Page 22 of Forsaken

Mav studied me for a moment and then lifted my hands to his lips. He kissed the backs of each one before releasing them and leaning forward to seal his mouth over mine. When he pulled back he said, “This was about you. Only you.”

I felt tears threatening to fall at that so all I managed was a nod because I didn’t trust myself to speak.

“Why don’t you get cleaned up and I’ll clean up out here?”

I looked down on the floor and sure enough, our activities had caused both bottles of beer to hit the floor. Luckily only one had broken and it was in large pieces instead of hundreds of tiny ones. “Are you sure?”

Mav nodded and helped me stand. I could feel my cum cooling all over my stomach and seeping into the fabric of my underwear. “There are some cleaning supplies under the sink,” I murmured as I turned to head towards my bedroom. With my passion cooling, the embarrassment started to seep in and I was eager to escape Mav so I could regroup. Once I reached my bathroom, I stripped off all my clothes and got in the shower. As I washed myself, memories of Mav’s touch started to return and I actually felt the hunger building deep inside of me again. I shook my head in amazement and then quickly finished cleaning up and changed into fresh clothes. I had no idea how we’d go back to any kind of regular conversation after what had just happened, but there was no way around it so I headed back to the kitchen. The floor was clean and the broken glass gone by the time I got back. But I didn’t see Mav. I felt a surge of panic that he’d left, but then I sensed his presence and looked to my right towards the living room. And then all my panic came rushing back.

Because in Mav’s hand was the picture on the bookshelf – the one I kept turned over for a reason. And I knew just by looking at the expression on Mav’s face that he finally had the answer he’d been looking for from the moment we’d encountered each other in that stairwell.

Chapter 9

Mav

I shouldn’t have looked at the picture.

I’d known even as I’d walked towards the bookcase, my eyes zeroing in on the overturned picture frame, that it would destroy what little trust I’d managed to build with Eli. But I’d done it anyway because as beautiful and perfect as the last few minutes with him had been, none of that negated my first priority.

His safety.

I hadn’t planned any of what had happened with Eli. Maybe it was because he’d initiated the kisses between us that had started it all. Maybe it was hearing him admit that I’d been the first one to kiss him. I hadn’t known and I hadn’t cared. All I’d cared about was getting my hands on him. I’d been close to coming myself as Eli had bucked and jerked beneath me as I’d pulled his orgasm to the surface, but the prospect of being able to watch him as he came had made it possible for me to hold off. Sure, I’d been painfully uncomfortable afterwards, but it had been worth it because I’d never seen anyone be so completely consumed with pleasure the way Eli had been.

But all that pleasure was gone now and the old fear was back. And even if it hadn’t been written all over Eli’s face, the way Baby was pressed up against Eli’s legs, his big tongue licking over Eli’s lax fingers, was evidence enough.

We both held there for several long seconds and then Eli finally stepped forward and took the picture from me. He didn’t look at it as he returned it to its spot on the bookcase. But instead of turning it over, he left the picture upright.

“Why couldn’t you just leave it alone?” Eli whispered.

“Look Eli, I get it,” I said as I reached out to put my hand on his shoulder. “He’s your father…”

“Stepfather,” Eli cut in and then he was stepping away from me. “And you don’t get anything.”

“Then explain it to me,” I said. “If he’s done this before-”

“No,” Eli bit out. “I told you it was a misunderstanding. It was a one-time thing. He was upset.”

“About what?”

But Eli shook his head and then wrapped his arms around his body. “I want you to leave,” he said softly, though he refused to look me in the eye when he said it. I ignored him and closed the distance between us, but the second I touched him he yanked himself away from me and shouted, “Get out!”

“Eli-”

The young man was clearly in a rage because he shoved at me hard with both hands and bit out, “I don’t want you here!” I managed to grab Eli’s arms before he could lash out at me again, but when he whispered, “I don’t want you,” something inside of me cracked and I released him. The pain in my chest began radiating out in waves and I actually had to bend over and force in several deep breaths before I could get control of myself.

“Mav…”

I ignored the mix of shock and worry I heard in Eli’s voice and began hurrying towards the door.

“Mav, wait, please!”

Eli went around the other side of the loveseat and placed himself in my path, but I was in such a fury that I easily pushed past him. Even as the wound inside of me began to bleed, I managed to stay calm.

Until Eli grabbed me.

“Mav-”

I turned on him without warning and grabbed him by the upper arms. Fear flashed in his eyes as I forced him back several steps until his back hit the wall near the hallway leading to his bedroom. But he didn’t fight me or try to escape and I could feel his fingers biting into my arms where he was holding on to me.

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