Avery
Ryan is standing in my living room, exasperation dripping from his glare as I wipe up Maddi’s lunch mess. Give the girl a peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwich—her favorite—and she eats everything except the bread. I’ve offered both jars and a spoon, but apparently it doesn’t taste the same when it’s not been resting on bread for thirty seconds.
Figure that one out…
“Ave, he’s going to be livid if he finds out,” Ryan hisses as Maddi skips down the hall to wash her hands. “Tell me how you’re justifying this in your mind.”
“Why does it matter if they’re not serious?” Raven chimes in, popping open a can of soda. “They’re not talking boyfriend-girlfriend. They’re just banging it out.”
Disgusted, Ryan squeezes his eyes shut.
“Raven!” I chide, horrified.
She lifts a shoulder nonchalantly. “Not like he doesn’t know.”
“Ryan,” I sigh. “We’re not serious.”
“Yet,” he bites. “You’re starting to spend a lot of time with him and you having a child is something important he should know. He should know that the woman he’s getting involved with has a child, Ave. You’re taking away his choice. That’s his decision to make and you’re stripping it away from him.”
“What’s it to you, Ryan?” Raven’s attitude tumbles out. I knew it would only be a matter of time. They get along great, but when they don’t, it can get ugly as hell. “She’s the one there. Not you. She’s the one feeling it out. Not you. None of this involves you.”
He cuts angry eyes at her before exhaling through his nose and looking back to me. It’s a leveling feeling when the man you know and love as a brother stares you down like a father. “Do as you please, Avery. But I’m telling you, this is going to blow up in your damn face.”
Maddi comes bounding back into the living room, unknowingly silencing the anger. Ryan kisses her on the head and tells her he’ll see her tomorrow and to behave. He’s always had the presence of a father—for her and me.
After Ryan leaves, Raven drops to the couch. “What the hell is wrong with your brother?”
I shrug. “No clue.”
“Has he been like that with anyone else? What about that Jason guy?”
Two years ago, Jason and I started dating and it got serious rather quickly. I waited a month before I told him about Maddi and then he left me with the words “I’m not raising someone else’s daughter.” He wasn’t the first man who felt that way. And before you think I should tell them from the get-go, I’ve tried. It all ends up the same way—me standing there alone with hurt feelings. It’s the very reason why I don’t want a relationship. Only some fun. Max and I are only having fun along with some good conversations, great dinners, and fabulous sex.
“He’s never liked anyone I’ve ever dated,” I say.
She rolls her eyes and tips her drink to take a sip. “Look, I agree to a point. I think you do need to tell Max, but only you know when the timing is right. You’re playing a game of honest deceit, protecting your heart and your child. But I’m not going to sit here and lecture you. Last time I did, you ended up moving away with a shitbag, getting the hell beat out of you, and getting knocked up. I learned my lesson.”
“I was young and dumb.”
“And full of come.” She snickers and then glances to her watch. “Take off. You’re going to be late. I’ve got to order a pizza and make a blanket fort where we’ll be sleeping. Yes.” She dusts off her shoulder. “I’m the best aunt ever.”
I hug Maddi. “Love you, baby girl. Be good. Drive Aunt Rave insane. And make sure you brush your teeth.”
Maddi grouses. “No sugar bugs, Momma. My teeth are clean and pretty ‘cause you know I don’t like the dentist ‘cause I don’t like that weird smelly air that smells like grape and makes my mouth go to sleep. And the last time he didn’t shave his beard and looked really weird.”
I take a breath for her. She can ramble like a pro, strewing so many sentences together in one intake of air. “I’m just reminding you because I love you.”
“No. You’re reminding me ‘cause you’re my momma.” That needed the biggest duh behind it.
“Aaannnddd I love you.” I pull her against me and give her one last hug before leaving.
The aroma of mouth-watering steak wraps around me engulfing my senses as I step out of the elevator and into Max’s place. He rushes around the corner with wet hair, wearing black jogging pants with a white t-shirt that sucks to him tightly, displaying his sexy broad chest.
“Clearly, I’m overdressed for the occasion,” I quip.
He licks his lips as his view roams over me. “You could get naked if you’re more comfortable.”
I grin. Dessert before dinner would be an amazing start to the night.
“Traffic is horrid on a Friday evening. I took a shower and started dinner. Let me finish getting ready.”
My stomach drops at the thought of him covering up his deliciousness. “Ready for what? We’re in your home. Dress as you please.”
Gratification twists his lips and he draws me in for a kiss. My breath hitches as my heart slaps my chest, greeted by a familiar feeling—devotion.
He’s smiling when he pulls away and tips his head for me to follow him into the kitchen where he pulls out a pan of roasted potatoes and sets them on the stove. Comfortably dressed. Confident in the kitchen. The muscles in his arms flex as he stirs the potatoes and flips the steak. He’s a sexy as hell aphrodisiac. A damn dream come true.
I’m eating him alive as I watch his hips move, admiring how great his body looks, when he turns and catches me.
“Like what you see?”
“Yes,” I answer, unashamed.
“Still want to hire my chef?” he says with a hint of mischief in his tone.
“Not. At. All.”
