“Two weeks after I turned seventeen, I was released with two months of pills, five thousand dollars and a bus ticket to Florida. I’d lived in Massachusetts.” He walked toward me, shoulders slumped.
I wrapped my arms around him, unable to be apart another minute.
He bristled and tensed.
“I need the comfort, please.” My strong man had endured so much and I ached for him. We moved to the bench. He sat with me in his lap, my face buried in his chest so he wouldn’t see my tears. He slowly stroked my hair.
“Addicted to a cycle of sedatives, stimulants and psychotics, unable to read or write, with no one to help me, I landed on the streets of Miami.” His heart thudded in his chest, completely opposite of his hollow voice. “I rented a place and used the money I’d been given to drink at a nearby bar. I liked the way alcohol mixed with the prescriptions. I started to fight in underground clubs for money, but mostly because of the rage in me. That’s when Jericho and another member found me.”
I hugged him tight, unable to let go. Awe pushed back my hurt and anguish. He’d survived the depths of hell and come out stronger.
I was proud of him.
“The club voted me a prospect after helping me kick the prescription addiction. Jericho made it a requirement I go to a dyslexia doc. I did it for three years until I was a member.” A tremor barely shook him.
“Then I never went back. The only person to know about any of this was Jericho. He swore he’d never tell anyone.” He squeezed me close to him. “He doesn’t know all I told you.”
The silence stretched between us. I had so much to say, but he wasn’t ready to hear it. The more I thought about his life the angrier I became.
Eventually the tight tension eased in him. I moved until I stood between his parted legs. His face was hidden by his hair. I gently tilted his chin until his tear-stained eyes met mine.
I needed him to see what I felt before I said it. “I love you more than I did before you told me.” I willed him to believe.
He tried to pull his head away.
“Please don’t,” I whispered.
Pain drew stark lines on his face. “How—”
“How can I not? You survived school, that horrid incarceration and addiction. Now you’re fearless, larger than life. I am proud you love me enough to share so much with me.”
His face softened. “I do. I love you so damn much, Red.” He pressed his lips together. “I tried not to love you. I failed. You deserve so much—”
“I deserve you. I love you. Please say you’ll love me and let me do the same for you.” I leaned my forehead on his.
Ultimately it was his decision.
He wrapped his arms around me, and I sunk into his embrace. My lips found his, and I kissed him with all the passion I’d locked away. Greedy for him, my hands ran over his arms and down his chest. I wanted to offer comfort, and for us, that had always been sex—the only place I’d seen Dare’s feelings freed.
I dropped to my knees, scrambling for his jeans button.
“Red, I want inside you.” He gasped when my hands squeezed him through the denim.
“Later. I need you in my mouth, now.” I had his fly open and tugged on his jeans. He lifted and I yanked them down past his knees. I’d missed his cock with its perfect piercing.
“Watch me, Dare. I need to erase these nightmare memories with pleasure. Worship you because you love me.”
He groaned, his expression fiery with desire.
I swallowed him and pushed it deep until his head hit the back of my throat.
“Red.” His hips pumped faster. “It’s coming quick. Missed you so goddam much.”
I caressed his sac and hummed deep in my throat. I needed him to feel bliss. I wetted my finger and moved past the taint to his anus. I pressed against it.
“Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.” He lost rhythm and his balls tightened. I felt the surge of come before his hot juices spurted into my mouth. I swallowed hungrily, pushing deep even as he shuddered under me. My finger continued caressing his pucker. He arched back with his head resting on the back of the bench. His hips moved slower.
His face relaxed without the tension he’d carried all day. I continued loving his cock with my mouth, needing him to understand my devotion to him. I stared up at him, mesmerized. He stared down at me.
“I love you, Red.” He caressed my hair. “It’s been so long.” He rocked slowly into me. “Hard to stop.”
I didn’t want him to ever stop.
Emotion swamped me. Relief and love filled me even as the dark tendrils of anger floated through me. I never thought I’d kneel in front of him again. Now we’d made it this far, nothing and no one would take him from me again, including the stubborn idiot in front of me.