Iniquity (Dahlia Saga Book 5)

by Natalie Bennett

  “I don’t think people marry as a sign of ownership.”

  “My dick committed to only her pussy is a sign of ownership.”

  I turned my chair so that I was no longer facing him, glancing at the folder still on my desk before dropping my head back. I stared up the ceiling, rubbing my jaw.

  I’d thought of getting Helena a ring before. I wasn’t sure how she’d feel about being a bride, if she gave a shit about something like that at all. Either way, her having my last name would mean a lot to me. Ethan too now that I thought about it.

  Ethan’s laughter indicated he’d moved closer. Not a full second later he was in front of my chair, staring down at me. “This possessive thing suits you.”

  “It’s not about that,” I replied, letting my eyes drift lazily over him.

  He placed his hands on either side of my body, caging me in. A smirk settled on the left side of his face. “Liar.”

  “First mood swings, now this. You’re starting to piss me off. As a matter of fact, I have a better way you can use your mouth.”

  I reached up and gripped the back of his neck, forcing him down to his knees.

  “The dominant thing suits you too.” He laughed and reached for my belt, never passing up an opportunity to suck my dick. It was beneficial to both of us. I got to watch the man I loved make me come, and he got to swallow something he couldn’t get enough of.

  After undoing the buckle, he reached for the zipper on my slacks and eased it down, running a hand over my hardening length. Without a word, keeping his gaze locked on me, he freed my dick from my briefs and began to play with it. He teased the tip using his hands and mouth, skimming his lips over a vein.

  I adjusted in my seat, spreading my legs a bit further apart. The leather chair creaked; the noise nearly covered by my groan.

  “Your cock is huge,” he murmured.

  I grinned. “I know.”

  “Smartass,” he snipped, picking up the intensity.

  He began to create a rhythm, still not sucking me into his mouth. Gripping me tight, he teased the rim of my head, and worked his way down, licking from my taint, teasing my balls, and slowly coming back up.

  “Ethan,” I growled. Out of patience, I grabbed a fistful of his brown hair and forced my dick between his lips.

  I eased his head down until I hit the back of his throat. He gagged around me, but knew better than to fight it, choosing to wrap his fist tighter and pump as he sucked.

  I moaned, partially to encourage him, mostly because his mouth felt fucking amazing.

  His tongue worked at the same, steady tempo as our hands did, sweeping over my taint whenever I let him up for air.

  “I’m going to come,” I rasped, tightening my grip on his hair.

  He kept his same, steady rhythm, sucking me as if his life depended on it. My dick spasmed, sending spurts of come shooting straight down his eager throat. He continued to suck until I was fully done, giving one last swirl around the rim of my dick before removing it with an exaggerated pop of his lips.

  I loosened my hold on and smoothed down his soft strands I’d messed, allowing him to slightly lean back.

  I could’ve stared at him for hours on end, just like this, with remnants of my come smeared across his lips.

  He still looked as good as he did when I first saw him my freshman year of high school.

  “What about you?” I reached out and stroked the side of his cheek, feeling the skin smooth beneath the pad of my thumb.

  “I’ll get mine later.” He winked and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as he stood up. “What’s that?”

  I tucked myself away, buckling my belt as I followed his line of sight to the file still sitting on top of my desk. I’d meant to put it at the bottom of a drawer.

  “A proposition from my uncle.” I kept the answer vague on purpose, not ready to discuss the facets that came with it.

  “Which uncle?”

  “Porter.”

  “Is this proposition bad?” he fished.

  “No.” I stood up, easing him back with a hand on his hip. “Let’s finish up here so we can go home.”

  My dismissive tone had him halting any further prying, but I knew Ethan. He’d bring it up again sooner than later. Hopefully by then I would have come to a decision on how I wanted to deal with it. If I continued to evade this, it’d create a rift between us. That was the last thing I needed right now.

  Chapter Three

  Helena

  I once begrudged those that didn’t have to pretend. I saw all the girls who laughed with ease and walked without need for caution, and not for the first time I realized I would never fit in. I’d never be them. And I no longer wanted to. I’d tried that once. With the girl named Molly and her friends.

  I’d known from the beginning we were vastly different, and not just because she was a bitch. She was like all these other girls, only with an unpleasant disposition. She made me hurt people that hadn’t been broken. I was somewhat of an outcast because of that.

  Leaving the confines of Toby’s Lincoln, I took hold of Hannibal’s harness and stepped out onto pavement, hitching my bag over my shoulder.

  Toby placed one hand on the back of the passenger seat and twisted to look at me. His round face was covered in dark whiskers turning grey, but always seemed to be set in a smile of some kind. I hadn’t known this man existed until but a few weeks ago.

  “I’m going to flip the car around and park right across the street, okay? You come on out whenever you’re ready.”

  “Alright.” I nodded. “Thank you.”

  I shut the door, and then guided Hannibal to Tonya’s bakery. A bell chimed as I pulled open the door, alerting her and anyone else inside of my arrival. Air ripe with the aromas of coffee, pastries, and cakes, I inhaled deeply as I surveyed all eight of the tables. Tonya had changed the flowers that usually occupied the vases atop them.

