Ava nervously looked at herself in the full-length mirror. The white pantsuit she had on was beautiful. The neckline was plunging almost down to her belly button; the back was bare with two lace panels going down each side, and the pants war split down the front of each leg with a sheer layer of fabric showing. Making it look halfway between a pantsuit and a dress. She truly loved it. Her problem was trying to decide if it showed her slight baby bump, or if it looked like her normal curves.
“I love this on you, easy access,” Caine told her as he walked up from behind, encircled her with his arms and stuck a hand underneath the front part. Ava smiled but tried to batt his hand away.“Can you tell I’m pregnant?” she asked.“No, angel. If it did, I wouldn’t have let you wear it. I still might not. There is a whole lot of skin showing,” he huffed.“Put your cave man back into storage, honey. You need me to look good for tonight,” she pointed out.“True. I just d“Why the fuck have you asked for this meeting?” Zane asked the two men. It looked like he was ready to kill. “And don’t give me the same weak reason you gave the man you sent with your request.” The brothers glanced at each other and there seemed to be a silent conversation going between them.“We wanted to see if you were as strong as you have been,” the more serious brother said. Ava could see the muscle flex in Zane’s jaw as he bit down. “You thought I was weak? Thinking it would be a good idea to stroll in to my club, see if I was weak and then what? Try to take over?” he huffed. Both men shuffled a little in their chairs and Ava had to fight not to roll her eyes at them. They needed to grow a stronger back bone of bigger balls if they were to play in the same neighbourhood as her husband. “We intended no offence to you, Mr Velky. But there has been an organisation popping up lately that has been selling their wears on the outskirts of your territory in our city. N
“Gabriel?” Ava softly asked and drew him into a hug. “I haven’t met him, I promise,” her best friend sobbed. “It’s okay, I believe you.”“But he keeps asking me to meet, and he tells me things and I don’t know if they are true or not. But if they are, I think I should do something,” he then said. “What has he been telling you?” she asked.“He said that when we were together, he went on one of his trips and he felt so lonely, so he spent the evening drinking in the bar. There was a woman there, and she seduced him.” Gabriel paused to collect himself. “Let me guess, he had no choice and it was all her fault?” Ava said. She knew she should be softer and more mindful, but she was just so angry at Jonas and his constant bullshit. “That’s what he said.” Gabriel nodded.“Do you believe him?” Ava asked.“No,” he said in a whisper. “Good.”“But there is more. He said that she go pregnant and that’s why he acted like he did towards me, because
Ava wasn’t surprised when Zane decided to follow her when she left the office to check on Gabriel and Ryder. She knocked on the door to her former room. “What are you doing?” he asked.“It’s rude to just barge inside,” she told him. “Why are they in the guestroom?”“Gabriel and I had our talk there?” she said as she got a reply to come in. She was about to open the door when Zane leaned his hand on it and towered over it.“Why?”“Because unlike you, I don’t have an office here and some things I don’t want to use our bedroom to discuss and even though it’s rare someone is in the library, it happens. So the best solution is to use the guest room,” she explained. Zane looked dumbstruck for a moment. Then he bent down and kissed her.“An oversight on my part,” he told her and took his hand of the door.“What?” “Nothing, don’t keep them waiting, angel.”“I’m not the one who stopped me from opening the door,” she pointed out.“Now you are jus
The look on Jonas’ face was almost comical as he saw Gabriel.“Gabriel?” he asked in disbelief. Ryder had his arm around Gabriel, and when Jonas spoke, he pulled Gabriel closer to him. Gabriel was looking down, but took a deep breath and looked up at Jonas.“Hello, Jonas,” he said. “Who are these people, Gabe?” Jonas asked. Gabriel flinched at the nickname and Ava wanted to hurt the tied up man. Zane seemed to sense her mood and put his arm around her and kissed her temple. “They are my family,” Gabriel said. He straightened his stance and his voice was now stable. Ava smiled. “You don’t have a family,” Jonas said. There was a moment of silence before Ryder let go of Gabriel and walked up to Jonas and punched him in the face. Ava was worried the hit would snap Jonas’ neck by the way his head flew to the side. Zane and Jax had closed in on him as well. First Ava thought they were there to hold back Ryder from inflicting more damage. But she realised they were c
Ava joined Zane and Jax in Zane’s office. Zane pulled her into his lap as Jax got comfortable on the couch. “What did you find out about the child and his mother?” Ava asked Jax as he seemed to have done his homework on Jonas.“The kid’s name is Loka, at least that is the name he gave Laya. I couldn’t find any information about him or his mother. There is no record of the shithead being registered as a father to any child. That doesn’t mean he isn’t the father, it just means no one put it on paper,” Jax said. “How old is he?” Ava asked.“How should I know? I don’t know shit about kids. Four maybe, but he is skinny, so he might look younger than he is.”“I’ll join the doctor when he comes. Maybe I can make a new friend,” Ava said. “He’ll be here any moment,” Zane told her and kissed her. “Maybe I should join you,” he added.“No, you most certainly will not,” Ava said.“Why?”“Why should you?” she countered with.“Maybe you’ll need me. What i
Somehow Anna had found some stuffed animals, children’s books and pyjamas that fit Luka. After they had dinner and Luka had devoured both his dinner and dessert, Ava followed him up to the room that was next to hers and Zane’s bedroom. She helped him change and get comfortable in the big bed. “Me and Zane sleep in the room next to this. If you wake up and feel scared, you can come to us. Or if you call out, we will hear you,” she told him. “And Zane won’t be mad? Jonas always got mad when I had nightmares,” Luka asked.“No, he won’t be mad. And if he scares you, I will put him in time out,” she told him. He smiled and nodded. Ava read him a story, but two pages in and Luka was off like a light. He had had a busy day. She tucked him in and left the door a little opened as she walked into Zane’s office, leaving that door a little open as well. Zane and Jax looked at her questioning, they never left the door open when they were working in there. “It’s in case Luka gets ou
Ava stopped and looked at him. “Why do you ask something like that?”“Because you know that my childhood wasn’t exactly perfect and you know what kind of man I am.”“Okay, come with me,” she told him, took his hand and walked him into their bedroom. This wasn’t a conversation she wanted to have standing in the corridor. She made him sit down on the bed and sat next to him. “First, you need to stop thinking of yourself as a bad man without redeeming qualities. I have told you before, that isn’t the case. Yes, you may do things outside the law and some of those things involve hurting people. But I have never heard of you doit it to someone that hasn’t been deserving of it. And you have never, ever even made me fearful of you. Maybe with the exception of our first meeting, but that was just a high adrenalin night,” she told him. He huffed.“It’s different with you,” he said. “Why?”“Because I love you.” Ava smiled at him and kissed his cheek. “Just like y
Luka was in a good mood at breakfast the next morning. He was allowed to have cereal because he promised Ava to eat four pieces of the cut up fruit which was in a bowl. He held up his end of the bargain and even ate a couple of extra pieces as he tried some of the fruits for the first time. “Luka, I need to run a couple of errands this morning. I won’t be gone for more than two hours. Would it be okay if Anna looked after you?” Ava asked him as they were almost finished eating. “Sure,” he agreed.“Why can’t Jax and I look after him?” Zane asked. Ava was so surprised it took her a moment to collect herself.“I just thought you had business to take care or,” she said. “Nothing that can’t hold off for an hour or two. Right Jax?”“Right,” Jax agreed as he walked into the dining room. “What am I agreeing to?” he then asked. Ava smiled at him.“That we have time to keep Luka company for a couple of hours this morning,” Zane explained.“Sure thing, that s