Constructing the Soul

by Annabella Michaels

  Morgan undid the snap of my pants to loosen them and then stuck his hand further inside the back. His finger, slick from my sweat, slid between my ass cheeks and began circling my hole. I let my head drop back to his shoulder as he pressed just the tip of one inside me. My eyes fluttered shut at the feel of him stretching me, but they popped back open at the sound of his stern command.

  “Keep your eyes on them. If you let them shut, I’ll stop,” he threatened. I forced my eyes to remain open. The things he was doing to me, the way he played my body like a fine-tuned instrument was too good to let it stop. I needed his hands on me, in me, touching me everywhere all at once, more than I needed to breathe.

  The older man had moved his free hand up and was gripping the other man by the hair. The younger man appeared to be saying something, a look of clear desperation on his face and I knew that he was begging the man to let him come. The older man shook his head no, but refused to slow the movement of his hand.

  Morgan continued to thrust his finger in and out of me, going a little deeper each time and adding an occasional twist to his wrist. My vision clouded and my legs felt wobbly as my weeping cock pushed painfully against my zipper, begging to be let free. I thrust my hips, looking for any kind of friction, but whimpered in frustration when I found none.

  “Please,” I begged even though I knew Morgan couldn’t hear me and I watched as the younger man repeated the same word.

  “Almost there,” Morgan whispered huskily and I wasn’t sure if he meant me or the twink above us, perhaps both.

  I was right on the edge, but I needed a final push, something to send me soaring. The older man stared into the younger man’s eyes and nodded his head as his hand began to move faster. The younger man opened his mouth and the older man’s mouth slammed down over his, silencing what I’m sure would’ve been a loud scream.

  Morgan used his other hand to turn my head and his tongue swept into my mouth at the same moment that he moved his finger, letting it graze over that perfect spot. Sparks flew past my eyes and I choked on a scream of my own as my orgasm raced through me, my cock erupting inside my pants.

  He swallowed my cries and then pulled his hand out of my pants and turned me to face him. I was shaking as I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face in his chest. Morgan gathered me in close and whispered soft words in my ear as his hands smoothed up and down my back.

  When I had quit trembling, I looked up and my eyes met his. The complete love and devotion I saw there, brought tears to my eyes and I had to fight to swallow past the lump in my throat. Morgan leaned forward and kissed the wetness from my eyelids and then wiped it away with his thumbs.

  “I love you,” he breathed against my lips and I kissed him in response and then leaned back so I could see his gorgeous sea-green eyes.

  “Will you take me home?” I asked. He smiled sweetly as he nodded his head.

  I told him I’d be right back and excused myself to go to the bathroom. The music seemed too loud in my ears and the lights too bright after such an intimate moment and I immediately missed the bubble Morgan and I had created for ourselves.

  I wove through the crowd and opened the door to the restroom, thankful when I found it empty. I wet a few paper towels and disappeared into a stall to clean myself up as much as possible for the car ride home. When I was finished, I opened the door and stepped out, but stopped in surprise when I came face to face with Garrett. He was standing near the sinks with his arms crossed as if he’d been waiting for me.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked, pasting a smile on my face even though I could tell something wasn’t right.

  “I was waiting for you, I wanted to talk,” he replied. I moved past him and began washing my hands at the sink. I looked at him in the mirror.

  “Okay, I have just a minute, but then I need to get back out there. Morgan’s waiting on me, we were just getting ready to leave,” I explained.

  “This will only take a minute,” he said. I turned to face him, giving him my undivided attention. He uncrossed his arms, but he seemed nervous as he tilted his head to look at me.

  “Garrett, we’ve been friends a long time. It seems like something’s been bothering you for a while now. You’ve always been able to talk to me about anything so just tell me what’s going on,” I said. He let out a puff of air.

  “I don’t like seeing you with that guy,” he told me. My eyes widened in surprise. That was not what I was expecting him to say at all.

