“I do. I’m still the one who took his life, and I will have to live with that forever. But it’s no longer destroying every part of me like it was. I don’t feel like I’m drowning in the darkness anymore.” We all let out a collective sigh of relief at that knowledge.
“Does that mean you don’t want to explore the pain anymore?” Orion asks, curious, and she shakes her head.
“No, I still want to. I enjoy it, and sub space is insanely amazing.” She giggles, and he smirks, kissing her quickly.
There’s a knock on the door before Mark walks in, closing it behind him, and he heads straight for Harleigh.
“Are you alright? What’s going on?”
We spend the next few minutes filling him in, and when we’re finished, he’s pissed.
“This is unreal. What the fuck was He thinking?!” He’s pacing the room, and for the second time in under an hour, Harleigh goes in to do damage control.
She’s the centre of our entire universe, and has every single one of us wrapped around her finger without even trying.
“Dad, it’s okay. I understand why it had to be that way. You should too,” she says, and he groans as he looks down at his only child.
“I get it, but I can still be pissed about it. You’re my kid, and I had to watch you practically drown in self-hatred the past few months. Do you know how hard it was for me to know I couldn’t help you?”
“I’m so sorry, Dad. I didn’t know how to let anyone help me.” She sniffs, and his arms wrap around her in a tight embrace, kissing her head.
“I love you, sweetheart.”
“Love you too, Dad.”
The guys and I decide to leave them alone for a little bit and step outside the room to give them some space as she sobs into his chest. He nods at us in thanks before we close the door and wait.
Mark
Can today get any worse?
I knew something was up with her the past few months, but knowing that The Father could have put an end to her suffering weeks ago just grates on my nerves. I’m so pissed off at Him for her suffering, even though I know where He’s coming from.
By the time she’s left my office, my shirt is drenched, and I feel drained. All of the worry I’ve been holding onto over her state of mind has been lifted.
I will never stop worrying about her, though. She’s my little girl, and I want to protect her.
There’s a knock on the door before he enters.
“Hey, are you alright?” He looks at me with concern, and my heart skips a beat.
“Yeah, just tired.” It’s killing me to keep secrets from him, but this one isn’t mine to tell. It’s Harleigh’s and hers alone. If the secrets keep adding up, I’m bound to slip.
“Harleigh?” he asks, and I sigh, nodding.
“Yes, but it’s not my place to tell.”
He nods in understanding, coming over to sit beside me on the couch in my office.
“Does she know about us?” he questions, and I raise an eyebrow at him.
“You want her to?” I ask.
He gives me a small smile before leaning over, softly kissing me, and making me feel like everything is right with the world.
“I think she’s your daughter, and keeping something like this from her is killing you. If you want to tell her, I’m fine with it.” He kisses me softly, and I groan, wrapping my hand around his neck and pulling him into me.
Running my tongue along his lips, he moans and lets me in, and I want to devour him. He’s everything I’ve ever wanted, and didn’t know I would find.
“Shit, I want you,” I moan into his mouth, and he chuckles.
“You have me, Professor Daniels. What are you going to do about it?” My cock jerks in my pants and I groan, biting his lip before taking his mouth with all the aggression and passion I feel for him.
“What did I tell you about calling me that?” I growl, and he nips my lip, his hand travelling to my cock, cupping me, making me groan.
“You can tell me to stop all you want, but you love it, Professor Daniels. You love it when I give you all the power.” He’s right, I definitely do. But this just hits too close to danger areas.
“Let’s go home. I need to remind you who the boss is.” I smirk.
He groans and nods his head before pulling back.
“Tell her, Mark. If they know you trust me, they won’t have a reason not to.”
I sigh, leaning my forehead against his.
“Okay. We can tell them together.”
