Rough Mercy: A Collection of Dark Passions

After his husband's betrayal, a man finds a devastating form of revenge: seducing his own father-in-law. At first, it was just a game until it turned into so much more.

CHAPTER 1

The evidence had been there, on his face for ages, but he ignored it. He didn't want to think of him in that light. He wanted to think of Adam as the man he knew him as, the one he had fallen in love with years ago.

Adam had cheated, not even once, not even fucking twice. He had gotten away with it all these years, while Dave tried to turn a blind eye, just because of his love for him.

But it wasn't enough anymore. He had done something he would never forgive him for. He had not only cheated, but he also gave his company shares to that bastard.

He got a kept mistress, one Dave had just found out about. Instead of throwing a tantrum, he decided to visit his father-in-law. He was the only one he had. As an orphan, Leonard had taken him in when he got married to Adam. Leonard had been there for him through thick and thin, and he was the only constant in their marriage. He was the only one Dave could think of running to with his problems.

The rain had stopped by the time Dave pulled up the gravel drive, but to him, it felt like it was still falling heavily, with dark clouds on his head, following him like a ghost.

He killed the engine. The silence was absolute, broken only by the last drops falling from the sky. He sat for a full minute, hands clenched on the steering wheel as he thought back to what he had seen, then the way Adam's voice had sounded when he called him on the phone.

“Baby,” he had started. “I can ex —”

Dave had disconnected before he could give that flimsy excuse that wasn't a new thing anymore.

“Fuck that bastard!” He gritted out through clenched teeth, fists gripping the steering so tight that his knuckles turned white.

He stared at the house, took a few seconds to recollect himself and then stepped out of the car and ran the rest of the way to the front door. Each leap he took made his heart feel heavier.

The heavy oak door swung open before he could reach for the handle. Leonard stood on the threshold, backlit by the warm glow from within. He wasn’t in a suit like always. Dave had joked before that he was likely born in suits and would die in them. It had been a joke between them for years.

Now, instead of the suits Dave was used to seeing on him, he was putting on black ripped jeans and a charcoal jumper pushed to his elbows, revealing forearms dusted with silvering hair. Brown, caring eyes found Dave’s through the damp twilight and held.

“You're here.” He already knew Dave was coming, and had waited for him impatiently by the door. Dave had called him a few minutes ago, crying, and he did the only thing he could think of at that moment. He invited him to the house, to the warm sanctuary, knowing Dave needed someone with him.

Dave nodded, his throat too tight for words as he stepped inside.

The foyer was vast, with wide-plank floorboards cool and dusty under his sneakers. The air smelled of cedar and old stone, like always. To Dave, it was the smell of home, a scent he had gotten accustomed to over the years. Five years, to be exact. He had been married to Adam for five years and had known him for six.

Dave's eyes immediately landed on a tumbler lying on its side near a leather armchair, its dark amber stain soaking into the rug. Leonard followed his gaze.

He coughed. “My reaction was less dignified than my invitation.” He moved to pick up the glass. “I'm sorry. I just… I was pissed at that bastard. I couldn't control myself.”

Dave nodded. “I guess it's just normal. I apologise for coming here on such short notice. I didn't even know —”

“You don't need to apologise.” Leonard walked over to him. “This is your home. You're welcome here. As for Adam, he's such a bastard.”

When he got to where Dave was, he placed a hand on his shoulder. “I've got you.”

For the first time since his call to Adam, a smile cracked on his lips. Leonard noticed that. His heart warmed, knowing he could pull that emotion out of his son-in-law, despite what was going on between him and his son.

He stepped back. “Let's get to your room, son. You look like a rat that got drenched in the rain. I believe you need to change out of those.”

Dave's cheeks pinked. He didn't even realise he was drenched until Leonard mentioned it. His anger had somehow warmed him, so he failed to notice he was practically shivering.

“That would be appreciated.”

Nodding, Leonard turned and walked further into the house, leaving Dave to follow. Behind him, Dave watched the easy, confident set of his shoulders, the way the jumper stretched across his back, and a dangerous, foreign thought uncoiled in his mind, “God, he's packed. Why haven't I noticed it until now?”

Ignorant of the thoughts going through his son-in-law's mind, Leonard continued until he reached the stairs. “You can use the guest room, which is upstairs. End of the hall," he said, turning to Dave, who quickly averted his gaze. “Come down after you're done changing. Let's have a drink.”

“Okay!” Dave's response almost betrayed his feelings.

“There are clothes in the closet. You can change into them. I'll wait for you down here. Be fast.”

“No problem!”

Dave dashed up the stairs, and Leonard watched him with a smile, only for that expression to dim when he remembered his son.

“I'll have to call him later. That bastard is always toying with this cute boy's heart.”

While Leonard fumed downstairs, Dave quickly changed into the first clothes he got and raced downstairs. Changing into new clothes took him less than 10 minutes.

It shocked Leonard when he saw him, already dressed in such a short amount of time. “You dressed quickly.”

“I didn't want to keep you waiting.” Dave's response sounded breathless, from running through the hall and down the stairs.

“Let's go then. I have the best drink in mind for such an… Occasion, if I may call it that.” 

He led Dave into the bar, a room that was formerly their library, before he turned it into a bar and took the library upstairs. A wall of windows looked out onto the dark, lapping water of the pool outside, and a fire crackled in a massive stone hearth. Leonard went straight to the bar. He grabbed a bottle of whiskey and poured two fingers of amber liquid into a fresh glass before he held it out.

Dave took the one he offered and walked to a sofa which was facing the fire.

Dave sat before he took a sip. The whiskey was smooth and slid down his throat without an issue. The warmth that blossomed on his stomach when it reached there, coupled with the warmth from the fire, helped fight his cold.

Leonard didn’t sit beside him. Instead of sitting on a couch, or even a bar stool, since they had three, he leaned against the stone mantel, one arm braced on it, watching the flames. The silence between them stretched, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. They were just lost in their thoughts until Dave broke the silence.

“Why did you welcome me here?” He asked finally, his voice quiet in the vast room. “Why not him?”

Leonard slowly turned his head, and the firelight caught the silver at his temples. For a long minute, he said nothing. He just stared at Dave.

“Because you are the one who was wronged. Because of this,” he said at last, his gaze sweeping the room, “it is a place for people who need shelter. Not for people who set the fire.”

Dave looked down into his glass at the ice that had melted. “But he’s your son.” He knew Leonard adored him, but he didn't expect him to side with him.

“And you are my son,” Leonard said, correcting him. “The one he chose. The one I welcomed.” He pushed off from the mantel and took two steps closer. He didn’t sit, but he was within reach. “Look at me, Dave.”

Dave looked up at his father-in-law and gulped. The expression on Leonard's face wasn't what he was expecting. It was fierce, protective even, and it made his chest ache.