A Destined Christmas Miracle, page 34
“What are you thinking about, honey?”
“I… Is this real? You here with me? Am I dreaming?”
“Colin, open your eyes,” he said softly, and I did as I was told. I saw the face of the man who I had been dreaming about for so long. I pressed my hand to his bare chest, and I could feel his heart beating. He was real.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him, long and deep. I felt his hand at the back of my neck, and I sucked on his tongue, my cock hardening at his sweet moans. Fuck! I wanted him so badly, but would he be open to my suggestions? After all that I had done?
“Sir,” I breathed after we came up for air. “I… want this, want you. You are the reason that I'm still here, why I can look at myself in the mirror and not see my broken body. I am still working on myself, but I need you. Please, never leave me again.”
“Honey,” he said, his hand cupping my cheek. “I will never leave you. I'm just worried. Are you sure you want me? You said those same words, and then you walked out.”
“Yes, but I wasn't sure about my emotions and reactions,” I said slowly. “I… I was scared of my feelings for you, Stephen. I was scared of… my sexual reaction. I had gotten hard a few times when we kissed, but I was afraid of that and what would happen if I told you. I wondered what it would feel like to taste you, to hold you in my hands, to… feel… you… inside of me.” My breathing quickened, and Stephen's fingers were stroking my hair.
“Honey, there's no rush. I'm not going anywhere, I promise. Colin,” he said as he sat up, pulling me into his lap. “There's only one man for me, and that's you. When I found out that you were in Alabama, that was the moment I knew. Hell, I probably knew it before then. You are mine. I want to mark your body with my fingers, tongue, and eventually my dick, whenever you’re ready. You belong to me, boy.”
“All yours,” I whispered as I gazed into his green eyes. I saw the emotion there, but it didn't register. He wanted me… for me.
“I didn't want to rush anything, honey,” he continued as I rested my head on his shoulder. “I wanted to wait until you were completely healed. However, last night showed me that time is precious. I could've lost you, Colin.” I heard him sniffle, and I pressed my lips to his cheek.
“I'm here, Sir. I'm here. Please don't cry.”
“I just need you to know that… I love you, Colin. I love you.”
And there it was, the emotion I couldn't place. He loved me. I knew in my heart that I felt something for Stephen, and over these last few weeks, I had felt lost without him. Nothing mattered without Stephen, and I recalled the many people who had questioned my love for him. Caleb, Rachel, and Carly, just to name a few. My heart soared. He had given me so much, but this, this was the best thing.
“I… I love you too, Sir. I love you too. I didn't realize it until… recently. You saved me time and time again, and how could I ever repay you? I needed to trust you, to accept that you were the one constant in my life, that you wouldn't hurt me like Josaiah and those men had. I know that now, Sir. I know you've done all of this for me because you love me.”
I flung my arms around Stephen, and he held me. There was nothing better than being in his arms where I felt safe, secure, and warm. This was where I belonged, right here with my Sir.
“Are you hungry? When was the last time you ate?” There was my Dom, always ready to protect me. I sighed as I pulled away from his embrace.
“My last meal was… lunch… yesterday, Sir.” And just like that, I knew where I belonged. This man had brought me back from hell but being here with Sir was my heaven.
“Lie down, Colin.”
I did as instructed, and I watched his face as he sat next to me.
“I just want to touch you. Is that okay?”
Normally, I would have been panicked at Stephen's hands on my naked body. However, as he waited expectantly for me to answer, I couldn't look away from the man who had been my rock and my Dom for the last two months. I owed him my life.
“Yes, Sir.”
N
My auntie had rushed over after finding out that I was in the hospital once more. When she saw me, she burst into tears and demanded to know what had happened. Stephen gave us some privacy as I told her what I remembered, and we cried together, thinking of what could've happened. Now she sat next to me on Stephen's bed, holding my hand. I heard his footfalls as he returned and sat on my other side.