  “That guy? You mean Morgan?” I asked, sure that I was hearing him wrong.

  “Yes, Morgan,” he stated clearly.

  “And why is that?” I asked cautiously.

  “Because you can do so much better,” he said as he began slowly moving closer to me.

  “Better. And who exactly would be better for me than Morgan?” I could feel myself starting to get angry, but I wanted to remain as calm as possible. Garrett was one of my closest friends after all.

  “Me,” he whispered.

  I was stunned by his words, but even more so when he grabbed my shoulders and pulled me against him, his mouth crashing down over mine, our teeth clanking together as he took me in a bruising kiss. My eyes widened and it took me just a second before my thought processes caught up and I was able to push him away.

  As he fell back, my gaze caught movement over his shoulder and I found myself staring into a set of green eyes. I registered shock and hurt and anger in those green orbs and I felt my heart shatter, but then he moved his sights onto Garrett and the next thing I knew Garrett was on the floor, his hands in the air to ward off another attack as Morgan stood over him. It had all happened so quickly that I hadn’t even seen him throw the punch.

  I heard someone shouting outside the door and then it slammed open just as Morgan lifted Garrett up by the shirt collar and pulled his arm back, ready to deliver another blow. Jakob grabbed Morgan by the arm and pulled him back against his chest, holding onto him so he couldn’t lunge for Garrett.

  “I don’t want to ban you from the club, Morgan. You’re my friend so please, don’t make me do that. Just go outside and cool off for a little bit, okay?” Jakob begged him.

  Morgan’s chest heaved with exertion and his face was twisted in anger. I wanted to go to him, to somehow explain and reassure him that I loved him and only him, but his body language screamed “back off!” He yanked himself out of Jakob’s grasp and with one final look my way, stormed out of the bathroom.

  I started to follow him, but stopped when I heard Garrett call my name. I turned and looked down at him. He was sitting on the floor, cradling his nose in his hands as blood dripped between his fingers. His eyes pleaded with me to stay and as angry as I was at the mess he’d created, a part of me was still able to recognize my friend.

  “We’ll talk, I promise, but right now Morgan’s hurting more than you are and I’m the only one who can fix this. I need to find him,” I told him.

  I saw the sadness and the resignation in his eyes and it felt like a blade going through me, but I pushed it aside because the most important thing, the only thing that mattered right then was finding Morgan. I knew exactly what that must have looked like to him, what it would’ve reminded him of, but he needed to know that I wasn’t like David, I would never betray him. Curtis was standing just outside the bathroom, looking concerned.

  “Where did Morgan go?” I asked frantically.

  “He headed towards the front door. Are you okay?” Curtis asked. I didn’t bother to answer, not that I could. I was confused by everything that had just happened, but I didn’t have time to process any of it. I had to get to Morgan.

  I moved quickly through the crowded club, shoving anyone who dared to get in my way and ignoring their shouts of outrage. Finally, I reached the front door and I swung it open, racing outside into the cool night air. My heart pounded painfully in my chest and my head swiveled back and forth as my eyes searched the dark parking lot for one man.

  I wanted to sob with rel
ief when I saw his truck, exactly where we’d left it and him standing beside it, staring straight at me. I made myself walk instead of running like I wanted to when I saw the mask that was firmly in place, hiding his emotions from me.

  I wasn’t sure what his reaction to me would be. Would he yell at me? Curse me? Would he tell me to walk away and never come near him again? I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong, but given Morgan’s history, would he give me the chance to explain or would my fairytale romance end even though it seemed like it had just begun?

  I could see his body vibrating as he watched me approach. I moved cautiously, my body also trembling the closer I got, but as angry as he was, I never worried that Morgan would hurt me; I knew he didn’t have it in him.

  “You stayed,” I said quietly. He nodded once and I could see his jaw clenching in the light of the streetlamp. “Can we talk?” I asked.

