Our Darkest Hour (Our Darkest Series Book 1)

by Sarah Bailey

  His hand dragged down my chest, making me moan in his mouth. Mine curled around his behind, squeezing as I became aware of what he was trying to do. Get me out of my head so I stopped worrying. Having him on top of me certainly did that.

  He pulled away so he could tug our clothes off. As he kissed me again, he tugged open the bedside drawer with one hand. Then he slapped the bottle of lube into my hand, making it clear what he wanted.

  “Aaron…”

  Pulling back, he cupped my face.

  “All you have to do is prep me.”

  I nodded, not wanting to press the issue any further. I had to accept he wanted this. Trust he would stop me if he wasn’t enjoying it. So I did what he asked of me, watching him pant and close his eyes. His hands gripped my shoulders. The sight of it only made me harder. My fears started to dissipate. I wanted this. To be buried inside him. To feel the way he did when he fucked me.

  “Rhys, more,” he moaned.

  I slipped a third finger inside him, stretching him out further. He started to grind against me again as if he needed the friction.

  “You want it, prince?” I murmured, leaning closer and running my cheek across his.

  He let out a whimper, the sound like music to my ears, making my confidence grow in swathes.

  “You going to sit on my dick, huh?”

  “Yes,” he hissed.

  I slipped my fingers from him, grabbing the tissues and cleaning them off. Aaron picked up the lube and coated my cock in it. I held it for him as he adjusted our position slightly. My eyes were on him, making sure he was okay as he lowered himself on my cock. The moment I slid into him, I let out a harsh breath, not at all prepared for the overload on my senses. Aaron’s fingers dug into my shoulders where he was holding onto me.

  “Fuck,” he breathed.

  “You’re telling me,” I muttered.

  His lips curved upwards before he took a deep breath. I laid my free hand on his thigh, not to push him down, but needing to hold on to him somehow.

  He took it slow, sinking down on me inch by inch and stopping to let himself adjust. I couldn’t believe it when I was almost fully inside him. The feeling was unlike anything else. Hot and tight. The urge to thrust raced through me, but I held back. I’d meant what I said. I didn’t want to hurt him.

  “You holding up okay there?” I asked when I noticed his eyes were closed.

  “It hurts more than I expected it to.”

  Exactly what I was worried about.

  “Do you want to stop?”

  He shook his head, opening his eyes and staring straight into mine.

  “No… I just need… movement.”

  Not letting me say anything else, he gripped my shoulders harder and rose up before sliding back down. I let out a grunt and him a little moan. My hand tightened around his thigh. This felt so good. He felt fucking amazing. Now I got it. Why he wanted inside me. Why he enjoyed fucking me so much.

  “Fuck,” I ground out. “You’re so… tight.”

  He bit his lip, moving a little faster.

  “You’re not exactly small.”

  I snorted, unable to help myself.

  “Is that why you didn’t want to do this before?”

  He slapped my chest.

  “No, I happen to like the size of your cock.”

  “Just as well I like yours too.”

  He smiled before kissing me. I curled my hands around his hips, guiding him into a better angle for me as he continued to ride my dick. He moaned in my mouth, so I assumed I’d started to hit the right spot. Now I knew he was okay, I really wanted to fuck him. Perhaps not in quite the possessive and rough way he did with me, but I wanted to set the pace.

  “Prince,” I murmured. “I want you on your back.”

  He pulled away, a smile spreading across his face. A moment later, he slid off me and laid back against the bed. I was right there with him, spreading his legs and pushing them up. Applying more lube before I slid back inside him, I felt like I was in heaven. I leant over Aaron and kissed him whilst I started to thrust inside his tight little hole.

  Fuck me, I had no idea it would be this good.

  “Harder,” he moaned, his hands grasping at me.

  I obliged, slightly adjusting the angle again. His fingers dug into my skin and his moans grew louder.

