Page 23 of Chasing After You (Twisted Desires #3)

Dorian

As soon as the bike was parked, I hopped off and stormed inside, leaving Josh alone on the driveway. My combat boots hit the ground with hard, angry thuds, every movement sharp and cold and purposeful.

I shouldn’t have listened in.

I shouldn’t have planted the bug on his phone in the first place. Shouldn’t have heard that fake little cutesy laugh he gave Eli. Shouldn’t have heard the clink of glasses or the flirting.

I sat there on the couch, waiting for the sound of his footsteps on the porch. Each second dragged like a blade down my spine.

The door opened, hesitated, then shut again.

He was quiet as he searched for me.

“Dorian?” he called, voice soft. Wary. Like I was a dog that might bite.

I didn’t look up.

He hovered in the doorway to the living room. “What the hell just happened?”

I clenched my jaw.

“You can’t just show up to my date and drag me away. That guy probably thinks I got kidnapped. You scared me, Dori.”

Still didn’t look at him. If I did, I’d snap.

“Please, what’s going on?”

“You lied to me.” My voice came out lower than I meant it to—more restrained, more bitter.

He faltered, “I—yeah, okay, I lied. But only because I didn’t want you to get weird about it! And look at this. You did get weird about it.”

“I’m not weird,” I snapped. The words burned on the way out. “I’m protective.”

He scoffed, stepping forward. “Of what ? You’re not my boyfriend. You’re not my dad. You’re not—” He cut himself off.

And that silence said more than the words he couldn’t finish.

I stood slowly, every breath in my body tight as wire. “I know what I’m not.”

He stepped back. Just a little. His voice shrank. “Then why are you so mad?”

Because you let someone else touch what was mine.

Because you smiled for him.

Because I’ve been patient. Gentle. Waiting.

Because I’ve wanted you every single fucking day since the moment I first laid eyes on you, to the night you left me behind, to every day after.

I let out a short, dry laugh. “Because I brought you here. I took care of you. I’ve been quiet and careful and good. And you ran off to some guy who probably calls every man on that app handsome like it’s a party favor.”

Josh’s expression twisted.

I stepped toward him, slow, deliberate. “You think you’re the only one confused? Do you think this is just a passing thing for me? I’ve been drowning in this for years . How dare you leave me here alone! How dare you fucking lie to me!”

“Stop it,” he said, quiet and panicked. “Don’t say anything else.”

“No. You sleep in my house, you drink from my mug, you wear the fucking cologne I picked out for you! I take care of you, I comfort you, I do everything for you. And yet the moment I finally think I have you, you run off to get your dick wet with some stranger!”

His breath hitched. “I didn’t… I just wanted…”

“I saw the way you looked at me the other night,” I murmured. “You looked at me, Josh. Don’t lie. What about the way you’ve been spying on me every night through the door?”

“W-wha—”

“Why the fuck do you think I started leaving the door cracked? Why the fuck do you think I jacked off in just the right spot so that you had the perfect view? Why the fuck do you think I angled the laptop so you could see what I was watching?”

I surged forward and took his lips, forcing my tongue into his mouth when he gasped. It was messy, desperate, unforgivable, and everything I’d been aching for. His lips were warm and trembling and slow to respond, but they didn’t pull away.

When I drew back, he just stared at me with wide eyes, frozen in place.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, even though I wasn’t. “But I can’t keep this up. I wanted you to come to me on your own. I wanted to make it nice for you, gentle, sweet. I didn’t want it to happen this way.”

“Wait,” Josh pleaded. “You didn’t want what to happen this way? I’m so confused, Dori. I don’t understand what’s going on.”

“What’s going on is that we’re going to go into the locked room upstairs.”

“What? Why? What’s up there? What does it have to do with you taking me from my date?”

I cupped his chin in the palm of my hand, looking into his innocently confused eyes. “This is the last choice you get to make tonight. You can choose whether or not you’ll enter that room with me. But once you go in, you’re not coming out until I decide to let you out.”

He murmured, “But what happens in the room? And what happens if I don’t go in?”

I smiled. “If you go in the room, I’ll make you mine completely. But if you decide not to, I’ll take away your phone and lock you in your bedroom for the next three days.”

He startled, but still kept his chin in my loose hold. “That’s not really giving me a choice. I can’t… I don’t like being locked up…”

“What would you like to do, sweetheart? Will you come willingly?”

“I—” Josh drew in ragged breaths, his cheeks beginning to pink.

I whispered, “You know which is the correct choice, don’t you? Stop fighting your needs.”

