“And what? Some spy came back with him too so he’d keep dosing him with that? Yeah, right.” Jason would totally be up to something like that, but even he wasn’t stupid enough to disobey our father and break the deal like that. Besides, he’d never been alone with Aaron or able to reach him with all the guards around, and it wasn’t like Roberto was hiring new ones. “What about Roberto? He might have done it to control him, but maybe his plan backfired.”
Marco remained quiet as he looked down at Aaron, who let out a gasp. As soon as Aaron’s eyes cracked open, he focused on me.
“Go away! Leave me the fuck alone!” he yelled.
“Go outside!” Marco said. “I’ll take care of him. He’s not in his right mind.”
Aaron was still yelling at me, so I strode to the door. Before I completely closed it behind me, I waited for a moment. Aaron’s shouting ceased, and I shut the door before I could hear what Marco was saying to him in a hushed voice. I headed toward the door across from Aaron’s and found myself in a smaller dark room. Not willing to turn on the lights because that could draw the attention of the guards, I followed the trail of moonlight on the floor and sat down on the bed. Balling my hands into fists, I clawed at the covers, wishing I could just scream. Whoever had done this to Aaron would pay for it.
***
I had a feeling Aaron’s guards didn’t give a damn about what happened to him as long as they didn’t notice any intruders. Marco and I had stayed and used other rooms on the first floor for a few days and no one had even come near us. I was really glad most of the rooms had turned out to be soundproof. Sometimes I’d hear the guards talking downstairs when I was in the hallway, but they didn’t bother or dare to come up without Aaron’s permission.
Marco and I had been using the message app on Aaron’s phone to ensure they stayed as far as possible and didn’t send any cleaning staff or anyone. Marco had been the one taking care of Aaron, who I hadn’t seen at all because I didn’t want him to react adversely to my presence again. It was a good thing we had everything we needed up here, including food and a nice bathroom.
Marco poked his head through the door of the room I’d picked as mine. “He’s totally fine now. Wants to see you.”
“You sure?”
“Yep. The drug’s out of his system.” There were dark bags under Marco’s eyes from the lack of sleep, and his jaw was still a bit bruised. “He’s no longer throwing up and saying weird things.”
I breathed out a sigh of relief. “Does he know what he did?”
“Not all of it. He’s confused about what was real and what not. Do you want me to tell him or...?”
“Not yet. He needs time to process it all.” The last thing we needed was for Aaron to pull away from us, this time willingly. “But tell him if he wants to see me, he’ll have to let you tie him to a chair.”
Marco’s mouth fell open. “What?”
“You heard me. Did he tell you anything about how this drug got into his system or when it happened? He could be faking to get to me if he’s still a little confused about things.” I truly hoped he was back to himself, but I didn’t have the strength to deal with another one of his outbursts. We couldn’t know if he’d been given the drug after someone had shown him or told him something to manipulate him. If he still believed that to be true, then I wasn’t safe around him.
“Okay, I’ll tell him that.” Marco’s face was serious, and I was sure he’d come to the same conclusion as me. With all those guards just downstairs, we didn’t need Aaron to trap me and call them. Just because he hadn’t done that already didn’t mean his head was entirely clear, especially if he’d been under the influence of that drug for weeks. Marco immediately left, and when he came back a few minutes later, I looked up at him.
“He agreed. You can go see him now. He’s not going anywhere.”
“Okay.” I got up from the bed. My stomach did a nervous flip as I made my way to Aaron’s room. All I wanted was to see those blue eyes looking at me without coldness in them. As soon as I entered the room, I locked the door behind me and turned around. Aaron was sitting in a wooden chair, his hands tied behind him. He was wearing dark blue pants and a white shirt with its top two buttons undone. A shy smile broke out on his face, and a surge of desire shot through my core, making me bit my lip. No, I couldn’t think right now about how fuckable he was tied down like this, his dark hair messy, his eyes a warm blue.
