“What do you want to know?” he finally said, his voice so low I barely heard him.
“Everything,” I said. “Why would you do...? Did your father...?”
“It was my fault,” he said. “I don’t know why I...” He ran a hand over his face. “I don’t remember. I...”
“What do you mean you don’t remember?”
“I took something. One of my father’s guards offered me some kind of a drug. He said it would help me relax, and I hated my father’s parties, so I was hoping it would help me get through the night. My father just nodded, and I... I was stupid enough to take it. All I remember was feeling warm and after that... Nothing. Until I woke up the next morning and my father showed me the video.”
Now I understood why Marco had said Aaron would never take any drug willingly. Not ever again after that. “Your father manipulated you, didn’t he?” I asked. “His guards wouldn’t just randomly offer drugs to their boss’ son, and in front of him...”
Aaron shook his head. “Probably. Marco was at that party too. He said my father was saying things to me and might have influenced me to do... But I didn’t have to accept the damn drug. It was my fault. I should’ve known better. And that drug... I don’t even know what it was. What if all it did was reveal what I’m really capable of?”
“You didn’t know what you were doing. I know that doesn’t change what happened, but... that’s not the real you. Trust me. Why did your father have that recorded anyway? Why would he even want you to do that in front of him and...” My lips twisted in disgust. Not only did it look like Roberto had set up his son so he’d take the drug and think it was safe, but he’d also watched his son rape a girl and had it filmed. That was beyond sick.
“That was my fault too. I wasn’t careful with what I was searching on the Internet. I should’ve known my father would be watching my every move, but I was curious and...”
“What does your browsing history have to do with anything?” A frown line creased my brow. I was seriously failing to see the connection and how that could’ve been Aaron’s fault. “Wait. How old were you when this happened?”
“I was sixteen. I was searching for a particular type of porn...” His eyes briefly lifted to mine. “I always liked the idea of being tied up by a beautiful woman. My father thought there was something wrong with me, so he tried to... convince me that I was like him. He kept offering girls and his slaves to me, but I always refused, and the only reason that girl was there was because he wanted me to change my mind. I didn’t even find out he’d been going through my browsing history until after that video... He thought what I’d done was enough proof that I had defeated my weakness and that I was the man he wanted me to be.”
“Oh, God.” As if I didn’t hate Roberto enough already. That man had been a true monster. “What happened to that girl?” I asked before I could stop myself, although being Roberto’s slave usually never ended well. But I needed to know.
“Marco saved her.”
A wave of relief overcame me. “Marco? How did he do that?”
Aaron was quiet for a few moments as he stared down at the scar on his wrist. “The girl was one of my father’s slaves, so she stayed with him for a few more weeks until he got bored of her. Marco overheard my father’s guards talking about disposing of her and he told me about it. We came up with a plan and Marco told the guards there was a change of plan and that someone else would take care of the girl. Luckily, it was the day when my father was receiving a new shipment, so the guards were needed elsewhere and they didn’t really care about the girl. Marco wasn’t in my father’s good graces at that time, so he wasn’t on guard duty, and he was able to get her out of there and return her to her family. It’s a good thing my father never found out. He was too distracted being angry that I insisted on having Marco as my personal bodyguard.”
“Yeah, that was really fortunate, but why did your father dislike Marco so much?” As the son of one of Roberto’s most loyal and trusted bodyguards, I thought Roberto would have preferred Marco over some unknown guard. “Didn’t Marco, like, grow up with you? Was it because he was young?” I couldn’t find another explanation except that Marco was probably too young or too inexperienced at that time to take on such an important duty.
Aaron took a shuddery breath. “That was my fault. Marco lied to protect me and got himself in trouble. I shouldn’t have let him do that, but he saved my life and...”
“If he saved your life, then surely your father would agree that...”
“My father didn’t know. He thought it was Marco who’d put me in danger.”
