Chapter Twenty-Six
Skylar Parish
The sheets are soft as they caress my stomach, dragging gently over the skin from hip to hip. A blissful hum moves through me, simmering within my blood as my mind wakes.
Everything is calm. Everything is as it should be—and I know this without opening my eyes. If it weren’t, this warmth would not be building in my chest; my heart would not beat this tenderly.
I want to stay right here, hiding behind the lids of my eyes and wrapped in these sheets. It is safety, it is comfort. And what a beautiful feeling basking in this morning light can be.
“Good morning, puppy,” he whispers, pressing his lips softly to my temple.
Everett.
I blink, slow and hazy, adjusting to the rising sun bleeding between the curtains. The caressing against my stomach does not stop, yet I am certainly not moving against this bedding.
“Hmm,” I sound, my eyes flickering down just as Everett’s fingers make another pass below my navel.
It’s slightly blurry from sleep and still so pleasurable that my dreams threaten to take hold of me again, but I fight it, if only to see him beside me.
“Did you sleep well?” Everett asks, forever brushing those warm lips over my skin.
“Mhm.”
He chuckles quietly, laying his hand flat over my stomach. “Good. Now wake up; I’ve been waiting.”
“Waiting?” I murmur, rolling my head to the side so I can see him and not just his hands.
Sleepy Everett is one of my people to look at. His blond hair is matted in areas, his skin soft and glowing. His eyes are hooded, his body a furnace as he slips an arm under me and pulls, pressing me into his chest.
And he smells so good; like sleep and peace and him. I believe I could bathe in his sweat and love every second of it.
I curl into him, stealing his heat as my face burrows into the crook of his neck. “Morning.”
“Are you in any pain, Sky?” His words land gently against my hair, his hand rubbing at my back as our bare skin connects.
We are melting into each other, becoming this singular beautiful thing in the light of the morning sun. I want to live inside of him—I want the proof of his affection written all over me, right here in this little world we’ve cultivated.
I—wait. Pain?
Suddenly, my knuckles ache. It’s a dull, throbbing pain until I flex my fingers and a sharp sting bombards the nerves. I raise a hand, lifting my head to take them in. They’re bruised and split, cracking in the dry areas and distracting me with their pulse.
My eyelids flutter closed once more, and behind them, I am at Everett’s childhood home. I’m staring into the eyes of the man who spent years molding him with hatred and threats.
In my memories, I am slamming my fists against his skin, watching as it splits and separates just for me. I’m feeling the joy of inflicting the pain he dealt to Everett, returning it to him sweetly. I am basking in the relief that little version of myself feels every time it’s set free.
Our plan worked; Everett is free, and I am completely exposed. Right there in front of him, I morphed into the ugliest side of myself, poised and ready to drown in my own destruction, and yet…
“Even right now, I still love you so much.” His words echo through me, touching all the sensitive parts of my soul.
My eyes open and find his—the honey warm and sugary as he peers back, so full of affection.
“I’m sorry you had to see that,” I say quietly.
“I’m obsessed with seeing all sides of your brain, Sky. No need to apologize.”
It’s a lovely sentiment, but I’m not sure how true it really is. Does he fully understand that it’s not just the anger that lives inside of me, but the greed and the jealousy and the borderline narcissism?
Will he still feel this way if I hurt him? If he begins to see what Jacob saw?
“Everett,” I start, my eyes dropping to trace the outline of his collarbones, “I should warn you… I’m not as good as you think I am.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Everett interjects, a grin shaping his lips. “I don’t think you’re that good.”
“You… you don’t?” For some reason, this comforts me.
“Nope. I think you’re a very complex person, half sweet and so precious, and half vicious and malicious.
I think the darker parts of you are just as important to your heart as the gentle ones.
” He cups the side of my face, pressing his forehead to mine.
“I know you’re not an angel, Sky. But it doesn’t matter to me.
If your love is poisonous, I’ll happily die in your arms.”
