Page 15

15

Aldous

A ldous stood in his darkened bedroom. The cool evening air drifted in through the open window—as did the voices far below him on the driveway. They were too vague for him to tell exactly what was being said, but the light spilling out from the front door provided enough illumination to see.

Vicious, unending fury pulsed within him at the sight of Roman hugging Dex, whispering words that only they could hear. Was Bri not concerned about this? They hadn’t talked about what happened yesterday, but surely Roman had the common fucking decency not to go jumping into bed with his ex immediately after Bri gave him their trust.

Her trust, he corrected himself.

It was a relief when Dex’s sleek grey car passed through the gates, disappearing into the night.

Aldous hated the man’s name on first hearing it, and he hated the face attached to it even more.

Because now all he could think of was Roman and Dex jumping back into bed together. It wasn’t like Dex hadn’t offered. Did Roman not give a shit what that would have done to Bri?

Aldous’s hands clenched into fists. Anger and hatred bubbled up within him, and he was tempted to find out if American houses really were as flimsy as they looked on the telly.

Grabbing a change of clothes, Aldous disappeared into his en-suite to shower. He had no desire to go back downstairs. The evening was late, and he’d had enough of this night to last a lifetime.

Even blissfully hot water couldn’t burn away the chaos in his mind. All he could see was Roman and Dex in bed together, and he hated it . Aldous cleaned himself with rough, impersonal swipes, his hand never lingering on his skin long enough for it to start crawling.

His shower last night couldn’t have been more different. His mind wouldn’t clear then either, but it was filled with the memory of Bri and Roman together in the cabana. The sight of Bri splayed out naked—and her lips around Roman’s cock.

It was the closest Aldous had ever come to finally giving into the need swarming his body. To stroke his cock and bring himself to release.

But, like always, he couldn’t go through with it.

Just like he couldn’t stop the sickness that flowed through him. The corrupting influence of the man who ruined his life had penetrated deep into his psyche, infecting him further with every day that passed.

Aldous dried off and pulled on a clean long-sleeved shirt and a pair of tracksuit bottoms, relieved to once again be dressed. To not be vulnerable.

Unlocking the bathroom door, he left his en-suite—but immediately stopped in his tracks.

Roman lay on his bed as though he belonged there, his arms casually resting behind his head. “Oh.” Disappointment turned his mouth down. “I was hoping you’d be naked.”

“Get. Out.”

Roman climbed to his feet, holding his hands up. “I just want to talk.”

Fiery wrath stormed through his veins, and for the first time in his life, Aldous truly understood how a man could be carried away by his anger. His hands itched to wrap around Roman’s neck—another novel sensation. “Out.”

There was no hint of fear as Roman closed in. They both knew Aldous wouldn’t lay a hand on him. “You were very rude to my friend.”

“I’m paying him to do a job,” Aldous spat, feet firmly planted. “I don’t need to be polite.”

“But that wasn’t why you were rude to him, was it?” A strange look came over Roman’s face; curiosity disguised with… triumph? “You didn’t like seeing me with him.”

“Fine,” he snarled, letting his anger drive him closer, until he was within whispering distance. “How do you think Bri felt? Yesterday wasn’t a fucking game to her, Roman. And yet a day later, here you are, flirting with someone else in front of her. Did you even stop to consider how she would feel, or did you let your cock do the thinking?”

A bark of laughter echoed around the cavernous room, and it took every ounce of his strength to stop himself from throttling Roman.

And the bastard knew it.

“I don’t think this is about Bri at all, Aldous.” Roman’s breath trailed over his ear, sending a shudder down his spine. “Do you think I didn’t notice yesterday?”

Panic bound him to the spot, but he fought his way through it. “Notice what ?”

“You.” Roman’s voice was as smooth as crushed velvet, rendering him powerless as it caressed his skin. He was its hostage, but Aldous wasn’t sure he ever wanted to be freed. “Sure, you were watching Bri… but you were watching me too.”

He didn’t trust himself to speak.

“You’re not angry on Bri’s behalf. You’re jealous—because you don’t like hearing about me fucking another man."

A sickening pulse in his stomach threw him off balance. Trepidation rose inside him, getting ever closer—ever louder. “You’re delusional. If Bri wasn’t involved with you, I’d have no problems with you and Dex.”

Roman’s laugh was husky. “Really?” He pulled back, delving into his pocket for his phone. He flicked through it, scrolling downwards until he found whatever he was looking for. “I’m sure I have an old video of me sucking his cock. You wanna watc—?”