  “Yes, yes, fuck, like that, knight, don’t stop. Fuck, don’t stop.”

  No way would I be doing that. I could do this all fucking night. My hand slid between us and wrapped around his cock, stroking in time with my thrusts. It only made him beg me more. That sped up my impending climax. The sensations ran up my spine. I wanted him to fall apart with me.

  “Rhys, god, fuck me.”

  His blue-grey eyes burnt with need. Telling me how close he was to snapping. And when he did, I followed him off the edge. My eyes almost rolled back in my head as the bliss overtook everything else.

  I tried not to collapse on him when I came down, but my limbs shook with the effort. So I pulled out of him and flopped down on the bed, trying to catch my breath.

  “That was…” I started.

  “…kind of amazing,” he finished for me.

  I grinned, happy he’d enjoyed it as much as me. He’d spent long enough harassing me so I’d have felt like shit if he’d not.

  “Please tell me you’re okay with watching Netflix and chilling out after that.”

  He snorted.

  “Sure, after we clean up.”

  I felt content and happy when we got back from the bathroom. We curled up under the covers together and put a show on. Aaron wrapped himself around me, resting his head on my shoulder whilst I stroked his arm absentmindedly. Nothing felt as good as this. Being with him in the aftermath of sex.

  For the rest of the night, I didn’t think about the events of a couple of days ago. I almost forgot it even happened.

  And that was my first mistake.

  The second was yet to come.

  Chapter Forty Three

  Saying goodbye to Aaron before I went home was painful. His eyes had been full of agony, as if being without me physically pained him. I didn’t want to hang around his parents any more than I had to. They’d been polite enough to me, but I knew how much Patrick hated me being around his son. Especially after the last time I’d seen him. Aaron had fessed up about what happened in the car after they’d dropped me home. I’d appreciated him coming to my defence, even if it had fallen on deaf ears.

  When I got in, I was happy to find Graham wasn’t home. Mum was in the living room so I took a seat on the sofa next to her after kissing her cheek.

  “I didn’t expect you home,” she said, turning down the volume on the TV.

  “Aaron’s parents are back for a week.”

  She nodded in understanding. I’d told her all about them and their dislike of me. Our parents had never met in person and I could only be glad of it. Didn’t need Patrick looking down on them more than he did already.

  “How’s Aaron?”

  “He’s okay.”

  Her brows turned down.

  “Don’t tell me the two of you have fallen out again?”

  “Huh? No, we’re good.”

  I was not going to tell my mum about the fucking party and the shit with Valentine. It’d set me on edge enough as it was. Not being close to Aaron right now made me nervous. Mostly for him. I didn’t want anything to go wrong.

  “Pleased to hear it. You should bring him around for dinner soon.”

  “Yeah, I will do… just not when Graham is here.”

  Mum pursed her lips but didn’t comment on it. She understood why. Graham did not approve of my relationship with Aaron in the slightest. She’d told him about it and he’d gone off on a rant about how gays shouldn’t have rights. And it’d only made him hate me all the more. I’d known having a gay son would only piss him off. The number of times he’d railed against anyone who was different from
him didn’t bear thinking about. Probably a good thing Mum hadn’t tried to explain to him I was demisexual too.

  Besides, Graham and I had barely exchanged more than a few words over the past few weeks. We kept out of each other’s way. Just as well I only had a year left of school then I could go off to university. I had no plans to stay at home to attend, regardless of where I got accepted. As much as I loved my mum, putting up with Graham was more aggravation than it was worth.

  The doorbell rang. I started to rise, but Mum put a hand on my arm.

  “I’ll get it.”

  “You sure?”

  “It’s probably one of the neighbours.”

  She gave me a smile, getting up and walking out into the hallway. The front door opened and voices filtered down the hallway.

  “Good morning, ma’am, I’m PC Lambert and this is Detective Sargent Mandrake. Are you Mrs King?” came a deep voice.

  “Yes, can I ask what this is about?”