“Evie,” I breathe out, my parted lips catching his every exhale.
“I know we’ve kept a lot of secrets from each other over the years, but none of this feels that new to me. I think, deep down, I always knew you were kind of dangerous.”
“Viper,” I whisper, resisting the urge to laugh.
He presses a quick, chaste kiss to my lips. “Yes, Sky. My little viper, my sweet puppy. No matter which version of your soul you show me, I will hold it regardless.”
“Fuck me.” The words are rushed, leaving me on a desperate exhale.
I need him. I need him so badly that I can feel no embarrassment. My body is aching.
Everett’s grin morphs into a smirk, his arm tightening around me. “Can I? Can I stretch you open and push my way inside of you? Are you going to be good?”
“Yes, Evie,” I groan, shoving my face into his neck once more. “I’ll be good this time.”
“This time,” he repeats, chuckling.
He flips us over, resting the weight of his body over mine as his lips fall to my neck, leaving wet, open-mouthed kisses in their wake.
I’m on fire. Every inch of me is ignited by his words and his touch. He loves me—he loves every single little thing that I have to offer, and all the things that could hurt him. It’s liberating.
I do not have to change to earn his love. I am being hand-fed his affection, all because I’m me. No wonder I never bothered with other men; they were all below me. They weren’t him.
“Please,” I pant out, feeling his fingers drag lower and lower, running over the band of my briefs.
“So soft, Sky,” he purrs, rubbing against me. “So pretty.”
I’m already embarrassingly hard, but I don’t care. I don’t care about anything but him and how he’s caressing me. His fingers dip beneath the fabric, and my breath catches.
“Here?” Everett asks softly. “You want me here, baby?”
“Uh-huh,” I mutter.
I have two options when it comes to sleeping with Evie, and today, I don’t want to be vicious. I don’t want to fight back; I did enough of that yesterday.
Everett’s palm grazes my shaft, his skin creating a delicious friction that has me trembling, trying my hardest to refrain from making some obscene noise.
He grips me tightly, holding my hip with his other hand as I buck into him. “Shh, just relax. I’m going—”
The doorbell rings, and we freeze. Everett’s wide, startled eyes meet mine as his hand squeezes even more.
“S-shit!” I sneer.
The front door opens, and Henry’s voice filters through the apartment a moment later. “Wakey wakey, boys! Put your clothes on!”
Looks like we forgot to lock up last night.
Everett rips his hand from my briefs, an annoyed smile twisting his features. His voice is nothing but a whisper as he says, “Guess this will have to wait, pup.”
“Oh, you really are naked,” Henry adds, stepping into the bedroom with an amused expression.
Kelly stands behind him, her arms crossed.
“We aren’t naked,” Everett insists. “We have underwear on.”
“So… naked.”
As he climbs out of the bed, Everett slaps Henry upside the head before he grabs a pair of sweats, slipping them on. He throws a different pair onto the bed next to me as I hide under the blankets.
“Here, Sky.” He turns to our friends. “Come on, let’s go into the living room.”
And suddenly, I’m alone.
I dress quickly, skipping the venture to find a clean shirt so I can rejoin the group as fast as possible. Whatever it is that Kelly and Henry have to say about my arrest as a kid, or the blood that was on my hands yesterday, I want to be there to witness it.
As I stumble into the living room, I spot Everett sitting on the coffee table, facing our two friends who sit side by side on the couch.
“That was fast,” Henry comments, offering me a small smile as I approach Evie’s side.
“I guess,” I mumble.
The four of us settle into an awkward silence, and all the while, I can feel the weight of Kelly’s gaze settled on me. She’s staring, and staring hard.
“What?” I finally snap, frowning at her as her eyes narrow.
“I just… why didn’t you tell us?” she asks.
“Tell you what?”
She could be referencing mine and Evie’s relationship, or she could be referencing my past. I have no idea.
