Page 44 of Justice For Me

He jerked in surprise when Malachi’s hand wrapped tightly around his wrist, holding him tightly as his eyes studied him way too closely. They were a dark purple this morning, like he had pictured they would be when lost in the throes of passion. Were they that color when he’d fucked him last night or this morning? He wouldn’t know. Malachi had been careful to not look him in the eyes, fucking him from behind.

“Hey, pet.” Malachi’s voice broke into his thoughts again. He forced one of his ‘I-don’t-give-a-fuck’ looks on his face. “Where did you just go?” He knelt in front of him, still holding onto his wrist tightly.

“Been here the whole time,” Justice answered. “What’s up?”

Violet eyes narrowed into slits. “What do you need, pet? Talk to me.”

What did he need? He needed to get the fuck away from everybody. He needed to focus. He’d gone from perfectly normal to teetering right on the fucking edge in less time than it took Malachi to pin him when they were practicing their jujitsu in the basement.

Desperately, he fought the urges that had controlled him his entire life. He could do this. “Maybe some flea powder,” he offered with a smirk. “I’m pretty sure no name has fleas. Meg will kill me if I bring fleas into the house, right?”Did he still get to go to the house? To Meg?

Sadness and disappointment flashed in Malachi’s eyes but vanished in a flash…just not fast enough to keep Justice from seeing it. “I think it’s probably safe to assume that no name does have fleas, but I can assure you that Meg won’t care at all. They are all dog folks at the castle,” he explained. “No name will be welcomed like one of our own, no questions.”

Both pets? Justice wondered. Out loud, he said, “I know. Thank you for rescuing him. He needed saving.” His throat felt tight, like they were trying to stop words from escaping his runaway mouth.

“We all do sometimes.” Malachi countered in a gruff voice and then disappeared.

Justice took a deep, calming breath. He could do this. Glancing at his wrist watch, he grimaced when he realized they’d only been in the air a little less than twenty minutes. They still had well over an hour before they landed. That was an hour where his mind could play all sorts of tricks on him…convince himself of things that weren’t real.

He’d known taking the dog would more than likely lead to insecurity and worries, but he’d also known he didn’t have a choice. Leaving no name to his fate was out of the question. Decisions always led to consequences, and he supposed this struggle would be his consequence for refusing to leave no name behind.

For the second time in less than five minutes, he jerked in surprise when he felt Malachi’s touch on his arm. Just a brief stroke from his fingers before soft nylon rope started wrapping around his arms, trapping him to the arm rests of the chair. With intricate knots and talented maneuvers of the rope, Malachi had him strapped to the chair…completely immobile and unable to move his upper body more than a half an inch in either direction. He felt, with a gush of relief, his body become instantly pliant and calm. Just like that, his choices were taken away and the peace replaced his hectic worries.

“Better?”

Tears of relief and joy threatened to tumble from his eyes as he met Malachi’s gaze. “Much better, thank you, Sir,” he whispered.

“One day you’re going to have to tell me where you go when that happens. That’s what I’m here for, lover. Let me help when you need it.”

“Yes, Sir,” he answered. “One day.”

Lover, not pet. His heart soothed to a regular beat and his eyes drifted shut as he relished the feel of the ropes wrapped around him. He could feel Travis watching him, but he refused to open his eyes and meet the questioning gaze. With the ropes in place, he could block out everything else. When they landed, he would be fine.

Dante’s troubled gaze followed Malachi’s movements as his friend wrapped Justice’s body in a tight nylon cocoon. Fuck, but he hoped the man knew what he was doing. Playing with Justice was like playing with fire. If he didn’t handle the boy perfectly, they would all end up being burned.

By the time they landed, Justice’s body felt like molten lava with the help from the ropes wrapped tightly around him during the trip. His mind had calmed down and he felt much more stable, ready to meet Megan and the rest of Malachi’s make-shift family face to face. He noticed both Travis and Dante watched him a little more closely, but that was the only change in any one’s behavior. He felt confident as he slid across the expensive leather seat of Dante’s personal ride until he bumped Travis’ leg. Dante and Malachi were still outside talking to security detail.

“Like the ropes, do ya?” Travis asked with a friendly smirk.

“Helps to calm me,” Justice answered truthfully. That was the smartest way, always dance as close to the truth as possible. “I don’t care for flying much.”

“Uh huh.” Travis answered as he glanced out the window to check on what was keeping Dante. He nibbled and tugged at his bottom lip and Justice knew he was holding something back. Since he knew he probably didn’t want to hear it, he turned and gazed out the other window. “It…it was about the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen Malachi do. I mean, he knew you were starting to get into trouble and then he knew exactly what to do.” His eyes, a strange color of green, glittered with amusement when he turned his attention to Justice. “I’m pretty sure I never thought I would live to see the day that the mighty Malachi turned out to be so…so sensitive.”

“Isn’t that what a Dom should be doing?” Justice countered with a frown. Fuck, Malachi and Dante really needed to get their asses in the vehicle. All the work the ropes had done was going to disappear if Travis kept prodding and digging. “I mean, I don’t know much about the lifestyle, but from the little bit that I’ve read, that would be something they would all notice, yea?”Get your ass into the car! He tried to send a telepathic message…

Travis shrugged. “What I just saw Malachi do with you? No, that wasn’t basic Dom 101 and it definitely wasn’t Malachi Dom, either. Most dominants are very attentive during a scene. They learn to read their submissive’s body language and understanding what they want and need becomes a second language to them. That’s during a scene, though. Malachi was all the way in the back of the plane, talking to Dante, and you were barely showing any distress at all. I was right next to you and hadn’t noticed a thing. Add to the mix that Malachi doesn’t normally trouble himself with the, eh, emotional side of things, it was amazing to watch. I’m not his biggest fan,” Travis purred with a smile, “but it was sexier than fuck to watch.”

Thankfully, Dante and Malachi chose that moment to slide in next to them, saving him from having to make a remark or ask a question that he might not want to know the answer to. No name rested at his feet, ready to embark on his new life. Justice tried to muster up the same enthusiasm. Travis’ words made him feel things he shouldn’t…but it still felt damned good anyway.

“You look terrified, Justice,” Malachi whispered in his ear. “Trust me, lover, she’s even better in real life. This is going to be good.” After a couple of seconds, he added, “Good for all of us.”

Justice wanted to believe that. Hell, he was desperate to believe that, but by the time the car pulled through the security gate that protected Dante’s home, he felt the nervous twinges start to threaten again. He smashed them to a far corner in his mind. He wasn’t sure if it helped or hurt that more security was visible than what he encountered when visiting his dad…at his FBI office. It made him feel like a weak fuck because he figured most of the shit was them being overprotective because of the O’Hara mess he had gotten himself in to. The house, which was really more of a castle, was like nothing he’d ever seen before in his life. There weren’t really words to describe how magnificent it was. He felt a smile curve his lips. He might not fit in here, but no name was going to think he was the shit.

“Fuck,” he muttered in awe. “Starter home, Jericho?”

“Just home, kid,” Dante answered with a proud grin. “It might look like a cold fortress from the outside, but trust me, it’s a warm home on the inside…thanks to the folks that live there. Don’t be nervous, they’ll make you feel right at home. You’re gonna be surrounded by good people.”

Good people? Hell, wouldn’t he just fit right in. He figured not a one of them had been in rehab for drug addiction by the age of eight. Yea, he’d fit right in, alright. He was so fucking screwed.

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