“How come?” I wanted to reach out and touch him, but it seemed he was more comfortable as he was and I didn’t want him to change his mind about talking to me.
He raised his left arm, turning his scar toward me. “After my father showed me that video, I was... I didn’t know how to deal with that and... I went to my room, grabbed my knife, and... I didn’t know what I was doing.” He swallowed hard, lowering his arm. “I just wanted it all to end. There was one thing I forgot. I didn’t lock the door, and Marco... He was still very new, and his father sent him to tell me something... Anyway, he didn’t knock and he found me just as I was...” A small smile quirked his lips. “I guess my father was right about one thing: I can never do anything right.”
“Don’t say that.” A lump had formed in my throat and my eyes were getting teary.
“I wanted Marco to leave me alone. He was just a guard and we weren’t even friends or anything back then. I thought he’d just leave, but he didn’t. I told him about what I’d done to that girl and that he should let me die, but he said there were still things I could do... to help. To help that girl and the others my father took, and... he gave me hope. The cut was bleeding a lot, but I was lucky I didn’t sever any nerves or tendons. I was taken to a hospital and Marco refused to leave my side. When my father found out, he was furious. But before I could say anything, Marco was apologizing to my father for hurting me. He said we’d been playing with knives and that it had all been an accident. I didn’t expect my father to believe that... but I guess he just preferred to think I was still the son he wanted.”
He sighed. “If he’d found out what I’d tried to do, he would’ve killed me himself for being so weak. He pulled out his gun and would’ve killed Marco right then and there if Marco’s father hadn’t been such a loyal guard to him, and I pleaded with him not to do it and agreed with Marco about it all being just an accident, that I hadn’t been careful enough, and that the whole idea had been mine to begin with. Then he lowered the gun and yelled at me for being stupid. He still wanted to punish Marco, so once we were all back home, he whipped him. Marco and I never told anyone the truth, and after that, we became inseparable. That pissed my father off to no end, but Marco proved himself to be a good bodyguard, so he finally allowed it.”
“Aaron...”
“I got a bit smarter after that and learned to hide my thoughts and feelings from my father and everyone else even better than before.” His warm blue eyes searched mine, and there was something else in them... hesitation or maybe fear. I’d never seen him look at me like that. His body was perfectly still, and I had a feeling he was waiting for me to get up and leave. “Pretending became so easy. Maybe it isn’t all pretense. I don’t know. Sometimes I’m not sure myself who I am.”
I couldn’t just sit there any longer. Lowering myself to the floor, I wound my arms around him and pulled him to me. He flinched a little, but I didn’t intend to let him go, just drew him closer. His head rested against my chest as we rocked lightly back and forth. I had a loving family, and I couldn’t even begin to imagine how it must have been for Aaron not to be able to talk to anyone about everything that had happened and to keep all those emotions bottled up.
His father had even made him think there was something wrong with him because of the way he felt about things. I wished I could resurrect Roberto so I could kill him again. “I know who you are. Your fath
er was wrong about you, and what he did to you... It wasn’t your fault. You trusted him and he failed you. Again and again.”
He pulled back and a tear slid down his cheek. “You don’t understand. There’s darkness inside me. Normal people don’t turn into monsters just because they took some drug, but I do. All of it has to stem from somewhere. Drugs just expose it. My father knew that or he wouldn’t have drugged me in hopes I’d go after you and kill you.”
“No.” I wiped his cheek. “You’re not a monster. Monsters don’t feel anything for anyone other than themselves. They don’t feel guilt or remorse. Your father thought you were repressing your real self and that the drugs brought it out, but I don’t think that’s true. You were hiding your anger and everything you were feeling under a tight mask all the time, and once you lost control, it all burst out in a twisted way. Your father was there to whisper all the right things into your ear. That’s all. He could’ve told you she wanted you to do that.”
“I don’t know.” He raised his eyes to the ceiling. “I spent so many days trying to remember, but I couldn’t.”