  It seemed like an eternity before he moved. He walked towards me and my breath caught in my throat, but then he brushed past me and my heart plummeted until I heard a sound and I turned and saw him standing beside the open passenger door. Tears streamed down my face, but I couldn’t speak over the well of emotion clogging my throat so I simply walked towards him and climbed into his truck. The symbolism behind his gesture spoke volumes and gave me hope.

  The drive home was a blur as the scene I’d walked in on replayed in my mind, over and over again on a painfully endless loop. I’d decided to check on Akio when he seemed to be taking longer than expected in the bathroom. Fighting my way through the mass of bodies, I’d finally made my way down the corridor that led to the restrooms and a janitor’s closet.

  I’d opened the door and it took my brain a few seconds to piece together what I was seeing. Akio was in there, but he wasn’t alone. In fact, he was kissing another man and for just a second, I pictured him standing in the shower, the other man’s arms wrapped around him as they kissed passionately. I forced the image from my mind. It was Akio in front of me, not David, I reminded myself. But with that reminder came a whole new wave of emotions, the first being rage.

  When I’d caught David cheating, I felt hurt because I’d been betrayed by two people who I thought I could trust. I’d felt like a fool as I’d wondered if they’d laughed at how they were pulling one over on me and then I’d felt disgusted that I had ever been their friend when they didn’t know the meaning of the word.

  With Akio, my reaction was completely different. I remembered Landon telling me that if the same thing happened with the right man then it would feel as if my heart had been put through a shredder and that was exactly what it felt like when I saw Akio with another man. My heart refused to believe what my eyes had seen though, so I forced myself to take a moment and really look at what was happening. It was only then that I was able to clearly see the man I loved, the man I trusted with my life and I realized that he wasn’t kissing the man back, in fact, he was pushing him away. Relief flooded my veins.

  That relief soon turned into a red haze as it sank in that some other man had dared to touch what was mine. My eyes met Akio’s and the look on his face told me that he was witnessing the myriad of emotions playing out inside of me, but I couldn’t say anything to him because I was too caught up in an anger like I’d never felt before. I felt like I was watching someone else, like I was outside of my body as I grabbed the man when he fell towards me, jerking him around at the same time I pulled my arm back.

  It wasn’t until my fist connected with his nose, a sharp cracking noise rang through my ears, that I recognized the man. It wasn’t some random guy who had seen my boyfriend on the dance floor, thought he was hot and decided to make a move. No, this was personal, someone who Akio was close to. Did I get it all wrong? Was there something more between Akio and Garrett than just friendship? Had I once again been played a fool?

  Anger rushed through me once again and I pulled my arm back for another swing at him, but I was suddenly yanked away from Garrett and pressed against a very large, hard chest. I heard Jakob’s voice telling me to go outside and calm down and his voice helped to clear some of the haze away.

  I looked into Akio’s brown eyes, the ones that I had stared into just moments before, feeling like I could see into the depths of his soul and I felt the floor beginning to vibrate under my feet. I turned and walked out, making my way through the crowd and idly wondering if anyone else felt the earth moving around them.

  I pushed through the door and gulped in a huge lungful of fresh air, hoping it would help clear my head, but I choked on it instead and I bent over with my hands on my knees. My stomach churned and the ground shook. My teeth began to chatter and it finally occurred to me that it wasn’t the earth that was moving, it was me. My heart raced and sweat ran down the sides of my face like I’d just finished running a marathon and my body was shaking so hard that my muscles ached with the strain of holding myself together.

  When the shaking subsided to mild tremors and my stomach had settled enough that I knew I wasn’t going to throw up, I stood and made my way towards my truck. The only thought in my head was getting as far away from that club and what had happened as possible. I wanted to go home and hide under my covers and forget that the rest of the world existed, if even for a little while.

