Chapter 50: #FIFTY

NICHOLAS’S POV

My eyes widened. Was he being serious?

"Stay," he ordered, voice rough. His cock, hard and leaking, pressed against my hole without warning. I gasped as he pushed in, the stretch burning through me. My body clenched around him, slick easing the way as he sank deeper with one thrust.

"Fuck, you’re tight," Gareth growled, gripping my hips. He didn’t wait for me to adjust. His hips snapped forward, driving his cock into me over and over.

The bed creaked beneath us, my face pressed into the mattress as he fucked me hard. Each thrust forced a moan from my throat, my cock rubbing against the sheets again despite having just come.

"Gareth—" I choked out, fingers clawing at the bedding.

He leaned over me, his chest against my back, his breath hot on my neck. "Told you you’d like it," he said, voice mocking. His hand reached around to stroke my cock through the damp fabric of my trousers. "Look at you, taking my cock like you were made for it."

I couldn’t deny it. My body responded to every thrust, pushing back against him. The angle let him hit deeper, and soon I was gasping, another orgasm building fast.

Gareth’s pace grew erratic, his cock swelling inside me. "Come again," he demanded, thrusting harder. "Show me how much you want this."

Oh my fucking—

The second release hit, my cock pulsing weakly as cum soaked through my pants once more. Gareth followed with a groan, burying himself deep as he came, filling me with hot spurts. He stayed inside me for a moment, breathing heavy, before pulling out and leaving me sprawled on the bed.

He smirked down at me, his cock still half-hard and glistening. "This stays between us, is that clear?"

The heat raging through me mere moments ago started tampering down as I struggled to catch my breath, my common sense returning.

Oh fuck. What had I just done?

I just had sex with my step father. What was wrong with me?

Shame filled me as I dragged myself up, nodding fervently. "I won’t tell anyone." I couldn’t meet his gaze.

What would happen if all the others found out? This was such a mess.

By the time I stepped out of Gareth’s room, I wasn’t sure whether I felt more embarrassed or relieved.

My legs trembled as I hurried into the hallway, hoping to disappear into my room before anyone saw me.

"...Nick?" The familiar voice stopped me halfway down the corridor and I looked up.

Elijah had just reached the top of the staircase, one hand still holding the strap of the bag slung over his shoulder. Judging from the way his hair had been tousled by the wind and the relaxed clothes he’d changed into for the outing, he’d only just returned. The smile he’d been wearing disappeared almost immediately, his brows knitting together as he looked me over from head to toe. "What happened?"

I instinctively glanced down at myself.

My sleeves were rolled unevenly, my trousers looking rumpled and I could only imagine how flustered I looked after rushing around upstairs.. "Nothing."

His expression made it obvious he didn’t believe me. "Nothing?" he repeated, walking the remaining distance between us. "You look like you’ve run a marathon."

I let out an awkward laugh that sounded painfully forced even to my own ears as I tried to calm my racing heart. "I... took dad some tea."

His lips pulled down into a frown. "And?"

I cleared my throat. "I dropped it."

His eyebrows lifted. "You dropped it?"

"The kettle slipped." I quickly clarified.

Concern flashed across his features. "On you?"

"Some of it splashed on my leg."

Before I realized what he was doing, he’d crouched slightly, his attention already on the faint stain near my knee. "Did it burn you?"

No. What if he smelt the sex clinging to me?

I shot back like I had been burned. "No."

He frowned. "Let me see."

"It didn’t burn me, Elijah." I stumbled back.

He looked up again, studying my face this time instead of my leg. "Then why are you shaking?"

Only then did I notice the slight tremor in my own hands and I quickly curled them into fists behind my back. "I was startled."

For a long moment, he simply watched me. He’d always been annoyingly good at reading people.

I could practically see the questions piling up behind his eyes, each one waiting for the right moment to be asked. His gaze shifted briefly toward Gareth’s closed bedroom door before returning to me, and something about that glance made my heartbeat quicken. "You sure that’s all it was?"

I nodded too quickly. "It was just embarrassing."

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he reached over and brushed a loose strand of hair away from my forehead before letting out a quiet sigh. "...Alright." The words came reluctantly. "If that’s what happened."

"It is." I snapped.

He went silent as he studied me.

I hated lying to him.

Fuck, I hated even more that as I stood here, all I could think about was Gareth’s cock pounding me open.

"I think..." I rubbed the back of my neck tiredly. "I just want to be alone for a while."

