“So, there will be another date?” he asked.
I sighed and crossed my arms over my chest, feeling oddly vulnerable. Sometimes, I hated that Kreed paid so much attention, especially now that he knew almost everything Hudson and I had hidden from him. Hudson and I hadreallyshitty childhoods, and while Kreed had known everything hadn’tbeen sunshine and rainbows, he hadn’t known just how fucking depraved Hudson’s mother had been.
Kreed knew some of what I’d gone through, but I was still keeping a lot of it close to my chest. And Hudson was keeping his mouth shut for me, too—at least, on the stuff he knew. Because I hid a lot from him, too.
But that didn’t stop Kreed from somehow trying to save me, hence living here instead of home now that I’d graduated from college and him giving me one of his credit cardsanda car. There was no fucking way I could’ve ever afforded that BMW I drove, but Kreed had given it to me as a graduation present, and Hudson had threatened to make me choke on my own dick if I denied the stupidly expensive gift.
“Yes, there will be another date,” I mumbled.
Hudson’s eyes widened. “You don’t do second dates, bro.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, feeling defensive.
“I fucking know,” I snapped.
Kreed gripped Hudson’s thigh—a warning he was pushing me too much. Bless Kreed. There was no reining in Hudson, but he continuously tried.
“Don’t get your panties in a wad,” Hudson retorted. “I’m just confused. You act funny around them, and now, there’s a second date. I’m having trouble understanding.”
We are Doms,chibi. Specifically Mommy and Daddy Doms.
How did I explain to my best friend, who was one hundred percent an alpha male, that I’d always craved letting someone else take care of me? That I wanted someone to protect me from this fucked-up world? How did I tell him I somehow recognized the dominant nature of Michelle and Kip and my mind had automatically seemed to submit to that?
How did I explain to Hudson that they wanted to be my Mommy and Daddy and that Iwantedthat?
“Hey. Where’d you go?” Kreed asked, frowning at me while I blinked at him.
I scrubbed my hands down my face and pushed up from the recliner.
“I’m tired. I think I’m going to go on to bed,” I said, already heading for the staircase.
“Corvus…”
I paused, my hand on the staircase railing as I waited for Hudson to say whatever it was he wanted to say.
“I’m not sure what’s going on, and I don’t likenotknowing, especially when it comes to you.”
My chest tightened, and I swallowed past the sudden lump in my throat.
“But when you’re ready to talk about it, I’m here. I’ll wait, okay? I’m… sorry for pushing too much. Just… I’m happy for you, bro. I am. And whatever your happiness looks like, I’m okay with that, too. I won’t ever judge you for it.”
My throat was too tight to speak, so I just nodded and quickly ascended the staircase. As soon as I was in my room, I dropped onto my bed, not even bothering to strip out of my clothes and put on something more comfortable first. I was just too tired and too raw, and I wanted a few fucking minutes to decompress alone.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. Groaning, I grabbed it out and turned my head to the side, so I could see whatever notification it was.
My heart slammed against my chest bone when I saw Michelle’s message in the group chat I’d apparently been added to.
Michelle:
We’re glad you made it home safely, bub. Get some rest. And if you’re up to it, come have lunch with us tomorrow. We can talk more. But no pressure if it’s too soon. We’ll understand.
Beneath that, she’d attached their address. Instead of responding because I just couldn’t deal with anything else tonight when my head was spinning so goddamn much, I locked my phone and tossed it aside, then buried my face against the mattress.
My phone vibrated again, this time not stopping. Muttering a curse, I picked it up?—
My heart dropped straight out of my chest, through the bed, and all the way down to the first floor of the house. I swore I heard it plop wetly onto the floor. My ears rang loudly, drowning out every other sound.
Theyhadn’t reached out inmonths. Not since I saw them during Thanksgiving break and my entire break almost went to fucking shit—and not because of what happened to Hudson. In fact, I’d barely managed to get out of their house in time to save Hudson.
