Chapter 37
T he next month passes quietly. Declan stays, helping at the local hospital several days a week, while the guys finish Matt’s place.
“I’m going to miss living with you, Matt.”
“Ava, I love you, you are fucking spectacular, but I need to get out of here. When it was just you and I, it was great. No offence, Doc, but the amount of sex you two have all over this house, and loudly, is frankly astounding. I'm seriously starting to get a complex. I used to think I was good at sex. I make my partners cum, it's a priority for me to make sure they do. But listening to you two, I’ve never felt more inadequate. I question everything I have ever done for a partner. Any chance your brother is single?”Matt asks looking at Declan.
“He is, as far as I know.”
“And just as hot, Matt. Seriously, if you get a shot at Liam, fucking take it. And then let me know how it is.”Declan glares at me.“What? I’m not wrong.”I laugh as I walk away from them.
We’re all outside around the pool, having a few beers. Ben and Caden are arguing over some video game. Matt is at the grill making lunch. Declan and I are just watching them, enjoying the sun.
“Dec?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
He freezes beside me. His beer is midway to his mouth, frozen there. I don’t even think he’s breathing. After a beat, he nods and takes a swig of his beer. The smallest pull of his lips is visible. I get off the couch, stand between his legs, bend down and kiss him. I break the kiss and turn to the rest of them.
“I’ve decided I want to return to work,”I announce.“I miss it. I miss being good at something. So! As for the three of you, I will leave it up to you to decide what you want to do. This is your home, and nothing will change that. If you want to get back to work, great! If not, also great. I’ll start looking for new team members. Good? Ok! Let me know when you know.”They are all silent as I sit back down beside Declan.
I start to smile at him when I see movement out of the corner of my eye. I sigh. He quirks an eyebrow at me.“Just remember I loved you before I decided to go back to work. I loved you about four days after I met you. It was a hassle, to be honest. Please remember that.”He gives me a questioning look just as a shadow comes over the top of us. I see Matt step towards the gun he has by the grill. Caden rises to his feet slowly, tense as they see a man step onto the deck from the house.
“Liam, just say hello. Don’t look at them all grumpy; you’re making everyone tense. And Matt shoots people when he’s tense,”I sigh .
Fucking hell, this is going to be interesting .
“Hello,”he says. His accent is thicker than Declan’s. He walks over and drops himself down on the other side of me. Pulling my feet into his lap.“Deartháir Beag.”
“Seanfhear,”Declan replies, taking another swig of his beer.
“You’re early,”I tell him.
“I like to be unexpected. It's how I’m still alive. I assume you haven't told them yet?”I give him a look saying no, asshole, I haven’t, and you know it. Declan takes a deep breath, gets up, and heads to the fridge, grabbing another beer. He hands his brother one as he drops back to his seat on my other side.
“No, I was just starting to. You weren’t supposed to be here until tomorrow.”
“Ava, why is Liam Campbell here?” Ben asks.
“Because Ava needs someone to back her,”Declan tells Ben, with a slight undertone to his words.
“Correct. I want to return to work, but I can’t do that without some protection. I have no desire to go after Marcus. I want to leave it alone. He tried, he failed, and that’s the end of it as far as I’m concerned. The Campbells have one of the biggest reaches and are one of the few families or groups almost everyone takes very seriously.”
“That’s one way to put it,”Liam says, smirking as he drinks his beer. I shake my head at his arrogance.
“So, you want to return to work under the Campbell banner?”Matt asks.
“I do. And Liam has already agreed. He’s here to go over some fine print. If you guys don’t feel like it’s a good fit, that is understandable. You all have the freedom to do whatever you like. This is your home no matter what.”
“I’m in. It’ll be nice working for you again, Ava. You are way more fun than the assholes I’ve worked for the last few months.”
“I was hoping you would say that, Ben.” I look over at him and smile. I look at Matt and raise an eyebrow at him.
“Knock it off. You know where you go, I go.”
“Awe, Matt, you big softie.”
Caden is quiet. “Let’s go for a walk?”I ask Caden.
“Sure.”
We head towards the ocean, walking in the water once we reach it.“Caden, you don’t have to come back to work. I see how happy you are here. So, stay. Open the gym and keep working with the kids. I would rather come home to you happy here between jobs than have you out there when you don’t want to be. I know you took the job because I was 19, and your protective instincts kicked in.”He looks down at me beside him. I put my hand in his, wrapping my other hand around his forearm.“Caden?”
“What if something happens to you or the kid, and I’m not there? What If Matt tries to take on a guy and finds he’s too much for him?”
“Oh my god, please tell him you worry you’ll need to save him because he may have to fight a guy bigger than him. But let me be there when you do.”
“Ava.”
“Why do all the men in my life say my name like that?”I ask, looking at him.
“Like what?”he asks with a grin.
“Like I'm the most vexing person ever.”
“Vexing, maddening, frustrating,”he deadpans. I look at him and crack up .
“Fuck, part of me thinks there may be truth to that.”I laugh.
