Crossing Lines Chapter 98

**Noah**

I thought that when Aiden said the night would be ours, he was gonna fuck me senseless. It took a minute for my mind to catch up with the realization that to him, release was reward—and he’d promised me that the next day.

I figured I’d be disappointed. But the hell if I was.

Spending time with him like normal, vanilla people could actually be nice sometimes. Don’t get me wrong—I’d gotten used to the thrill of the unknown with him. That constant edge of danger was a turn-on I didn’t think I could ever live without again. But every now and then, cooking together, watching a movie while he tickled my arm, just feeling him next to me like we were some happy, normal couple—it made me ache in a different way.

Though truth be told, Aiden’s version of “normal” was most people’s description of a wild night.

I loved the way he could turn any mundane activity into some ritual of sensuality and bliss.

First, the bath. His giant tub upstairs, filled after he sprinkled in salts and oils that smelled like incense. Candles glowing, soft music playing, glasses of wine in hand. He pulled me against his chest while he read aloud from a book of mystery short stories, his fingers lazily combing through my hair. Me—the guy who usually jumped into the shower and called it done, whose idea of pampering was remembering conditioner once a week—was beginning to discover a world of secret pleasures women have apparently known for centuries….

Then dinner. Even that was an experience. We fed each other slowly, sensually, savoring every bite. I kept my eyes locked on his as I slid a fork past my lips, and when it was his turn, he sucked the sauce from my fingers until my knees went weak. Honestly? It was the most erotic thing I’d ever done apart from sucking him off.

The night had been perfect. But this morning? My mind was a mess.

Our talk last evening had gone badly. Mostly because I kinda thought he was right. But also because one question kept running through my head, circling like a vulture.

Aiden and I had something special that not many had. And I wasn’t even talking about the kinky BDSM shit. (Though, let’s be real—no one I knew had that either.) We had football, careers on the rise, and passion for the game. We had this connection that felt like it shouldn’t exist but did. As fucked up as it might sound to anyone else, even through a dominant and submissive relationship, we worked. Every weekend, every holiday—we worked.

I made him happy. I was sure of it. He sure as hell made me happy. From my obedience and company to my blowjobs and the occasional fuck, we were good for each other.

The one problem? The constant fear of being caught. My social isolation. The endless rejection of girls’ flirting, advances, and temptations. It was exhausting.

So maybe, just maybe, if people saw me with Lexie, they’d stop looking so closely at me. My time with Aiden would stay in the shadows where it belonged, and nobody would question it. As long as she understood I had practice and games and a schedule tighter than hell, I’d still keep most of my freedom.

I’d spent half the night awake in Aiden’s arms, holding him like I’d never let go, turning that idea over in my head.

And the truth? I didn’t want anyone but him. I didn’t have sexual desire for any girl. But if we tweaked things a little… I could fool around with her if I had to. No feelings, no love, just occasional release during the week. It wouldn’t even be betrayal, not really. It would be saving face. Buying time until one day, when we were where we needed to be—not in college—and no one gave a shit, we could go public. 

By dawn, I had almost convinced myself it was brilliant. And, I won’t lie, the idea of popularity among my friends and the sponsorship from someone big was toying with my head… 

Until I felt Aiden’s erection pressing against my back. His warmth wrapping around me, his scent filling my lungs.

And just like that, every thought I had about Lexie evaporated. My body burned, my cock sprang to life, and all I knew was one thing.

We needed a solution before I went insane, and while we were at it, I really needed to get laid.

*****

Saturday had been perfect. Stupidly perfect. Running errands together, me sneaking chocolate into the cart while Aiden sighed and pretended he didn’t notice. Trying to make eggs Benedict, which turned into me nearly setting the kitchen on fire while he scraped hollandaise off the floor. We laughed so hard we almost cried—well, I must've been doing most of the laughing, but his lips twitched a couple of times.

It felt… normal. Domestic. Like we could be any couple, happy and at peace.

Which is why, when he called me into his office later, my stomach dropped straight through the floor.

“Sit,” he said.

I tried to play it off, dropping into the chair. “Jeez… am I getting a lecture or a business proposition, Sir?”

“A little of both,” he answered, and just like that, my smirk died. Especially when he pulled the contract out of his drawer and set it on the desk between us.

My pulse spiked so hard I thought he could hear it. My throat went dry.

Fuck.

He looked calm, too calm, and that scared the hell out of me.

“It’s been a few weeks since we signed this,” he said. “And time is coming when we’ll need to sit and review it. But before we do… I want you to think carefully before making any commitments. I’ve got thinking to do myself.”

The words cut me like a blade. Did that mean he was thinking about ending it? Walking away? I couldn’t breathe.

Then he went on. “I’ve heard your concerns, Noah. But as the contract stands right now, you have no permission to include a third person. None. The choices you’ve been wrestling with this week—Lexie, saving face—they only feel impossible because they’d mean breaking the rules.”

I wanted to argue, but my tongue felt like sandpaper.

Then he leaned in, and his eyes locked on mine. “There’s another way. We could change the rules. Eliminate that clause. Open ourselves up to third persons.”

My heart skipped so hard it hurt.

Part of me wanted to scream yes. The permission. The relief. But the bigger part of me—the one twisted tight around him—didn’t. If he gave me that freedom, if he stopped caring who touched me, then we wouldn’t be special anymore. We’d just be another arrangement. Just sex. Just… nothing.

I couldn’t breathe.

“Think it through, Noah,” he said, his voice calm but sharp enough to slice me open. “If we stay as we are, then you don’t go near Lexie. Not her. Not anyone. Break that, and we are done for good.”

My chest caved in, but he didn’t give me space to answer.

“The only way you could pursue her—or even a one-night stand to *keep your reputation*, like you called it—without losing me is if we change the rules before you break them.”

He sat back, final, like he’d just laid down the law. “Take a walk. Go for a swim. You’ve got free time now. But I’ll need your answer before dinner.”

And just like that, the floor was gone from under me.