Chapter 28 : Alec
Saturday, December 3rd, 2022
"She's still upstairs." I hear Caleb say in a hushed tone as I enter the grand living room before me. Sitting there on the couch with him is Xavier, all of us having felt a little quiet ever since our private doctor went upstairs to commence the appointment we'd made for Madelyn.
He'd been up there with her for five hours by the time he left, only breaking once for lunch where Madelyn had been completely and utterly silent. Not a word came out of her, but we didn't try to pressure her either.
The important thing was that she was talking to somebody. It's the only reason I hadn't entirely been flipping out that another man was alone with her that wasn't the three of us.
I trusted Dr. Jerry Earnshaw with my life, but with Darmonio somewhere out there, I was always on edge when it came to my princess.
By the time he'd left with his briefcase, it had felt like a relief, however that was only after he spent another hour answering all of our questions. Despite her absence upstairs, Madelyn had given him full permission to discuss with us any kind of diagnosis and treatment plans they'd concluded upon together.
"She's probably all tired out." I say as I move to take a seat on the armchair diagonally from both of them, resting my body back after an intense morning of non-stop work related phone calls. It felt good to relax, even if it wasn't under the brightest of circumstances. "God knows what she's opened up about." I sighed and leaned my head back, closing my eyes at the thought of how messed up everything has gotten.
A year ago I was ready to get down on one knee and propose to the woman who was undoubtedly and forever the love of my life.
Now I'm worrying about the fact she's going back on the same drug that made her this way, even if it was so the dosages could be reduced over time to minimize the withdrawal symptoms. Helping her with that is something I have no problem with, but it's the fact of why she needs to go back on them in the first place that makes me so worked up.
"I don't care if that asshole didn't take my mother's life." Xavier growled in Italian as my eyes reopened, finding his dark and vacant. "I will spend years taking his for what he did to her." He continued, but I knew the her he was talking about wasn't Alessia.
It was Madelyn.
"Not without my permission you won't." A seductive, beautiful voice carried all of our attention to the top of the stairwell, the words being spoken in the same tongue Xavier and I were raised with.
Instantly I felt the energy in the air spike as Madelyn came down the stairs in a nightgown meant to torment, my cock jerking at the realization it was a piece I'd personally picked out for her a year ago to add to her closet.
If I'd seen her wearing this then, I would've bent her over the chair I was sitting on now and taken cruel advantage of the access the slip of fabric gave me.
"And what makes you think I need your permission?" Xavier taunts as I watch his gaze roam shamelessly across her body, no doubt just as hard as Caleb and I were for the little devil before us.
The cock of Madelyn's eyebrow in response had me adjusting myself as the final words of advice Jerry had given us popped into my head. He'd told us that the best way to help her is to reinspire passion within her heart, and that treating her like a delicacy would only make her push us away.
When he said passion, I'm sure he meant to get her into a new hobby like painting or something, but with the way she was dressed now... my cock was having very different ideas of inspiration.
"We need to talk." Madelyn said just a little more firmly as her foot met the very last step of the stairs, once again back in English and turning her gaze away from Xavier. I watched as she moved to stand right in front of the balcony doors while facing all of us, the act almost humorous not just because of the poor attempt to gain dominance over us, but because her most recent words were a clear dismissal of Xavier's previous ones.
Her gaze had moved away from him, and yet the action wasn't averting. It was more like she simply didn't care to offer a response because she knew we did in fact need her permission to act against Marcus, the steadiness of her current stance promising there would be hell to pay if we tried to act against it.
Fuck she was so beautiful.
"We need to talk about Rob Oliver." Followed her previous statement, and my smile slowly fell away as I realized her spike in energy was likely because she had her adrenaline flowing within her. We had no intentions of fighting anymore, but that didn't mean we weren't going to rile her up until she loved us again.
Hate is passion, and Madelyn was going to slip right into its embrace—our embrace—by the time we were through.
"I don't care what your issue is with him. You can't kill him." She insisted as her one hand fell to her hip, and I just couldn't hide how lethally adorable she looked doing that.
The shift in fabric then pulled my attention to the outline of something under the velvety black material, something that looked a lot like the outline of a dagger.
Fuck me.
"And what makes you think he's not already dead?" Caleb questions with clearly the same intentions of poking at her that I have. He just seemed to have a better grip over himself. Mind you, he probably also had time to jerk off to the thought of her this morning while I was all tense and taking phone calls.
I've been too damn busy worrying about Madelyn's injuries and missing shipment containers to have time to fantasize about the pretty girl in front of me.
