20. Ava
20
AVA
L iam and I undress each other unhurriedly. God , I think, if this is a lie, then truth itself is a phantom . Because holding him feels like the world snapping back into its rightful place. Like absolution. Like I can stumble, fall, be the fool I sometimes fear I am, and still find sanctuary in his arms.
Liam is above me, around me, pressing me into the bed like he's afraid I might slip away if he lets go.
But I'm not going anywhere. Not tonight.
The heat of his body seeps into mine, his skin burning where it touches me, where he presses against me, where he holds me still beneath him.
My breath catches as I trace my fingers over his jaw, feeling the rough scratch of stubble, the tension in his muscles.
Liam groans, low and wrecked, like he's been waiting for this forever. He crushes his mouth to mine, swallowing my gasp, his tongue sweeping against mine, deepening the kiss until I feel it everywhere.
His hands roam my body, slowly, reverently, as if he's trying to memorize every inch of me with his touch.
I moan into his mouth, arching beneath him, pressing myself closer, desperate to feel more.
It's not enough.
I need him closer. Deeper. Consuming.
His hands slip down my sides, over my thighs, then back up, tracing the lace still clinging to my body.
He pulls back slightly, his gaze dark, burning, sweeping over me like he wants to devour me whole.
"You're fucking perfect," he mutters, dragging his thumb over my stomach, tracing slow, teasing circles.
I shift beneath him, hooking my legs around his waist, pulling him closer, feeling the hard press of him against my core.
Liam groans, his fingers digging into my hips as he grinds against me, slow, deliberate, teasing.
I gasp, my nails digging into his back, my body arching, chasing the friction, chasing the pleasure.
"Liam," I breathe.
His lips graze my jaw, my throat, the hollow of my collarbone.
"Tell me what you need, baby," he murmurs against my skin.
I whimper, rolling my hips against him, desperate, needy, aching.
"You." My voice is breathless, wrecked. "I need you."
His gaze snaps to mine, something unreadable flashing in those dark eyes.
His lips crash against mine again, and this time, there's no teasing, no hesitation.
He kisses me like he owns me. Like he's never letting me go.
His hands trail lower, pushing the lace down my legs, leaving me completely bare beneath him.
I shiver, not from the cold but from the way he looks at me.
Like I'm something sacred, like I'm his.
I reach for him, hooking my fingers in the waistband of his pants, tugging at the fabric.
"Liam."
He smiles, slow and knowing, but his hands shake slightly as he undoes his belt, as he shoves his pants down, as he finally—finally—presses the full, aching length of himself against me.
I moan, my entire body shuddering as he drags himself against my slick heat, teasing, tormenting.
He groans, dropping his forehead to mine, his breaths hot, uneven.
"You ready for me, baby?"
I nod frantically, my fingers tightening on his shoulders.
"Say it, Ava." His voice is rough, demanding.
I shudder, my lips parting on a desperate plea.
"I want you, Liam."
That's all it takes.
He thrusts into me in one slow, deep stroke, stretching me, filling me completely.
I cry out, my back arching, my legs wrapping tighter around him, my body opening for him, taking him.
Liam groans, low and raw, his fingers bruising on my hips.
"Fuck, baby."
He stills, his breaths ragged, like he's trying to hold himself together.
I don't want him to.
I roll my hips, urging him to move, to give me everything.
He curses, pulling back, then thrusting again, slow and deep, making me feel every inch of him.
I moan, my head falling back, my hands clutching at his arms, his shoulders, anything to ground myself.
He leans in, capturing my lips in a slow, drugging kiss as he moves inside me, his body pressing me into the mattress, his heat sinking into my bones.
I wrap my arms around his neck, holding him to me, losing myself in him.
It's so different from before.
Slower.
Deeper.
More.
Like he's trying to brand me, to mark me, to make sure I never forget that I belong to him.
Like he's never letting me go.
Liam groans against my mouth, his rhythm faltering, his body shaking as he pushes me closer and closer to the edge.
I'm so close.
So fucking close.
And then…
He shifts, changing the angle, pushing deeper, hitting something devastating inside me.
I cry out, breaking apart around him, pleasure slamming through me, blinding, endless.
He follows, groaning my name, his entire body tensing as he spills into me, his lips brushing mine, whispering something I can't quite hear over the sound of my own heartbeat.
For a long moment, we just breathe.
I'm tangled in him and spent in the most delectable of ways.
Liam's warmth is still wrapped around me, his arm draped lazily over my waist, his breaths steady against the back of my neck. The room is dark except for the faint glow of the city filtering through the windows, the sheets tangled around our limbs.
For the first time in days—maybe weeks—I feel weightless. No looming threats. No fake arrangements. No Vanessa.
Just Liam.
I let my eyes drift shut, my fingers tracing absentminded patterns over his forearm. But then?—
Bang .
The door swings open.
Liam jolts awake immediately, his body tensing behind me as I gasp, yanking the sheets up.
And there, standing in the doorway like some kind of sleep-deprived gremlin, is Tyler.
Holding his laptop.
"Jesus Christ," Liam grits out, his voice still rough with sleep. "Ever heard of knocking?"
