs with my back to his chest.
“What did you mean that was a first for you, too?” he asks, and I know I’m going to tell him.
Part of me is relieved. Part of me is terrified. What if it’s too much? What if Talon finally decides I’m not worth it right as we’re getting somewhere?
But when I open my mouth to speak, the fear wins, and my body begins trembling. I draw my legs up, planting my feet on the cushion, trying to become smaller and fold in on myself.
“Hey,” Talon whispers, his lips at my ear.
“Hey, you don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to.
I’m not going anywhere. You’re safe here, and nothing you say will change that.
” I feel his lips press to the back of my head, and I burrow deeper against him, pulling his arms more tightly around me.
“No, I need to. I mean, I want to. You should know. Especially if we’re…well, you should just have the whole picture,” I stammer.
Talon bends his knees, squeezing mine with his own as if he were a weighted blanket.
“I’ve got you,” he tells me. And I know it’s true.
“When I met Derek, I was homeless. My dad was never in the picture. I actually don’t even know who he is, and I had no idea where my mom was.
She left the day I turned eighteen. Like, she somehow believed because she had stuck around that long, her job as a parent was done.
” I huff a laugh. “Which is ironic since she never really played the part of a parent anyway. More likely, the government assistance checks she received for me were no longer coming, so she’d moved on.
Anyway, the point is, I was on my own. Couldn’t make ends meet.
Didn’t know how to pay bills. The electricity was shut off first, then the water.
Then I got evicted. I’m not stupid, I just… no one ever taught me, you know?”
“Baby, I’ve never once thought you were stupid. You’re strong and brave and a survivor,” Talon says against my hair.
I’m reeling because he just called me baby. Not Buttercup. Not sweetcheeks. Just baby.
I liked it.
A lot.
“Zeke, are you okay?”
Talon’s question makes me realize I’ve gone silent.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. You called me baby,” I point out in an attempt to explain.
“It just kind of slipped out. Do you not like the term? Did Derek…”
“No. No, he never called me that. His nicknames were far more condescending, designed to make me feel like the weaker party.”
“You are not weak,” Talon says again, his tone this adamant this time.
“I know. I think I’ve always known that, which is part of the reason I was able to endure the violence.
I’m sure that seems backwards, but I had to stay.
I had nowhere else to go,” I explain, getting back on track.
“I was living out of my car when Derek found me. It was the end of January, and freezing to death was a legitimate concern. He was charming, funny, and offered me a place to stay. I’d just gotten the job at Summit, and I knew I’d need a place to shower if I was going to keep it, so I agreed after only knowing him for five minutes.
That should’ve been a red flag, but desperate times and all that.
When we started negotiating rent and utilities, I told him I literally had nothing to my name, but would be happy to pay as soon as I started getting regular paychecks. He suggested something else.”
My stomach threatens to relieve itself of the steak and wine I had for dinner as I arrive at the part of the story that I’m most ashamed of. Getting knocked around makes Derek the weak one. Not me. But agreeing to prostitution? That’s not something I’m proud of.
“I’m still here,” Talon says behind me, though his voice is strained.
Swallowing hard, I continue.
“I only had to pay a quarter of the rent if I agreed to…” I cough, the words getting caught in my throat. “…to basically never tell him no. He wanted guaranteed consent and strict roles in return for putting a roof over my head.”
Talon tenses behind me.
“Fucking hell, I want to kill him,” he mutters.
“At the time, I was choosing between life and death. Giving my body to Derek was an easy yes when the alternative was freezing to death in a parking lot.”
Talon sits up and slides out from behind me, dropping to his knees on the floor next to the couch so he can see my face.
“Baby, I’m not judging your choice or your actions. I simply wish you’d never had to choose in the first place.”
I brush my hand along the side of his face.
“Thank you. Anyway, Derek never really gave any part of himself to me. He always took. Only took. He never allowed me free rein of his body. Not like you just did. He never let me explore, even though I’d never had the opportunity to really discover that part of myself or find out what I liked and what I didn’t.
It was always about the release I could give him.
So that’s what I meant when I said it was a first for me.
I’ve never gotten someone off because I wanted to do it. ”
Talon throws himself at my torso, wrapping his arms around me in a hug and burying his face in my bare stomach.
“If I’m lucky enough that things continue to progress between us, I just need you to tell me what you want, and it’s yours,” he says, peppering kisses to my midsection before pulling back.
“You didn’t get off earlier. Not that I think this particular conversation gets the blood flowing, but I just want you to know that this is give and take.
I’m new to this, but I want to take care of you in every way. ”
Talon’s thumb pulls on my bottom lip. I hadn’t realized I’d been biting it as he spoke.
He gives me a soft smile, prompting more truth to spill from my lips.
“It’s probably going to be a while before I find bottoming enjoyable again…if ever. If that’s something you need, I—”
“The only thing I need is for you to be safe, healthy, and happy. I have no expectations of what this will look like. I’m perfectly content moving at your pace and on your timeline.
Don’t forget, this is all brand new for me.
I haven’t even told my family about this revelation, so I’ll probably be the rate-limiting factor here. ”
“What about Eloise?” I ask.
“I think she knows, but I haven’t confirmed anything. I wanted to find out how you felt first, without any added pressure from me or my family. They can be a lot.”
“If the rest of them are like you and Eloise, they sound wonderful.”
“I hope you’ll get to meet them soon.”
It’s such a simple statement, but one that creates so much emotion inside me.