  Only one of the tables was occupied. Two girls sat in the corner furthest from the door. A dirty blonde and a brunette. Both were wearing sunglasses so I couldn’t see their eyes, but I could feel the judgment radiating from behind the monochrome lens.

  I was used to this.

  It wasn’t the first or last time it would happen. When Daddy first brought me to Riverview the townspeople became aware of my presence. The things that happened with Molly made them weary of me. It was only because of my Andreous no one knew what really happened or what I did. But they all could plainly see I was the only one who survived.

  This was okay, though. I didn’t know any of them and had no intention to. Turning a blind eye to the giggles, I led Hannibal to a table closest to the confectionary counter and waited for Tonya to appear.

  It didn’t take too long for a head of silver hair to emerge from the back.

  “Oh, it’s you,” she greeted, a wide smile splitting her face in two. “I was wondering when you’d be down again. Give me a moment, I’ll grab some fresh goodies from the back.”

  She turned and disappeared through the swinging door she’d just come through before I could get one word out. The girls at the rear table stood and gathered their things, dropping a few dollar bills in a tip jar on their way to the exit. One was texting, the other offered a small smile which I didn’t return. The bell chimed upon their departure.

  The now empty room brought an unexpected release of tension from my spine. I sat my bag on the table then settled back in my chair with a sigh, stroking the top of Hannibal’s head.

  When the bell chimed again, I didn’t bother looking to see who had entered. It wasn’t as if I would know them.

  Hannibal alerted me to someone approaching by letting out a low grunt and angling his body closer to mine. I glanced up to find a man I’d never seen before approaching my table.

  “This seat taken?” he asked, already placing a tanned hand on the back of the chair across from mine.

  I didn’t understand…

  I made a point to look around the room at all the other pl
aces he could sit. In doing so, he took my lack of response as permission to do so across from me.

  “I was on my way to that fancy watch shop on the corner when I saw you come in here. I’ve been wanting to speak with you since I got into town.”

  I stared blankly. He grinned, showcasing a set of overtly large teeth.

  His brown eyes were as plain as he was, but his outfit was nice.

  “I don’t know you,” I said.

  “Oh, right. I should have started with that. I’m Ian. Ian Claude. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He stretched his arm across the table in the guise of a handshake.

  Hannibal growled and he promptly withdrew his hand, a smile still on his bean shaped face.

  “You’re a very pretty young lady.”

  “…Okay?” It was the only thing I could think to say to him. I wasn’t sure why he felt comfortable enough to sit and express that. He behaved as if we somehow knew one another. I couldn’t recall where he would’ve seen me at. I very rarely left the Dahlia.

  Something clanged from the back, prompting Ian to start speaking again.

  “I uh, have some information about your home.”

  “The Dahlia?”

  He raised a bushy brow. “Isn’t that where you live?”

  “No.”

  He rocked back as if he hadn’t been expecting that answer. I didn’t know why. I would never speak about the chateau with anyone. I knew better. If he were smart, this man would have known better too. Besides, I lived in a house behind the Dahlia.

  His gaze bounced around the bakery before landing on me once more. “I can explain, but not here.”

  I continued to stare at him. He wasn’t making much sense. I wanted him to go away. Tonya emerged from the back room and he stood, the movement so jarring it nearly knocked his chair over.

  “I’ll be in touch,” he said lowly, brushing past me and making a quick exit.

  “What in the heck was his problem?”

  That was a good question, but whatever answer she had would be just as good as mine. I looked over at her and shrugged.

  Chapter Four

  Ethan

  It’s crazy where life can take you. Being back in this town had been strange at first. The Andreous had made so many significant changes during my absence it was almost unrecognizable.

  Finding my way into Declan’s bed, however, that was natural. We always found our way back to each other regardless of how long we’d been apart or who we may have been fucking at the time. He tended to always be with some woman or another, but never anything serious. When I returned this last time, I hadn’t expected anything more than our usual.

  We would fuck each other, have some fun fucking other people together, and enjoy a few nights in his playroom before I departed.

  I never planned to stay and once we unanimously agreed I would, I never in a million years foresaw Helena coming into our life. What was between us now felt right as rain, too right. There were days I had to stop and ask myself if it would last. We’d talked everything over before Helena fully entered the picture but doubt still found a way to shake me up.

  I set the timer for my garlic bread, and then walked over to the living room area to join them on the sectional. Declan was still on his tablet, pouring over excel sheets. Helena was watching Criminal Minds of all things, her bare feet propped on Hannibal’s back.

  “Have you figured out who the unsub is?”

  She turned her head and looked at me, her doll-like features making her beautiful face as inexpressive as always.

  “You.”

  What the hell?

  “Me?” I brought a hand to my chest. “I meant in the show.”

  “Oh.” Her long lashes folded over her large blues, and she returned her attention to the screen. “No.”

  “Wait. You think we’re unsubs?”

  “Don’t group us together. She said you, specifically.” Declan cut in, his lips twitching.

  The oven beeped and I flipped him off, reaching for the remote to mute the television.

  “Go get cleaned up, I’ll make your plate.”

