"No," Gareth growled out in an angry rumble. "It doesn't." He continued staring Andy down with a hard glare, and his arms still wrapped around me possessively.
Andy frowned deeply and met Gareth's eyes. "I'm sorry I was a dick to you, Gareth." He sighed and glanced away uncomfortably. "My only excuse is that I care too much about my family, and I get overprotective and carried away. I know it's a lame excuse, but it's all I've got." He looked at Gareth again. "I'm really sorry."
Gareth stared back for a long uncomfortable moment, and I was starting to think he wasn't going to let this go. Thankfully, he finally relaxed a little. "Very well," Gareth said in a calm and even tone. "I accept."
Andy breathed out in obvious relief as he glanced at Lydia, who nodded in approval at him.
"Good," she said in satisfaction. She eyed Andy and Gareth sharply. "Now let's all go back to the ER waiting room and act like civilized adults, shall we?" Even Gareth had the good sense to look embarrassed now.
I nodded as I reluctantly pulled out of Gareth's arms, so we could slide out of the booth. We stood, and he placed a possessive and comforting hand at the small of my back as we followed Andy and Lydia out of the cafeteria. Now all I had left to worry about was my father, and that was more than enough to fill my plate.
21
GARETH
It took all of my effort not to glare continuously at Andy as I sat across from him in the hospital waiting room. I'd only met him a handful of times, and I'd thought he was a decent guy, but now I seethed inside over our confrontation earlier, still feeling angry and resentful toward him. I wasn't sincere when I accepted his apology, not at all. I merely did it to please Malory and smooth things over. I didn't want to embarrass her again or upset her, but I wasn't a man to let go of a grudge easily. I was still incensed over being accused of using Malory and being called an asshole several times by him. Damn that fucking word and the power it still had over me.
I glowered down at my feet where they were stretched out in front of me with my ankles crossed. Malory sat leaning against me, reading a book on her phone with her head on my shoulder. Andy was on his phone talking to his mother, who was apparently caring for his daughter right now, and Lydia was asleep with her head lolling back on the uncomfortable waiting room chair she sat on. Being a new mother had to be exhausting. I couldn't imagine it was easy.
I glanced over at Malory and eyed her belly, wondering what she'd look like pregnant, then ripped my eyes away in terror. What the hell was I doing imagining that? What the hell was I doing when I almost told her I loved her in the cafeteria earlier? It was too soon for either notion. We barely knew each other, and we'd only been a couple officially since yesterday. I felt a sudden urge to run out of here, so I could go home and be alone. I closed my eyes and sighed softly as I tried to shove the fear away.
Malory needed me, and I needed her, no matter how afraid I was of this new relationship. I could do this, goddamn it. I could do this. I just had to rein in my clingy fawning tendencies and take it slow. I wasn't going to be that same pathetic man this time. I wouldn't do that to myself. I wouldn't, would I? Why the fuck were my eyes stinging again? I gripped my frayed and mixed-up emotions in an iron fist and pushed them down, keeping my face blank as I stared at my feet again. Malory couldn't know about my messed up head. I had to be in control.
Malory suddenly sat up in her chair, and I looked up to see Dr. Leonard walking toward us. He was smiling, and that had to be a good sign. Andy patted his wife's leg to wake her up as he ended his call.
"Good news," Dr. Leonard said confidently as he looked back and forth between Malory and Lydia. "The chemical cardioversion was successful, and your father's heart is beating normally again. He's feeling a lot better too."
Malory sagged with relief against me. "Oh thank God," she sighed out. She put her hand on my thigh, and I grabbed it reassuringly.
"Can he go home soon?" Lydia asked as she blinked sleepily.
"We're getting ready to discharge him right now, but I don't recommend he be alone tonight."
"He can come home with us," Andy announced with a firm nod. "We have plenty of room."
The relief I felt as Malory nodded in agreement made me feel like shit. I wanted her to myself, so I could regain control of my emotions again by commanding her body and her pleasure. My God, I was a selfish asshole. I sat there disgusted with myself as the doctor explained Mr. Burke's discharge instructions.
