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Home / MM Romance / Appealing To His Gaze / Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

All Chapters of Appealing To His Gaze : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

193 Chapters

31

AIDEN’S POVI had left Devin downstairs because the way he was spiraling had reached the point where he couldn’t even sit still without his knee bouncing like his body was begging him to run from something he couldn’t outrun. He was breathing shallowly, his hands kept tugging at his hair, and I could already tell he wasn’t going to get a single coherent thought out until he burned through all that panic sitting in his chest like it owned him. I didn’t have the energy to babysit him through the rest of it, not after everything that came out between us, not after the ridiculous chain of events since the meeting. So I said I was going to shower, and he nodded without looking up, mumbling something under his breath that didn’t even sound like words.When I got to my room and closed the door, the quiet hit me so suddenly it almost felt wrong. The house had felt full, heavy, cramped the minute Stella left earlier, but now it felt too still, like the walls were waiting for something else to

32

DEVINS POVThe second Stella’s voice floated down the hallway Aiden jumped away from me so fast the cushions slid off the couch. I pushed myself back like I’d been caught committing a crime. My pulse was thrashing in my throat, my legs felt shaky, my breathing refused to steady. There was still heat on my mouth from the kiss, still tension burning low in my stomach, and the stupid pillow in my lap was the only thing keeping me from completely humiliating myself.Aiden grabbed the nearest throw pillow like he was in a panic, holding it over his lap with both hands. His ears were still red, his hair messed up, his lips swollen from my mouth on his. I didn't look much better — shirt wrinkled, collar stretched, whole damn body flushed like I'd just run a marathon. Stella stepped into the living room and stopped dead. Her eyes flicked between us-me on one end of the couch clutching a pillow like a life vest, Aiden on the other looking like he'd been electrocuted. Both of us were sweaty. Bo

33

DEVIN’S POVI reached the venue with a headache forming in the back of my skull. All the way here, Stella talked about decorations, about the caterer, about the stupid finger foods she hoped my father ordered because she didn't want anything "too greasy." I barely listened. My mind wasn't even in the car. It was still in the living room. Still in the kiss. Still in the mess Aiden and I had created and walked away from like nothing happened.The minute we stepped into the event hall, I felt like I was stepping into a cage. The lights were bright. People were everywhere; smiling too big, talking too loud, wearing clothes that made them look important. Employees, shareholders, board members, old friends of my dad, people Stella liked to impress because she thought it made her look powerful. I knew most of them. They all turned when we walked in, offering greetings, handshakes, congratulations I hadn’t officially earned yet.Stella held onto my arm as if she wanted people to see us as a p

34

DEVIN'S POV.They kept greeting me, touching my shoulder, congratulating me for something that didn't feel real in the first place. My father kept looking at me with this proud, solid expression, like he already saw the years ahead mapped out perfectly, as if he had finally handed off the duty he'd been grooming me for since I was old enough to understand what the company meant to him.And Stella was smiling too, looking warm and supportive and happy in a way I couldn't match no matter how hard I tried. Every time I caught her eye, she gave me that tiny nod that meant she was proud of me. I nodded back because anything else would have looked strange. I told myself I should feel something — excitement, relief, accomplishment — but all I felt was this dragging weight in the center of my chest that never let up for even one second.I just kept thinking that Aiden and I practically agreed to back away from whatever was happening between us. And then we kissed like we'd been waiting weeks t

35

DEVIN'S POV.I slid my lips to his ears, drawing a low whimper out through him as his own cock responded by growing to full mast, rubbing directly against my ass as I grinded harder on him.“Maybe… guy will fuck you better… or wait, do you want to fuck him instead?” I asked, biting hard on his ears that a sharp wail coursed off his lips.“Tell me… have you jerked off to thoughts of your lover? Marcus? Answer me aiden,” I asked, pulling my teeth away just to bite harder when another wail had burst free from him.“No… of course not. Stop, okay! I haven’t thought of Marcus like that after our sex I've not been hard or aroused like that,” Aiden groaned as I pulled my mouth off his ears, staring intently at him.“Then tell me… whose cock do you picture… whose face do you see when you stroke this long hard cock of yours?... Tell me who you belong to, Aiden … I want to hear you say it…” He parted his lips to speak as I straddled him again, pushing my ass against his cock and running my finge