“Octavia,” he said softly as I made my way toward him on shaky legs. “I’m so sorry. I...”
I bent down and lowered my lips to his, stopping just a breath away. “Is my Aaron back?”
“Yes,” he breathed, and I closed the distance between us. My mouth collided with his, my tongue pushing its way into his mouth. He tasted like mint.
“Thank God.” I caressed his cheek as I pulled away. “What happened to you?”
“I... I don’t know.” His gaze dropped to the floor.
“Come on, you have to know something. You must have felt strange. Do you remember when that started to happen?” I took a seat on the bed across from him and crossed my legs.
“I’m not sure. Weeks ago. My mind was hazy, and I was seeing things as if... as if I was just watching what someone else was doing. I started seeing you... everywhere, and I was afraid my father would find out how I felt about you, so I tried to...”
“Get me away from you. So back in that club...”
His brow furrowed.
“When we danced,” I added. “I had a wig and contacts, but I thought you’d recognize me...”
“I thought that was just my imagination playing tricks on me.”
“And Marco? Why did you send him away?”
“I didn’t know when he was really with me and when he was just... a product of my mind, so if I said something to any version of Marco, someone wrong might overhear me. Sometimes my mind cleared a bit, so when I was sure it was really him, I told him to stay away.”
“And that went on for weeks without you being able to realize what was going on or stopping it?” I folded my arms, squinting my eyes at him as if that could help me decipher if he was telling the truth. “You have to remember when you ingested the drug. Didn’t you have more of those moments of clarity?”
He sighed, his gaze lifting to mine. “Some moments were clearer than the others, but... I don’t know. My father insisted I stay with him for lunch and dinner, but I don’t know if anyone else was around me to...”
“Your father did this! He must have put the drug in your food or drink.”
A look of shock crossed Aaron’s face and his eyes went cold again, but this time it was just him guarding his emotions again. I was sure it came naturally to him. “Why would he...?”
“I don’t know. To get rid of Marco and me... Although he’s not supposed to know about me. But if he sent you here now... No one came up here to even check on you...” Had Roberto’s plan backfired or had he tested a new drug on Aaron despite the risks? Had Aaron’s reactions convinced Roberto he should stop, so he’d brought Aaron here? But why leave him unsupervised to go through a withdrawal? “Maybe he expected you to say something? Tested you? Why did he even send all those guards with you everywhere?”
“We’ll think about that later,” he said. “You need to get out of here before someone sees you. I can’t believe you stayed here for... How long has it been?” He tilted his head, his brow furrowing.
“A few days, and no one has come to this floor. Relax. Your guards have no reason to come now, and if they do, you can just shoo them away.” I got to my feet. “I should probably untie you now.” Maybe we didn’t have all the answers, but Aaron was definitely himself again.
“Maybe you shouldn’t.” He gave me a long look through his eyelashes, and my lips parted as I stared at him.
“What?” My voice was a little husky.
“Do you think I didn’t just see you fidgeting on that bed?” He flexed his arms as much as the bonds allowed it.
“I wasn
’t...” I clamped my mouth shut. Oh, hell, what was the point in lying now? “You need to recover. I’m not going to take advantage of you while you still might be under the influence of something.”
“But I’m not. And you can’t take advantage of me if that’s what I want you to do.” He lowered his voice. “I missed you.”
“Don’t...” I wanted to tear my gaze off him, but I couldn’t.
He slowly licked his upper lip. My breath got caught in my chest, and I inched closer to him, aware that my panties were already wet. Why did he have to be so damn attractive? I grabbed his chin, my nails digging into his skin, then bent my head, pressing my mouth to his with an almost bruising force. He gasped, and when I looked down, his erection was straining against his jeans.
“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” I asked, and he nodded a little too quickly. “Okay, then.” Pulling away from him, I straightened my back and flashed him a wicked smile. In this whole mess, seeing him smile back at me was finally something that felt normal. It was just him and me. Everything else around us ceased to exist.
