LOGINLiamI pulled my knees tighter against my chest, staring down into the dark liquid of the mug.The temptation was sickening in its sweet appeal. To just lay it all down. To stop carrying Devin’s resurrection, my mother’s breaking sanity, and Elias’s ignorance on my own tearing shoulders. For a single, fleeting second, the thought of letting Julian step in and take command felt like sinking into a hot bath after freezing to death.“You make it sound so simple,” I whispered, my thumb tracing the rim of the porcelain cup. “Like turning off a light switch.”“It is simple, Liam,” Julian murmured, his gaze steady and unwavering. “The moment you step inside these walls, you don't have to carry a single thing. You follow my lead, you let me manage you, and the rest of the world ceases to exist.”A desperate breath escaped my lips. I wanted it. God, I wanted to yield so badly my bones ached with it.I set the coffee cup on the side table, my hands trembling violently. “I... I don't even know h
LiamI woke up to the faint, subtle scent of cedar and roasted coffee beans.The room was bathed in a soft, warm glow from the recessed lighting along the ceiling. I shifted under the heavy covers, realizing with a sudden jolt that I had slept for hours without waking up once. My body felt rested, but my brain instantly flooded with panic as the events of last night rushed back into my head.I sat up sharply, clutching the duvet to my chest.Julian was sitting in an armchair in the corner of the room, wearing a navy blue suit, reading through a stack of papers on his lap. Beside him on a small side table sat two fresh cups of steam-emitting coffee.The second I moved, his eyes lifted from the pages, settling on me with that same steady, unshakeable calm.“Good morning, Liam,” he said warmly, setting his papers aside. “It’s eleven a.m. You slept for nearly eight hours.”For whatever reason he seemed incredibly thrilled by my hours of sleep.I pulled my knees up to my chest, staring at
Liam"You're not in trouble." he repeated assuringly. I hummed in reply because I did not trust his words.Julian walked over to his large desk, drawing my attention to three covered silver serving dishes resting on a tray.I swallowed hard, my mouth watering so quickly I hoped he couldn't hear it from across the room.“Come here, Liam,” he commanded softly.The calm authority in his tone was absolute. Without a second thought or a single argument, I pushed myself off the sofa and walked over to the desk. I simply didn't have the energy to fight him.He handed me a crystal glass of warm water. I took it and drank, the liquid soothing my raw throat and settling comfortably in my empty stomach.“Don't drink too quickly or too much,” he instructed gently, placing a hand lightly between my shoulder blades. “Otherwise, you won't have room for the food.”I gave a silent nod, setting the empty glass down.He uncovered the three dishes in front of me: a bowl of rich, savory broth, a plate of
LiamSchool had resumed and mother had begged me to come back and not defer the semester, which was very much ready to do. I didn’t. Tiana had been admitted, which was a relief, better than her staying at home. They were now looking for a donor that matches. Devin had pleaded for me not to tell his son about his existence and I settled on keeping yet another secret from my best friend.I did the usual. Attend classes, talk with my family, calls with Elias who was still out of the country and go to work. And today was a lot. Half of the night was hectic. Very hectic.For some reason, the universe had chosen tonight for the club to be completely packed. I had been running up and down continuously. Mixing and serving, flirting and dropping easy compliments to everyone I could. Now that most of the crowd was heavily intoxicated, things had finally slowed down, and God was I grateful for it.I shook the cocktail in my hands, my eyes scanning the dim room. They landed on a familiar face i
WilliamDrafting these documents was proving to be far more tedious work than I had anticipated. While Valary wanted a divorce, which was still entirely outside my usual corporate wheelhouse, her and Thomas's continuous sexual involvement was only making the situation exponentially harder to untangle. And the two had not given me much to use in my drafting. I didn’t know what it was I was working with or for, aside from the fact that she wanted a divorce and he was cheating.I stood in their sunlit kitchen, brewing myself a fresh cup of dark coffee. I desperately needed a break from their relentless bickering. It was only the second day, and we still hadn't reached a single damn agreement regarding the asset split.Valary glided into the kitchen a moment later, pulling a porcelain cup from the cabinet to make herself tea.“This is absurd, you know,” she murmured, leaning her back against the marble counter. “I love him. I really do, but I just can’t...” She abandoned whatever she was
LiamDevin stood up instantly, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. “What is it? What’s wrong, baby?”My stomach twists at the endearment term but I couldn’t dwell on that.Mom stumbled into the light of the kitchen, her face ghost-white and her hands trembling violently. She wasn't holding the baby.“Tiana...” she choked out, her breath coming in ragged, shallow gasps. “Her breathing... It's shallow.” Her body shook violently, tears streaming down her face. “She’s burning up, Devin. She won't wake up! I tried…I tried…” he last words were in weak whispers.Devin didn't say another word. He sprinted past her, his heavy steps pounding up the stairs two at a time.I scrambled up from my chair, my stomach dropping into a sickening abyss. Mom collapsed against the table, weeping into her hands, I glanced at her for a moment then raced upstairs right behind Devin.When I burst into the small room, Devin was already at the crib, lifting the small, pale infant into his arms. The baby’
Ellias3 months laterSharp, rhythmic rapping against my bedroom door dragged me out of a dreamless, heavy sleep."Elias. Wake up. The first of the town cars are pulling into the drive."My mother’s voice was as crisp as the morning air, devoid of the tremor I’d been carrying in my own voice for nin
ElliasAfter he'd drunk up and I had us cleaned up, I got in the covers next to him.He quickly shifted to the other side of the bed and stared at me with a skeptical look on his face. “What are you doing?”“Aftercare. I was going to hold you.”“Cuddle me?” he asked, cocking his head.“Yes.” “Uh-uh
WilliamHe took the blindfold off and I blinked even though the room was dimly lit. Did he say three? Was he crazy? I wasn't sure how I had survived the last one but I had no energy to fight him so I just laid there."Do you have any idea how beautiful you look right now?"I've never been self co
WilliamI took him as deep as I comfortably couldbefore pulling back up and working my tongue around the edge of his tip. Then I went low and sucked one ball into my mouth, playing with it amoment before giving the other one the same treatment. I lapped at thebase of him, working my way back up