“I’m retiring,”Caden tells me quietly.
“Thank God!”I laugh. Caden picks me up and runs with me, screaming into the ocean. He crashes us into a wave, taking us both under. I come up sputtering and laughing. I wrap my arms around him and bury my face in his neck.“Thank you for taking such good care of me all these years. You were always too good for this life.”
We splash around a bit more before heading back to the house. My dress is heavy with water. Caden removes his shirt, wringing it out as we walk. There is a quiet between us. Caden has always been a big brother to me. His retirement makes me happy. I should never have hired him; he was never meant to be part of this life. He met me, saw a young girl, and decided that I was his next mission. As time passed, we found a rhythm, and I’m selfish; he, like Matt, has always made me feel safe and looked after–things I was lacking in my life.
When we get back to the house, Caden heads to his place. Ben and Matt look at me; I shake my head. They get up and follow Caden home. The three have a bond, and this will hurt them as well.
I stand looking at the brothers sitting on the couch. They stop talking as I walk up.“Guys?”
“Yes, Little Villain?” Liam says.
“You’ve landed on that as my nickname, then?”I ask.
“Yeah, the others are more for behind closed doors… don't want to make anyone blush.”
“Liam, is there a reason you're flirting with my woman?”Declan asks.
“Does‘I had her first’count as a reason?”
“You had me first? Did you really just say that?”I ask in disbelief .
“I did, and I did. Both statements are true.”Liam responds with confidence.
Declan looks at his brother. Liam looks back at him .
Well fuck, this isn’t going to go well.
“Liam, be nice. Or I will ask you to leave and won’t ask nicely.”
“Well, that’s just foreplay for me, Little Villain.”
“Liam, she isn’t one of the others for fuck’s sake,”Declan tells his brother.
“And if I wanted to have that discussion about her?”Declan and Liam are staring each other down, and it isn’t them just dicking around. The tension between them is palpable.
“Liam, be nice,”I yell, and the big Irishman sighs and nods.
“This is nice for him, Ava.”Declan tells me.
“Gentlemen, tell me if I’m right. I assume Liam never told you about our previous encounter?”Declan grunts in confirmation.“I’m also assuming, Declan, you never told Liam about me until after I left?”Again, he grunts at me in confirmation.
“Dec, why didn’t you tell Liam about me? We were together for a while.”
“He didn’t tell me because he knew I would have stopped it. You’re a dangerous person, Ava. Your life is dangerous, and I work hard to keep that shit away from him.”Liam explains.
“I didn’t tell him I met you because I wasn’t risking losing you for anyone or anything,”Declan tells me, confirming what Liam had said.
“But why would you put an end to it? Declan is a Campbell. He knows about all that shit.”I asked Liam.
“Because, Ava, while Declan is a Campbell and very good with a gun, a sniper rifle, and has an above-average right hook, he is not a part of the world you and I dwell in. He is a doctor. And yes, he repairs a lot of bullet wounds, stabbings, and beatings that my men and I sustain in our work, but he is not part of it.”
“That explains why you had everything you needed to patch me up when I came to you after escaping Marcus,”I say. He doesn’t reply; he just tips his beer to me. Declan still hasn’t looked at me, his eyes trained on his beer.
“So, what now, Dec?”I ask.
His eyes snap to mine.“What do you mean,‘what now’, Ava?”Declan gets to his feet fast and stalks toward me. I find myself backing up from him until I hit the wall of the outdoor shower. Declan keeps walking until his feet touch mine. His hand goes around my throat, pressing lightly.
“Declan,”Liam warns from behind him.
“This doesn’t concern you, Liam, so you would do well to shut the fuck up, Seanfhear. Now, Ava, I will ask again. What. Do. You. Mean. What. Now.” He cocks his head to the side ever so slightly. “Do you think because my brother touched you first, it changes that you’re mine? That I love you?”
“Ah, well–”
“Nope, I’m not done speaking yet, Ava,”he tightens his grip on my throat slightly. Over Declan's shoulder, I see Liam take another step toward us.“I don’t care if he tasted you first. I don’t care if he made you come first. I don’t care if he fucked you first. You and I are not fucking around, Ava. You are my fucking endgame. If we need to have a conversation about my brother, we can. I can accommodate almost anything for the people I love, but listen to me very, very well.”His hand tightens slightly with every very. “You are mine. Do you understand me? I am not leaving you again; you are not leaving me, again. There will never be a time when you and I are not together. How that looks down the road where the asshole behind me is concerned is a conversation we’ll have to have at some point, judging by the way he’s holding himself back from ripping me off of you. But none of that, none of his bullshit can or will change us and what this is. Am I making myself clear, Ava?”
“Yes,”I tell him, swallowing against his hand.
“Good.”He kisses me hard and fast, then lets go of my neck. He turns to his brother.“Do we need to have a conversation, Liam?”
Liam runs his hands through his hair, then grabs the back of his neck and looks up at the sky.“Fuck,”he grunts, then turns on his heel and leaves us standing there.