I padded over to one of the drawers and pulled out a black tie, stretching it between my fingers. When I returned to him, he was watching me, his lips parted. “Close your eyes,” I said, and when he obeyed, I covered his eyes with the tie and fastened it at the back of his head.
My fingers slid down his cheek and I pressed my thumb against his lips. He opened his mouth, letting my thumb slide inside and twirled his tongue around it, sucking gently.
“Stop,” I said, and let my hands roam up and down his chest. As I unbuttoned his shirt, I lowered my head and planted soft kisses on his skin above each button I undid. I tugged his shirt open and ran my tongue around his nipple. A gasp escaped his throat as I moved up his body and sucked on the tender skin on his neck. Fire spread through every inch of my body as I admired the red mark I’d left. Mine. My Aaron was back.
I quickly pulled my shirt over my head, slipped out of my jeans, and tossed everything, my underwear included, to the floor. Aaron’s chest was barely moving, and I had a feeling he was holding his breath so he’d be able to hear what I was doing. A jolt of desire surged through my lower stomach. He was probably picturing me naked.
Getting down on my knees in front of him, I unzipped his pants. He hissed as I reached inside his underwear and wrapped my fingers around his hard cock, tugging it out. I closed my mouth around the tip, pressing my tongue against him. His body tensed as he struggled not to lift his hips. I loved the way his bound arms flexed as I trailed my tongue up and down his length, my hand cupping his balls and squeezing lightly.
“Octavia,” he whispered.
“Shh.” I got to my feet, running my finger teasingly up his shaft, then curling my fingers into a fist around him. Straddling his right knee, I buried my free hand into his hair and tugged on his cock. I brought my lips to his, shoving my tongue into his mouth and kissing him until we ended up gasping for breath. Arching my back toward him, I guided his head to my breast and his mouth eagerly closed around my nipple, sucking and licking.
My hand on his cock moved quicker and quicker, making him groan. But just as he was close to the edge, I let go.
“Please,” he said. “Take me inside you.”
“Not yet.” I started grinding against his leg, enjoying the friction. Aaron sucked in a breath, his cock twitching. My breathing quickened as I painfully gripped his hair and bucked my hips faster and faster until my pleasure spilled over and I let out a loud moan.
“God, Octavia,” Aaron muttered under his breath. “Take me. Please.” His voice held a hint of desperation, as if he didn’t think he could hold off for a moment longer.
“When you ask so nicely...” I pushed myself up to my feet. “Pull your legs closer together.”
He did as told as I went to grab a condom from one of the drawers. My hand wrapped around his thickness as I rolled on the condom, and then I positioned myself above him. As I eased down on him as slowly as possible, he let out a growl. The fullness of him inside me created a fire that spread through my veins, and I started to gently rock my hips, holding onto him.
As he pushed his hips up toward me, I leaned my head to whisper into his ear. “Don’t come until I tell you to.”
His whole body shuddered, then his hips went still, his chest heaving. “I don’t... I...”
“Yes, you can. For me.” I stopped moving, just letting myself feel his throbbing cock inside me. Aaron gritted his teeth as I slid myself up and down again. “Not yet,” I warned, quickening my movements. My pleasure built and built, and a moment before a wave of ecstasy overcame me, I closed my hand around Aaron’s throat, forcing his head back. “Now,” I said, and thrust hard against him.
We both cried out, and I rode him until his cock stopped pulsating inside me. A shudder ran through my body and I collapsed against him, resting my head on his shoulder.
“Octavia,” he said softly, and I tugged at the tie until it fell away. Aaron’s warm blue eyes were staring back at me, and I captured his lips with mine, giving him a slow and deep kiss. Getting to my feet, my knees still weak, I went around him to release his hands. His arms had to be aching by now. The skin of his wrists was red and raw, and I rubbed it gently, planting a soft kiss on each of the welts before allowing him to move his arms.