“O-okay…,” he agreed meekly, “I’ll go into the r-room with you.”

I let go of his chin, patting his cheek. “Smart boy.”

He shivered. “By um… by making me yours… do you… do you mean… like that ?”

“Like what?” I teased.

“Like… y-you know…” Josh bit his lip.

I leaned in to speak lowly into his ear. “I showed you that porn for a reason.”

Josh let out a minuscule whimper. “I don’t know if I’d be any good at that stuff,” he whispered.

“You don’t have to be good at anything. All you need to do is take what I give you. Does that sound okay?”

“Y-yeah… But, um…” He shifted on his feet, picking at imaginary lint on his shirt. I waited patiently as he struggled to find the words he wanted to say. “You like… like that hard stuff, right? Like what you were watching?”

“Yes,” I answered, tilting my head as I waited for the question at the tip of his tongue.

“I’ve never done kinky stuff before, but I… well, I’ve watched a few things and stuff and… can I… Would it be okay if I had a safe word? Please…?” He nervously caught my gaze.

I smiled. “Yes, but make sure to use them only if absolutely necessary, okay? Do you know the stoplight system?”

He nodded shyly.

“Great, red for stop, yellow for slow down and check in, and green for go. What would be a good nonverbal safe word for you?”

“A nonverbal safe word?”

“Yeah, so that you can still safe word if your mouth is otherwise occupied,” I chuckled.

Josh’s face and neck went from pink to red. “O-oh,” he stuttered. “Um, what about if I tap you three times, or hold up three fingers, or something like that?”

I thought it over, nodding. “That works, I’ll keep my eye out for anything ‘three’ related. Is there anything you can think of that you absolutely do not want to do? That would freak you out, make you panic?”

Josh pursed his lips, thinking hard. He looked away as he answered, “Could you just never leave me alone in there? I can’t… it reminds me of back then.”

I already knew that. That was why I’d made that his only other option besides agreeing to play with me. I was definitely going to hell.

“Okay, done. Anything else?” I asked.

Josh hesitated but then shook his head. “I don’t think so. Like I said, I haven’t done this kind of stuff before, so I don’t know if I’ll like things or hate things. The kinkiest thing I’ve ever done was have those cheap, fluffy handcuffs on one time when one of my exes was riding me.”

I sneered at the mention of him having sex with someone other than me. Luckily, I was able to school my reaction before he noticed. “Alright, then I’ll just do what I want, and you make sure to use the safe word if you need to, okay?”

“Okay,” he replied softly.

“Good. Follow me, then.”

It was a quick trip up the stairs, Josh following behind me. I stopped at the door to the playroom and entered the password on the keypad. It was Josh’s birthday.

The keypad beeped, unlocking the door. Josh stood behind me, shifting from foot to foot nervously as I entered and switched on the dim mood lighting.

I sent him a smirk over my shoulder, coaxing, “Come on.”

He carefully stepped into the room, standing by my side as the door fell shut behind us.

I excitedly watched as his eyes danced over every implement and toy in my collection.

The walls were a deep maroon, fitting the sensual vibe I’d been striving for.

Different colors and textures of rope hung from ornate hooks.

Shelves displayed my personal favorite toys, while the rest were kept in organized drawers.

My most expensive piece of furniture sat in the center of the room—a 14-gauge steel dungeon bed, complete with a human-sized cage underneath the vinyl mattress and numerous reinforced rails for restraints.

I’d say my favorite piece would be my suspension bondage frame. The one I’d made sure could hold someone of Josh’s stature.

Besides that, I had a spanking bench, a fucking machine, and a St. Andrew’s Cross. It was certainly a lot to take in for a beginner—his wide eyes proved that.

“Woah,” Josh murmured, looking both nervous and fascinated. “You really like the hard stuff. I get now why you keep this room locked,” he chuckled awkwardly.

“Strip.”

“R-right now? We’re starting already?”

I made an affirmative hum and strolled languidly over to the bed, turning to face Josh before sitting on the edge of the mattress with my knees spread open.

Josh swallowed thickly, his Adam’s apple jumping in his throat. His fists clenched and unclenched at his sides. I waited.

After about a minute, Josh raised his trembling arms and pulled his shirt off over his head. His eyes twitched over to me, as if he were asking if he was doing okay.

I gave him a lazy smile and nodded for him to continue.

Josh shakily exhaled, his fingers trembling as they worked on undoing his pants. Once they succeeded, he hooked his thumbs under his waistband and began working the jeans down his thick, muscular thighs.