Not long after that, a nurse was wheeling Malory's father out of the building in a wheelchair to Andy's god-awful yellow Mitsubishi Evo that sat waiting by the curb. I watched Malory hug her sister, her brother-in-law, and then finally her father. I stepped forward to tell Mr. Burke it was a pleasure meeting him, and that I was happy he was feeling better. I tried to ignore the suspicion I saw in his eyes as I shook his hand.
I said good-bye to Lydia and Andy, forcing myself to shake his hand when he offered it, even though I didn't want to. There seemed to be a certain distance and discomfort in Malory's family's interactions with me, and I got the sense that none of them trusted me or really approved of me being with Malory. It made me angry, and honestly it hurt. I was happy when they finally got in the car and drove away so I could have my Malory to myself. Once again, I'm a selfish asshole.
I took Malory's hand as I led her to my Range Rover. I drove us home in brooding silence, still hurt and angry, and not knowing what to do about it.
"Gareth?" Malory asked as I pulled into my garage. "Are you okay?"
I parked the car and turned to see her eying me worriedly.
"Your family doesn't approve of me," I said with a deep frown.
"What?" she asked incredulously as her brow furrowed. "That's ridiculous. Why would you think that?"
"I don't think they like me," I told her firmly.
I hadn't cared what people thought of me since my divorce. I hadn't been invested enough to care one way or the other since, but it was different with Malory and her family. Just the thought of Malory's family disliking me bothered me more than I cared to admit to myself. I wanted their approval. I needed it, and it made me feel weak and pathetic.
"They don't even know you yet," she said reasonably. "I think you're reading too much into it. Today was stressful and they weren't themselves. They just need to get to know you better under normal circumstances."
I pressed my lips together, wanting to argue my point, but what I did instead sickened me. "You're right," I conceded, just like I used to do with my ex-wife to avoid conflict. "I...I don't know what I was thinking. I'm sorry."
She gave me a perplexed expression. "You don't have to be sorry."
I caught myself before I apologized again for being sorry. Damn it, what was I doing? I sighed and stared out the windshield feeling lost and confused over my behavior for several moments. Malory wasn't Ryan. I knew that, yet here I was already reverting to the way things were eight years ago in my joke of a marriage.
"I'm glad your dad is okay," I finally said, changing the subject to try to focus on Malory and her needs. I looked over to see her pursing her lips as she stared at me in confusion. I bit my lip to stifle another apology.
"Me too," she finally said as her eyes turned sad. "I don't want to go through all that again." Her voice was a broken whisper. "Mom was sick for so long before she...before she..." she trailed off, and my heart broke as tears welled in her beautiful hazel eyes. "I don't know what I'd do without my dad too." She finally broke down as the weight of all she'd been through today hit her hard. She hunched forward and buried her face in her hands as loud painful sobs seemed to tear through her entire body.
I couldn't take seeing her hurting, and I flew out of the Range Rover, my own problems instantly forgotten. I rounded the SUV, opened her door, and took off her seatbelt. I scooped her up into my arms, holding her close as I shut the door with a hip and carried her to the elevator. She felt so small and frail in my arms as she sobbed all the way up to the penthouse floor and into my apartmen
t.
Reggie came rushing up to us, whining frantically and following me as I carried Malory up all three floors to my bedroom. She was still crying when I lowered her onto the bed. I took off her coat and shoes, then tucked her under the comforter before pulling off my own coat, shoes, and shirt. I got into bed next to her and pulled her into my arms. She clung to me and burrowed her face into my neck as she wept.
"I've got you, Malory," I murmured softly. I held her and ran a comforting hand through her hair, not knowing what else to do to help her since she obviously needed to let her grief out. "Let it all out, beautiful."
Suddenly, Reggie leaped up onto the bed behind Malory and crawled over to lay his head on her hip. He wasn't allowed on the bed, ever. I leveled a hard stare at him, but he whined so pitifully and seemed so upset, that I didn't have the heart to force the issue. I let him stay, and we both comforted her as much as we could.