Tyler, completely unfazed by the fact that we are both very much naked, marches straight into the room, shaking his laptop for emphasis. "Yeah, yeah, not important. What is important is that I cracked the drive."
Liam groans, rubbing a hand over his stubble. "Of course you did."
I scramble to sit up, wrapping the sheets tightly around me. "Wait, already?"
Tyler flops onto the armchair across from the bed, kicking his feet up on the ottoman like he owns the place. "I'm a genius, remember?" He wiggles the laptop again. "And trust me, you're gonna want to see this."
Liam and I exchange a look. Whatever post-bliss bubble we were in? Shattered.
I reach for Liam's discarded shirt, slipping it on as he grabs his sweatpants from the floor. Within seconds, we're both out of bed and moving, the urgency thick between us.
Tyler waits until we're settled before turning the laptop toward us. The screen is filled with files—dozens of them, neatly organized, their titles clinical and cold. But one immediately catches my eye.
Project Bennett.
My stomach drops.
I exchange a glance with Liam before swallowing hard and clicking on it.
A set of images loads first—grainy, zoomed-in photos of me.
Me walking to work.
Me grabbing coffee with Emily.
Me at the Bennett house, hugging my brothers.
A shiver skates down my spine.
Liam's jaw flexes as he scrolls further. The next set of documents is even worse.
Schedules . My schedule. My brothers' schedules.
Time-stamped notes detailing where we'd been, when we'd left, where we were headed.
Financial records. Bank statements. Even the deed to the Bennett family home.
It feels like the air has been sucked out of my lungs.
"She's been watching you," Liam says darkly, his voice a low growl. "All of you."
I stare at the screen, my heart hammering against my ribs. This isn't just blackmail anymore. And there's no doubt left that Vanessa is the one behind the texts.
"She was planning something bigger," I whisper. "This wasn't just about the texts or the photos." I shake my head, swallowing hard. "She was building a case. Collecting leverage. But for what?"
Tyler exhales sharply. "I think I have the answer to that." He clicks into another folder labeled Carter Holdings , and my blood runs cold.
The files detail months—maybe years—of targeted sabotage against Liam's business.
Strategic delays in permits. Lawsuits suddenly appearing out of nowhere. Key investors mysteriously pulling out at the last second.
Vanessa wasn't just trying to hurt me.
She was trying to destroy Liam.
Liam doesn't move. Doesn't blink. His face is blank, his hands clenched into tight fists.
"This wasn't just personal," he finally mutters, his voice dangerously calm. "She was forcing me out of the industry."
I suck in a sharp breath, realization hitting me all at once. That's why she wanted me to break. That's why she wanted me to think Liam was hiding something from me. If Liam would remain busy comforting me, he'd have no time to check what was happening to his business until it'd be too late.
Vanessa understands Liam, and she was using me to get to him.
"She wanted me to doubt you," I murmur, my chest tightening. "She wanted me to think you were lying, that you were part of something bigger. She wanted me to leave you, didn't she?"
Liam's silence is answer enough.
I squeeze my hands into fists, my nails biting into my palms. "That psychotic, manipulative?—"
Just then, my phone buzzes with a text from an anonymous number. Even before reading it, I know.
Liam and Tyler both lean in to see as I lift the screen.
You think you're safe now? Think again.
My hands shake as I read the message twice over and stare at the attached photo. The faces staring back at me from the screen—Dean, Ryan, Nate—are blurred slightly by the dim lighting, but they're unmistakable. They're at the construction site, completely unaware of the eyes watching them.
I swallow the panic rising in my throat and immediately move to dial Dean's number, but before I can press call, Liam's fingers wrap around my wrist, firm but careful.
"Ava, wait."
"Wait?" I snap, my voice thin with disbelief. "Liam, my brothers?—"
"I know." His jaw tightens. "But think. If we call them now, if we tell them everything, what do you think they'll do?"
"They'll stop her!"
"Or they'll go looking for a fight they're not ready for."
That stops me cold. Because he's right. Dean and Ryan especially wouldn't sit back and wait. They'd storm into the situation headfirst, fists first, demanding answers and throwing punches before we even know who's on the other end of this.
And that could get them killed.
I inhale sharply, forcing myself to think. Breathe. Don't react. Don't play into their hands .
"Okay," I whisper. "Okay. Then what do we do?"
Liam glances at Tyler, who's already typing furiously, digging deeper into the files. "We use what we have on Vanessa, force her into a corner, and cut off her leverage before she can make a move."
I nod, my fingers tightening around my phone. It's the smart plan. The logical plan.
But I feel helpless.
Liam must see it because his hand shifts from my wrist to lace our fingers together, grounding me. "We'll keep them safe, Ava. I promise."
I close my eyes for a second, absorbing his strength. Then I exhale and nod.
Tyler lets out a low whistle from his corner. "Well, I've got more news."
Liam turns. "Spill."
Tyler grimaces. "There's a mole, someone who's close to us—could be me, you, Ava, or her brothers. They're good. Whoever's been feeding Vanessa intel knows how to cover their tracks. I'm still working on identifying them, but it's not going to be easy."