Page 19 of Devoted Sinner

“You decided to keep hurting him in return.”

Bryson didn’t know what to say. It seemed he had done that. Bryson stared at the floor. He didn’t know why he hadn’t just let things go. Bryson had deserved King’s anger. Pride, he supposed. That was always his downfall.

Kylian didn’t make him feel better. “I don’t understand. You love him. That’s obvious to anyone who sees you two together. He looks at you when you’re not looking. You stare at him every time he looks away. He’s me, Dad.” Bryson looked Kylian’s way at the claim. There were tears in Kylian’s eyes. “You saved me from a horrible existence, and I know you would never, ever hurt me. Why would you hurt King? You have to know he’s just like I was. I can see it when I look at him.” Kylian blinked. A tear slid down his cheek. “He’s waiting for someone to see past his walls and rescue him from whatever hell he’s seen. You’re not this man. Hurt people hurt people. Someone has to break the cycle.”

Bryson swiped the tear from Kylian’s cheek and hauled him into his arms. For a few minutes, they sat like that. “I’ll miss this when you leave again. How did you turn out so smart and independent? I blinked, and you were a grown man.”

A watery chuckle escaped Kylian. “It’s time for you to focus on yourself for a while. You’ve spent too many years worrying about me.”

That was his job. It was one he would do until his dying breath, without an ounce of regret. That was how long he would love King too. So, Bryson had to be the one to bridge the gap. Living without King was no option at all.

King paced his room for what felt like hours. When he couldn’t stand another second of that, he started pulling out every item of clothing, shoes, and makeup that Bryson had ever bought him. He didn’t stop there. It wasn’t enough. He had to shed everything about himself that made him different. King didn’t know what difference it would make. He just hadn’t hated himself this much in a long time. The clothes made him feel free. That was an illusion. He needed to let go of the dream of acceptance, love, and whatever else he fucking thought he had. It was a painful dream. King needed to kill everything inside himself and go back to the harsh lessons he had learned as a child. Only killing his soul would give him peace.

With everything in a huge pile on the floor, King took off his necklace next. He dropped it on top of the clothes. That hurt. He was glad for it. The torture had been what killed his humanity once. King could do it again.

He dropped onto his ass next to the bed and opened the drawer on his nightstand. All his pill bottles were still inside, even though it had been months since he had taken a single one. King hadn’t made any conscious decision to stop. He had simply been too happy to care about it. King hadn’t wanted those good feelings dampened. Now, he wasn’t sure what to do. There was nothing good left to feel.

One by one, he lined the bottles into perfect rows beside him on the floor. He desperately wanted to drown the hurt now, but that would defeat his plan to torture himself until he was dead inside. So he stared at the bottles while he moved a few of them a couple of centimeters, ensuring they were perfectly aligned.

The door opened. King rolled his eyes at the sight of Bryson. “Yes, master. Come on in. After all, it’s your house and I’m no one.”

Bryson eyed the perfectly aligned pill bottles next to King on the floor before he glanced toward the pile of things Bryson had bought him. “What are you doing?”

King leaned his head back against the bed and stared at the ceiling. It hurt too much to look at Bryson. “I would say nothing, but since you own me, I guess I have to answer. I’m trying to decide what to do next. Maybe I’ll burn everything about me that embarrasses you,” he said, motioning toward the pile of clothes. He set his hand on a pill bottle. “Or maybe I’ll just take all these, since stopping after St Lucia didn’t matter anyhow.” King dropped his gaze to his knees. “Nothing matters, I guess. Loving you changed nothing. If anything, it made this life harder. A slave is a slave is a slave.”

Bryson crossed the room and straddled King’s lap on the floor before King knew what he would do. He swiped all the bottles aside before wrapping his arms around King’s neck. “Look at me.”

King didn’t want to, but his chin still lifted. Meeting Bryson’s stare hurt more than he could stand.

Bryson waited until he had King’s attention. He held King’s stare for a moment. Then his gaze moved over King’s features.

“What?” King asked, sounding hostile. He didn’t try to tone it down. He hurt too badly.

Bryson pressed a quick kiss to King’s lips before he saw it coming. He stood and held his hand out to King. “Come on. Grab that pile of stuff and come with me.”

King ignored his hand. “Do I have a choice?”

“No.” Bryson sounded matter of fact. “But not because I’m your boss. Because I love you and you’ll understand in a minute. Grab your things.”

King latched on to that I love you and took Bryson’s hand without thinking. He was too stunned to do anything else. Bryson helped him stand. King bent to scoop up what he could. Bryson motioned for King to hand him something. “Give me that necklace.”

King passed it along.

Bryson stuffed it in his pocket and then grabbed the lingerie that fell when King’s arms were too full. “Let’s go.” Bryson headed out the door and King followed, still reeling. When they reached Bryson’s room, he opened the door and headed inside. King stayed on his heels.

Bryson opened one of the closet doors and pointed inside. “This one is yours. Dump that stuff inside somewhere.”

King stood in the middle of the bedroom, holding his clothes and feeling like an idiot. “What?”

Bryson’s eyebrows rose. “What do you mean what? This is your room now too. Oh, and you’re fired.”

Each second that passed, King’s confusion grew. “I don’t understand what’s happening.”

With a sigh, Bryson threw the lingerie he held inside the closet. He closed the distance between them and relieved King of the clothes he carried. Bryson tossed those inside too. He came back and stood toe to toe with King. While King watched, Bryson dug the necklace from his pocket and put back around King’s neck.

“I’m sorry, I was an ass. When Kylian almost caught us, I said the first thing that came to mind only because I hadn’t talked to Kylian about us yet. He’s never seen me date anyone since I threw his mom out. It just felt like I should talk to him privately first, but I hadn’t figured out where to start yet.” He brushed his hands down King’s chest after securing the necklace. “I’m not ashamed of you. In fact, I’m very much in love with you. I just felt a certain responsibility to my son and his feelings. But I shouldn’t have worried because I know how much he loves you. What I should’ve done, from the day we got back from St Lucia, is this.” Bryson took a step back and dropped to one knee as he pulled something from his pocket. He held out a ring. “I love you. Seriously. A lot. You’re the greatest thing that’s happened to me since the birth of my son. If you can find it in your heart to forgive me, and do me the honor of marrying me, I promise you’ll never feel like a slave or unwanted or anything bad ever again.”

Shock resonated to the bottom of King’s soul. A dozen things occurred to him at once. Bryson knew all King’s secrets, and—until only moments earlier—still thought King was an addict. Yet he had still bought a ring with every intention of marrying King. What a dumbass. Thank god. “Yes. Absolutely.”

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