“Thank you, Stephen. Thank you so much.” My auntie’s voice was filled with pent-up tears as she addressed Sir.
“You're welcome, Ms. Owens. He needed me, and I was actually on my way to see him after our conversation, but…”
“Wait! What conversation?” I knew that I would be in trouble for interrupting Stephen, but I was curious about what he was referring to.
“Colin.” There was that warning tone, and I gave a half-smile. He was going to spank me, and a shiver coursed through my body.
“I went to see Stephen to remind him of what he was missing,” she laughed, but I kept my mouth shut. “I went to see if y'all could patch things up.”
“I'm glad you did, Ms. Owens.” He yawned, and I attempted to sit up. I felt a pair of hands push me back into the pillows, and I groaned.
“I'm hungry,” I whined. I had been monitored all day by Stephen to make sure that I didn’t fall or hurt myself, but I wanted to get up and move around.
“Dinner's being prepared, honey. We've got it,” my auntie said softly, and I sighed. With both her and Stephen surrounding me, I knew that I wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon.
As they exited the room, I inhaled deeply, and the scent of bacon filled my nostrils. What could it be? Bacon cheeseburgers? Eggs and bacon? Loaded mashed potatoes with bacon? I closed my eyes and thought about earlier. My new friends had heard about the incident when Stephen had called Cyrus.
It didn’t take long for them to arrive, and when they saw me, they swarmed around, asking questions and hugging me. It felt good to be in the company of great people.
After a while, the men went into the living room, and the girls stayed with me. They told me that Carly had broken the news of her exit from All Access, and as she had stated, they understood but were saddened by her decision.
“Dinner is served!” my auntie sang, and I maneuvered my body into an upright position. I felt tired, and my body ached, but spending the evening with wonderful people gave me hope that tomorrow, I would feel more like myself.
“Wow.” I breathed, inhaling the scent of bacon and fried potatoes. The tray held two plates filled with scrambled eggs with cheese, bacon, fried potatoes, and mugs of hot chocolate. “Thank you.”
“I'm going to let you two enjoy the rest of your night. Pumpkin,” she said, and I grimaced at the nickname. Why? “Please, call me tomorrow morning. Stephen, thank you again for taking care of my nephew. Thank you.”
Her arms went around me, and I buried my face into her neck. I breathed in the scent of her strong perfume, and I smiled. Then she pulled away, and I saw Stephen's tall frame as he stepped into my aunt's embrace. I was happy that they had met, and they seemed to be getting along just fine. After she exited the apartment, I breathed a sigh of relief as Stephen slid under the covers next to me.
“I'm tired, and I know you are too. Let's eat, and then how does cuddling until we fall asleep sound?”
A pang of guilt shot through my chest. He was exhausted because he was nursing me back to health. Stephen loves you. He's doing this because he loves you.
“Sounds good, Sir. Thank you for everything.”
“No need to thank me, boy.”
Chapter Fifty-One
Stephen
I couldn't tell him. As much as I wanted to take Deidra's advice, I just couldn't. Colin saw me as this strong, capable man who gave him the world. How could I give him that without a job? Colin needed to be saved, and that was all that was on my mind when I exited LTF.
I didn't care about Mr. Vargas at that moment or the company. However, I worried about Ryan. He worked so hard to rebuild his life, and his Dom had helped him achieve success. Would he hate me for getting him fired? Would we still be friends once he told Jeff why he no longer had a job?
I sighed as I checked the time: 4:30 a.m. In three hours, I would have been getting ready for work, fuck! How was I going to explain this to Colin? He still had his job, but I was without mine. I had money saved up, and I would be receiving my paycheck soon, but I couldn't just sit around. I needed to be working, doing something that fulfilled me. I covered my face with my hands and closed my eyes.
“No! No! Stop!”
“Colin?” I opened my eyes and sat up. Was he having a nightmare? I reached out to touch him, and he was tossing and turning. “Colin! Wake up!”
“S… Sir? Oh God! My… back! Ahhhh!”