“About when you were young. Did you think we’d judge you or something?”
“Yeah,” Henry chimes in. “We know you’re grown up now. We know it was a long time ago.”
There is a tension building inside of me now. This is another one of those moments where I feel invisible; where I am tempted to stay hidden. They don’t understand me, and it’s not even their fault.
My fear of losing the people I love keeps me isolated. It brings me enough sorrow and guilt that I can feel them pulsing in my chest.
“I’m not… I’m not much different now,” I finally admit, and it feels like reaching out toward the sun, slowly easing myself into the light.
“What does that mean?” Kelly presses gently.
“It’s still inside of me,” I whisper.
“Skylar is fiercely overprotective and prideful,” Everett cuts in, and as I turn my head to catch his expression, I can see the stern look he’s giving our friends. “There is this part of him that feels joy in getting revenge on those who hurt him or his people. In inflicting that pain.”
He is daring them to judge me. The glint in his eyes is a clear warning: think through what you say next very carefully. Tread lightly.
“Oh,” Henry breathes out, his eyes darting around the room.
“It’s not that he wants to hurt everyone around him, or that he freaks out over little things—if that were the case, he wouldn’t be able to hide it,” Evie adds.
“I still don’t understand why you kept it from us, though,” Kelly says, and she looks genuinely hurt by it. By this secret I’ve kept.
“Have you never felt ashamed of something? Have you ever thought, ‘it might be best to keep this to myself?’” I ask, shaking where I stand next to the coffee table.
“I didn’t want… I didn’t want to amount to that.
I have so much more to offer than my anger, and I didn’t want that to be the first thing you guys saw when you looked at me. ”
Everett reaches out, grabbing my hand in his. “And our relationship was a secret because of my dad, obviously.”
Our friends take a moment to consider what I said, weighing the deceit against the logic of it all. Anxiety crawls up my throat, clogging my airway as I wait.
And finally, with a single determined nod, Kelly says, “Alright. I kind of get it. And we know now, so that’s all that matters.”
“And we still love you guys,” Henry interjects. “Clearly your relationship won’t affect the group, since you’ve been together for a while.”
Everett nods, squeezing my hand a bit tighter.
“We don’t care that you’re angry, Sky,” Kelly declares. “We don’t care that you’re a bit full of yourself. We love you, and it’s nice to trust those who love you. To confide in them.”
“Yeah,” I murmur, feeling a warmth grow inside of me as the anxiety recedes. “You’re right. Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize,” Everett interrupts. “You were protecting yourself. No one is mad at you.”
“Not at all,” Henry insists.
“Okay.”
Another silence overcomes us, but instead of the awkward tension from minutes ago, it is comfortable and soft. It’s reassuring.
Everett wraps an arm around my waist, pulling me into his lap. “See, pup? Everything’s okay. You’re fine.”
I’ve never enjoyed being babied before; I’m a man after all. But when he does it? It makes me want to cry, to crumble, to drink it down and choke on it.
I slump against him, tilting my head back onto his shoulder. “Okay.”
“We should go celebrate our victory!” Henry shouts, jumping up from the couch with a new burst of energy. “We should go to Angie’s!”
“Good idea,” Kelly says, standing alongside him. “Come on, lovebirds, let’s get breakfast.”
As they head for the front door, calling after us to get changed and meet them there, Everett tugs me tighter against him, his lips brushing the shell of my ear.
“Our previous activities will have to wait, it seems,” he mutters, his flat palm traveling lower over my stomach. “Think our friends will know you’re waiting for it? That you’re aching for me?”
My dick grows under the weight of his hand as he cups me, and I shudder as I say, “Don’t egg me on, Evie, or I won’t be able to commit to being good later.”
Everett laughs, standing us up before heading for the bedroom. “Perfect.”
I trail behind him, bathing in his lingering joy.
Everything is calm. Everything is as it should be—and I know this in how his soul is tethered to mine, forever guiding me back to him.