Declan looks at me, shaking his head.“Goddammit, Liam,”he mutters and heads into the house, leaving me alone outside to wonder what the fuck just happened.
About an hour later, I’m lying in my favourite chair on my balcony when Declan opens the door and steps out. I put my book down, sit up, and cross my legs. I don’t know what to say, so I just blurt out,“We didn’t fuck. He made me come, and we were going to, but Marcus got fucked up and almost killed a prostitute because he was angry. I chose to stay with Liam instead of leaving with him and Alexi after your brother insulted him. Our night got cut short since I had to deal with Marcus and Alexi and the almost dead prostitute.”
He looks at me with many different expressions on his face.“Jake, I'm sorry; I can find someone else to work with. Or I can work alone. Or–”he places his hand over my mouth, stopping me from spewing more things at him.
“Ava,”he sighs.“Please stop talking. Liam, you, and I will figure shit out when we need to. As for you working under the Campbell name, I won't even discuss you working alone or under another family. Liam, no matter what will protect you with all his reach and resources, so I don’t want to hear any more of that shit. As for the not fucking and him making you come and Marcus almost killing a prostitute, that was probably shit I didn’t need to know, at least not tonight. But alas, here we are. So, I vote that we table all this talk until you or Liam make it an issue, okay?”
I look at him, about to ask what he means, but he places his hand over my mouth again and shakes his head.“But I don’t understand,”I mumble against his hand.
“Ava, stop talking. It's fine.”
“But I need you to know,”I say into his hand that is still covering my mouth.
He drops his head back with a dramatic sigh.“Enough Ava, I promise it's fine. I’m fine . Don’t make me tell you again, please.”
“But,”I start to say against his hand.
“Ava, three.”He says to me, and I look at him, confused.“Three times I told you to stop talking about it, but you didn't. Apparently, I’m going to have to make you stop. Now, get on your knees and open your fucking mouth.”I hesitate for a moment, He’s all dark and stormy, but I uncross my legs and slide off the chair onto my knees. He lowers his shorts and grips his hardening cock in his hand. I open my mouth.
He leaves me like that for a minute while he works his hand over his shaft slowly. He steps closer, placing the head of his cock on my tongue.“Lick,”he commands, and I comply. I lick my tongue over the head of him, then trail my tongue down his shaft to his hand at the base and back up.“Now suck, Ava, just the head and suck hard.”
I follow his instructions, taking the head of his cock into my mouth and sucking hard. Jake's hand goes to my hair, wrapping my ponytail around his hand. I can't suppress the moan that escapes as he pulls my hair.“Again. Suck again and take more of me this time,”he commands.
I take him into my mouth until my lips meet the hand, he’s using to stroke himself.“Keep going,”he tells me, tightening his grip on my hair. I moan again, the vibration sending shivers through his cock, making him groan at the sensation. He pushes me further down on him, my hands bracing against his thighs for balance.
“Wrap your hand around my cock and work me while I fuck your mouth.”I do as I’m told, wrapping my hand around his impressive shaft. He grips my hair with both hands now, holding my head steady as he thrusts his hips, driving his cock deeper into my mouth. He hits the back of my throat, and I breathe through my nose, trying to control my gag reflex, but I still choke on him, tears springing into my eyes. He thrusts again, going even deeper this time.“Now swallow my cock down your throat,”he commands. I moan around him, his dominance sending a jolt straight to my pussy, and I swallow.
“So, fucking good,”he grits out, pulling out of my mouth. I take a couple of deep breaths before he thrusts himself back in.“Again.”He forces my head closer to him, and I take all of him. “Swallow the rest,”he grunts, and I do, bringing him all the way into my mouth. He stays there, his head thrown back, legs shaking.
He pulls out with a drawn-out hiss, dragging his thumb across my bottom lip, I respond playfully by tonguing his finger.“Stand up, Ava.”I follow his command. He slides a hand along my neck, grasping the back of it. His lips find mine in a sweet kiss, and I hum against his mouth. The contrast between his dominant side and his sweet side always undoes me. I open my mouth, sliding my tongue against his. He growls, his hands moving to my ass. He picks me up and lays me down on the lounger, his hand sliding between my legs to pull my underwear down.
His kiss deepens as his fingers run through my wetness. He shivers at how wet I am from his use of me. He pulls his shorts off, freeing himself, and drags my dress up as he settles between my legs, sinking into me. His fingers find my clit instantly, working that bundle of nerves as he fucks me. He’s close; I can feel the stutter of his movements. He stops moving his hips but keeps working my clit.
I sigh as he works my clit faster, my orgasm building quickly. Jake feels my body tensing.
“Good girl,”he says, driving into me again with a fervor. His breath hitches, and then he presses on my clit, and I come as he unloads into me.
As we come down, Declan slides out of me. We make our way into the bedroom and fall into bed. He pulls me against his chest, and I sigh with contentment, drifting off to sleep.