STORY EXCERPT

I’d heard what Mick had said to Sark, trying to keep my emotions under control as I instructed other wrath demons on what to do. My heart broke as the man I’d loved for so long walked to the elevator in such defeat we all felt it. I watched Mick stare off into space as the elevator doors closed and he went upstairs.

“Shit!” Sark swore as he turned to me. “Will you go check on him in a little while? He’s dying inside and I don’t think he should be alone very long.”

“I agree,” I said with a nod. The food Cal ordered arrived then and I helped them bring it all in before I went after Mick.

Swiping my keycard and pushing the button for Mick’s apartment, I chastised myself yet again for not having seen Alex’s betrayal before this. I’d been so busy licking my own wounds that Mick had once again taken another lover that wasn’t me, I’d been oblivious.

“Stop! It was all lies, please,” I heard Mick wail from the bathroom and I froze. Did I really have the right to intrude on his breakdown? Or would it be worse to leave him alone in his grief?

I moved closer to his room as I heard him be ill over and over again. All I wanted to do was go to him and tell him how much I loved him. Explain that he didn’t need Alex, that I was right there and wanted him more than air.

“Stupid, stupid fucker. How could you be so fucking stupid to think anyone could ever love you?” Mick screamed as I felt tears burning in my eyes.

Making my decision that it was better he not be alone, I raced to his side. I skidded to a halt in the doorway of the bathroom at the scene before me. Mick’s hands were profusely bleeding as he slammed one fist into the tiles below him and another into his temple.

“Mick, don’t,” I whispered as I knelt before him and held on to his wrists. “Don’t do this to yourself, baby.”

“I thought I finally found someone to love me for who I was,” Mick sobbed, not really seeing me.

I love you for who you are, I wanted to scream. Right then wasn’t the time and I knew it. Instead I pulled his naked, shaking body onto my lap and kept him from hurting himself. I stood up and brought him over to his bed. Laying him down, I went back into the bathroom to get a few towels and wet washcloths.

When I returned, Mick was slamming both fists into his head again as he mumbled to stop. I wasn’t sure what he needed to stop, but punching himself in the face wasn’t the answer. Gently, I grabbed each wrist and pinned him to the bed until he calmed down. Mick kept screaming as he fought me.

I went with plan B and pinned both of his hands above his head as I wrapped a wet towel around them, trying to stop the bleeding. It was then that I saw what he’d done to his beautiful face. He had cuts all over his face, he’d broken his nose, and both of his eyes were swelling shut. With my other hand I started to wipe away the blood as tears burned in my eyes.

“Mick, please, baby, you have to calm down,” I whispered, begging him to stop.

Instead he screamed louder, this time without words as his body twisted in pain. I’d just mopped up the blood on his face when he thrashed so violently I heard his shoulder dislocate. Instantly I let go of his wrists and he went to hit himself again. I urgently thought of what to do, anything to make this better. The only option I came up with hurt me even worse than watching him scream in anguish.

I moved his arms along his body and then straddled his much smaller body, pinning them to his sides. This was not how I’d pictured finally having Mick naked under me. I leaned over and wiped away more blood from his face as he cried out, staring at me without seeing. Then suddenly he froze as I cupped his cheek.

“Alex?” he whispered as he looked into my eyes and I felt it like a dagger. “But I killed you. How are you here?”

“Mick, it’s Beck, baby,” I answered once I could find my voice.

“Why, Alex? Why would you do this to me? I loved you and you swore you loved me,” Mick whimpered as his eyes filled with more tears. “Was a million dollars really what it cost for you to pretend you loved me?”

“I love you for free, Mick,” I admitted and then wanted to kick myself. He wasn’t seeing me. He was so swarmed with grief he was seeing Alex. And Alex didn’t love him for free. “It’s Beck, Mick. Alex is gone.”

“Beck?” he asked, his eyebrows scrunching together as he hissed in pain. “Beck doesn’t even like me. He’d never be here.”

I stared down at him with my jaw hanging open. All of these decades I thought Mick knew I loved him and pushed me away. And the truth was he thought I didn’t like him.