“But what happened didn’t turn you into who your father wanted you to be. It didn’t free in you a desire or teach you to find pleasure in hurting women. Quite the contrary, you wanted to help and you only pretended in front of your father so he wouldn’t force you to do something like that to anyone again. In a way, you were a victim too.”
“I wish that was true.” He took my hand and placed a soft kiss on my palm.
“You’ll see I’m right. Your father’s gone, and you don’t have to hide or pretend to be who you’re not. You can just be you. I know it’ll take some time for you to get used to that, but you have me. And I won’t let you pull away from me, okay?” I offered him a small smile.
He nodded, and I dipped my lips to his, parting them with my tongue. As he kissed me back, my fingers trailed to the back of his neck and slipped into his soft hair. I pressed my nose against his, gasping for breath.
“I’m sorry you had to find out this way,” he said. “I just... I didn’t want to tell you. I was afraid I’d lose you and I couldn’t...”
“Shh.” I pressed my finger over his lips. “It’s okay. I understand.”
His eyes flickered in surprise.
“I’m just glad you finally told me. Let’s get on the bed. The floor’s cold, and I just want to hold you for a while.” We rose to our feet, and I took his hand and guided him onto the bed. As we settled onto the soft, blue pillows, he leaned his head on my chest, his arm snaking around my waist, his leg hooking over mine. I tugged at the covers and pulled them over us, then planted a soft kiss on the top of his head. He snuggled as close as possible to me, and I knew that his place was right here in my arms.
Chapter 5
“We should get out of bed,” Aaron mumbled into my hair as he shifted behind me, his arm wound around my waist. “I have work to do, and I’m sure your family will want to see you.” We’d stayed at the house for a day longer, unwilling to deal with anything else. I didn’t even remember when we’d gotten back to bed. All I knew was that we’d been watching a TV show marathon that had left us exhausted.
I turned around in his embrace and scowled. “But I don’t want to go anywhere. And I called my family like four hours ago. They’ll be fine without me.” In fact, I recalled switching off my phone after that, because I really didn’t want anything to disturb my time with Aaron.
Besides, after everything that had happened, we needed rest and some time just for us. Leading the Viteris’ business wouldn’t be easy, and we still didn’t know how Sebastian fit into the picture. And just for a while, I didn’t want to think about any of that. Not about the past or the future. There was just us. Here and now. And nothing else.
“Octavia...” Aaron brushed a finger against my cheek. “I don’t want to go anywhere either, but if I start avoiding my responsibilities, I’m afraid I’m not going to have many supporters left.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Bah. What are they going to do? Choose a guy they don’t even know over you? If they’re such idiots, let them. Who cares?”
“You know it’s not that simple.” His face became serious.
“I know, but can’t you just humor me for a few more hours? Maybe it’s stupid and selfish, but I don’t really care if everything burns to the ground right now. Look at the life we lead. We could end up dead at any moment, because I’m sure there’ll never be a shortage of enemies or power thirsty people. Can’t we just enjoy this and forget about everything else? Just a few more hours? Please?” I batted my eyelashes at him.
He bit down on his lip, and I pushed myself up and tossed aside the covers. Climbing on top of him, I pressed my hand firmly against his bare chest.
“We should...” he started to say, but I placed my finger over his lips.
“I wasn’t asking,” I said, lowering myself down his body. A hiss escaped his throat as I slipped my hand into his underwear and cupped his cock.
“Octa...”
“I’m just taking what’s mine, Aaron. I’m sure you don’t really want to argue that.” A wicked smile crossed my lips, and I felt him grow hard in my grasp.
He shook his head, reaching out for me, but I swatted his hand away.
“No, don’t touch. Don’t move unless I tell you to, got it?”
“Yes.” His warm eyes filled with anticipation, his lips parted slightly.