  A nagging voice inside my head kept telling me to stop, to wait, to turn around and not walk away from the best thing that had ever happened to me. My feet slowed as I continued on my path, but the voice wouldn’t let up. It warned me that if I walked away, that I’d be making a huge mistake; one that I might regret for the rest of my life. I reached the tailgate of my truck and grabbed onto the edge of it as that voice screamed at me, begging and pleading for me to listen.

  I drew in a deep breath and forced myself to turn around and that’s when I saw it. The door to the club crashed open and Akio came barreling through it, his head moving from side to side as he frantically searched for something. I continued to stare at him and I knew the moment he found what he was looking for because his eyes connected with mine and his body sagged as if in relief.

  Our eyes remained locked as he slowly moved towards me and I could see the wariness in his eyes the closer he got. Shame washed over me. Was Akio frightened of me? Did he think that I could ever possibly hurt him? Finally, he was only a few feet away and he stopped, his voice barely more than a whisper when he spoke.

  “You stayed,” he said and the surprise in his voice cut me. My jaw clenched and I wasn’t sure what to say just yet because my emotions were still in the process of changing every few seconds so I nodded instead.

  “Can we talk?” he asked gently. I stared at him for just a moment and then I walked around him and opened his door.

  Because of course, I would.

  Because I had made a promise to him that I would never make him feel unimportant ever again and even though my heart felt bruised and battered, it was still important to me to keep that promise.

  We stepped inside the cabin and I dropped my keys on the table then went to the kitchen. I heard Akio’s footsteps as he followed me, but I busied myself with grabbing a bag and filling it with ice. I wrapped a towel around it and then sank down into one of the chairs and laid my hand out on the table, inspecting it. Akio moved closer and I heard him gasp when he saw the bruises forming on my knuckles. I flexed my hand, taking inventory and finding no significant damage.

  “It’ll be fine, it’s not broken,” I tried to tell him, but my voice cracked on the last word and I felt my eyes filling with tears. I had never felt a pain like the one I felt at the thought of losing him, losing what we’d worked so hard to build together. I stared down at my hand as I tried to rein in my emotions. Akio’s not David. This isn’t the same thing, the voice told me.

  He sat down in the chair next to me and reached for my hand, gently cradling it in his own. I held my breath as he bent his head and carefully pressed his lips to my knuckles then he covered my hand with the ice and held it there. My eyes found his and we sat there, neither of us
speaking a word, but still saying so much.

  I saw it then, all the worry and the anguish, the compassion and caring. I saw the love and the trust, but most of all I saw the truth. I looked into those deep brown eyes and I saw the heart and soul of Akio Forrest and I knew, I knew that he would never betray me, not even for a second. All I’d needed to do was to step outside of my own head, my own doubts, and I would’ve seen that the truth was right there, literally staring me in the face.

  He smiled at me as he saw the understanding in my eyes and I reached for him, ignoring the pain in my hand as I cupped his face. He leaned in, meeting me in the middle and our mouths found each other in the sweetest of kisses. The kiss soon turned heated and I became filled with the overwhelming need to stake my claim on him, to remind him of who he belonged to. The feeling swept through me with such ferocity that it stole my breath. It was urgent and it was primal and there was no fighting it.

  We stood at the same time, our chairs scraping across the floor and the ice landing at our feet as that familiar electricity sparked to life between us. We frantically began tearing at each other’s clothes, each of us desperate to have nothing between us. When all our clothing lay in a heap on the floor, I lifted him in my arms and carried him to the bedroom.

  I laid him down and then grabbed the supplies from the drawer next to the bed and tossed them beside him. He watched me as I crawled onto the bed and covered his body with my own. I stared into those warm chocolate eyes of his and I saw everything I’d ever wanted within their depths.

  “Who do you belong to?” I asked, emotions making my voice sound gruff.

  “I’m yours, Morgan. I’ve been yours since the day I met you,” he said without any hesitation.

  I stared at him for several seconds, my chest brushing against his as I breathed and then I moved off him and rolled onto my back. Akio sat up, staring down at me in confusion. I picked up the condom and handed it to him.