"No, he isn't." Madelyn insists as she simply glares at him, and I had a feeling she must've been on the phone with someone else before coming down here—someone who had the power to pressure her into making choices she had nothing to gain from. "And he needs to stay that way." She continues, but I can tell by the look in her eye she was desperate to convince us of this.
It revealed something to me that made me angry, because considering she ditched her burner on the road the other night, she must've used the phone we gave her yesterday to call Marcus herself.
Part of it made me frustrated because I wanted to respect her, but the other part just made me sad over the fact she was so lost that she was still talking to the man who did this to her. I know Marcus was all she has left, but one day Madelyn would have to come to terms with the abuse he put her through.
All I can hope for is that she'll trust us enough by that point to have someone to lean against when the weight becomes too heavy to bear.
"And why is that, sweetheart?" Xavier continues his taunt as he spreads his legs out slightly, extending his arm to brush his fingers against a lock of her pretty hair. None of us were surprised as she instantly swatted his hand away, but none of us missed the hint of the smile that formed across her face.
Tension is passion.
"Because he doesn't deserve this. If you had a little girl and you needed to find a way to get her a cure, you would do anything, wouldn't you?" Madelyn threw right back as her head tipped up in confidence in this, as once again, she was right.
The only thing she was missing is that the only little girl any of us would have would be coming from her womb, and I have a feeling that if our child ever needed something, she would be the first one out there fighting for it.
"You're right, Mads, I would do anything." Xavier responds with matched intensity, but I knew he was thinking about a daughter under the circumstances it was shared with her as well. "The only difference between myself and Rob Oliver is that I wouldn't get caught. And if for some reason I did, I would take my punishment being the happiest man in the world knowing my family was taken care of."
I watched as Madelyn's cheeks flushed slightly under his voice, and I smiled as I watched her try and fail to suppress her shiver.
Sweet little Madelyn. So quick to make assumptions.
"I can't let Rob walk just because he has a sob story, sweetheart." Xavier continues, knowing damn well he now has her attention. "If I did, that would only enable others to follow his lead, and then we wouldn't be able to afford paying for his daughter's treatment anyways."
Madelyn seemed conflicted at that, because even over the veil of manipulation her father has cast over her, she wasn't stupid. She quieted because she agreed, and no longer knew what to say.
Now standing before us was the vulnerable woman I'd held in my lap last night as she cried, and it amazed me how just like the flick of a switch, Marcus's hold on her faded away.
"He can't die." She says again instead, and it's heartbreaking to hear it.
She had no reason to care for his life, and yet she does. It makes me wonder if that was her only motive or if something else was playing a factor into this.
With so many unknowns lingering between us, I just couldn't know for sure, but I did know that no matter her reasonings, if we killed Rob Oliver, we would ruin what little progress we've made together.
Both Caleb and Xavier were smart enough to know this too, and I saw the conflict in their eyes. When their gazes eventually lingered over in my direction, they saw the decision in mine.
Based on the recent news of my father's hidden illness, I would be making these kinds of calls myself soon enough and without apology. We could deal with the repercussions that come with my resolution later.
"That's quite the favour you're asking for there, darling." Caleb steps in just as understanding passes over the three of us, and he wasn't lying either. With Rob being as well known as he is, I don't even want to think about the lash back we were going to get for making a decision that screamed weakness.
"And you don't think you owe me this?" Madelyn crosses her arms over her chest in what was supposed to be a challenging manner, but all I could notice was the way it flashed me a shit ton of her cleavage.
Fuck, this girl was going to be the death of me.
"I think we're pretty even when it comes to owing each other, princess." I speak up for the first time since she came down here, her sharp eyes moving to become entirely trained on me. "However Caleb and I are a little salty over the fact you let Xavier get his hands on that sweet pussy of yours first. If you ever feel like evening the grounds, I would love nothing more than to settle all of that conflict worked up inside of you." I throw in a wink at the end just to taunt her.
I'm so fucking tempted to smile as I see my attempts work beautifully in the form of an angry flush across her cheeks, mixed with a little bit of embarrassment and arousal.
It's cute she still feels that shyness with us, even after all this time.
"Maybe I slapped you, but Xavier shot me. I wouldn't necessarily call it even." Madelyn rebutted so angrily it was breathtaking, and I saw Xavier's lips twitch at the corners as well to show he thought the same thing.
"Is that what you want, Madelyn?" I cooed teasingly as she shifted on her feet, those thick creamy thighs of hers pressing together in indication of her need.