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” I said, shaking my head to try and clear it as thoughts of my stupidity hit me. “None of it matters anymore, Mick. I’m here now and we’ll get through this.”

“No, it doesn’t matter anymore. You’re right about that, Alex,” Mick whispered as he looked past me as if I wasn’t there. “I should have died with you. It’s what I deserve and any desire to live went away when you did.”

ADULT EXCERPT

“Are you going to really take over my contract?” Beck asked. I turned to look at him and he pinned me against the living room wall with his larger frame. “Don’t tease me with this, Mick. You know how much I want this.”

“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “I want to but I’m not sure I’m ready for it.” I felt tears burn in my eyes. “Either way we couldn’t call it that. I can’t go back to being some poser Dom, but I also won’t bottom again anytime soon.”

“We can work it out for whatever you need but you want me to come back to work and fix your mess then I want you to seriously take over my contract,” he whispered as he moved closer to me. “I’ll bottom. I’ll suck your cock if that’s all you can handle. I just want you to keep my contract for the next five and a half months and really try. If it doesn’t work out, then the contract is up, and I’ll go, making sure Nolan can handle being in charge.”

“I don’t want you to leave at the end if I can’t give you what you need from a relationship,” I whimpered as I rubbed against him. “That’s too much pressure on me, Beck.”

“And I’m sorry for that but these are my terms. If you say no then I’m still gone. I’ve given everything to this club and to try and be the man you need. I can’t keep watching from the sidelines. For once in my life I’m putting myself and what I want first. So say yes, and we can work out the terms to what you can handle, and I’ll take over with work tonight. Or I leave.”

I said the only thing I could when his hands were on my ass and rubbing my groin against his thigh. “Yes, Beck. I’ll take over your contract.”

“Let’s suck on it,” he purred and lowered himself to his knees. I gasped as his clever fingers flicked open my fly and cool air hit my hot and hard dick. “What do I call you? You don’t like ‘master.’”

“You’ll come up with something I’m sure,” I moaned as he stroked me. “Get it in your mouth before I come and swallow all of it.” He shivered and immediately put my cock to his lips, sucking me into his warm, wet mouth. “Fuuuuck, Beck.”

He looked up at me with begging eyes and I knew what he wanted. I grabbed his hair a little roughly and started thrusting. He groaned and I felt it vibrate up my cock.

“Finger my hole and tug my sac,” I growled as I kept going faster and faster. This wasn’t about feeding, so I didn’t need Beck to orgasm. This was about him knowing I wanted him and giving him what he needed… My pleasure.

I roared as I came, shooting deep down his throat, shaking from the force of it until I almost collapsed. Beck pulled off my spent, but still-hard cock, and yanked me onto his lap as he sat back on his feet. I just about purred and snuggled against him.

“Would you like more, my sweet don?” he asked as his hands tried to map out my whole body.

“Don? I like it,” I giggled and then froze. “Did I just giggle? Holy shit!”

“I’ve never heard you make that noise before,” Beck said hesitantly. “Should I be glad or worried?”

“I feel more relaxed and sated than I have in so long,” I admitted with a tone of awe. “Nothing’s weighing me down until I’m on the verge of spinning out of control and shutting down again.”

“May I see if I can make it even better, my sweet don?” His hand moved down my stomach and brushed the tops of my open jeans.

“Yes,” I hissed as I pushed his hand down further. “Jack me off.” Then I had a better idea. I jumped up from his lap, got completely naked before lounging back across him. “Now jack me off, saying dirty things to me, and if you’re really good, I’ll make sure to make you scream and orgasm until the sun comes up after work.”

“Oh, my sweet don,” he moaned as he buried his face in my neck. His hand wrapped around my cock and he started working it slowly. “You have such an impressive cock. So fat and long, with that thick vein that throbs when it’s hard that I just want to lick.”

“Faster,” I panted, squirming in his lap. “And kiss me.”

“Gladly,” Beck growled and his lips mashed down to mine.