The primal, possessive, thoughtless part of his brain acted on instinct. Aldous seized him by the throat, slamming him back against the wall. His conscience screamed at him to let go, to release Roman’s throat, but instead he gripped tighter, as though it was the only thing keeping him upright.

“Of course,” Roman scraped out, his throat rasping against Aldous’s palm and savage victory glinting in his scarred eye, “I wonder whether you’d mind so much if it was your cock I was sucking?”

Choking need surged through him, his cock straining behind his tracksuit bottoms. Little by little, he relaxed his grip on Roman’s throat—but his hand remained. He was touching him, of his own free will. Aldous’s eyes trailed down to Roman’s mouth, his voice catching at the image of those lips stretched around his cock.

He didn’t know who moved first—him or Roman.

The heavy barricades between him and his desires finally crumpled as his lips crashed into Roman’s. He groaned as his tongue licked into his mouth, sending a fiery current of arousal directly to the base of his cock.

He held Roman against the wall with the insistent press of his hips and the flexing of his hand at his throat. He eliminated the space between them, hungrily drinking in the taste of rum and feeling the rasp of stubble against his jaw.

Aldous threaded his hands into his hair, needing to explore more of the man who drove him fucking insane , needing to punish him for it.

Lips curving into a smile, Roman spoke into their embrace. “Where did you learn to kiss like that?”

“Fuck you,” Aldous spat, squeezing his throat and biting his bottom lip until he groaned. There were too many sensations to focus on. The glide of his lips. The softness of his hair. The stubble on his jaw. The hard lines of his body. The dark, spicy scent invading his senses. Aldous wanted it all, caressing his lips against Roman’s to meet the relentless need thundering through his veins.

And it all centred from one very insistent part of his body, leaking into his trousers as he mindlessly thrust his hips against Roman’s.

“Can I touch you?” Roman whispered.

Aldous thought about it for a moment—and the horrifying realisation of exactly what he was doing slammed into him like a wrecking ball. “No,” he spluttered, stumbling back. Chaos reigned in his mind, scattering everything in its path. He’d kissed Roman. He’d kissed a man. “No.”

After everything that happened with Friedman, with his headmaster, he’d willingly kissed a man.

Roman held up his hands in surrender. “Okay.” His voice was softer than Aldous had ever heard. For once, there was no mocking air within. There was tenderness, and it almost sickened him. “Hey, it’s okay.”

Aldous choked. He turned away, unable to look at Roman anymore—

And instead found himself facing the bedroom door, where Bri’s dark, familiar eyes stared back at him. His wife. “I—I heard a bang,” she called. “I thought you were fighting; I didn’t realise you were...”

She left the sentence unfinished, thank fuck.

His thoughts were a tumultuous ream of traumatic memories, until he could almost feel Friedman’s hands on him. No matter how much he protested, how much he tried to pretend it didn’t happen, a part of him would always be in that basement classroom.

Roman was the first to break the silence. “Come in.”

“Get out,” Aldous croaked, crossing the room to the dresser and unscrewing the cap on the single malt whisky he’d brought with him. He didn’t bother pouring out a glass, simply swigging straight from the bottle.

“You want both of us to leave,” Bri asked, “or just me?”

Reluctantly, Aldous looked over at them. He expected to see anger in Bri’s expression, or even disgust. He hadn’t expected the concern knitting her brows together. “Why would you want to stay? I effectively just…” He swallowed his revulsion. He couldn’t finish.

Lips twisting into a lopsided smile, Bri crossed her arms. “Roman has been part of our marriage for as long as we’ve had a marriage. I don’t think he counts.”

“Rude but valid.”

Something sunk inside him, right down to the pit of his stomach. Was it wrong for him to be disappointed? He needed Bri’s anger as much as he needed her disgust right now, and she was giving him neither. There was just… acceptance.

Perhaps his disappointment showed on his face, because she shot another question at him. “Would you rather I was mad at you?”

Aldous took another swig.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a Roman-shaped dent in the wall. I guess they are that flimsy.

Bri took his silence as admittance. “Why would you want me to be mad at you for this?” she asked, her eyes filled with confusion.

“Bri.” Roman approached her from behind, his tone soft and sentimental. “Maybe we give him some sp—”

“Don’t,” Aldous spat, his skin crawling with the memory of Friedman. He hadn’t been sure whether Roman knew what happened—after all, the newspaper articles were public. Anyone with an internet connection could delve into his history if they were determined enough. But that insipid weakness in Roman’s voice confirmed it: he knew. The knowledge filled him with a chilling disgust. “I don’t need your false fucking compassion. I don’t need you to pretend you care.”