After a while, her sobs stopped, and she sniffled here and there as she continued to cling to me. A few minutes after that, she quieted completely and fell asleep in my arms. I held her for a while longer, her grief making it impossible for me to keep my mind from turning to my own loss. A sudden image of Viv's hurt and disappointed face the last time I saw her, when I bit her head off and stormed out like the asshole I was, took over my thoughts.
My eyes burned, and my chest hurt as a few tears managed to escape before I could put a stop to it. Thank God, Malory didn't see them. I needed a goddamn drink, and some time alone to grapple with my fucked-up emotions. I carefully extricated myself from Malory's body and got out of the bed. Reggie immediately snuggled in closer and pressed his entire body against Malory's back with his chin on her shoulder. He whined softly, and I reached over and scratched his big head as I smiled wanly at him. At least, she wouldn't be alone up here.
"Good boy," I whispered, and his tail thumped on the mattress a few times.
I walked over to the wall and hit the switch that pulled the curtains across the railing, darkening the bedroom for her. Then I grabbed my shirt and paused to admire my Malory one more time with a soft smile, that quickly bled away, before heading downstairs to pay a much-needed visit to my bar and my best bottle of bourbon.
**********
Brooding was an activity best done alone, and that's usually the way I liked it and how I got it out of my system quickly. No one wanted to be around me when I was like this anyway. Today though, it wasn't working. I'd been at it for over an hour now, and my mood was still sullen and discontent. I was getting annoyed with myself. I was sprawled on the couch in the second floor sitting area with my legs crossed on the coffee table, and my arms stretched across the back. I'd been nursing the same glass of bourbon for quite a while now, the glass dangling casually from one hand as I scowled unseeing at whatever was on the television.
I didn't know how I was going to come to terms with the conflict between the part of me that desperately wanted this relationship with Malory, and the part that was desperately afraid of what it might turn me into. I wondered if it was even possible for me to retain my identity in a relationship since I was already reverting to the way I'd been last time. Ryan was the only real girlfriend I'd ever had before now. I met her when I was twenty in my second year of college, and I didn't know any other way. I'd given every last bit of myself to that woman, and in the end, all I'd been left with was pain, a bitter dose of reality, and three years of fucking palimony payments.
I growled under my breath, then downed the rest of the bourbon from my glass in one swallow. It went down smooth and burned pleasantly in my chest, but did nothing to ease my mind. Maybe I just needed more.
I was just getting up to refill my glass when Malory came off the stairs that led to the second level with Reggie a close shadow behind her. My breath caught at the sight of her, and when she smiled, I just stood there staring at her helplessly as a deep pang of longing and affection stabbed my heart. Even with no makeup, her hair disheveled, and her clothes rumpled, she was still the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. I wanted to fall at her feet and worship her. I wanted to hold her close and never let her go. I wanted her, needed her, and that was why I had to make this work. I'd never felt this way about anyone before. No one had ever gotten to me like Malory did. I didn't need to brood. I didn't need to drink. I just needed to lose myself in my Malory. I set the glass down on the coffee table, then walked across the room with brisk purposeful strides. Malory's eyes widened as I came to a stop in front of her. She opened her mouth to speak.
"No," I cut her off in a low commanding tone. "No talking."
She snapped her mouth shut obediently. I grabbed her and pulled her roughly against me as my lips fell hard on hers, and I kissed her with everything I had. The feel of her lush lips on mine always laid waste to me. She tasted like everything I ever wanted or needed, like vivid sunshine that lit up the darkness inside me. Her body relaxed as she submitted to my ferocious kiss, and it was exactly what I needed right now. It felt as if everything I'd ever learned and mastered in all my years in the BDSM lifestyle were for her. I'd been waiting for her, to share it with her, and it bonded us in a way I'd never experienced with any other woman.
I pulled away with a groan and wrapped my right hand around her throat, her soft skin warm against my palm. I could feel her pulse racing under my thumb. I squeezed her neck slightly with a firm pressure, not to hurt her, but to exert my dominance over her. It was what we both craved and needed right now. She sighed contentedly as her eyes hooded over, and she fell limp against me. Her complete trust and submission floored me every single time.