Shit!
I reached for him, and he fell into my arms, loud sobs echoing around my room. I needed to take his pain away. He needed me. I pressed my lips to his neck, and he shook underneath my hands. I whispered encouraging words while rubbing his upper back.
“What do you need, honey?” I whispered into his ear.
“Make… the pain… stop. Sir, please.”
“Are you sure?”
“Please?” The plea that came from his lips was full of need and pain, and I slowly lifted his shirt. I ran my fingertips over the area, and he stiffened. “No, touch it. Your hand… press into it…”
I did as I was told, and I inhaled deeply, waiting for his breathing to return to normal. The skin was hot to the touch, and I rubbed my hand over the tattoo. My poor boy! He was in so much pain, and I knew that it was coming, but I was hoping that I'd have a little more time to prepare. I sighed as he coughed.
“Thank you,” he whispered, and I bent to kiss where my hand once resided. “Ahhh! Do it… again.”
Over and over, I kissed from one side of his lower back to the other. When I was finished, he was in my arms, his lips on mine, and he held me tightly. I took all of his pain, anger, and sadness into my own body. He needed someone to take it all, and I was ready to carry it because I loved him and had made a promise.
“How do you feel now, boy?” I asked as we came up for air.
“Like I never want to stop kissing you,” he breathed, and I pressed my lips to his cheek. “You make everything… better. How did you… do that?”
“Stop your pain? I'm not sure, but I guess,” I laughed as I held his face in my right palm, “I have superpowers too, just like your auntie. I’m a super Dom.”
“That you are, Sir. That you are.”
He pulled me down on top of him, and he claimed my mouth, his tongue sliding back and forth over mine. I ground my hips into his groin and felt his response. I moaned into his mouth, and he did the same as I gripped his chin. It was a small but beautiful sound, so full of need and want. I wanted him too.
“You are mine, Colin Jones!” I growled as I bit his lower lip.
“Mmm, Stephen. Oh God!”
I loved hearing his moans, his cries, his laughter. I loved waking up next to him and falling asleep with him. He was my boy, and I couldn't imagine another day without him. I would wait for as long as I needed to for him to be ready, because I knew that when we did finally have sex, it would be hot, heavy, and full of love.
N
I sat in front of my laptop, my hands hovering above the keyboard, but my head was miles away from the task that I had set out to do. I needed to find another job, but where did I start? I was on indeed.com, ready to type in the search box, but my fingers wouldn't move. What if the next job that I applied for had an employer that wasn't accommodating? What if I applied and didn’t get hired?
I huffed, threw down the earbuds, and stood from my chair. Even though I was against him returning so soon, Colin was at work. He promised that if anything felt off, he would return home immediately. I worried about him being all alone, cleaning and straightening up after he had been drugged again, but he needed to work to keep busy. We were alike in that way.
I held my phone in my hand, ready to call Mr. Vargas and beg for my job back. However, I didn't grovel. I was starting to dislike his attitude, and once he threatened Ryan, I knew that I couldn't work in such a toxic environment.
Now I needed to find something that brought me great joy, like working at LaMoyer Tech, but what? I scrolled through my contacts until I came across Cyrus's number. Last night, he had mentioned that there was still a lot of work that needed to be done with their online presence, and with my heart hammering in my chest, I pressed the call button.
“Stephen, good morning.” He sounded surprised to hear from me. “Is everything okay with Colin?”
I was grateful that while Colin and I figured things out, he had friends to lean on. They seemed to really care about him, which he needed. I was glad to see that he had others to rely on.
“Colin's fine,” I replied, pacing back and forth in front of my computer. “I… um, when Colin was kidnapped, I walked out of my job, and my boss… he um, fired me and my friend.”
“That's awful, man. I'm sorry.” I could hear the sincerity in his voice, and I smiled.
“Thanks. Last night, though, you mentioned that there was still a lot of work to be done with your online presence for All Access. I was wondering… if I could help you out with that.” I held my breath. Please, say yes.
