Zack set his phone down, giving Aiden his full attention. The smirk remained, a teasing glint in his eyes. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this struck with a woman, Aiden. Not in all the years I’ve known you.”
Aiden’s gaze drifted toward the city skyline, a slow smile spreading across his face. “She’s different. The way she trusts… It’s a gift.”
“Trust can be a liability,” Zack countered, his tone shifting, the humor replaced by a familiar coolness. “Especially in our world. She’s new to this. She doesn’t understand the risks.”
“She might be new to the club or the depth of submission that we’ve asked of her, but don’t sell her short. She understands them better than you think,” Aiden said, his voice firm. “We’re the ones who need to be careful. We hold all the power here.”
“Power is meant to be wielded. That’s the whole point.”
“Not with her,” Aiden disagreed, turning to face Zack fully. “With Sophie, it’s a partnership. A dance. You push, she yields. You pull, she holds her ground. She’s not just a participant, Zack. She’s… integral.”
A muscle in Zack’s jaw tightened. He hated the word. Integral. It spoke of connection, of reliance. It was a loose thread in the tightly woven fabric of his control. “This trip to Ottawaneeds to be my focus. The developers are getting antsy. I can’t have… distractions. Let’s not forget the meeting with Odin about servers that you insisted on.”
“It’s a week, Zack. Ten days, tops.” Aiden’s expression softened, a rare attempt at placation. “I’ll look after her. Keep things on an even keel.”
An unfamiliar, unwelcome emotion coiled in Zack’s gut. It wasn’t jealousy. It was something else, something possessive and territorial. The image of Aiden and Sophie, finding their rhythm without him, was a splinter under his skin. “She’s wearingourcuffs, Aiden. Not yours.”
Aiden’s eyes held his, a steady, unwavering challenge. “I know whose they are. But she needs more than a command and a crop, and you know it. She needs the anchor, not just the storm.”
Zack stood up, walking to the railing and looking down at the street below. “The storm is what she craves. The chaos is what brings her to her knees.”
“Maybe,” Aiden conceded, his voice quiet. “Or maybe the chaos is just what makes her reach for something solid. Someone solid.” He paused, letting the words land. “She asks about you, you know. When we are in the car or alone, she wants to know you. She’s trying to understand you.”
Zack’s fingers tightened on the cool metal of the railing. “There’s nothing to understand.”
“Arms length at all times.” Aiden's voice was a low murmur, a statement of fact, not an accusation. “How's that working out for you?”
Zack didn't turn. The city spread out before him, a grid of light and logic, everything in its place. Unlike this. Unlike them. “Fine.”
A soft scoff behind him. “Liar.”
Zack turned then, a sharp, fluid movement. His gaze locked on Aiden, a flicker of something dangerous in his eyes. “You'reawfully sure of yourself when it comes to reading her. What about reading me?”
“I've been reading you for more than half our life, brother. You're a loud book.” A small, knowing smile played on Aiden's lips. Zack closed the distance between them in two long strides, the air crackling with unspoken tension. He stopped just shy of touching, invading Aiden’s space, crowding him until he was pressed back against the glass door.
“You think you have it all figured out,” Zack’s voice was a low growl. “You think your soft touch and your pretty words are the whole equation. They’re not. They’re the prelude.”
He raised a hand, not to strike, but to trace the line of Aiden’s jaw, a gesture that was both intimate and a threat.
“Bet you’d suck her pussy off my cock.” Zack noticed the look in Aiden’s eyes.
“You want that, don’t you?” Zack tugs him by the necktie and pulls it open. He holds it with two hands still around Aiden’s neck.
“It’s not like we haven’t played before, brother.”
“There’s nothing brotherly about me drilling your throat.” Zack groaned as Aiden moved his fingers between them, pulling at his belt. “Kneel,” he barked gruffly, leaning his shoulders against the wall and offering his straining cock.
Aiden dropped to his knees in reverence. He pushed Zack’s pants down past his hips and left them hanging below his knees. Zack’s head tilted back with a hissed curse as Aiden eagerly swirled his tongue around the swollen head of his cock.
“Fuck, I forgot how good you were at–fuck–god damn it.” Zack tangled his fingers in Aiden’s hair, moving his hips and pushing more of himself down the warm, willing throat.
“Can you taste it? Taste her pain and humiliation. Right, yeah, don’t stop.” Zack grunted as Aiden attempted to hold his hips in place, negating his power play.
“Did you get hard watching her beg for her Daddy to help her as I pushed our little fuck bunny’s limits?”
Aiden’s fingers moved from Zack’s thighs, and he cupped his balls. Zack closed his eyes as Aiden quickened his efforts, taking him deeper.
Zack grabbed the ends of Aiden’s tie, using it for leverage. He repeated the rough tempo he forced Sophie to take, and his shaft swelled at the memory of her tears running down his cock.