  “Is your son home, Mrs King?”

  “Rhys? Yes, he’s here.”

  All of my limbs locked up. The police were here. It meant they knew something about me being there that night. The night Valentine died. There could be no other explanation.

  “Would we be able to come in? We need to speak to your son.”

  “Um, yes, of course.”

  I had no idea what they were going to ask me or what they’d discovered.

  Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

  Mum came back in the living room, her eyes full of concern. I wanted to reassure her, but I couldn’t. She was followed by four police officers. It was at that point I knew this would not be just them questioning me.

  I had to protect Aaron at all costs. Whatever happened next, I would keep silent about his involvement.

  I stood up from the sofa as one of the officers approached me.

  “Rhys King?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m Detective Sargent Mandrake. I’m afraid I’m here to inform you I’m arresting you on suspicion of the murder of Valentine Jenkins, which took place on the evening of the fourteenth of August. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence. Is that understood?”

  I swallowed hard. Arrested. I was being arrested. How the fuck had this happened? I had nothing to do with Valentine’s death. I’d merely helped Aaron leave the scene. Yes, it made me an accessory, but I hadn’t murdered him. His death was an accident. If anything, it was a manslaughter charge, not murder.

  Fuck.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “As you are under the age of eighteen, you have the right to have your guardian with you. Would this be your mother here?”

  The officer indicated my mum with his hand. I glanced at her. Mum’s eyes were wide with shock and horror. I had to think quickly about this and remain calm no matter how much my heart pounded in my chest and I felt sick to my stomach.

  “Yes. Is it okay if she makes a phone call to my father first? We need to let him know as my mum has a disability and he’s her carer.”

  I actually wanted Mum to call Aaron. I hoped since I was being reasonable with them, they would allow this.

  “Of course, I understand.”

  I looked at Mum again. She hadn’t moved from her spot.

  “Mum?”

  She shook herself.

  “Yes, of course, I’ll just get my phone. I left it in the kitchen.”

  I gave her a significant look.

  Please call Aaron, not Graham.

  I wasn’t sure if she got the message I was trying to convey or not, but she gave me a nod before disappearing from the room. I looked at the officers, not knowing what to say. Obviously, I wasn’t about to say anything incriminating, but considering I hadn’t killed Valentine, it didn’t matter.

  How on earth would I get through this shit? I’d never been in trouble with the police before. And this wasn’t some kind of minor crime. This was serious. They suspected me of murder. Of all the scenarios I’d imagined, this hadn’t been one of them. If anyone should be arrested, it was Aaron. Why would they suspect me? I hadn’t done anything.

  Then I remembered I’d had that huge argument with Valentine in front of everyone at the party. And most of the kids there knew Valentine had bullied me for years. Did they suspect I had an altercation with Valentine after I stormed out? This couldn’t be good. Everyone had seen me leave but had they noticed Aaron? Probably not.

  I had to keep my boyfriend safe. If the police didn’t know he’d left the party, then I’d keep it that way. I’d told Aaron I’d lie for him and would never tell the police. It didn’t mean I was going to take the fall for this. They couldn’t pin a crime on me I hadn’t committed. Not unless they had real evidence. And I hadn’t left any of that behind as far as I remembered.

  They had to have something if they’d gone so far as to arrest me. I wondered what it was. No doubt I’d find out soon enough when we got to the police station.

  This sucked. Why had this come down on my head? The only thing I’d done was to protect Aaron when he asked me to. I didn’t deserve this shit. My feelings were tangled up inside me. I couldn’t admit to them I’d been there after Valentine had died. No, I just had to tell them I left and walked home. People had seen Aaron and I together, hadn’t they? How could I keep Aaron out of this entirely?

  What a fucking mess!

  Mum came back into the living room and walked straight over to me. The officer didn’t object to her wrapping me up in her arms. I leant down so she could hold me properly. She pressed her mouth up to my ear.