“Wow. With everything going on with Carly, we haven't even thought about our online presence. We just place ads on the BDSM sites. We cater to everyone, so we hit LGBTQ sites as well. However, we don't have our own website yet.”
I let out the breath that I was holding.
“I worked at LaMoyer Tech Firm for almost four years. My job was to make sure that websites were coded properly and that the site was accessible for people using screen readers. If you need help, I could…”
“Wait! You know how to code? Do you know how to add alternative text in images so that the blind and visually impaired know what's going on in them?” I smiled at his excited tone.
“Yes, Cyrus. I know how to add alt text into images. However, that would require another person to sit with me to describe the image.” I hoped that if I got the job, I could put in a good word for Ryan as well. He needed a job just as bad.
“Okay. This is amazing. We'll need that website soon. Can we meet to discuss terms and find someone to help you with the visual parts?” My heart soared. Things were looking up.
“I actually know someone who could help me, and he worked at the same firm as I. He knows how to code also.”
We talked some more about Ryan and the timeline for the website. We agreed to meet the following Monday to discuss terms and paperwork, and when I hung up, I let out a whoop. Building their website shouldn't take long, but I wanted to do my best.
I needed this to work out because I couldn't imagine living off of Colin's money. Fuck! Somehow, I still needed to tell Colin that I was without a job. Sighing, I walked into the kitchen to make myself a chicken wrap. I needed some brain food because I was sure that Colin would want to help once the truth came out.
Chapter Fifty-Two
Colin
I sat in the driveway, bobbing my head to the Daughtry song that blared through my speakers. Work went well today, and on Friday I had therapy. I couldn't wait to tell Dr. Rogers of the new romance budding between my Sir and me. As the song ended, I yanked the key from the ignition, grabbed my phone, and exited the car. I missed Stephen so much today, and all I could think about was him.
Pulling open the front door I looked around, but there was no sign of him. I saw his laptop on the table and, peeking in the kitchen, a paper towel on the counter. I walked down the hall and into Stephen's bedroom. There he was.
“Hi,” I said softly.
“Colin, you're home.” He exhaled, and I went to sit next to him. My eyes roamed over his face, and my heart started to beat. Something was wrong.
“Sir, are you okay? What's wrong?”
“Why don't you take a bath, and I'll be in to rub your feet?” His tone was somber, and I leaned over him. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes, and I pressed a hand to his cheek.
“Sir, what is it? You know that you can tell me anything.”
“Colin, please. Do as you're told.” He sounded weary, and before I scrambled off to undress, I kissed his right cheek.
“Yes, Sir.”
As I settled into the warm bath with bubbles and Epsom salts, I stewed over Stephen's body language and tone. What could be wrong? When I left this morning, he was lecturing me about my health, but I knew that it was coming from a place of love. Love. Wow. I couldn't believe that we had come so far in just two months. I was happy now that Stephen was back in my life. Could that be it? Was he having second thoughts?
I heard the bathroom door open, and I kept my eyes down as he sat on the floor. His breathing was normal, and as he reached out his hand I leaned toward him, craving his touch. He stroked his fingertips through my hair, and I sighed.
“Colin, I don't want you to worry. We are going to be okay.” He sighed, and I grabbed his hand. What was happening?
“Sir, what do you mean, ‘we're going to be okay?’ Is something going on with work?”
“Honey, I lost… I lost my job.” I turned toward him, and his shoulders were slumped. He looked… lost.
“When? How?” My voice trembled as I spoke, and I swallowed.
“When you were kidnapped, my boss fired me and Ryan because we walked out of the office. Please…”
“I'm the reason you lost your job?” Tears sprang to my eyes as I dropped his hand. Oh my God!
“Colin, don't you dare!” he said harshly, and his fingernails dug into my chin as he gripped it. “I had a promise to keep. You needed me, and I wouldn't be able to live with… myself… if they… had hurt you again.”