“Good.” I let go of him and pulled my purple nightgown over my head, then threw it to the floor. Aaron’s hungry gaze was fixated on my breasts and his breath hitched when I lay down, lifted my legs, and slid off my panties, exposing myself to him.
“Please let me taste you,” he said.
“Only if you’re a good boy.” I was on my hands and knees, stalking toward him like a predator. I loved the way he was looking at me. When I was on top of him, I let my breasts brush against his cock and up his stomach. I brought my mouth down to his, hard, and sucked on his lower lip. A soft moan that escaped him was the sweetest music to my ears. His hands found their way up my thighs, caressing and teasing. “What did I say about touching me?”
“But you like it.” He gave me a naughty grin.
“You’ve got a point, but we’ll have to do something about that, because you won’t be able to control yourself when I do with you what I intend to.”
His thick shaft twitched just at my words. Oh, he had no idea what I had in mind for him, but I was sure he was going to enjoy it. Pushing myself up, I got to my feet and padded over to one of the drawers. It took me a moment to find a pair of fluffy red cuffs I had hidden under a pile of clothes and I could feel Aaron’s intense gaze on me.
I dangled the cuffs from my hand, then returned to him. He offered me his wrists without me even having to ask, and I first put a cuff on one wrist, pulled the chain and the other cuff around the metal headboard rail, then fastened his other wrist. When I was sure he wouldn’t be able to break free, I traced my fingers across the taut muscles of his arms.
“Is that comfortable enough?” I asked.
“Yeah.” He tugged at the cuffs and they didn’t seem to cause him any pain. Perfect. After climbing back on the bed, I bent my head, and Aaron jerked back a little as my hair tickled his thighs. I lowered my mouth to his hard length, closing my lips around the tip. My tongue danced around him, moving up and down, and each time I slid him a bit deeper into my mouth. The cuffs rattled as he strained against them, and I looked up at him as he threw his head against the pillows, his lips parting.
I ran my hand up and down his thigh, then let it slide to his balls, massaging gently. He grunted, and just as he raised his head to look at me, I licked up and down his cock and flicked my tongue over his balls.
“Octavia,” he choked out, his body starting to shudder.
I let go of him just at the right moment, pulling back to make sure I wasn’t touching his throbbing shaft, which leaked only a little white liquid. Aaron lifted his hips off the bed and
groaned, part in pleasure, part in frustration, his muscles flexing as he futilely tried to continue his ruined orgasm. A thrill surged through my body, and I slipped two of my fingers into my wetness as I watched him buck his hips.
“I didn’t say you could come,” I said, driving my fingers inside me faster and faster. “Relax.”
His chest heaved and he took a shuddery breath. “What are you doing to me?”
“Wasn’t that amazing?” I gasped out as my finger brushed against my clit.
“Yeah. Oh, God.” He must have thought something like this wasn’t even possible.
I pulled out my fingers just before tipping myself over, and it took all of my willpower not to rub myself against Aaron’s leg. My insides pulsated as I wrapped my hand around Aaron’s cock again and slid it up and down, making him rock hard almost instantly. I gently squeezed his balls and trailed my finger behind them.
“O...”
I let go of him and just watched his muscles ripple. He was so damn beautiful and so completely mine. The headboard seemed to shake as his body tried to rip free of his restraints.
“I told you, Aaron, your body’s mine to command.” I flashed him a wicked grin, heat spreading through my body as his eyes met mine.
“Please let me come,” he said.
“When you ask so nicely...” I hopped to my feet to grab a condom, and Aaron seemed to hold his breath as I rolled it on his shaft. Positioning myself over him, I guided him to my slickness. We both groaned as I slowly slid myself onto him, the tension inside me building up almost instantly. I started to rock my hips, and Aaron closed his eyes for a moment, lost in the sensations.
He thrust his hips up and I arched my back, meeting him stroke for stroke. The world seemed to undo and redo itself right in front of my eyes as I clamped around him, feeling him quiver inside me.
Hers to Love Page 3
