Page 87 of Catalyst

“Oh, my darling.” Adam kisses the top of my head. “I don’t blame you. I broke your trust with my horrible words. Expecting you to believe I would side with you when all you’ve known is betrayal is ridiculous.”

“Adam, I’m in love with you. I’ve wanted to tell you for so long but was too scared to be the first one to say it. You can be a little intimidating sometimes.” I smile.

Adam slides his hands along my cheeks and into my hair. He tips my head up, his intense gaze crashing with mine. “I’ve been in love with you since New Orleans. You showed me what it could be like if I stopped taking everything so seriously and actually started living my life. But I fought against it because I was a coward. I thought that if I loosened the reins, even a little, I’d lose everything I worked so hard for. In reality, I was already losing it. I’d lost sight of what truly mattered, and you helped remind me. I wish I could promise to never hurt you again, but let’s be honest. I’m a man, and I suck at this. What I can promise you is that I’ll love you until the end of my days and beyond.”

Tears well up in my eyes as my smile stretches wide. “You’re kind of annoying, ya know. You shouldn’t be so good with words. Now I feel like I have to top all that with fancy words.”

Adam tips his head back and laughs. When he looks back down at me, he’s shaking his head. “All you need to do is love me.”

I grin. “Done.”

Epilogue

ELLIE

I twist in the mirror,taking in my whole outfit. My red dress is tightly fitted with a swooping neckline that leads to sleeves that hang off my shoulders and a hemline that’s a little shorter than I usually wear. I’ve paired the dress with my black, thigh-high, leather boots and kept my hair long and wavy.

Tonight, Adam and I are celebrating. He’s taking me to one of my favorite restaurants in Westlake because the Byrnes case is officially going to trial. Last week, the prosecutors presented their case at the preliminary hearing, and the judge ruled that there was sufficient evidence to go to trial. Clifford Senior was charged with nine counts of conspiracy for covering up the rapes, Junior was charged with assault, breaking and entering, and ten counts of rape in the first degree, and both are being charged with extortion. Hearing every single one helped me glue some of my shattered pieces back together.

What’s crazy is both Junior and Clifford Senior declined a plea deal. Apparently, neither one of them wanted to plead guilty and would rather go to trial. Idiots. They’re so self-centered that they believe they’ll get off without a single consequence. The prosecutor told us that even without all the evidence Jeffery gathered, my testimony would be enough to put them away for the extortion and assault. Not to mention, they’ve already lost their business.

Legends closed its doors a couple of weeks after the interview aired. The news outlets began a deep dive into their business practices and found even more shady stuff. It sounds like Clifford Senior will be facing even more charges, although I’m not sure what they are. I’m trying to focus solely on this case since it directly affects me. Adding to the negativity seems pointless.

Luckily, I wasn’t called to testify at the hearing. The prosecutor had enough that my testimony wasn’t needed, but I will be put on the stand when the trial begins. I’m determined to get justice for myself and all the women who were hurt by both Junior and Clifford Senior. There’s a good chance those women won’t be able to testify, and even if they can, not all of them are going to want to.

Other than the trial, things have been pretty quiet. After the interview aired, we had about a week of reporters trying to get another statement from us, but it was made very clear that we wouldn’t be speaking further on the matter. They gave up hounding us in favor of reporting the dirty details of Legends’ downfall, and I can’t say I feel bad about that.

We haven’t heard a peep from Linda, and we’re all hoping that means she’s getting the help she needs. I asked Adam to check in with her husband soon, just to make sure things are going well. I’d rather not go through another gossip scandal any time soon.

With things calming down, we were able to finally announce the partnership with Leon and the New Orleans Jaguars football team. It’s opened so many doors for Adam, and I couldn’t be more excited for him. He’s also been doing a much better job at delegating, which has allowed things at Sidelines to run better than ever.

“Absolutely not. If you wear that out, I’m going to have a hard-on the entire night.” Adam strides up behind me and puts his hands on my hips. He grinds his dick against my ass, showing me what my outfit has done to him.

I giggle at his ridiculous behavior. “It’s not my fault you can’t control that thing.” I push back against him, and he grunts.

“It’s definitely your fault.” He runs his nose up the column of my neck. “And you should do something about it. You wouldn’t want me to be in pain the whole night, would you?”

“We’re going to be late.” My protest is weak. Especially given the fact that I’ve already turned around and started to unbuckle his belt. He looks sharp in his black slacks and a black button-down shirt. He’s rolled the sleeves up his forearms purely for my own benefit because I’ve told him how much I love that look on him.

I press up on my tiptoes to kiss Adam before dropping to my knees. I pull at his pants and boxers until they pool at his feet.

“Fuck me, you’re a sight.” Adam’s eyes are heavy-lidded as he looks down at me. With efficient fingers, he undoes the buttons on his shirt and lets it hang open. All of his glorious muscles tighten when my fingers wrap around his length. I love how even a simple touch can affect him like that.

I slide my tongue along the underside of his cock, teasing my way around him. When I get to the head, I wrap my lips around it and suck. Adam grunts, his hips stuttering forward in an effort to push himself deeper.

I begin to slide my mouth up and down until his entire length is wet. Adam’s fingers dig into my hair, his fist tightening around the strands. I’m glad I didn’t put it up now.

He holds my head steady and begins to thrust into my mouth. He goes deeper and deeper with every pass, sending my body into overdrive.

Suddenly, he yanks me off him and up to my feet. His mouth descends on mine in a hard press of lips. When he pulls back, we’re both panting with need.

“I want you face down on the bed, your dress pulled up over your ass, and your panties around your ankles.”

A shiver moves through me at his command. I do as he says, with the sound of his belt buckle clanking behind me as he pulls his pants back up. I risk a peek at him over my shoulder, and my eyes widen at the sight. His shirt is still undone, and his pants hang loosely around his hips. He’s stroking his cock, the veins in his forearms rolling.

I am one lucky girl.

“Don’t make me repeat myself,” Adam growls.

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