Bondage and Marriage - 87

87

“So, you didn’t say yes to marrying him, right?”

“Huh?”

After throwing him onto the bed, Ian interrogated him fiercely. In his confusion, Noah couldn’t respond properly and was somewhat dazed while Ian finally noticed the tart on Noah’s chest. It was surprising that it hadn’t fallen over, but that wasn’t the point right now, so Ian continued his questioning.

“That guy asked you to marry him. What did you say?”

Ian was currently angry, irritated, and his pride was hurt, making him feel quite low. He had fled the scene of what was practically an affair, not even daring to grab James by the collar and beat him up, and while he was chewing on his pride, Noah not returning to the room immediately fueled all sorts of bad thoughts in his mind.

Confused, Noah only opened and closed his mouth without answering. So Ian had heard that… and just the part that could be misunderstood. Even Noah thought that James proposing to him was something anyone would misunderstand, and Ian getting this angry made sense. As Noah stuttered, trying to figure out where to start explaining, Ian gritted his teeth.

“You said yes? Why aren’t you answering?”

“No, no! I didn’t, I didn’t…”

As Noah waved his hands to answer, Ian’s eyes flashed dangerously. Noah, recalling that night when Ian was extremely angry and he was in great pain, desperately explained.

“Just a moment! There’s a misunderstanding here…”

Ian moved the obstructive tart to the bedside table, then pulled Noah back to the bed by grabbing his ankles, almost as if he were pinning him down. Noah gasped sharply as Ian’s hand pressed down on his chest, right where his heart was beating, making him feel like he was being held by the scruff of his neck.

“What’s there to misunderstand when someone proposes to a married person?”

“Actually, James… didn’t know I was married…”

Noah, looking for a way out, stuttered as he explained earnestly. Ian’s already stern expression grew even more severe.

“You say he’s like family, but he didn’t know you were married?”

“He’s always like that… Ah! And… James doesn’t like me in that way, he has his own issues…”

Noah tried hard to explain James’s situation and how scary James’s mother was, but the frown on Ian’s forehead didn’t ease, and instead, his touch became very gentle, which was terrifying to Noah. Noah preferred when Ian’s hands were rough, pulling his hair or gripping hard enough to leave marks.

While still trying to find an escape, Noah noticed the tart on the nightstand.

“Look! The, the tart…”

“Eat it later.”

Noah clearly saw Ian lick his lips as he said that, but he could bet anything that it wasn’t because he craved the tart. By now, Ian’s fingers were gently rubbing and caressing Noah’s side under his lifted shirt, making Noah shake his head.

“That’s not it, I brought it for Ian…”

Ian’s hand paused. He then looked at the tart again before returning his gaze to Noah.

“You brought it for me?”

“I noticed Ian liked tarts last time, so I brought it… Don’t you like it?”

He should like it! He should like it a lot! At Noah’s words, Ian looked at the tart again. His face softened noticeably when he looked back at Noah, causing Noah to let out a sigh of relief, which he quickly regretted. Ian raised an eyebrow, humming, and then Noah timidly offered the fork he was holding. After staring at Noah holding out the fork for a moment, Ian finally let out a small laugh.

“You’re kind, thinking to set some aside.”

“Oh…”

At home, there was usually no one but Benjamin who liked sweets, and Benjamin took care of himself, so Noah had never set aside sweets for someone before, making him feel somewhat embarrassed. But being called kind… Why does Ian’s hand keep moving like this?

Noah tried to gauge if Ian didn’t believe what he said about James or if he wasn’t calming down, but he couldn’t read Ian’s thoughts. However, with his masochistic nature, being pinned down by Ian made his body naturally submissive. As Noah squirmed and quietly said “tart,” Ian gave him a cute, teasing smile.

“I told you, didn’t I?”

“What…?”

“What I’d do if you touched your friend with your hand?”

Noah froze at Ian’s words. The way Ian’s fingers were slowly drumming on his waist felt chillingly real. How Ian managed to witness only the problematic parts, Noah couldn’t fathom.

“You said you’d overlook it up to three times?”

Noah, looking a bit like he might cry, struggled to escape Ian’s hand that was delving into his pants. Ian ignored Noah’s resistance, easily slipping his hand into the pants to firmly grasp Noah’s buttocks. As Noah flinched, Ian spoke indifferently.

“I said I’d overlook accidental touches up to three times, not intentional ones.”

“No, but…”

James was so down, and my hand just moved on its own… While Noah uselessly wriggled, Ian easily stripped off his pants like peeling candy wrapper. Then, as he leisurely pulled down Noah’s underwear, he said…

“I had a hunch, and it seems I was right.”

And then he moved the fork that had been in Noah’s hand aside…

Noah blinked awake to bright sunlight for the first time in a while. Since Tanner had ordered the curtains removed from Noah’s window long ago because he slept in too much, Noah’s room was always brightly lit. Even without curtains, no one could see inside from outside, but Noah still woke up with the sunlight if he wanted to sleep in.

Noah, with his body aching, finally managed to roll over in bed and sit up. His lower back didn’t have much strength. Well, after what happened in the movie theater bathroom and then at home, it was only natural. As he got up and staggered to the table, he noticed the nearly eaten tart. He must really like tarts.

Last night, sleeping with Ian wasn’t as torturous as expected. At first, it was hard because he was being tormented, but after offering the tart, the latter part was exactly to Noah’s taste… As a result, his back still ached, and his buttocks were sore from the spanking in the movie theater and again at night, but for Noah, who liked that feeling, it was a very refreshing morning overall.