His eyes darken with desire and my body feels it. He’s a predator with its prey in sight, but instead of wanting to flee, I’m ready for him to pounce. My stomach clenches with want, ready to feel all the spiraling sensations he awakens.
He snatches my wrist, heaves me against his chest, and grips my hair. He moves his mouth next to my ear. “Your eyes are begging me to fuck you.” His tone is thick, cascading with lust, and I feel that shit in my soul. “Is that what you want?”
Holy hell…
“Yes,” I breathe.
His chuckle is lecherous as he tugs my head to the side, demanding better access to the skin of my neck. Grazing his tongue from the curve of my shoulder to just below my earlobe, he pauses. “Yes what?”
The gravelly need in his tone threatens to buckle me at the knees. The hungry ache between my thighs bursts into a blazing throb. “Fuck me,” I pant.
I ignited the prurient beast within him. Dark and dilated eyes home in as he steps me backward down the hall, leading me by a gentle, but firm grip in my hair.
“Kick off your shoes,” he says thickly.
I do.
His fingers drift under the hem of my blouse before he pulls it over my head. My skin is buzzing as he trails up my back and unsnaps my bra, slowly dragging each strap off my arms until it falls to the floor. My nipples are hard, begging for his mouth. My body is vibrating with anticipation.
Eagerly, he lays me back on the bed before sliding my black leggings down my legs and tossing them over her his shoulder. I watch, rapt, as he tugs out of his shirt, revealing his rigid and stacked abs, his chest flexing while it rises and falls with excitement.
He’s so damn mouthwatering.
He tucks his thumbs under his waistband and shoves his pants off his hips before ripping open a condom and sheathing himself. He hooks his arms under my knees and jerks me to the edge of the bed. He circles my clit and dips a finger into my wet entrance. His teeth sink into his bottom lip, which then gives way to a salaciously triumphant smirk.
I can get soaked just from looking at him. How he moves is a turn on. How he looks at me is titillating. How he smells is stimulating. He stirs my deepest desires.
“Ahhh…” I whimper as he sinks into me.
Once buried, he grabs my other leg and hauls me closer. I wince slightly as he flexes his hips. The pain eases into bliss. My sigh mixes with a moan and it echoes around the room.
He pumps into me, using my legs as leverage to haul himself with strokes so glorious, I’m winding up for an explosion. His hips gyrate and roll as he grinds in. The sounds of our skin slapping along with our pants and his grunts only electrify the atmosphere. Spreading my legs, he watches enthralled as his dick slides in and out. His gaze is wildly primal when his eyes flick up to me. With my calves in his hands, he continues to fuck me…fiercely.
My body begins to tense as my orgasm creeps up, sizzling my skin and causing my toes to curl.
“Your pussy is tightening for me,” he grunts, driving his hips. “Come for me, Avery.”
My name on his lips is lascivious.
My orgasm starts to unfurl as he tightens his grip under my knees and leans back slightly, forcing me into a different angle, and bucks strongly. Whatever spot he’s hitting sends me flying off the cliff.
I cry out, stars bursting through the darkness behind my eyes. I mewl, completely succumbing to the most powerful orgasm I’ve ever had. I feel like I’m shattering into a million pieces as the earth quakes around me.
“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” Max chants through gritted teeth and then heaves hard into me as he loses himself.
His dick pulses as I throb around him. He drops his head back, his face toward the ceiling, his chest rising and falling as he holds my lax legs.
He pulls out, removing the condom and tossing it in the waste basket beside his night stand before dropping to his back. “You’ve fucking ruined me,” he gasps.
It causes my fucked-brain to giggle.
“You’re so enthralling when you come,” he gulps another breath. “I can’t keep my shit together with a sight like you.”
After getting composed, he sits up on the edge of the bed. A tattoo catches my eye. “Now that is hot. Suit and tie with an intricate tattoo.” I move, tracing along all the lines of the Chinese dragon. Its yellow spine is significantly brighter than the green scales surrounding it as the creature weaves through three Koi fish of all different colors with Chinese script recessed into the background. It’s stunning and I can’t believe I missed this the first time.
“Does it signify anything?” I ask.
His back expands as he takes a breath. “A lot of different things,” he starts and I can hear the distance growing in his voice. “The dragon is a symbol of power and compassion, bravery and heroism, luck and goodness. The Koi are symbols of many things. They travel upstream to signify my strength to overcome obstacles. The gray one represents wealth and success while the other two are life changes and my transformations.”
I etch the script in the background with my fingertips. “What does this say?”
He takes another deep breath. “Let her live and I’ll protect her forever.”
The sincerity in his voice stuns me into silence.
“The dragon is jade for a reason.” He picks up his shirt and shrugs into it, covering the artwork along with it.
“What’s the reason?”
His eyes are glazed in anguish, pain deep in the distance. “My sister. But that’s a discussion for another day.”
“Okay,” I whisper, feeling the pain in his eyes.
Whatever has him guarding those feelings reminds me of how I do the same with mine. There are stories in my life I don’t like retelling. Having to relive it can be brutal. They’re terrifying. They’re heartbreaking. I’ve learned it’s easier when I slip things here and there instead of delving into the entire nightmare at once.
Something happened with his sister—a painful story his tattoo tells, but one he’s not ready to voice.