Page 53 of Brutal Collateral

“Get dressed,” I say, my eyes begging for another peek at her naked body.

“As if I have a choice.” She lifts off the T-shirt, and her nipples harden on those pert breasts I want in my mouth.

Like I’m not standing over her, she sits there naked going through the bag of clothes. When my eyes stray to her back, I swallow thickly at how thin she is, but that ass.

That ass will be mine.

“Enjoying the view?” she says over her shoulder.

“Very much,” I answer, figuring there’s no point in hiding it.

I plan to let her out of this marriage. But she’s not in the right mind to talk about that now. She needs a few days of not being in a cage where she was treated like an animal. I understand the human psyche from all my years in the O’Rourke black site. People being beaten to within an inch of their life said anything to save their asses and quickly agreed to shit, even gave up information or others. Even if they were lies.

After snapping on a bra, Ava spins around holding a lace panty. Watching me, she spreads her legs to show me her pussy while sliding on the dainty thing one leg at a time.

“That won’t work on me, lass.” Now, I’m lying.

Fuck...

She licks her lips and tilts her head. “I’d bet my freedom you’re hard.”

“Fuck yeah, I’m hard.” I drop my hands and consider showing her. “You were the best sex I ever had, and I want nothing more than to sink into that tight wet cunt again.”

“Sounds we’ll have like a fun wedding night.” She strokes her lower lip.

I made a decision not to fuck her, but that’s already losing steam in my head. “Get dressed, Ava.”

My only hope is to keep reminding myself, she’snotHadleigh. That person was made up. But she thinks of herself as the woman I never forgot.

Shane clears his throat behind me, and I turn around. “Yeah?”

With a worried look in his eyes, he says, “I’m thinking we’re in enough of a hole with Ares. No matter what he promised us, she’s still his sister. He’s not going to be happy we put her in the trunk, or that she’s stripped down in a fucking public parking garage.”

“Wefucking found her. Keller was keeping herin a cage. We’rebringing his mangled body to him as a trophy to lay at his feet. The guy who killed her guards. Fuck Zervas if he’s mad that we put her in a trunk so she couldn’t start screaming all kinds of shit that would get a cop’s attention. And then what?” I get all that out in one breath.

“Good speech.” Shane nods. “Keep up that energy when you speak to Ares.”

Jaw tight, I say, “I’m calling him right now.”

“Quinlan,” Ares answers, all gruff.

Neither of us wanted to be here. We’re being forced to hold together a truce made by his older brother and some distant great uncle I never met.

“I have Ava,” I answer because I don’t want to chit-chat with this guy.

“Is she alive?” he responds coldly.

“Quite,” I grind out. “Where shall I bring her?”

“Bring her?” he scoffs. “You’re marrying her. Keep her.”

“You don’t want to see her?”

“I didn’t say that.”

Jesus fucking Christ, I have to sleep with this she-psycho under my roof.

I thought I was getting a spoiled princess, but I’m getting an assassin who her brother put into the US Navy so she’d get training to kill anyone with Irish blood.

---