  “I called Aaron,” she whispered. “Please tell me you didn’t do this.”

  I shook my head. This wasn’t my fault. None of it.

  She called Aaron. It will be okay. At least he knows. He’ll do something. I hope.

  Then she let me go and the officer stepped forward. He looked a little sympathetic as he took out his handcuffs. I put my hands out towards him, willingly accepting my fate.

  Don’t break down. Stay strong. You can do this. They won’t pin this on you if you tell them most of the truth.

  I had to hope they’d believe me as they led me and Mum from the house. The neighbours were looking on. The police showing up on the estate wasn’t an unusual occurrence. Arresting me, however, was. Old Nat Jacobs’ curtains twitched. I was surprised she hadn’t popped her clogs yet. The woman was in her nineties. No doubt she was shaking her head over all of this.

  They pressed me down into the backseat and allowed Mum to sit next to me. I looked over at her, worried about what she was thinking. She had to know I’d never hurt another soul. I couldn’t ask her what she’d told Aaron or what he’d said. It would put everything at risk. I hoped he wouldn’t come and try to save me by turning himself in. Not after we’d covered up what he’d done. It would look worse on both of us. Better for me to be in this situation where I could tell them I hadn’t been involved. That was the truth. I hadn’t pushed Valentine down those stairs.

  So even though I’d have to lie to them about my knowledge of Valentine’s death, I could at the very least, tell them I hadn’t killed him. It wasn’t me. It was Aaron.

  And no matter what, I’d protect him. I wouldn’t let the police find out what he’d done. Aaron was my world and owned my heart. I’d be his knight in shining armour and save him from a fate he didn’t deserve. I’d save him from everything by sacrificing myself if I had to.

  Chapter Forty Four

  Having my parents home fucking sucked. Especially after everything Rhys and I had gone through over the past week. We didn’t need further shit happening. I already missed him even though he’d only been gone for an hour. I’d said hello to Mum and Dad, but we’d not had any interaction other than that. They seemed to be busy dealing with something now they were back home. It was always like this. No doubt they’d w
ant to speak to me later. That’s why they were here after all.

  I slumped on my bed, stroking my hand across the pillow where Rhys had slept. It still smelt of him. I might be crazy, but I loved that boy more than life itself. He meant everything to me. Giving him my virginity last night had felt so natural. So perfect. Whilst it had hurt at first, it had felt incredible after that. It made my heart swell to think I’d got to make a choice in the matter and have it be the love of my life. We’d shared all our firsts together. First kiss. First love. Losing our virginity. Everything about Rhys and I was fucking magical.

  My phone rang. I reached over and grabbed it off the bedside table. Frowning when I saw it was Steph calling me, I answered it.

  I wonder why it’s her and not Rhys.

  “Hi, Steph.”

  “Oh, Aaron, I don’t know what to do. Rhys is in so much trouble.”

  I froze. Dread made my skin prickle all over. This couldn’t be good at all.

  “What?”

  “The police are here… they’ve arrested him. They suspect he murdered someone… that boy who’s been in the news. The one they found on the canal path.”

  My entire world went down in flames. Rhys had been arrested. My boy had been arrested for Valentine’s murder.

  What the fuck?

  “What do you mean? Why would they arrest him for that?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m going down to the police station with him. He’s underage so he needs a guardian. Aaron, he didn’t do this, right? You’ve been with him for days. Please tell me my son didn’t kill this boy.”

  I shook my head.

  No, I did. I killed Valentine.

  “No, Steph, he didn’t.” My voice came out all shaky and I tried to keep myself under control, but I was falling apart on the inside. “Rhys would never do anything like that.”

  “I don’t know what to do. I’ve never been in this situation before.”

  Neither had I. What the fuck did we do? Rhys would need legal help to get him out of this, wouldn’t he? And he needed me. I had to make sure he didn’t get charged with murder. It would be selfish of me to let him take the fall for it.