Ruined 12

Ruin

”You ok there…..” I had been about to call him son, just a figure of speech but I knew it was the wrong thing to say and snapped my lips together before they fell from my mouth. ”Parker?” I called his name and he finally lifted his head to stare at me. Those brown eyes, which were almost identical to his Mum’s were red and swollen from tears he was angrily swiping away with the back of his hand. 

I got why he was upset, no one should find out who his father was like he had. 

“Parker?” I tried again when he turned his face to the side. It was obvious he didn’t want to talk to me, let alone look at me but I couldn’t exactly leave him here sitting on the wet pavement in the middle of the night. “Your mum is worried about you, we should get you back…..”

His eyes narrowed. “You’re my dad?”

Sighing, I settled my bulk next to him. I wasn’t surprised that he wanted to talk about it. He probably had a lot of questions. We both did. “Looks like it.”

“And you are ok with that?” His question took me by surprise. Was I ok with it? “It was a shock but yeah I am ok with it,” I let my eyes drift over him. “Are you?”

He shrugged his thin shoulders. “I have always known dad wasn’t my actual dad, but mum had always said that my real dad didn’t want anything to do with us. But she came back to you. She left dad to come here and you are here..” he trailed off. 

What could I say to that? “I didn’t know…” holding up a hand I silenced him. “And don’t blame your mum for that either. What happened in the past was all my fault. Avery, your mum did what she had to do to survive and she seemed to do a good job with you.”

“She’s the best mum in the world.” He muttered and guilt rippled across his face. “She has always protected me ….”

“From your other dad?” My attempt to keep the tinge of anger from my voice failed. If I found out the asshole had been laying hands on either of them I would lose it. 

They weren’t technically mine but I was responsible for them. 

Hell who was I kidding I wanted them to be mine. 

“Yeah.” Parker’s voice was small, his hand rubbing hard over his cheeks. 

“He hit you?”

”Not me….” brown eyes were huge in his head. 

Sucking in a breath. “Just your mum huh?” The silence stretched between us for several long heartbeats before I spoke again. “You don’t have to worry about protecting her now ok.” My hand came down on his shoulder. “I will protect you both.”

“You want to look after my mum?”

“I want to protect both of you Parker. If you will let me….”

“Mum won’t like that.”

I barked out a laugh. Wasn’t that the understatement of the century? Parker was only a boy and he already realised how pig-headed stubborn his mother was. “Yeah I know but I’m still going to do it. Your mum will just have to get used to it.”

“I hope so because she’s going to …..” He trailed off and the guilt he had been trying to hide flooded into his face. “I was angry, I didn’t mean….”

“What did you do?”

“I phoned my dad. He’s coming here.”

***

”Parker..” Avery rushed towards only coming to a skidding stop when she saw my hand on Parker’s shoulder. Her eyes widened as she looked between the pair of us, her eyebrows lifting in an unspoken question. “Where have you been?”

“Why don’t you go up and get some sleep, Parker.” I didn’t let him answer. Instead, I just tapped his shoulder gently. I knew he was worried about telling her what he had done. He was already feeling guilty and I wanted to take that pressure from him. 

I hadn’t been lying when I told him I wanted to look after the pair of them. And I could start by softening this blow. Because it would be a blow. I might not know the ins and outs of Avery's marriage but I knew she was running. And that she was scared. 

“He needs to explain what the hell…..”

Parker’s bottom lip trembled. And for a second I thought he was going to cry. But at the very last minute, he straightened his shoulders, taking a deep breath. “Mum I’m sorry….”

“Bed Parker.” This time I barked the order at him. 

And they both turned to scowl at me with their identical brown eyes. 

“I don’t know who the hell you think…..” 

I didn’t let her finish, “it’s time to stop talking and just listen Avery. Let the boy get some sleep and you can talk to him in the morning when you are both calmer. Go on Parker.” I waited as he stomped up the stairs before I spoke again. “Avery we need to talk.” As quietly as I could I walked further into the dark house, pausing to wait for her to follow me through and into the kitchen.

“Why do you say that when you mean you want to talk at me and not with me….”