As I met the fire in her eyes with an intensity of my own, I was ready to get on my knees and beg just to get a small taste of her again.
"If you want to hurt us, mia regina," I begin, making her know damn well what she was to me, "Then by all means go ahead. If killing me is what you need to thrive, my only regret would be not having that pretty cunt of yours clamping around my cock while you do it—"
All it took was a flash of my smirk and Madelyn pounced on me like the good girl she was, my body slamming back against the chair as she straddled my waist. As much as I wanted to focus on the way the position caused her dress to slide up, it was hard to look down with the blade currently pressed against my neck.
"Is that an invitation?" I grinned as I ground my hips up against her just for a little gasp to leave her mouth, the cold edge digging even deeper into my skin in warning.
I would go all the way with her though, no doubt about it.
With her one hand tangled in my hair, yanking my head back so that my neck was left vulnerable to her weapon, I knew the small groan I let out had the anger flaring in her eyes flashing even brighter.
"We want you, Madelyn, so do what you need to do. Cut us, punish us, hurt us." I say, leaning into the blade until I feel blood begin to spill down my neck. "Do whatever it takes to release all of that tension inside of you, because whether you like it or not, we're here for the long run."
I watched her every expression as I continued to speak, and as her eyes tipped down to my mouth and held there, I knew what she was thinking. My lean had gotten us so close to each other that I could feel the warmth of her frustrated little breaths, and fuck did I wish I was feeling them as I filled her from underneath.
That would be quite the passion, that I could guarantee.
"I hate you." Madelyn tried and failed to hold her sneer as I rocked my hips from beneath her again, not ignoring the sting along my neck but relishing in it.
"You want to, but you don't." I shake my head as much as I can as my gaze falls to her lips too, knowing the fact we had an audience only made her wetter. "Why else would these be so hard?" I teased as I looked further down to where her strained nipples were pressing against my chest, just aching to be tugged and licked at.
I felt Madelyn pull away just slightly in the midst of temporary embarrassment, but to watch her realize she didn't give a fuck and was going to use it to her advantage... that was the fire spirit inside of her I've been waiting to reawaken.
"Because you have a nice dick." Madelyn smirked cruelly just as she ground down against my lap, making me groan again with my increased need after she lifted up again. "If only you could keep it out of your personality." She continued, but her little comment only made me want her more.
I could smell the lavender scented shampoo we stocked her bathroom with because of how it reminded us of her, and having her long hair brushing softly against my arms had me ready to go all in.
"Make a bargain with us and we'll do as you ask." I offer before I decide to do something crazy like act on the thoughts damn near consuming me at this point. "In exchange for owing us each a favour to be called upon at any time of our choosing, we won't touch Oliver." I speak for all of us, just as we all watch Madelyn instantly go to deny.
"How is that fair? You're only keeping one man alive for the price of three things in return from me." She says, but it's also pretty clear that my princess doesn't understand the amount of damage control we're going to have to run for this.
This was more than reasonable, and we wouldn't be changing our terms.
"Life is anything but fair, princess, so what will it be?" I questioned as I wondered if she was really going to turn us down, but based on what I planned to call in, I sure hoped she'd accept it.
Somehow, Madelyn just seemed in her element like this, and I wasn't nearly ready to go back to cold shoulders and awkward moments of longing. The tension was driving me crazy, but going insane was a small price to pay if it meant having her here with me for just a few moments longer.
"What are the favours?" She counters, but Xavier is already on top of it from behind her as I hear him shift into a better position, clearly ready to play just as much as I was.
"You'll just have to agree to find out, sweetheart. Tick tock."
I held my breath in my chest as Madelyn's pretty green eyes met mine, and I knew we'd won just as her gaze fell to my lips once again, her mind traveling to places we wouldn't go to unless she agreed. She was tempting me though, god was she tempting me.
"Alright, fine!" Madelyn exclaimed in a way that showed her agreement, and even though my smile was the only one she could see right now, if she looked over her shoulder, she would realize just how truly she just surrendered herself to a pack of wolves.
As I felt her shift against my lap, though, I think she started to realize on her own.
The look on her face right now was a mirror image of the one she had on the very first moment we saw her hidden behind that hotel: lustful but oh so nervous for what was to come.
What a beautiful way to begin this new chapter of our lives.
"Good." I smiled before she could let herself get too worked up, shifting my hands ever so slightly in a way Madelyn doesn't notice. "Then I'm calling in my favour now." I say, and not even a second later am I grabbing the dagger from her hand and disarming her in a single motion.
