Ruined 17

Avery 

Sandra Briel…. the name echoed in my head. I knew that name. I knew it well. 

A scream ripped from my throat as I launched myself at my husband, my hands morphed into claws. I wanted to rip my nails down his face, gauge out his eyes with my fingers. 

Ruin was too slow to stop me, but only because no one expected me to go on the attack. They were all so used to timid Avery. 

But I wasn’t timid, I wasn’t beat and I most definitely wasn’t out. I would fight with everything I had for my son.

I had barely touched him when strong arms caught me around the waist, lifting me bodily away and it was just as well. Deans closed fist missed my cheek by an inch as Wicked swung me away. It landed in Ruins hand with a sickening thump. 

And I knew that was all the excuse he needed. “Did you just try and hit her, you son of a bitch?” Spit flew from his mouth. “Did you try and punch my fucking old lady?”

I struggled against Wickeds iron-like grip. Not because I wanted to save Dean from the beat down I knew Ruin was going to give him. But because we didn’t have time for this. Dean deserves everything he had coming to him. Everything. But not now.

Later.

“Stop it.”

Keeping his vice-like grip around my waist Wicked grunted as my heel came into contact hard with his shin but he didn’t loosen his grip. “Just let Ruin punch him a few times.” He sounded like he was enjoying himself. “It will make him feel better.”

It would make me feel better as well. But it wouldn’t get Parker home. “It won’t get Parker back from Sandra though.”

Ruin turned, his hand still firmly around my ex-husband’s throat. “You know her?”

“Yeah.” I nodded. “She was Deans secretary and Mistress for six years.”

For a second he did nothing but stare at me. And then without warning, he cracked his head down hard against Deans. My husband crumbled like a rag doll. 

“You can’t possibly think.” Dean clambered to his feet, using the countertop to steady himself as blood pumped from his nose. Blood that he wiped away angrily. “That I had anything to do with this? I let her go months ago… Ava knows…” wildly his eyes met mine and for the first time in years, I didn't feel the need to look away. 

I wasn’t afraid of him.

“My name is Avery,” I said it so quietly that it was barely a whisper. My ex-husband’s eyes narrowed. “What?”

Straightening my shoulders I took a deep breath. “I said my name is Avery.”

Behind me, Wicked chuckled. “About fucking time, welcome back.” 

“Avery… then. You can’t think I had anything to do with her taking our boy. And he is ours. He might not be my blood but I raised that boy.”

“Actually I raised him into the young man he is today. Not you. All you taught him was how not to treat a woman. That’s all. Now, where would she take him?” I kept my voice steady. Bully for me. On the outside, I was calm but inside? Inside my blood was boiling. 

Ruin wasn’t the only one who wanted to visit violence. All of this had happened because of my husbands jilted lover? All of this was because of him. “Where would she fucking take him?” I screamed it at him, fighting against Wicked steel-like arm. He let me go reluctantly but I wasn’t free for long. Ruins arm replaced his. Pulling me to his side. 

“I don’t know but….”

“But you can find out?” Ruin sounded oddly calm. At least one of us was staying calm. 

Dean nodded. “I can try.”

“Wicked, you and Cutter work with him. Get Truth in here if you need tech support. Me and Avery have something to talk about.” 

A look passed between the men in the room. One that I couldn't understand but it was on Ruin that my eyes lingered. 

“And when this is over, you sign those damn divorce papers that are sat on your desk. You sign them and you never bother Avery again.”

    ***

“What did you want to talk about?” I flung myself on my old bed as Ruin clicked the door shut behind him, for a second he banged his head softly against the wood. 

“I… I just wanted to get you alone Avery. Alone and away from him for a little while.” His eyes were wild, “You didn’t tell me he was that bad? You made me think you and Parker had a fairly good life.”

“Parker never wanted for anything.” Wearily I shook my head. “I didn’t either, not really. We had a lovely house, food on the table every night. It wasn’t so bad.” I gave another shrug. 

How could I explain it to him? To anyone looking on my life had been damn near perfect. But no one knew what went on behind closed doors. 

No one knew the misery I had been hiding under the mask of a polite smile. 

“He hit you.” The bed dipped as Ruin sat by my side. Not quite touching. But I could feel the warmth of his body. “ and cheated on you?”

“It didn’t matter Ruin, not to me. The more he messed around the more likely he was to leave me alone so I didn’t really care too much. Sandra wasn’t the first and she wasn’t the last by a long shot.”

Ruins featherlight fingers brushed down my throat, applying absolutely no pressure at all. “He hurt you, Avery, it’s not something I can forgive even you can. He had you all to himself and he hurt you… I would never hurt you.”

“I know.” My head dropped back as Ruins lips replaced his fingertips. His mouth moving with agonising slowness over the bruises on my skin. Like he was going to kiss them all better. 

“Be mine again Avery?” A wet tongue lapped against my ear lobe, Ruins breath hot against my skin. “When this is all over be mine.” 

I couldn’t speak, I couldn’t even breath. All I could concentrate on was the feel of his lips on me.  Each kiss setting my body more alight. 

“Ruin…” I reached for his face, bringing his lips to hover over mine. I knew he expected me to say no, to tell him that I could make him no promises. But I was tired of fighting how I felt for him. We might not be forever but I wanted to at least try. I wanted to see if we had a future. 

“Kiss me.”

He didn’t need asking twice. His lips were bruisingly hard, his tongue sweeping into my mouth to tangle with mine. This time I was ready for him. Ready and more than willing, I pulled him closer to me and a moan. My tongue eager to meet his. 

I wanted him. Wanted him with just as much need as I had the first time I had let him take me to his bed all those years ago. Maybe even more. 

We were older now, more mature maybe. We both knew the way of the world. We knew first hand how quickly life could tear us apart. 

I didn’t want to waste a second of being with him. 

Pulling at the hem of my shirt I lifted it above my head, only tearing my lips from his so I could get rid of the T-shirt and throw it on the floor by our feet. Before I let my lips come back down on his. 

My hands reaching behind me to unclasp my bra and let that fall as well.

Ruin groaned, his hands skimming up my naked ribs but he didn’t touch me. 

“Ruin.” Untangling my body from his I scooted away, leaning back heavily on my hands. My breasts thrust out. “Ruin won’t you….”

“Sssh.” It came out a ragged whisper as he stared at me. His eyes so dark they seemed to have gone from blue to black. “Let me look at you, at how fucking beautiful you are.”

“Touch me.” Reaching for his hand I brought it to my breast. The feel of his rough palm against my aching nipple making my eyes roll in my head. 

It had been so long since I had been touched. So long since I had felt like a woman. 

“This is what you want? Because …”

I didn’t let him finish, I dragged him down on top of me, my ankles hooking around his narrow hips to lock him to my body. “Stop talking Ruin and fuck me. I want you….”

His hand squeezed around my breast and any breath left my lungs in a throaty moan. 

God, I needed him. And he needed me, I could tell by the way his fingers shook as he unzipped my jeans.  “Is this what you want Avery? Because if we go there again I won’t  be able to let you go.”

I knew what he meant. He wasn’t talking about sex. Or at least not just sex. 

“I want you.”