Page 62 of Call It What You Want
After just a couple of minutes, she perks up a bit. Finally, her eyelids open, and she blinks up at me. I imagine what she must see. Me, kneeling beside the tub, probably looking shaken, because that’s exactly what I am—shaken to my core.
When I walked in on that guy attacking her, I swear to God, my soul left my body. And all I saw was blood, and violence.
She moves her hands to cover her stomach under the water. “So, what’s going to happen to the other guy who attacked me?”
My jaw tightens. “Don’t worry about him.”
There’s a question in her eyes, and she opens her mouth to ask it, but in the end, she presses her lips together and turns her head away. Because she knows I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe.
Whatever. It. Fucking. Takes.
And making that cunt pay is only the beginning. Lucas thinks it’s Shadow and Ash, and maybe he’s right, maybe he’s wrong. Either way, whoever’s behind this will wish they’d never drawn breath. I’ll hunt them down and tear their world apart piece by piece until there’s nothing left.
Dipping my hand into the water, I cup her breast in my palm. I shouldn’t touch her. Not after what she’s just been through, but what can I say? I’m a selfish bastard. I take what I want, and what I want is Ava—warm, vibrant, alive. I want her hot breath on my neck. I want her thighs open and trembling. I want to lick every inch of her body, mark her with my teeth, and hear her scream my name…
Shockingly, she doesn’t scoff and push me away. Instead, she turns her head back to look at me, her bottom lip pinched between her teeth as my thumb gently strokes her hard nipple.
“You’re not fighting me…” I point out.
Goddamn. Every last drop of blood in my body rushes to my cock. I’m so damn hard, I can barely think straight. My only thought is how quickly I can get inside this girl again.
She lifts a brow. “Is there any point in fighting you? You always get what you want, anyway.”
“And you don’t want me just as bad? Is that what you want me to believe?” I smirk, my eyes never leaving her round, creamy breasts. Is there anything more beautiful thanthisgirl when she’s naked and vulnerable?
She shrugs a shoulder, droplets of water catching the light as they trickle down her arm. “Maybe I’m just inclined to let you have what you want…” Her eyes crawl up and catch mine, a tiny smile playing at the edges of her pink lips. “…this time.”
Fuck,my cock is so hard, I don’t trust myself. Now that I’ve had her once, she’s all I can think about—the feel of her body, the taste of her skin. Ava Baldwin is my drug, my dark obsession, and I’m hopelessly addicted.
When we were dating, we fucked more times than I could count. I know every curve, every shiver, every sound she makes. But that’s never been enough. What I crave—what keeps me awake at night—goes beyond the physical. I want that side of her that she keeps locked away from the rest of the world. I want to be the first voice she hears in the morning and the last hand she reaches for at night. I want to be the guy she runs to when everything falls apart.
It’s not just fucking her body; it’s owning the space in her head no one else gets. And I’ll do whatever it takes to get there.
Somehow, I manage to pull myself away and sit back on my heels. I’m so damn keyed up, I swear to God, I could haul her out of this tub, spread her thighs, and fuck her raw until we’re both breathless and bleeding…
But there’s an echo inside me, a mantra pulsing in my brain—You’re the reason she’s suffering. She deserves better than you.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Ava
There’s a strange look on his face as he pulls away and sits back on his heels. And I’ll be honest, it takes me aback a little. Here I am offering myself to him, and he, what, doesn’t want me now? That stings more than it should.
He’s staring at me, his sharp green eyes fixed on my face, his chiseled jaw clenched tight. After about twenty seconds of that, I start to get really uncomfortable. Having a sexy-as-fuck guy staring at me isreallyunsettling.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” I finally ask.
My voice pulls him out of his daze. He blinks, stands up, and places a plush white towel on the edge of the tub. “I should check in with the guys, make sure shit is being handled. I’ll be downstairs if you need anything.”
If Ineed anything?Is he my butler now? What the fuck?
Okay, for real, though, Jackson dismissing my blatant offer of sex hits my pride hard. Much harder than I care to admit. It’s always been obvious he’s into me. From the moment we started hooking up, he’s made that very,veryclear. But now that I’m giving him a free ticket to ride my carousel, he’s not interested?
Oh, fuck, no.
Water swooshes loudly as I haul myself up while grabbing the towel at the same time, so I can quickly wrap it around my body. He’d just turned toward the door, but he whips back around to face me when he hears me stand.
But I get up a little too fast, and I sway a little before catching myself on the tile wall behind me. Doesn’t matter. He’s already across the bathroom, hands cradling my waist to steady me.