36

DEVIN'S POVI lay there, chest heaving, staring down at him like he'd just rewired my entire brain. Aiden, sprawled on the bed, his hair plastered to his forehead, his chest rising and falling too fast, his cock still twitching from me, and my god—I wanted him again already, even though my balls were empty and aching. Fuck. I knew I'd never get enough of him. I could never get enough of him. My hands flexed, fingers curling on the sheets, just wanting him closer, wanting the heat back, the smell, the taste of him. The way he looked at me, with that mixture of fear and want, that submissive little bitch look I loved so much—it made my chest tighten until I thought it would implode.“You okay?” His voice was soft, ragged, carrying that edge that made me ache again. I wanted to answer with a moan, wanted to pull him onto my lap and shove my cock back in, but instead I just gritted my teeth, trying to get my heart to shut the fuck up. “Don’t say nothing dumb,” he added, eyes dark, that li

37

STELLA'S POVBy the time I got home, it was close to midnight, the hallway lamp throwing that dim yellow that always made the entrance feel smaller than it was. The whole house was quiet in a way that didn't match the night we just had. My husband had been announced as CEO. People had clapped so loud the room shook. Everyone congratulated him like he'd just been crowned king of something sacred. Even the board members, the ones who always looked like they were smelling something bad, shook his hand with real respect. It should've been one of those nights we carried home with us, buzzing with pride and excitement, something we could laugh about in bed, something we could talk about until we fell asleep. Instead, walking inside felt like stepping into a vacuum because I already knew Devin wouldn't be celebrating, not really, not with me.I kicked off my heels quietly and pushed my hair off my shoulders because the sweat from the event still clung to my neck. Out of habit, I checked the

38

DEVIN'S POV.I walked into the hall feeling like I was moving through a dream I'd fought for every waking hour of my life. Every single person there was dressed like money and influence incarnate. Handshakes, smiles, polite nods, congratulations-all of it washed over me in waves. I smiled, said the right things, laughed when appropriate, but inside, I was buzzing, vibrating with this insane mixture of pride, relief, and something darker, something I didn't want to name yet. CEO. Finally, After years of being second, third, fourth in line, after every expectation and every grudge, after the grind and the fights, after the sacrifices no one cared to notice, I was here. I was the one standing on the podium tonight, the speech in my hand, the room hanging on my every word-or at least pretending to.I took a deep breath before stepping up. My pulse was sharp, but I held myself-straight-backed, shoulders squared-and I smiled at the front row with a practiced charm. I started speaking, word

39

AIDEN'S POV.The gallery was filled with people of all sorts, the most elite, the highest of all calibers, wealthy men, spokesmen and women, every possible person found in high positions were here Tonight, it should have been my universe. Every painting sold, every piece that had once sat gathering dust now in the hands of collectors, every new artist whose work I'd fought tooth and nail to showcase finally shining under the glow of approval and money-it should have felt like victory. And for a heartbeat, it did. But then my phone buzzed in my pocket and the world tilted, seeing the caller id was Marcus.I froze mid-step, my fingers clenching my glass of water with such a tight grip that seeing his name light up the screen made my chest seize up in a way no art gallery, no applause, no sales numbers ever could. The last week, the last night-everything that had happened with Devin-it all came flooding back to me: the reckless abandon, the heat, the shame, the undeniable hunger that had

40

DEVIN'S POVI stood across the street, tucked into the shadows, hands shoved deep into my coat pockets and trembling-not from cold, no, not even a little-but from the fire raging inside me. Rage, jealousy, betrayal, frustration-all coursing down my spine and pooling in my chest until I felt hollow, torn open, and angry at everything and everyone. I'd left the party hours ago, stormed out like a hurricane, because I couldn't handle the pretense any longer. The smiles, the clinking glasses, the forced congratulations-all of it made me feel like I'd been punched in the gut. I needed space. I'd needed to escape.And I told myself I'd stop by Aiden's gallery. I'd been reckless last night-yes-we'd fucked, we'd been close, we'd shared something intimate-but I should have checked in at least a message, at least a touch, at least a word. Stella could rot in her perfect little heels. She didn't matter. Tonight, I needed to see Aiden. Just him. But now… now he is with Marcus.I could see them. I

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