“I’m not weak. I never was.”
Bradford shakes his head. “No, you weren’t. But you are a lot like your mother,” he says. “She had a good heart, and I made it ugly with my darkness.” I’m not sure what to say so I stay silent. I can’t find words to explain the emotions rushing through me. “You are a good person, Finn,” he tells me. “And that’s why you’re able to love two people.”
“So, what happens now? There are so many loose ends to tie up.” Even though my father has just changed my mindset on my mother completely, there are things we still need to sort out.
He nods. “I’ll talk to Marcia. I think we should get Damien and Nesrin out here, so she can decide what she would like to do. And as for the society—”
“I’ll do it as long as they accept my lifestyle,” I tell my father. “I’m no longer hiding who I am. I can’t live like that.”
“And what about the girl?”
“Zaria knows.” I sigh as I think about last night again. It was perfect. Jarred and I have had a girl together before, a few times in fact. But never like this. Something clicked. It was as if we were meant to all three fit together.
“And she’s happy with this arrangement?” My father arches a brow at me. It’s rather strange explaining this situation to him, but he needs to know where I stand.
I nod. “Yes. She is and she’s happy to go ahead with the wedding once we sort out the reasoning behind the marriage.” I recall the paperwork Ares gave Jarred. It’s still on my desk where I left it. “I have information from the Lancasters about Mrs. Abadi and why she wanted the union to take place. I want that agreement torn up, nullified and a new one drawn up. She has no legal claim on anything that came before the marriage.”
“I want all the paperwork.”
“No,” I tell my father as I push to my feet. “I want the original destroyed and I want proof of it. I will not take a vow until that happens. And if there’s a problem, she can come to me.”
“What if we cancel the wedding completely?” My father suggests. “You can then stay with Jarred, and—”
“No. You wanted us to break up because you knew sending him to Tynewood with me would send us into a tailspin. It worked for a short time, but he was willing to give up his freedom for me. I won’t allow that. I’m the Thorne, and I will do what is necessary to ensure the two people I care for are safe.”
For a long moment, all I can hear is the thundering of my heart. It rings in my ears as I wait for my father to deny me. He’s never given me anything I wanted, and I don’t expect this to be any different. The only change is that I am happy to walk out of this house and never look back. And from the look on his face, I can tell he sees it.
“Fine,” he murmurs. “A new contract. And you start your initiation to the society, while I make sure that Mrs. Abadi knows we’re no longer going through with her original request.”
“And you’ll talk to the Elders and ensure there are no qualms about Jarred. He was meant to be part of the Gilded Sovereign, but since walking out, there can’t be any friction.”
A smile dances on my father’s lips as he looks me over. “You’ve grown into a man, Finn,” he tells me. “I’m so fucking proud of what you’ve become.” I don’t expect anyone to understand what it’s like to have your father be proud of you. Some kids don’t even have a father figure to speak of, but when Bradford Thorne murmured those words, a strange, calming feeling washed over me. I spent my life rebelling against him. I hated everything he stood for. But now, I’m convinced that he made me this way so I could step into his shoes and those of my grandfather and the ancestors that came before us.
Thorne Haven has always been a fountain of secrets and mysteries. And even though I never believed in the hearsay, I don’t doubt my father would have made up things that he saw as a child.
I push into the library and make my way to the safe that’s hidden behind a Picasso painting my mother hung there years ago. As a child, I knew it was a cover for something more mysterious, and when I figured out there was a little hidden door behind it, I became obsessed with finding more secrets.
He pushes to his feet and rounds his desk. He comes to me and for a second, I wonder if he’s going to kill me, perhaps stab me in the back for talking back to him, for demanding my own life.
But he doesn’t.
He pulls me into his arms and hugs me.
23
FINN
I can’t describe the feeling that burns through my veins. I’ve never been speechless before, but right now, I can’t fathom explaining the need to fuck Zaria so deep that she never forgets who owns her. It’s more possession than lust. It’s more than just a physical need; it’s visceral. It’s as if she’s dug deep into my soul, to the marrow of my bones, and she never wants to leave. And I don’t want her to.
Her curves are deliciously shimmery with sweat as she looks down at me. Her pussy tasted like a drug I’ll forever crave. I’m addicted, and there is no cure for this woman. At first, I was convinced she was nothing more than an empty shell, but since learning her pain, I’ve come to want to devour it.
I guide her down my body, the flavor of her arousal still thick on my tongue, and I never want to taste anything else again but her and Jarred. I glance at him as he settles beside her, and I can’t help but smile.
With his help, Zaria takes me in that tight little pussy, which has me hissing approval. The warmth and wetness of her sliding down my shaft forces a groan from my lips. I pull her down over me, the soft curves of her tits against my chest sends hunger racing down my spine.
Jarred moves behind her with the bottle of lube, and I know he’s getting her ready for us to both enjoy her body. Zaria looks at me as if I hang the goddamned moon in the sky. Her lips part on a soft whimper as I know Jarred’s fingers must have entered her.
“Look at me, Princess,” I coo against her lips. My breath fanning over her mouth as she mewls her soft, erotic sounds. “Focus on the pleasure,” I coax in a whisper as I lift my hips against her. The way her walls pulse around my dick has me edging closer to release. The tightness of her cunt grips me as I slide in deep, hitting that spot inside her that earns me a yowl of bliss from those plump, wet lips. I’m so close, I could come, but I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from losing all control. “He’s getting you ready for me.”
“What?” Her mouth is a sexy pout when her eyes roll back, and her focus is on the pleasure and pain that’s slowly climbing its way through her. I hold her close, casting a glance over her shoulder to Jarred, who’s grinning like the horny bastard he is. We decided it would be easier for her to take me in her ass for the first time. With all his piercings, it would have been a bit of a struggle for Zaria.
“You ready, Rosebud?” he asks as he leans over her back. Zaria nods and whimpers when I thrust into her pussy. We need to move. Jarred helps her up and off my cock, which has my girl mewling. Gently, we have her turn around, her back to me as I scoot against the pillows. And that’s when I have to hold onto my shaft as she slowly, inches down with Jarred’s help.