The disappointment that flickered across his face lasted only a second before he hid it behind a small nod. "Uh sure." He stepped aside, giving me room to pass. "If you need me, you know where I’ll be."

"I know." I slipped into my room before the conversation could continue, quietly shutting the door behind me.

Fuck.

I sat on the edge of the bed, staring absentmindedly at the floor while my thoughts drifted back to Gareth’s room for what felt like the hundredth time.

What had I just allowed to happen? This made everything way more complicated. And even worse, why did I like it? My ass hole still tingled from the sensations and I could feel his cum still trickling down my thighs.

I rubbed my face with both hands.

There was another question that refused to leave me alone. Did Gareth suspect anything after the sex? I’d spent so long pretending to be a beta that sometimes I forgot how fragile the lie really was. My inhibitors were gone and I’d just been surrounded by him in a way that couldn’t get anymore intimate.

Did today give it away? The brothers knew. But what happened if he also knew?

Oh shit.

The thought alone was enough to make my stomach tighten.

I was crouched there for hours after I took my bath and changed, and a gentle knock sounded before I could think any further. "Young Master Nicholas?" One of the maids called out.

"Yes?"

"Madam asked me to let you know dinner is ready."

I looked toward the window. Had that much time passed already? "I’ll come down."

"Very well."

After changing into a fresh pair of trousers, I took one last look at myself in the mirror.

I still looked tired, but there wasn’t much I could do about that.

So I went downstairs like that.

*******

Mom’s promise of a family dinner had apparently become a mission. Every seat around the table was occupied, and dishes flooded the table, the air filling the scent of freshly cooked meals.

Everyone seemed to be more relaxed at the sight.

Anyone except me.

"There you are," Mom beamed the moment she noticed me lingering by the doorway. "I was beginning to think we’d have to send Elijah upstairs to drag you down."

Elijah looked up from his seat and smiled faintly. "I offered."

Mom laughed. "Sit before everything gets cold."

I obeyed, taking the empty seat beside Elijah while conversation resumed almost immediately.

Gareth seemed relaxed. I snuck glances at him, but he was so calm and composed, not even sparing me a glance as he continued to be part of the conversation.

Guilt twisted low in my stomach as I looked at mum’s bright smile. She would never forgive me if she found out I slept with her husband.

She kept placing more food onto everyone’s plates despite repeated complaints that the table already held enough to feed twice as many people. "You’ve hardly eaten," she scolded Cassian.

I tried. I truly did. I smiled when everyone else smiled, answered whenever someone included me. But my thoughts never stayed in the room for long.

Every now and then, my eyes drifted toward Gareth.

Whenever they did, he seemed completely normal. The more ordinary he acted, the more ridiculous for still being this bothered about what happened.

I needed to get a grip of myself before anyone noticed something was wrong.

By the time dinner was nearly over, my appetite had disappeared completely. "I’m sorry," I said quietly, setting my fork down. "I think I’m going to head upstairs."

Mom immediately frowned. "So soon?"

"I’m feeling a little tired." I muttered.

She studied my face carefully before nodding. "Alright. Get some rest."

"I will." I excused myself and left the dining room before anyone could ask more questions.

The hallway outside my bedroom was quiet for less than ten minutes before I heard a rough knock.

Before I could answer, the door opened just enough for Roman to step inside. "I had a feeling you’d lock yourself away."

I sighed as I adjusted uncomfortably. "I was just tired."

"So you’ve said."

Another knock interrupted him as Cassian leaned through the doorway without waiting for permission. "Hope I’m not interrupting. The others will be here soon."

Wait, what?

Adrian appeared next, folding his arms as he rested against the frame, while Elijah quietly slipped in behind him, closing the door once everyone had entered.

You have to be kidding me.

I looked from one face to another. "...Should I be worried?"

"No," Cassian answered with an easy smile. "Concerned, maybe."

Roman’s expression remained calm. "We’ve all noticed you’ve been acting differently since this afternoon."

"You barely touched your dinner," Adrian added. "You looked distracted the entire time."

Elijah didn’t interrupt them. He simply watched me with the same thoughtful and suspicious expression he’d worn ever since finding me outside Gareth’s room.

My heart was racing in my chest and I was sure they could hear it.

Roman waited until the room had fallen completely silent before speaking again. "Nicholas..." His voice was gentle enough that it almost made answering harder. "...Did something happen while we were away?"