Page 47 of Accepted Precedent
Excitement tears through me at the prospect, even if this isn’t a healthy way for him to channel his frustration. But if this is what Andrew experiences when Mickey murders someone, I should stick around more often.
“You’re all wet. Should I dry you off with my tongue or a towel?”
As much as I want to tell him the latter, this isn’t about me. “Whatever you want, Mick.” He pulls back, pinning me with a glare. Andrew would be on his knees by now, so I correct, “Whatever you want, Daddy.” His scowl intensifies. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No, angel. As much as I love you calling me that, I don’t want you putting on a show. I hate brats, but you’re my fucking brat. Half of the fun is breaking you.” Mickey releases my hands and I nearly lose my balance. He catches me and we remain there in silence for a moment, breaths in sync, then he wraps me in one of his extra-large bath sheets. “I know you won’t listen, but I want you on the bed, legs spread for me. I didn’t have dinner tonight, and I’m fuckin’ starvin’.”
My chest heaves. “D-do you want me in a certain position?”
“Surprise me.” He ruffles his hair with his towel, then drops it to the ground, never taking his eyes off me. “I need to forget what happened today—at least for a little while. You want to help? Let me get lost in you, but you aren’t Andrew. I still need your fire, Evie.”
Mick nods to the ensuite door, and as I make my way to the bedroom, I allow the towel to slink off my body with each step. I’m not sure how much of a head start he’s going to give me, but since he said he wants me on the bed, I saunter over to the chair in the corner. I take a seat and cross one leg over the other,placing my elbows on the armrest. It’ll earn me a spanking or two—satisfying his need for control and my mildly masochistic kink of being marked by him.
He walks in and pauses, glancing around the room until he spots me. A devilish smirk tilts his lips as he continues over to the bed. He bends almost out of sight as he retrieves a bar with cuffs attached to each end. “You haven’t been a good girl for me, angel.”
“You want me to be a good girl?” I tease. “I can behave.”
He stalks toward me until I’m forced to crane my neck at him towering over me. “It doesn't suit you. But you know there are consequences for not listening.”
I spread my legs wide. “See? I can listen.”
As he kneels before me, he presses a soft kiss to the inside of my thigh, and heat blazes through my body. Buckling one of the cuffs to my ankle, then the other, he praises, “So fuckin’ beautiful.” He leans in and licks up my center—just once—making me shiver. “And always ready for me.”
I comb my hands through his damp hair and whimper, “Only for you.” A low growl rumbles in his chest as he grips my ass, pulling me to the edge of the seat. For a man who craves control, he always seems to lose it when we’re naked. “I meant what I said: take what you need from me, Mick.” He pulls back, but his gaze falls to my left hand. I quickly twist the diamond to the inside of my finger, not wanting the reminder, but he turns it back. His eyes never return to me as he begins unfastening the spreader bar. My breath catches, and I rush out, “I’m sorry. Did I do something wrong?”
He doesn’t reply until my ankles are free. “No, love.” It’s cold, dark.
“Then why stop?”
His voice is strained as he admits, “Evelyn. I…” Keeping his glare fixed on my ring, he sits back on his heels and exhales a long breath. As his darkened eyes finally meet mine, I swallow thickly. “I can’t do this anymore.”
Those five little words shatter my heart into a million pieces. He can’t mean them the way they came out. I’ve loved him for years, hating that we’ll never be together—or at least not publicly. It doesn’t make me any less his. Our relationship has always been a little unconventional, but I know in my soul that he loves me.
This can’t be the end. I refuse to believe it.
A lump forms in my throat as tears prick behind my eyes. “Don’t do this.”
He wraps his strong arms around me as I choke on a sob. “I want—need—more than stolen moments and hiding in the shadows.” I try to pull back, but he doesn’t let me go, kissing every inch of my skin within reach. “You’re the love of my life, Evie.”
“Then don’t end it,” I cry, holding him tighter. “Wh-what about Andrew?”
“I will always love him, but he knows what I feel for you runs deeper. I can’t stand by year after year as you become more comfortable being a political pawn in my game. This was all supposed to be temporary, but now I have a mess to clean up with the Taylors and Blakes, and Andrew’s in love with—” He clears his throat. “I have to fix this.”
“Andrew’s in love with Kristin,” I sigh. “That’s what you were going to say, weren’t you? He’s in love with my sister.”
Mickey pulls back and his eyes search mine. “You knew?”
“I had my suspicions this past year.” A smirk briefly tilts my lips. “But thank you for confirming it. He never loved me, we’ve always only been friends. Friends with benefits, but never more than that. I see the way she looks at him. It doesn’t make me jealous. My only worry is that she puts her career first. She’s told me on many occasions that she doesn’t want to get married or have kids.”
“I know. It’s almost like they’re perfect for each other.” Brushing my hair away, he kisses the spot on my neck where he marked me this morning. “Like you’re perfect for me.”
“Then why do you want to end this?”
“Because it hurts too much. The only way I’d be able to keep you is if we faked your death and you never left this house. That’s no life for either of us.”
“Something is better than nothing,” I snap, scooting back to distance myself from him. “I spent nearly a decade in a loveless marriage and threw away my career so that my best friend could live his dream. Fuck. How could I be so stupid?” Wriggling out of his hold, I slip off the seat faster than he can catch me. Rushing toward the bathroom, I only make it four or five steps before he snakes an arm around my waist, pulling me to him. “Let me go, asshole.”
“No.” The single, gruff purr beside my ear stupidly makes my nipples peak. “Not until you hear me out.”