The instant look of her shock was picture worthy as I chuckled quietly to myself, knowing that what was to come was going to be good.
Madelyn couldn't even react before I had one arm looped around her waist, the other grasping her chin and making me think about all of the beautiful things I wanted to do to her.
"Kiss me." I whispered against her cheek as her thighs tried to squeeze together, our position allowing her no relief.
Her attention has dropped down to my mouth in desire too many times for me to not act on it, and I knew I had her now, not because she wanted to stick true to her agreement, but because she wanted me, even though she was too stubborn to say it out loud.
"You can't use your favours to make me have sex with you." Madelyn says breathlessly as she focuses on the way my smile widens, but doesn't pull away as I lean in closer to her.
"This isn't sex unless you want it to be, beautiful." I murmur as I rock my hips up against her, gauging her quiet whimper and having my eyes flicking over to Caleb and Xavier once just to find them watching us with the type of wanton need all of us were experiencing.
They had their favours, but for now, they could sit there and observe all they'd like.
"I'll even be nice." I teased as I nudged her nose gently with mine. "If you want me to choose a different favour, I will. All you have to do is admit that you don't want me, and genuinely mean it."
The only thing is, we both knew I would catch any lie that rolled off of her pretty pink tongue. All of the time spent leading up to this point has simply been mere foreplay.
"Go on, Mads. Tell me your body doesn't ache for us. Tell me you're not desperate for me to roll you over and give you the proper fucking your body needs to let go of everything bad until all that is left in replacement is the memory of my cock, tongue, and hands claiming—"
I don't even need to finish my statement before a small hand is pressing against my throat, the cut from earlier stinging beautifully under Madelyn's grasp.
Even though my body craved the control, Madelyn put me beneath her as she pressed herself harder against me, leaning forward until I could practically taste the freedom on my tongue.
I still loved her, and it was only a matter of time until she believed it too.
__________
***Switches to Madelyn's POV***
Saturday, December 3rd, 2022
I fucking despised all three of these stupidly hot, addictive, caring, annoying assholes before me.
I hated Xavier for being logical.
I hated Caleb for making me care.
But right now, I hated Alec the most because I was so wet I was scared I was going to leave a spot on the crotch of his pants every time his hips rocked up to tempt me.
This favour was just cruel, and I certainly didn't want it as I leaned into his chest. I didn't want to taste him as I brought my lips closer. I most definitely didn't want it as I pressed my hips down against him, rubbing my aching clit against him for some relief.
"Perhaps—" Alec began to speak up at my inaction, but stopped immediately as I pressed my lips against the corner of his mouth. It was gentle, so slight he could barely feel it, and the lowest of noises came from his throat in response.
Just as I moved to pull away, smugly so at the little act of dominance, Alec's hand tangled in my hair just before he smashed his mouth against mine.
For a moment, all I could do was freeze, my senses being overwhelmed and indeed being replaced by everything I've longed for for what felt like a lifetime. I had wanted to deny him—to show him that he never specified where he wanted his kiss or how he wanted it, but the second Alec separated my lips with a trust of his tongue, I was no longer in control.
In a fury of passion, I tugged harder on him as I met his mouth with a kind of rage I didn't know I possessed, following him stroke for stroke no matter how breathless it made me.
We kissed each other like we were attacking each other, but with each nip and suckle and press, Alec gathered me wholly and rendered me his captive in a way I simply couldn't and didn't want to escape from.
His torturous licks were unforgiving, my whimpers were consuming, and it left me reborn with a breath of air that gave life to the withered part of me that caved in during my months of isolation. Alec kissed me like he was fucking me, and that left my heart open until every thought contained within was of the man kissing me and the remaining two wishing it were them.
It was as overwhelming as it was welcoming, along with everything in between that had me breaking off from him, panting and slipping out of his grasp while looking at the swollen perfection of his lips.
All eyes were on me as I took a step towards the stairs, but for once, it wasn't out of regret.
"This isn't me running." I say, remembering the promise we made each other last night before I curled up in the first bed that felt right in ages. "I just need a moment."
Only hours ago, the three men before me had made me agree that as long as it wasn't an attempt on my part to isolate and distance myself from the world, that they would both respect and give me my space when I said I needed it.
This was me establishing that right now that came in the form of a break, and not a single one of them were upset about it because they knew I'd be returning to them when I was ready.
That was a beautiful thing, and as I left the room to go for a walk, I allowed myself a hidden smile for only myself, the taste of Alec's kiss still lingering across my lips.
- End of Chapter 28 -
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