“I’m hungry…”

Since Ian, who usually got up early, was nowhere to be seen, Noah went downstairs to the dining room to look for food. When the servant greeted him warmly and offered to serve breakfast, Noah shook his head in refusal, opened the fridge, and took out the desserts he bought yesterday. He planned to eat a lot while he was here. He’d start managing again once he got back…

Maybe I should have bought more with strawberries. Noah thought regretfully as he looked for strawberry-topped desserts, settling for something else instead. Although the cook here wasn’t as good as the Miller family’s, they were still pretty good, so he intended to ask for more to be made. Come to think of it, back in the day, Ben and I would only eat sweets and skip meals, which often got us scolded by Tanner or William. Biting into an éclair, Noah pondered for a moment. Hmm, the éclairs here aren’t that great.

While Noah was enjoying his desserts, suddenly, the family gathered in the dining room. Tanner, looking down after his big argument with Ian yesterday, sighed in a way that Noah couldn’t understand, so Noah awkwardly offered him one.

“Do you want one?”

“You should eat a proper meal, son.”

Only then did Noah check the time and realize it was already lunch. Lunch already? He had never slept until lunch, even if he stayed up late… The effects of last night’s excitement with Ian must have been significant. As the servants brought out lunch, Tanner and the other family members took their seats, and soon after, Ian appeared, no one knew what he had been doing. And as soon as Ian sat down, the atmosphere at the table turned frosty.

“…Let’s eat.”

After staring at Ian for a while, Tanner finally urged the family, who were just watching. Noah tried to think of ways to change this cold atmosphere but soon gave up. If Tanner and Ian got along well, that would be even stranger. Neither of them had friendly personalities, so if the day came when they got along, it would be a miracle.

Even though Tanner didn’t say anything, the heavy atmosphere lingered throughout the meal, but Noah, who had already had several desserts, ate his lunch with enjoyment. There’s room for both meal and dessert…

Wondering what dessert to have after the meal, Noah finished eating heartily, not noticing Ian occasionally looking at him. He ate so well that the servants even asked if he wanted more. Declining that, Noah asked Tanner, who looked quite annoyed while handling his utensils roughly, about James.

“What about James?”

“He left this morning, seems he had something urgent.”

Oh… James must have gone out to arrange something with Heather. He should definitely call James later to see how things went. It would surely be as exciting as his favorite drama, “The Standard of Villainy.” James’s mother had a very strong personality compared to his father, who was so gentle that people often mistook him for an Omega.

While imagining the scene of Heather meeting James’s mother with joy, Tanner, unable to hold back or perhaps not wanting to, openly picked a fight with Ian, who was eating quietly.

“Aren’t you going to work? Even if it’s a holiday, it’s nice to see you just lazing around at home. You look very suited to being unemployed.”

“Thank you for the compliment. Actually, your dedication to family matters yesterday and today has been quite an inspiration to me.”

“…!”

Tanner was good at getting angry but not at sarcasm, so after starting his attack, he was left speechless and red-faced when Ian smoothly pointed out that Tanner wasn’t exactly working either. Benjamin, trying to hold back his laughter, stuffed his face with food in an undignified manner, making a strange “chuck” sound. Tanner glared at Benjamin, who had been no help since yesterday.

As the atmosphere got worse, Noah felt a sense of responsibility for the situation. He was the only one who could mediate between the two. He tried to change the topic by talking about how delicious the food was or mentioning Lily’s cute hairpin, but his efforts were in vain.

That’s when William’s family arrived. When the servant announced that William had come with his family, Tanner, setting aside his anger and irritation, looked pleased. They paused their meal to go out to the first-floor hall to welcome William, Alice, and their lovely grandchildren.

“Welcome.”

Like Tanner, William was busy with various businesses, arriving last at the mansion, and it seemed true that he came right after a meeting, as his eyes looked tired. Noah also greeted his older brother’s wife, Alice, and his now quite grown nephews, whom he hadn’t seen in a while. William then politely greeted Ian after Tanner and Benjamin.

“It’s been a while since the wedding, Miller.”

“How have you been?”

Seeing them exchange normal greetings, Noah felt relieved. He had been worried that, since William resembled Tanner the most, he might not get along with Ian, but it seemed okay. After all, William didn’t have Tanner’s fiery temper. If anything, it was Benjamin who had a temper.

“Noah, how have you been?”

“I’ve been good. How about you, Will?”

It was the first time since they met at the café, so Noah hugged William with a big smile. As William hugged his youngest brother tightly, Noah suddenly flinched and stepped back. Seeing Noah cover his nose and mouth with his hand, William looked puzzled. Noah grimaced and grumbled.

“Why did you put on so much cologne?”

“Cologne? I don’t wear cologne.”

“But…”

Standing close to William made Noah feel nauseous, so he stepped back. Now that he thought about it, it wasn’t like cologne. It was more like several Alpha pheromones mixed together, unlike usual, almost like the scent from a car air freshener… William looked worried as Noah’s face didn’t look good, reaching out his hand, and Noah made a small retching sound.

“I think I ate too much and got indigestion.”

Doesn’t all smell become unpleasant when you have indigestion? But seeing William’s stern look and the piercing gaze, Noah turned around, swallowing hard. Everyone except the young children was staring at him with shocked expressions.