I’ve never been part of a real family before.
I wake to a gray haze. I’m cold, but my skin is damp, and it isn’t until Talon shifts behind me that I realize I’m sweating and it’s drying on my skin, making me cold despite the comforter and the human heater in bed with me.
We stayed up talking until almost two a.m.
When I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer, Talon asked if he could stay with me.
“I’ll keep my pants on, and I swear I won’t try anything. I just want to be close.”
I fell asleep with my head on his bare chest, the happiest I’ve ever been in my life.
“Good morning,” he mumbles against the skin of my back, sending goosebumps across my flesh.
“Morning,” I mumble groggily.
We barely have time to hit full consciousness before our phones go off at the same time.
“Not yet,” he groans. “Five more minutes.”
But both phones chime again, and curiosity gets the best of me, forcing me to grab mine off the nightstand.
Becs
Derek showed up at the front gate.
Apparently, he was raising hell, looking for Talon.
Hayden told me when he came in.
Thought you guys should know.
I feel Talon roll over behind me to also check the messages. Then he groans and his message pops up on my screen.
Talon
Thanks, Rebecca. I’ll handle it.
It would have been nice to have had one day to bask in this new thing that Talon and I have without drama. It infuriates me that as soon as I feel safe, Derek pulls the rug out from under me again.
Propped on an elbow, Talon looks down at me.
“I won’t let him get to you, Zeke. And I know you’re not going to like it, but can you please stay home today?”
I know Talon has the power to fire me, suspend me, and forcefully keep me from the premises. But I also know he would never use his power against me like that, which is the only reason I agree without arguing.
“Yes. I’ll stay here.” I’d laugh at his shocked expression if I weren’t so pissed at the situation. His wide eyes make it clear he thought I’d put up a fight. “But will you promise to call me with updates if anything happens?” I add.
Talon nods, kisses my cheek, and rolls out of bed.
A minute later, I follow suit, padding into the kitchen to start the coffeemaker while he heads into the bathroom.
Once there’s enough coffee to make a full cup, I pour the hot liquid into a mug and capitalize on the chance to take him coffee for once. He answers immediately when I knock on the bathroom door.
“Come in,” I hear him call over the running water.
I mean to set the coffee mug on the counter and back away, but the shower doors are glass. And Talon is naked.
Hopping onto the counter next to the coffee mug, I smile.
“I could literally watch this all day.”
Talon cracks an eye open, smiles when he sees me staring, and goes back to rinsing his hair free of shampoo.
“I won’t stop you,” he says.
I’ve never met anyone like Talon. So sure of himself, yet humble. Smart and driven, but balanced enough to savor the quiet moments. A lover of peace, but a warrior who won’t hesitate to pick up the sword when necessary.
He finishes his shower and towels himself dry before securing the towel around his waist as he steps out of the shower.
As soon as he’s within arm’s reach, I flick the knot at his hip, making the towel fall from his body.
“Oops,” I tease with a shrug, biting the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling.
I’m not familiar with this playful side of myself. It’s not a part of my personality I’ve had the luxury of developing or even noticing, for that matter. It’s light and enjoyable, and I’m grateful beyond words that Talon brings it out of me.
“Get your fill, baby,” he replies, wagging his hips back and forth. The movement makes his dick smack his thighs, and I laugh with glee…until he starts to get hard.
Suddenly, it’s not so funny anymore as desire courses through me.
Reaching a hand forward, the weight of him settles into my palm. I gently tug him forward by his dick so he moves closer.
“How much time do you have?” I ask breathlessly.
“As much time as you want,” he answers without missing a beat.
“Can we try something?” I ask hesitantly, knowing this might not go as planned, but also not wanting to waste the opportunity if my body is telling me it wants this.
“Anything,” Talon says, looking down into my eyes.
Hopping off the counter, I push my pants to the floor and step out of them. I see the questions and concern swirling in Talon’s eyes right before they dip to my hardening cock. Grabbing his hand, I lead him back to bed.
“I don’t know if this will work,” I hedge, but before I can continue, Talon rolls onto his back, pulling me on top of him.
“Do whatever you want. Or tell me what to do. Anything you want to try is good with me.”
Popping into a seated position, I straddle his thighs and lean over, pulling the nightstand drawer open.
“Can I use this?” I ask, holding up a bottle of lube.
“Oh, Christ. I forgot that was in there. I really hope Eloise forgot to check the drawers when she moved my shit upstairs,” he says, rubbing a hand down his face, making me laugh.
Settling back into position with a handful of lube, I wrap my palm around both of our dicks at the same time. The feel of Talon’s cock pressed against mine makes my spine tingle from the base of my neck all the way to my ass.
“Goooood. That feels amazing,” he whines beneath me as he laces his fingers behind his head. The position makes his biceps pop, causing my dick to grow impossibly hard.
I squeeze harder, rubbing faster, and it’s not long before I’m fucking into my own fist against Talon’s thick shaft.
As my hips punch forward, Talon’s hips begin to rise in time with mine, matching my rhythm.
“Fuck, you’re gorgeous,” he pants.
I’m too amazed at the tightness in my stomach, the lightening racing through my veins, and the sight of the man beneath me to offer anything beyond a moan.
“I’m trying to hold back, but I don’t think I can stop,” Talon says. “It’s too fucking good. Oh fuck, fuck, fuck,” he grits out, his release erupting all over my hand for the second time in less than twelve hours.
But this time, as he shatters, so do I…for the first time in years.