“Thank you,” he said as he got to his feet and turned toward me.
“What for?” A smile tilted my lips.
“Not giving up on me.”
Closing the distance between us, I pulled him into a hug. “I don’t give up easily.” I gave him a swat on the ass. “Don’t you dare think I’d ever abandon you just like that.” The smile on his face and the peaceful look in his eyes made me grin. All I knew was that I didn’t want to separate from him ever again.
Chapter 13
A soft moan woke me up and it took me a moment to realize Aaron was sleeping next to me. We were in the bed in his room and I couldn’t even recall when we’d gone to sleep. I must have dozed off while we’d been cuddling and enjoying the peace and quiet.
“Aaron,” I said quietly, placing my hand on his shoulder. His body jerked away from me, and he rolled over, his eyes flying open. “Hey, it’s okay,” I said. “It was just a dream.”
He sat up, his breathing heavy, and lowered his head into his hands. “Did I...?” His eyes focused on me as he glanced over his shoulder. “Did I kill three guards?”
I dipped my head. “Four, actually.”
He started to get up, but I caught his arm, pulling him toward me.
“Aaron, wait.”
He let me draw him back onto the bed, his face turning expressionless. Shit.
I placed my hand on his cheek. “You were under the influence of a drug. You didn’t know what you were doing. Just like when you attacked Marco and me.”
“No.” He swallowed hard, his eyes an icy blue. “I pulled the trigger because I wanted to.”
“Why? Why would you do that?” I didn’t let him pull away.
“I don’t know. I got mad about something.” He shrugged.
“Did anyone suggest you should do that? Your father maybe?” I settled against the pillows, my back resting against the headboard, and took Aaron’s hand.
“I don’t... They were trying to... They wanted me to... I don’t know. It was something I didn’t want to do or didn’t feel like doing.” A frown creased his brow, and I squeezed his hand.
“It’s okay. Maybe you’ll remember later.” I pulled him closer until he lowered his head onto my lap. He curled on his side, and I slid my fingers into his hair, playing gently with the soft strands.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” He placed his hand on my leg. “Marco didn’t tell me either.”
“It wasn’t the right moment.”
“You were afraid I was going to do something stupid.” There was a hint of bitterness in his voice.
“No. We just didn’t want to taint your memory of what really happened. You know how
powerful suggestions can be. If we told you what everyone says, then you’d believe it and it would be become true. We weren’t even there, so we can’t know what really happened.” I let my hand slide down his back. “We still need to figure out what to do now that you’re fine again and find out who drugged you and why.”
“You have to leave. I don’t know why the guards didn’t come to check on me, despite the messages.”
“I guess receiving messages from you was fine enough for them.” Although, it was a little strange they hadn’t at least come once to this floor. Sure, I’d sent them messages forbidding them from coming, but I hadn’t expected them to obey. Unless they’d come when none of us could’ve heard them, but one of us had usually been keeping watch just in case. Everything Aaron could’ve possibly needed was on this floor, and if the guards were sure there weren’t any intruders, then they weren’t worried about his safety. If he’d wanted something, he would’ve told them.
“That’s strange. They were always following me everywhere, and I’m not even sure they followed my orders.”
“Wait, why did your father send all of them with you? To protect you or to provoke you into doing something?” Two or three guards would’ve been more than enough, and there had been only one with Aaron in the club when I was with him, but later there was a whole group coming out. I didn’t understand where they’d been and why they hadn’t kept an eye on Aaron if they were supposed to be his protection. “You wouldn’t need so many guards.”
“I think he said something about me not being capable of taking care of myself. That it was my fault I’d almost gotten killed.”
“Then he’d just keep you with him. Why let you go out? Do you think someone else drugged you in your father’s house and he simply didn’t notice?” If Marco and I had realized something was wrong, then surely Roberto would figure it out too. Maybe the Viteris had a traitor in their midst somehow. “Is it possible it was someone else who did that to you?”
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