Edge of Desire

Chapter 30

Preston

EPIC ... when I left a month ago, I thought I wouldn’t be back for a year. Life threw another curveball at me. I was getting damn tired of them too.

Avery was nervous. I assured her everything would be fine, but her brain wouldn’t let her believe it. Getting shot had done a number on her. Hell, it had done a number on me too.

We passed through the first two levels of security, but Pete had to clear Avery for the last. At first, they didn’t want to allow her in the situation room. However, I was adamant about her being there. When I made up my mind about something, I was as thickheaded as they came. Pete finally had to intervene to get her clearance, but he did. The DEA had run an in-depth background check on the whole Middleton family back when Terri was going into WITSEC and then again when she married Justin. Because of that, getting Avery cleared wasn’t much of an issue. There was no way in hell I would leave her alone while all this was going down, and Pete knew it.

Pete had organized a team of thirty. They were a talented combination of CIA and U.S. Special Forces. In the middle of the night they invaded the main compound of the Durango Cartel and the drug lord’s home simultaneously, eliminating the entire organization, from top to bottom. They also dismantled their operations and grabbed computers, hard drives, and everything they could carry. It would provide us information on their connections all over the world. After tonight, the Durango Cartel would no longer be a threat to anyone, including Avery and me. My information would be wiped clean from every piece of data they had out there, giving me the freedom to live my life in peace. Not only that, it enabled Avery to live without fear again. My mother and sister would no longer have to worry either. I sat back and closed my eyes as years of anguish poured over me. Those fuckers had destroyed so much of my life, the liberation I felt was laced in so much sadness, it was bittersweet. When it was over, ragged gasps wheezed out of me as I struggled to hold back my emotions.

“You don’t have to do that, you know,” I heard her soft voice next to my ear. “You can let it go. We’re alone now.”

Her hands and arms wound around me as I shuddered with the assault of my emotions. I’d never grieved when my father was murdered, and never grieved for my sister when she fell into that bottomless abyss. And my mother ... I can’t even think about what she endured. I grieved for it all in Avery’s arms. When I was spent, I raised my head and wondered aloud, “How did I ever think I could go in there? I would’ve been a total fuckup. And I wouldn’t have had your shoulder to cry on. Christ. This shit doesn’t end, does it?”

“I think it just did.”

I leaned back to look at her. “Avery, are you even sure you want to be with a fucked-up?—”

“Stop it. We’ve been over this dozens of times and it’s a worn-out discussion, Preston.”

“But look at me.”

“I am. What’s your point?”

“I’m a mess. I’m supposed to be the strong one.”

“You are the strong one. How many people do you know could’ve done what you’ve been through and made it out alive? You don’t give yourself any credit. I don’t want to talk about this. You need to be happy it’s over.”

“I am. I am happy. Now I don’t have to worry about you, or Caroline or my mother.”

“Precisely. So, when can we leave?”

I huffed out a laugh. “Eager, huh?”

“Yeah. I’d like to go to the cabin for a couple of weeks.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Oh yeah.”

She gave me one of those looks that she probably shouldn’t have, considering where we were, because the temperature in the room increased by twenty degrees. I think I even broke out into a sweat. I locked the door just in case. In the end, we knocked a few chairs over as the conference table was put to good use. Unfortunately, I forgot the room had an audio recorder in it. Lucky for us, Pete turned the damn thing off. Good thing he turned the video off too.

We left the next day and flew to Bozeman. We stayed at the cabin for exactly two weeks before we returned to Vail. Avery had been right all along. I thought I’d wanted to sell the place, because of the last time I was there. But she said when we went back, she was going to change my mind, and she certainly did. She did some things to me that I never thought I’d ever let her do ... much less enjoy. I had been so wrong. When I made that promise to her that I’d try, I didn’t know that I would let myself go like I did.

We were lying in front of the fireplace when she made her move. It was quite sudden, and unexpected. When her mouth wrapped around me, I initially froze. But then her hand reached for mine and held on tightly, passing her strength and love to me in that one small gesture. It made me forget everything except her and our love for each other. I was soon lost in the heat of her mouth, lips, and tongue as it swirled, sucked, and worked its magic on me. She slid my entire length into her mouth as she held me at the base, and moved up and down, in and out. It wasn’t long before I could feel my climax nearing.

“Avery, I’m going to come.”

She purred in response.

“Tell me that’s okay. Please, tell me, baby.”

She stopped, lifted her head, smiled, and said, “It’s beyond okay. It would be awesome if you would come.”

Ah fuck!

That was all I needed to hear, and I didn’t just fall, I shot off into orbit, groaning, as I called her name. It was really something to watch how she’d done that to me, but what was even more amazing was that she enjoyed the hell out of it.

The aftermath was even more spectacular. Avery didn’t stop. She came out and did her licking thing. She began where she started, licking every last inch of me and then moved up to my abs, taking care to pay close attention to each of my tats. Skipping up to my chest, she straddled me and really got into my nipple rings, going after them like they were catnip. Finally, when she reached my mouth, I wrapped my hands in her hair and stopped her.

“You’re amazing. Have I told you that lately?”

“Not today,” she breathed.

“Then I’ve been remiss. No worries though, because I plan to show you instead.” And I did. All night long.

The last thing I would ever do was sell the cabin now. It was our special place, where we would come to get away from everything, when we needed time alone to just be together. It was where it all began for us, where we were joined, where we fell apart and where we put ourselves back together. The cabin would always be there for us, waiting with open arms.