Roman’s head tilted. He took a step forward, eyes tracing his face. “I’m not pretending, baby.”

The words pushed him closer to an edge he could never come back from. He summoned the rest of his strength to push back. “Get out.”

Holding his gaze for a second longer than he was comfortable with, Roman nodded. He turned, leaning in to press a soft kiss to Bri’s temple. “I’ll be downstairs if you need me.”

With a gentle snick , the door closed behind Roman, leaving him and Bri alone together. The silence that swathed them was thick with her unspoken questions. Aldous took another gulp of whisky, desperate to burn out the ghost of Friedman’s touch. Of Roman’s kiss. The pain of the former, and the pleasure of the latter.

“Aldous…” Bri’s tentative footsteps approached, but he didn’t have the energy to step backwards, to replace the distance between them. “I think maybe that’s enough for tonight.”

He allowed her to slip the bottle from his fingers, his hand brushing against hers.

Soulful eyes gazed up at him. Eyes he could stare into for all eternity. Eyes he could lose himself in.

Right now, maybe that was what he needed.

“I never know what’s on your mind,” she whispered, her hand reaching up to his cheek—and then stopping.

No.

Aldous clasped her hand and held it to his cheek, bathing in the softness of her palm. “What have you done to me?” he whispered. At the beginning of their marriage, he could barely tolerate any touch.

And now…

And now he needed hers.

Bri’s response was earnest. “I want to help you.”

He slid his arms around her waist, pulling her closer and hissing at the soft, feminine curves against his body. A feeling he’d dreamt of for so many years but never sought out.

Aldous had been fighting this for so long he couldn’t remember what it was to touch without fear, but at that very moment he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to live without this again. The warmth of Bri’s figure against him soothed the terror within him.

The terror he’d once thought was bone deep.

Her breath hitched as he pulled her closer. “Do you, wife?” he whispered, his lips close enough to brush against hers.

Bri’s attention dropped to his mouth. She nodded.

Their first kiss—their first proper kiss—had been one of passion.

Their second tasted like salvation.

Aldous swept his lips against hers, devouring the exquisite pleasure in her sighs and looking for more. He angled her head to allow him to deepen their embrace, feeling the world fall away around them. How had he been able to resist her by the pool yesterday? Or even during his shower last night?

“Yes?” he whispered, needing to know that this was what she wanted.

Bri answered before he’d finished asking, “ Yes. ”

He guided her towards the bed, decades of ignored need suddenly coming to the fore, fierce and demanding and inescapable. “I might just be addicted to you, wife,” he snarled, his lips against her neck and his erection crying out for more.

Bri allowed him to lay her on the bed, her glossy hair falling around her head in a midnight cloud. Her hands were still anchored to her chest, bar the occasional twitch that belied her wants. “Do I… do I need to keep my hands to myself?”

Something wilted inside him at allowing her to touch his skin. His scars. “You can touch my hands,” he offered, wanting to give her something in return. His hands, but not his wrists—or what she’d find there if she looked too closely. “And my face.”

Her lips pursed to the side. “Does your face include your hair?”

Aldous’s unexpected laughter barked across the room. For a moment, it felt like they were working out a business deal. “You can touch my hair.” He prowled down over her, hissing as her legs parted, hooking around his hips. Perfection.

Bri bit her lip, slowly cupping his cheeks and pulling him in for another kiss—but he didn’t let it end, rocking his hips against hers until a hushed moan escaped from her throat. “Aldous,” she whispered, her hands brushing over his hair.

“Can I touch you?” An echo of Roman’s question from earlier; a connection he wanted to ignore.

She nodded, her eyes burning with desire. “I’m all yours.”

Damn right.

Aldous didn’t waste a second.

His hands flew to her dress, making short work of the zipper before peeling it down her body to unveil her breasts. Her nipples tightened in the cool night air, but his mouth was there a moment later. Bri’s fingers speared into his hair as he laved his tongue over one and his thumb over the other. Her gasps of pleasure sounded above him as he sucked, until the little bud was tight and sensitive.

“Aldous!” she cried, as he began the process over again on her other nipple, tormenting the budded one as her needy hips writhed for more.

When he was done, he leant back on his haunches to observe his handiwork. Her cheeks were warmed with desire, but he’d tightened her nipples into painful little points.

His movement shifted her legs, and they fell open before him, immediately drawing his gaze. Dress rucked to her hips, a thin scrap of damp lace was all that separated them.

