Page 15 of Inside the Maelstrom: Part Two
I shook my head vehemently. “No. Not even for a second. Maybe if you made her choose one of us, she would always be a little bit empty, always seeking something more. The four of us? She looks content when we’re all together, and I don’t think that's a sensation she’s felt often.” I sucked down the rest of my beer, letting that sink in. “She needs to find contentment in herself first and foremost; maybe we can help her with that. And if she leaves us then? Once she’s happy and has finally found fulfillment? Then I’ll kiss her goodbye with a smile, knowing I did something right in my life.”
Sampson was silent for a long time, then got to his feet, nodding once. “Goodnight, Evan.”
Poor fucking kid. He didn’t quite understand yet that love chewed you up from the inside. He’d learn. Or maybe he wouldn’t. If he played it right with Aviva, maybe he could be one of the lucky ones who handed over their heart to the right person at the beginning, and lived happily ever after.
“Night, Sampson.”
Chapter9
Aviva
Hendrick didn’t put me down, even as he climbed the stairs to the second floor of the apartment. He clutched me close, as if I was about to vanish like a dream, carrying me to one of the enormous corner rooms that had windows on both sides. It was dark out now, and Central Park was a black mass, except for small golden veins of lamp posts criss-crossing it. Somehow, it was ominous and beautiful at the same time.
After a minute, he gently put me down, wrapping his arms around my waist from behind and pulling me tight against his body. “Thank you, Viva. I don’t think I can ever repay you.”
I shrugged. “You’d do the same for me.”
He snorted. “No fucking way. If you’d asked me to marry you a month ago, I would have run in the other direction faster than Usain Bolt.”
I rolled my eyes, not that he could see it. He didn’t realize he’d already done something just as amazing as a pseudo-marriage. He’d thrown me a lifeline when I needed it the most, without hesitation. It might have been because he hadn’t finished toying with me back then, but still.
“You’re welcome, Hendrick. Lucky Tobias was here.” I’d made Tobias write up a prenup in the car. I didn’t want any accusations of being a gold-digger—well, any more than those I’d inevitably get. Apparently, prenups were fairly easy if I wanted nothing.
Hendrick kissed my neck, making me lean back into him with a sigh. “I know I fucked up, Viva. I don’t expect anything. Holding you in my arms again is something I thought would only happen in my dreams.” He nuzzled my nape, inhaling deeply. “I can blame my illness, but some part of me, a logical part, believed it too. You’re too good for us, for the shit we’ll drag you through. I don’t think the benefits outweigh the bullshit, you know?”
I turned my head so his lips were close to mine. “Lesson number one of our marriage,” I said, trying not to laugh hysterically at the very concept, “is that you don’t get to make the decisions about what's good for me. At least, not without consulting me first.” I spun in his arms, so I could see his face properly. “You’re going to have to make it up to me for a whole year, Hendrick Kenley.”
He grinned. That smile always gave me butterflies. “Oh? Tell me how. I’ll doanything.” His purring words had the exact effect he knew they would, and my pussy clenched.
“I want you to worship me like I’m the last woman you’ll ever be with.”
He smirked with delight and fell to his knees, lifting my skirt over his head. He mumbled something against the flesh of my thigh, then gave it a playful nip.
I grabbed his head through my skirts, laughing. “How about we get in bed first?” I suggested, and he flipped my dress back over his head so he could look up into my eyes.
“Spoilsport.”
I stepped back out of his hands, and he climbed to his feet with ease. He grabbed the zip at the back of my dress and smoothly pulled it down, his lips tracing the exposed skin in its wake.
“I’ve missed this,” he said in a hushed whisper, and I gasped my agreement as he scraped my skin with his teeth. Finally, he tugged my dress down over my hips, and I stepped out of it. All that was left was my white lace underwear. “Very virginal,” he murmured, tugging at the waistband of my panties. He took it between his fingers and pulled, tearing down one side.
“Hendrick!”
“I’ll buy you new ones.” He pushed me back onto the bed, before tearing the other side. “Fuck, that feels badass.”
I laughed, shaking my head. “How did I not realize you were a giant dork from the beginning, hmm?”
He spread my thighs. “I don’t know. It's extremely obvious.” He looked down at my slick core and smiled. “Hello, old friend.” I leaned up on my elbows and took a swipe at his head, but he dodged it with a chuckle. “Shh, lay down. I want to please my wife.”
Those words made me feel giddy, but I slumped back on the bed with a gasp as I felt the warmth of his breath on my overheated folds.
“Parting was such sweet sorrow.”
What?
I craned my neck up to look at him. “Are you incorrectly reciting Shakespeare to my vagina, Hendrick Kenley? Because that’s fucking weird.” And kind of cute, but I wouldn’t tell him that.
“I think he would have appreciated the sentiment. Besides, I’ve only seen the movie.” Then he leaned forward and ran the flat of his tongue hard over my clit, and I collapsed back onto the bed. I’d happily let him recite the entire third act of Hamlet down there, as long as he didn’t stop.