  She stood without any further comments and headed for the lower bathroom. Hannibal was on his feet right behind her. The damn dog was more attached to her than a shadow.

  Declan sat his tablet aside and rose as well. “Come on, I’ll help you.”

  I let him walk in front of me just so I could watch his ass.

  “I can feel your eyes on me,” he stated without turning around.

  “Is that a problem?”

  He shook his head, smiling as he rounded the breakfast bar. The sink in the bathroom switched on and we began to tag team, him grabbing dishes and silverware as I readied the food to be served.

  “Do you think its good idea to let her watch so much television?” I asked, making sure I kept my voice low.

  “Now who’s trying to be her boss?”

  “I’m serious.”

  “So am I. Did the unsub thing bother you that much?”

  “No. I don’t care about that.” I sectioned off a piece of steaming chicken parmesan and loaded it onto a plate.

  “You know she retains information differently than we do. What if it’s all influencing her in a bad way?”

  “Helena does everything different than we do. That’s what makes her, her. I don’t think we need to be concerned about watch she sees on TV and whether she can differentiate between fiction and reality. She isn’t an idiot Ethan.” He sat another dish down, harder than he had the last one.

  “That isn’t what I meant. I’d never call--.” I spotted Helena over my shoulder and cut myself off. She stood on the opposite side of the breakfast bar with the closest thing to a frown I’d ever seen from her.

  “Is…something wrong?” she asked softly, looking between the two of us.

  I withheld a curse and rubbed the back of my neck. It’d taken her half a second to pick up on the tension in the room. Had this been a few months ago she wouldn’t have guessed that correctly.

  Our girl had made incredible progress by leaps and bounds, and I knew she wasn’t stupid. She was far from it, but that didn’t change the fact that she could be influenced by what she saw on television.

  “Here, come sit down,” Declan instructed. He gave me a look and then went to take her hand, walking with her to the table.

  I finished loading up our plates while Declan returned to fill up three glasses. Water for Helena, a mix of Gin and Coke for us. When we all were seated, nothing but the sound of silverware scraping softly against our plates filled the room for a good twenty minutes until my phone started to ring.

  I pulled it from my pocket, and with one glance at the screen I hit ignore. I thought I’d made it abundantly clear I wasn’t interested, but this was the fourth call today. I put the phone away and resumed eating, purposely avoiding Declan’s gaze.

  This was happening too frequently. I knew he was going to demand I tell him what the hell was going on sooner than later. I had no problem doing that, but only after I smoothed things over so no one’s feelings were hurt.

  “Did anything happen when you went into town?” Declan suddenly asked Helena.

  If not for the box of sweets on the counter I would have forgotten she’d ever left. She hadn’t made any remarks about her leaving. Her head shook from side to side as she reached for her water.

  “No one bothered you?”

  “Bothered me?” she repeated back.

  “You know, was anyone an asshole?”

  She shook her head again. I met Declan’s eye, and he lifted one shoulder in a subtle shrug. I sat back and took a sip from my own glass. Trying to discern if she were hiding something was pointless.

  Even despite me not being able to read her like Declan could, Helena never went out of her way to lie. You could go as far as to say she was a bit too honest at times. So why wasn’t she mentioning the man she’d supposedly spoken to?

  I was still in the shower when Declan came into the room
. He undressed and got in behind me without saying a word. I swept my eyes over him from head to toe. My lips parted and I inhaled deeply, the site was a turn on for me. Everything about him always had been. Age only made him that much more attractive.

  The double shower heads had water coming down on us from all angles, causing a dark strand of his hair to fall over his forehead.

  Rivulets ran down his torso, travelling over every line that framed his abs.

  “I take it the princess is sleeping?” I questioned, attempting to distract myself.

  “She was out the second her head hit the pillow.” An antagonizing smirk followed his reply.

  “What’s that look for?”

  “Are you jealous of her?”

  “What?” I let out a breathy laugh and took a step back to create some space between us. “I know that’s not a serious question.”

  “It is.” He moved closer, eliminating the gap I’d just created.

  Was I jealous? I didn’t feel like I was. I couldn’t think of me doing anything that would warrant him to believe so. He was misinterpreting my moods, which was unlike him. Declan was a people reader. It came naturally to him.

  Then again, this whole three-way relationship wasn’t new for only me. Declan and I had never tried to bring a woman into our lives, not to this extent, but I didn’t feel any resentment over our decision. I loved the hell out of Helena. She was the missing link we’d longed for.

  “Why would I be jealous? She’s ours. This whole sharing you thing is different, but I knew what I was getting myself into. If this is about what happened downstairs, I wasn’t trying to insult her intelligence, I’d never do that.”

  “I know. I just…”

  “Can’t help being an overprotective asshole?”

  He moved past me to sit on the mosaic shower bench. “Does it bother you?”

  Now it was my turn to smirk. I palmed strands of wet hair out of my face and went to join him.

  “If it bothered me, I would say so, and you know it. Let’s be real for a minute, though. Dominant possessive bastard is genetic in your family.”

  “Not for my parents’,” he mused somewhat absentmindedly.