I leaned in close to her ear. "You love submitting to me, don't you, beautiful?" I whispered roughly. "Answer me."
"Y...yes, sir," she replied in a soft whimper.
"And you love pleasing me, and doing whatever I want, whatever I demand, don't you?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good girl," I rumbled out and moved down to nip at the side of her neck. I licked and sucked on her skin until she mewled and shuddered in my arms. Brooding may not have settled my chaotic thoughts, but I knew this would. Malory was my drug and dominating her was the needle I used to get my fix, and I'd never get enough. I could overdose on her, and I'd die a happy man.
With a low feral growl, I lifted Malory up, grabbing her ass as she wrapped her legs around my waist. She clung to me, and I carried her back upstairs as the calm serenity of being a Dom fell over me. All other thoughts in my head faded away, and only Malory and her pleasure mattered to me now. It was sweet peaceful bliss.
I went into my darkened bedroom, the curtains still stretched across the room and blocking out the bright daylight from my massive windows. I paused to turn up the recessed lights just enough so I could see what I was doing, before moving to the open area in front of my bed and setting Malory on her feet.
"Arms up, beautiful," I commanded.
She obeyed, and I pulled her sweat shirt up and over her head, then threw it aside. Her perfect little breasts were covered by a cute lacy black bra, and I could just make out the shape of her already hard nipples as they pushed out at the lace. I reached up and thumbed them through the fabric, watching her eyes flutter and her lips part with pleasure. Then I pinched them, hard.
She gasped in surprise as her hazel eyes lit up and turned jade with arousal. "Oh God," she blurted out without thinking as she shuddered.
I shot out my hand and gripped her chin firmly. I leaned in close with a harsh glare. "I said no talking," I growled out threateningly.
"I'm s-"
I arched a brow. She shut her mouth as her eyes widened at her second slip up.
"Consider this a warning, beautiful," I said sternly. "You only speak when given permission, I ask you a question, or if you need to use your safeword. Disobey me again and you don't get to come at all." I leaned away and gave her an arched brow. "As it stands though, I'm going to give you a lesson in delayed gratification and erotic torture."
Her eyes were as wide as sauce
rs now. I stifled a laugh. Shit just got real, didn't it, my Malory? I could see fear and desire warring in her eyes. I was taking it to another level today. I hoped it wasn't more than she could handle.
"Tell me your safeword, beautiful," I said in a calm authoritative tone.
"Bourbon, sir." Her eyes were dilated almost black now. Apparently, desire won the battle in her head.
"Very well." I nodded in satisfaction as a dark smile spread across my lips. "You will use it immediately if you need to." I made a twirling motion with my index finger. "Now turn around."
She nodded and immediately spun. I unclasped her bra and let it fall, then slid her leggings and panties down together. I helped her step out of them, then slid my hands up her legs as I stood, taking a moment to grab a handful of her ass in each hand. I adored her ass, so full and soft, yet firm. I slid a finger between her cheeks and softly touched her tight little hole as I whispered in her ear. "Someday soon, this ass will be mine, and then I'll own all of you."
She stiffened with a gasp, but this time managed not to speak. I smacked her ass briskly, making her jump and squeak in surprise. I was trying to keep her off balance for this scene, and it was working. I didn't want her overthinking this and letting her nerves get out of control. She needed to be in the moment and leave everything up to me.
"Now, I want your back against the St. Andrew's cross." I smiled as she scurried to obey. I loved her enthusiasm.
The cross was still attached to the bed, since I hadn't gotten around to putting it away yet. I'd been hoping to use it again before the weekend was over, and I had to take it down. Jane did not need to see it when she came in Monday, even if she was probably well aware of my kinks since there were eye bolts attached to my bed frame. I didn't need to throw it in her face.
Malory stood leaning back against the cross and eyed me expectantly, waiting for her next command as her chest heaved with excited breaths. She was such a good girl, such a good little sub, even with her slip up when she spoke without permission. She was still learning after all.
Dark Dominion: Dangerous Desire Book 1 Page 25