He winks, and it’s like the sun parting dark skies. “Hey, baby. You okay?”
I nod and wrap my arms around him, hugging his legs as I take a few more delicate sucks. There’s that tiny prick of humiliation that is so weirdly effective, but it feels too good to be a dick about it to myself. It’s as if the storm brewing inside me has moved off the coast and into another territory.
Releasing his legs, I grasp his cock and pull back to kiss the head. Letting out a steady stream of air, I look up at him with a sheepish grin. He smiles back, even as worry crinkles at the edges of his eyes.
“Better?”
I nod and start to get up. He takes my hand and helps steady me on my feet. We hug for a few seconds, and I let out another long even breath, resting my forehead on his shoulder. “What do we do, Joe?” I know even before I ask that he’ll have an answer.
“I’ve got it covered. But I want to check-in. What’s your biggest fear right now?”
My mouth hooks up into a slight grimace. “That you’ll decide it isn’t worth it. That I’m not worth any of this. That I’m too…needy. And that everyone will know that I’m needy and not worth it.”
He grabs both of my hands and leans in for a kiss. “And how do you feel now?”
“Grateful that you knew what to do to calm me down. Even if it is silly that you had to.”
He shakes his head. “Not silly. Do you know how good it makes me feel, how ridiculously big my head gets when I see how my cock can calm and soothe you? Like my big, swinging dick can make your eyes roll to the back of your head and stop your tears. I got your fucking SuperCock right here,” he jokes, leaning into his Brooklyn accent as he points lewdly at his crotch with both hands.
I snort-chuckle. “It’s a Swiss Army cock.”
He throws his head back, his hand to his belly as he laughs. “Damn right.”
He gathers me in his arms, kissing me deeply. When he pulls back, his expression is serious. “Please know that was just a shortcut because a lot of things are about to happen all at once, and I can’t take care of things if I’m worried about you. I’m not trying to collar you or be your Dom twenty-four seven.”
I roll my eyes, smacking his arm. “I know that. You were just getting me back to good really fast.” I dart a look at his phone, still in his hand. “There’s more though. Isn’t there?”
He holds up a text from Edgerton. “That was a still from a video. They have everything, and they’re threatening to show it if we don’t pay up.”
Before I can go back into full meltdown, he raises his hand. “But that won’t happen.”
“How can you…?”
“Do you trust me?”
I nod. “Implicitly.”
“Then I need you to trust that I will do whatever it takes to protect you.”
My stomach clenches, but I breathe through it. “I do.”
I’m calmer as he walks out of the room, even if I can’t quite settle the feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach.