Chapter Nine Ava
A fter exiting the club through the back entrance, an enormous black SUV was waiting on us. One of the bodyguards from earlier was driving while another one I didn’t recognize led us out of the club. It didn’t go without my notice the silver gleam of a gun when the man reached to open the door.
Once we were inside, I turned to Dare. “You really have an intense security detail.”
His jaw clenched as he stared ahead. “You can never be too careful.”
“It must be smothering sometimes.”
With a shrug, he replied, “It just goes with the territory.”
As I stared at his profile, it suddenly hit me. All his references to me being free. “I think it bothers you more than you like to admit.”
He whipped his gaze back to mine. “Are you trying to read me again, Ava?”
“Maybe.” After he stared intently at me, I couldn’t help asking, “I’m right, aren’t I?”
“In a way.”
“And what way is that?”
“Sometimes I wish I did have a little freedom. But my responsibilities don’t allow for that.”
“Can’t you get out of them?”
“No.”
“Surely you have more control over your life than you’re admitting.”
“My brothers and I are bound to our business. It’s just who we are. I can’t let them down just because I want more freedom.”
“You're honorable to a fault,” I remarked.
His mask slid back into place with a wide smile. “Don’t tell anybody. It’ll ruin my reputation,” he teased.
“Your secret is safe with me.”
Dare hadn’t been lying when he said he was just ten minutes away. Even with Friday night traffic, it didn’t take us long to arrive at his building. After the SUV pulled up at the entrance, the driver hopped out and came around the side of the car.
When he opened the door for us, Dare hopped out first and then turned to help me down. “Thank you, Thomas,” Dare replied before we started into the building.
“Good evening, Mr. Kavanaugh,” the doorman said, as he stepped aside for us.
“Good night, Loren,” Dare replied pleasantly.
While Dare reached in his jacket pocket for his keycard, I couldn’t help staring wide-eyed at the extravagantly designed lobby. Not that I should’ve had any doubt about Dare’s finances, but it certainly reiterated what different worlds we came from.
Sure, I’d grown up spoiled and pampered. My parents’ restaurant provided a good life for the three of us. Although they never talked very openly about their finances, I knew they had given up a lot from their former life in Greece to come to America.
From the way I saw it, they did very well. We lived in an upper-class neighborhood, and I even attended private school. They paid for my college tuition along with my nieces and nephews.
But we were worlds away from Dare and his family.
Not that it mattered to me. I’d never been the type of woman to be attracted to wealthy men. I sure as hell wouldn’t have come home with Dare had he acted like most of the rich men I knew.
When he put the keycard in for the penthouse, I tried hiding my smile. “What?” he asked.
“Nothing.”
“Let me guess. You weren’t surprised my pretentious ass had the penthouse?”
I laughed. “Your ass is delectable, not pretentious.”
“Why thank you,” he drawled while pinning me to the elevator wall.
Placing my hands on his chest, I shoved him back. “Just because I complimented you, it doesn’t mean you get to maul me in the elevator.”
Dare groaned before burying his head in my neck. “But I can’t help it. My hands and body just gravitate to yours.”
“I already let you molest me on a public dance floor. Let’s not have all the really big fun the first night,” I teased.
Dare’s chuckle rumbled through him, shaking the both of us. As he pulled away to look at me, a sexy smirk curved on his lips. “Okay, okay. I’ll behave for the next few floors.”
“Good boy,” I pronounced.
He grunted. “Keep that up, and I won’t behave.”
The elevator dinged, sending the doors opening to the foyer of Dare’s penthouse. Untangling myself from him, I then stepped out to take in everything. I stared wide-eyed at the opulence surrounding me.
“Do you like it?”
“Like it? It’s stunning.”
Dare gave me a genuine smile. “Thanks.”
He then took my hand and led me through the front door. My head appeared like a bobblehead doll as I tried taking in everything around me. I was on sensory overload.
My mouth dropped open as I stared at the floor-to-ceiling windows. I crossed the floor to get a better look. “Holy shit. What an amazing view,” I remarked.
“It’s what sold me on the place.”
“I think if I had this view I would never leave.”
“I have to admit that some days it’s very tempting. Of course, my life doesn’t afford much downtime.”
“Maybe you should start taking more time for yourself.”
“I will when the casino gets off the ground.”
My brows shot up. “Casino?”
Dare nodded. “It’s my passion project.” He walked over to the bar cart. “Can I interest you in a drink?”
“I’ll take a vodka tonic.”
“Coming up.”
“Tell me more about the casino,” I urged.
“It’s called the Celtic Grand.”
“Any homage to Irish folklore?”
“Just with some of the symbols.” With a wink, he replied, “I wouldn’t be a self-respecting Irishman not to have shamrocks.”
As Dare handed me my drink, I teased, “No leprechauns?”
“No, smartass. It’s very sleek and modern.”
“What’s wrong with leprechauns? I mean, it’s a casino for fuck’s sake.”
My goading earned me a playful smack on the ass. “While there’s no little men and pots of gold, there’s this really amazing floor-to-ceiling light installation of the Celtic Tree of Life. The roots run into this giant pond where they light up the water. It’s the first thing you see when you walk in.”
“It sounds breathtaking.”
“It is. Or at least I hope it is. There’s also a floor-to-ceiling harp where the strings are streams of water.”
“Impressive. Was this all your design?”
“Pretty much. I mean, I worked very closely with the architects and interior designers. I wanted to bring a little slice of the classy Vegas casinos to Boston.”
“Will there be a hotel?”
Dare grinned. “Hell yeah. We have rooms and suites along with three restaurants to start.”
My eyes widened. “That’s incredible.”
“Thanks. I like to think so.”
“When do you plan on opening?”
“I’m shooting for four to six months, but you never know what snags you’re going to hit along the way.”
“It has to be such an amazing feeling to see your dream come to life.”
A faraway expression came over his face. “It really is.”
“It means more to you than you’re letting on,” I said softly.
“There you go again,” he half-heartedly joked.
“Sorry.”
“It’s okay. And you’re right. This casino is a very glamorous way of giving my father a posthumous fuck you.”
“Did he not want you to build it?”
Dare took a long gulp of his whiskey. “No. He didn’t. He didn’t like any of his sons to succeed with anything he didn’t have his corrupt fingers in.”
“He was a businessman too?”
A haunted look entered Dare’s eyes. “Aye. We followed in his footsteps.”
“How long has he been gone?”
“Two glorious years.”
As I stared at Dare’s profile, some of the pieces of his puzzle fell into place. My heart ached for him. “Yeah, I have daddy issues,” he remarked without looking at me.
“I didn’t say anything.”
He turned to me with a wry smile. “I could hear you thinking it.”
“If you say so,” I huffed.
“It’s okay, Ava. I’ll be the first one to admit it. My brothers would agree. Our father was a narcissistic psychopath. Not one of his six kids has a fucking decent thing to say about him. He physically and mentally abused our mother who was chained to him because she wouldn’t leave him without her kids.”
“Couldn’t the police do anything?”
A humorless laugh escaped Dare’s lips. “He had the cops in his pocket. He was like a king who was above the law.”
“That’s horrible.”
“He was.”
“Did he abuse you, too?”
“Aye. My older brothers and I got the brunt of it.”
Tears stung my eyes at his anguished expression. “I’m so sorry.”
He stared intently at me. “You really mean that, don’t you?”
“Of course I do. I’m sorry for you, but I’m also sorry for your mother. It’s unfathomable she had to live like that. That all of you had to live like that.” I placed my hand on his cheek. “No one should have to endure so much pain.”
“What about you? Does your family have any skeletons in their closet?”
“Thankfully, no. They came to America desperate for a way to escape their grief.”
“What happened?”
“My older sister, Thea, was killed in a car accident. The shock of her loss sent my mother into labor, and I was born.”
“That’s tragic.”
“It really is. Her loss broke my parents. They never really talked about the accident. But this one time when my father was really drunk on the anniversary of her death, he let it slip that she was running away with her boyfriend who was also killed.”
“Why was she running?”
I shrugged. “He shut down before I could get an answer. He kept calling me Thea that night.”
“Do you look like her?”
“I do. She and I both favor our mother.”
“Jaysus,” Dare murmured.
“I know.” Cocking my head at him, I said, “I think we both could use another drink.”
“Hell yes.”
Taking my empty glass, Dare went back over to the bar cart. As I gazed out the window, I mused, “I’m starting to think you have a glass fetish.”
Dare laughed. “Now that I think of it, maybe I do.”
Wrapping my arms around me, I stared out at the blinking city lights. “It’s so beautiful.”
“It has nothing on you.”
Although my heart fluttered at his words, I played it cool by replying, “Smooth, very smooth,”
Instead of handing me my drink, Dare sat it down on the table. With intensity burning in his eyes, he swept me into his arms. “Where are you taking me, Mr. Kavanaugh?”
“To my bedroom.”
“And do you plan to fuck me when you get me there?”
“No.”
“Then what do you plan on doing with me?”
“Taking my time,” he replied as we entered the bedroom.
“I have no complaints on how you took me before,” I teased.
Dare laughed. “While I’m glad to hear that, I want to be able to take my time worshipping your gorgeous body.”
“I won’t argue with that.”
After walking me over to an enormous bed, Dare deposited me in the center of the mattress. As he loomed over me, lust glittered in his eyes. “Now that I can truly lay you out before me, I’m going to put my mouth all over that gorgeous body of yours.”
“You are?”
“Fuck yes.”
Tilting my head up at him, I asked, “Where are you going to put your mouth first?”
“I’ll start here.” After shifting in the bed, Dare dipped his head to feather tender kisses along my jawline.
Laughter bubbled from my lips. “Okay, that is so not where I was expecting.”
A smirk flashed on his face. “That’s because I like to keep you guessing.”
“Hmm, if I was truly a guessing woman, I’d say you would kiss me somewhere sexual next to throw me off.”
With a playful roll of his eyes, Dare replied, “Wrong. So very wrong.”
“Fine. Where’s next?”
“Next I’ll make a trail up to your ear.” His mouth then echoed his words as his lips brushed against my collarbone. A pleasurable sigh escaped my lips when Dare started licking and sucking the sensitive skin on my neck up to my ear. It sent wet heat pooling between my legs.
“Where to next?” I questioned breathlessly.
“Here,” he replied, as his lips tongue slid down my carotid artery to flick against my collarbone.”
“If you must,” I replied.
He chuckled against my skin. “I have to say I’ll probably only get halfway across your collarbone before the allure of your beautiful tits call to me.”
I giggled. “I am Greek, so it makes sense they have such a siren’s call?”
“They’re greedy bitches wanting my hands and my mouth.”
I gasped when Dare’s mouth covered my nipple with warm heat. He sucked it into his mouth, his teeth grazing the swollen nipple. “Um, yes, that’s very good,” I panted.
At the flick of his tongue back and forth, my thighs scissored for friction.
With his breath fanning against my hardened nub, Dare said, “Of course, I can’t leave the other one out of the attention.” He then moved to suckle my other breast.
As the heat built between my legs, I knew where I wanted his mouth desperately. But I also knew he was going to give me a hard time. “Where to next?”
“From the smell of your arousal, I know where you want me.”
“Yes, desperately,” I mewled, sawing my legs back and forth.
“Patience.”
“I’m too horny to be patient. I’ve got seven months of abstinence to make up.”
Dare chuckled. “Well, I suppose I could lick and suck my way down your stomach. My kisses would grow closer and closer to your fanny.”
I jerked my head off the mattress to stare at him. “My what?”
“Your fanny.”
“You’re going to kiss my ass?”
He snorted. “While I wouldn’t object to it, I was talking about your pussy.”
“Then why didn’t you say that?”
“I wanted to know if you knew any Irish slang words.” With a wink, he added, “You are sorely lacking in that department.”
With a playful roll of my eyes, I countered, “Why in the world would I know Irish slang?”
“Fanny is British slang, too.”
“And I’m a Greek American.”
As his lips started a trail down my stomach, he . “What do you call this in Greek?”
“ Mouní, ” I replied.
“I prefer Irish, but to humor you, I’m going to fuck your mouni with my tongue.”
As I widened my thighs for him, the cool air swirled around my fiery center. “Yes,” I panted as his tongue trailed across the skin of my abdomen.
“Now I’ll kiss and lick your delicious inner thighs.”
“Dare,” I growled in frustration.
Ignoring me, he kissed, licked, and nipped at the skin on my inner thighs. “Finally, I would kiss and suck your fanny, erm, I mean, mouni.”
I hissed in satisfaction when he placed a tender kiss right on my pussy. I sucked in a breath while Dare blew warm air across my already inflamed core. Closing my eyes, I murmured, “Okay, Sir, that’s enough with the teasing.”
When his tongue flicked across my folds, I cried out. He then began alternating between sucking and licking me. I shrieked with pleasure when his teeth grazed my clit.
Holy hell, was the man good at going down. And he wasn’t one of those men who did a little light lick and suck and then was ready to move on. He was devouring me like I was a juicy peach.
A sheen of sweat broke out along my skin as I rocked my hips against Dare’s mouth. I gripped his hair as he slipped two fingers inside me and swirled them around. Then he began to move them in and out of me while still licking and sucking my clit with his tongue.
My whimpers and harsh pants filled the room before I finally tensed and went over the edge. “Dare!” I cried as I thrust my hips up one final time. I probably muttered more obscenities as he continued to lick and suck at my core.
Once I’d fully come back to myself, I gazed up at him. “Guess where I want to put my mouth now?”
“Hmm, my cock?”
“Yes, please.”
Dare obliged me by plopping down on his back. After rising up onto my knees, I then took his throbbing cock in my hand. After pumping him for a few moments, my fingers eased back the sensitive skin at the top of his cock.
Dipping my head, I licked the tip, causing Dare to groan. Slowly, I took him inch by glorious inch into my mouth. When he tapped the back of my throat, I hummed in appreciation.
“Oh fuck,” Dare murmured.
I then began to work him in and out of my mouth. Dare’s head fell back as his chest rose and fell in harsh breaths. I continued to bob up and down on his erection, suctioning the tip and giving special attention to the sensitive head.
At Dare’s hearty groan, I felt the slickness between my thighs begin to grow. I continued stroking him with my hands and tongue. With my free hand, I cupped his balls, causing Dare to groan again. “Fuck, Ava. You have to stop, or I’m going to come.”
Reluctantly, I let him fall free of my mouth. “I want you to come inside me.”
Lust flickered in his eyes. “So do I.”
Our lips found each other, and we began kissing passionately. Pushing Dare back down on the mattress, I rose up to straddle him. I couldn’t help teasing him by rubbing my wet center across his dick.
“Bleedin’ hell,” he grunted as I continued my rhythm.
Just as I was starting to get a bit carried away, I remembered we needed protection. “Condom?” I questioned.
“Wallet.”
I eased off of Dare’s lap. Leaning over, I grabbed his pants off the floor and jerked his wallet out. At the sight of a long strip of condoms, I cocked my brows at him. “My, my, you do come prepared.”
With a shrug, Dare replied, “I like to fuck, so I make sure I’m always ready.”
“Maybe Trojan should steal that statement for an ad campaign,” I mused with a smile.
Chuckling, he said, “Smartass.”
“Joking aside, there’s nothing wrong with being safe.”
“I don’t leave anything to chance.”
Ripping open the wrapper, I took out the condom. “I’m glad to hear you take STI’s so seriously. Most guys could care less as long as their dick is getting wet.”
“While I’d like to say those are important, it’s more about not having kids.”
Rolling the condom down his length, I replied, “As a wealthy guy, I guess you run the risk of women trying to trap you.”
“There is that, but for me, it’s more about not wanting kids.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.”
Dare’s brows popped up. “Seriously?”
Nodding, I replied, “You don’t impress me as a kids kinda guy.” At the look on his face, I held up my hands. “Not that it’s a bad thing. I’m not sure I want them myself.”
“You don’t?”
“My ex and I were on the seven-year-itch plan.”
“What the fuck is that?”
“If after seven years of marriage we decided we wanted kids, then we’d have them.”
“Anything with the word itch sounds derogatory,” he mused.
“It was after the movie, smartass.”
He laughed. “I know.”
As I pushed him back down on the mattress, Dare’s amused expression turned serious. “I think you’re the first woman who hasn’t completely freaked out when they hear I don’t want kids.”
Gazing down at him, I replied with a smirk, “Surely you realize by now I’m not like other women, Mr. Kavanaugh.”
“You fucking got that right.”
When I took his cock in my hands, Dare's eyes flared with desire. “Ready for me?” I asked.
“More than ready.”
After straddling him again, I rose up on my knees. I guided his cock to my core and then started easing down on him inch by inch.
“Fuck. You feel amazing,” he muttered.
“I would agree.”
Placing my palms on Dare’s chest, I then started an agonizingly slow rhythm. I alternated between rising almost all the way off his cock and then bringing myself slowly back down.
After a few minutes of breathless panting from the two of us, Dare gripped my hips tighter. “Can you take it harder?”
“Oh yes.”
He then began working me harder and faster against him. Our pants were replaced by the sounds of grunts and groans and skin slapping together. “You’re taking my cock so fucking good.”
“Harder,” I pronounced.
“Fuck yes,” he muttered before his hips began pistoning even faster.
He hit me so deep that my eyes rolled back in my head. I gripped his shoulders as I held on for dear life. It wasn’t long before my walls began to clench.
“Oh Dare,” I cried as I came.
As my orgasm echoed through me, Dare continued raising hips and jerking me hard down on him. After I collapsed over onto his chest, he came into me with a shout of pleasure.
A few moments passed before either one of us could speak. “That was perfection,” Dare said.
“I agree.” Although I wanted nothing more than to stay in bed with him, my stomach growled loudly. “Sorry. I guess I worked up an appetite.”
He chuckled. “Come on. Let’s go find something to eat.”