Groaning I turned, giving her no warning she slammed into my chest. And my arms wrapped around her waist. Pulling her towards me instinctively. Why did she always have to do this? Make it an argument? “Stop talking and just listen then.” My mouth hovered over hers in the dark.

It would be so easy to kiss her. She needed comfort, any idiot could see it. But I had promised Parker that I would look after them. And I had to start by telling her truth and that meant telling her what was coming.

Namely her abusive asshole of an ex-husband. And he would be her ex-husband even if it meant I had to break every bone in his body to get him to sign.

“I hate you.” She whispered but she didn’t move away. And I rolled my eyes. 

“So you keep saying… but that doesn’t matter anymore does it?”

“What do you mean it doesn’t matter?” Avery’s face went rigid, her eyes searching my face in the dim light. I knew she already knew what I was going to say, I could see it in the way her eyes went blank. And I hated being the one that took all the life out of her. “My husband… he’s…” she shook her head. “That’s not good.” 

There was something in her voice, the slightest of wobbles and my arms tightened around her. “Talk to me Avery, tell me why you are frightened of him? You have to know that the club will have your back….”

Reaching up she pressed her lips to mine, her hands grasping at the back of my head to pull my head down.

I knew she was doing it to change the subject. Just as I knew I should stop it but her damn lips were so soft. Salty where her tears had dried but still so unbelievably sweet.

Groaning, I opened her mouth with mine. My tongue invading so it could tangle with hers.

How was it possible that she fit so well against me? Like she had been made to fit.

All thoughts of talking left me as she deepened the kiss, her breasts pushing against me. 

I wanted her. There could be no denying it. Probably even more than I had imagined. 

My hands reached behind her, and this time it was me who groaned as her ass filled my hands. If we had been anywhere else I would have pressed her against the wall and taken her right here and now. Hard.

But we weren’t alone. Her father and our son were just upstairs. 

I tore my lips away from her. And she made the smallest of sounds in the back of her throat. A breathy needy sound. “Avery…” sighing I leant my forehead against hers. “This is …..”

“You don’t want me?”

I groaned. Was she for real? Of course, I wanted her. Even her thinking I didn’t want her was absurd. “I’ve never wanted anyone more Avery, but not like this… not because…”

“I’m scared Ruin, I want you to help me forget.” Her eyes met mine and there was so much need in them. “Please…”

It was the Please that did it. She wanted me to take her to bed so she could feel safe for a little while from the unknown nightmare of her life. And I wanted to. I wanted to fuck her until her legs gave out and she couldn’t remember her own name. 

“You want it like this?”

She nodded once.  “I want you.”

She didn’t have to ask me twice, did she want me the way I wanted her? No. Did I care? Yes but not enough to actually stop this from happening. Why would I stop it when I had wanted into her bed from the moment she had walked back into town. 

Picking her up was easy, the only thing that made it hard was when she wrapped her legs around my waist, pressing herself against the rigid outline of my cock through my jeans.

Fuck.

I ground into her. And was rewarded by her breath catching in her throat. 

“I’m going to fuck You ….” my words were cut off by the loud incessant ringing of my phone and I froze.

Who the hell was ringing me at almost midnight? But I already knew the answer to that. Very few people had this number and that meant it was club business.

I groaned.

“You best get that…” Avery clambered down my body. Her shoulders slumped. I reached for her. She was angry for some reason but I wasn’t going to let her push me away because of a phone call. Not when we were finally getting somewhere. 

I tucked her under my arm as I took the call, keeping her snug into my side. 

“You have to go don’t you?” She sounded resigned, her eyes sad. And a little angry as well.

“I won’t be long though.” If there was any other choice I would have gotten someone else to do it but there wasn’t, so I couldn’t. “I can come back and…..”

She shook her head. “I’m just going to get some sleep.”

“Avery?” I hated the fact she was angry at me but what the hell was I meant to do? She knew the score. “This isn’t over you know? As soon as I’ve finished I am coming back and we are picking this right back up….” I licked at the fingers she pressed to my lips.  

“Ok.” 

Something was wrong. Avery never ever agreed with anything I said. It went against everything she was. 

And I would find out what it was just as soon I had sorted out the latest club crisis.