“Lift your hips,” he murmured softly, hooking his fingers into her dress and slowly sliding it down her legs, damp lace and all.

His mouth watering, Aldous muttered a curse beneath his breath.

She was divine. Soft, feminine curves. Dusky mauve petals nestled within the dark skin surrounding it. Slick wetness smeared across her inner thighs. The delicate scent of her arousal.

He couldn’t look away.

If he hadn’t seen her and Roman in the cabana yesterday, he’d have been clueless.

The edge of his lips curved in a masculine smirk.

Thankfully for his wife, he’d been watching very, very closely.

Lowering his body over hers, Aldous ignored the pulsing torment behind his trousers to take her lips in a gentle, teasing kiss. He didn’t remain stationary for long, carrying his affections down her neck and revisiting her breasts, her pert nipples welcoming him back. Her breath hitched as he sucked each one into his mouth, but he was soon on the move again. A trail of moisture followed him down her stomach.

Her scent was stronger here, luring him deeper between her legs, until he lay prone on the thousand thread count covers—itching for something softer still.

As soon as he was close enough, Aldous couldn’t wait any longer. He slid his tongue through her cunt with an obscene moan. Her taste burst on his tongue, a faintly metallic tang that had him diving in for more.

Bri sighed out a moan, spreading her thighs wider—and Aldous accepted the invitation.

Ravenous madness overpowered his brain, transforming him from man to beast. He licked into her cunt, collecting the slick arousal gathering at her entrance with the tip of his tongue, swallowing it down and sliding upwards. Her folds were smoother than he could have ever dreamt of, until he reached the little hood nestled at the top.

He teased it with the tip of his tongue, rolling and flicking to learn what she liked most. But he knew he’d landed on a winner when he flattened his tongue.

“ Aldous !” she cried out, as he dragged out his licks for as long as he could. Her hands briefly landed on his hair, but they jumped off again a moment later.

He put them back, groaning his satisfaction out as he delved into her cunt, fucking her with his tongue and swallowing her wetness once more. His hips rolled against the bed on instinct, but the feeling didn’t make his skin crawl like it usually did—it was heavenly .

Replacing his tongue with his fingers, Aldous closely observed her as he slid them inside. Slick warmth suffused his touch like a furnace. He hadn’t realised just how hot she would be, pressing on his fingers from all sides.

How would it feel to have her around my cock?

The thought travelled through his mind before he could stop it, quickly followed by a beat of sickness.

He would never find out. He couldn’t.

I never thought I could do this either, and yet here I am.

Ignorant of his internal battle, Bri threw her head back on the pillow and whispered out a relieved, “ Yessss .”

When he was satisfied the rhythm of his fingers pleased her, his tongue found her clit once more. This time, though, he coupled his long, flattened licks with suction—mimicking what he’d seen Roman do yesterday.

Bri’s head thrashed on the pillow, her cries of ecstasy spurring him on.

Her taste worked him into a frenzy, his hips still grinding against the bedcovers. He groaned as his tongue swept through petals in search of her pleasure. Around his head, her thighs began to quiver—and with them came the perverse satisfaction of knowing that he was the reason for it. He was driving this woman so mad with pleasure that she battled to keep it contained, her whimpers and cries getting louder with every second that passed.

Eventually, though, she lost.

Bri threw her head back, releasing a sharp, guttural cry into the night’s air. Her hips came up off the bed, but Aldous went with her, hungrily devouring her climax. He growled as she convulsed around his fingers, his cock clamouring to be next. The mental image of feeding his cock inside her was all it took for his release to explode from him. Aldous’s heavy, rapturous groans joined her cries, an indecent chorus in which they lost themselves.

For the first time in decades, Aldous was fully conscious during his orgasm.

Every previous release had occurred in the haze between sleep and consciousness, his guard down and his needs uninhibited. Waking to the filthy stain of lust always left him feeling low, submerged by the weight of his own disgust.

Or at least he had.

But between Bri’s thighs, there was no shame. There was only paradise.

Aldous crawled up her body, throwing her clothes aside and gathering her beneath the covers. Her long, glossy hair was scattered across his pillows. Where it belongs.

“Stay with me tonight,” he whispered, gently sliding his lips over hers.

Bri hesitated, but a slow, steady blink betrayed her exhaustion. “What if I touch you in my sleep? Somewhere you don’t want me to?”

Swallowing away his doubts, Aldous summoned his courage. He pulled her towards him, guiding her head onto his chest and laying her hand across his torso. His heartbeat was probably pounding in her ear, but, deep down, he knew what his answer was. “I need you, Brianna.”