Loose Ends (Magnolia Series Book 1)

by Dawn, Taylor

  “I’m not going anywhere.” He swiftly rolled on top of her once more and began an assault of kisses to the sensitive area on her neck.

  Ava’s eyes rolled back in her head as his lips coasted over her skin and his teeth grazed the area just below her ear. While his mouth was busy with her upper half, one of his hands wandered down and ducked under her top. Again the roughness of his fingers on the smooth expanse of her stomach caused chills to rack her body.

  “Are you cold?” Luke asked as he nibbled her ear.

  “No, quite the opposite actually.” She smiled.

  Luke didn’t answer. He continued to play havoc on her body with a kiss here and a brush of his fingers there. Soon his exploring hand went higher under her shirt, cupping her breast. The delicate nipple puckered instantly the moment he lightly pinched it. A mewl escaped her lips as he repeated the move and then switched to the other breast. Impatience grew as he went back and forth, toying with her body.

  “Luke, I can’t wait.”

  “Thank fuck. Neither can I.” Luke jumped from the bed and began to undress in record time. Ava licked her lips at the sight of his cock jutting out when he whipped his underwear down his muscled legs.

  “Clothes off. I need to be inside you in the next thirty seconds.” Ava hurried with removing her clothing and tossed it all to the floor.

  She watched as Luke switched on the bedside lamp and then flipped off the switch to the overhead light. The room was now cast in a sexy glow she could appreciate. Luke’s amazing body looked even more perfect in this type of lighting. Ava couldn’t help but admire it. When he found his way back to the bed, she was ready and waiting. Her head lay back against the soft pillows, legs bent at the knees, still concealing her arousal and her arms lay by her sides, fingers trembling in anticipation. When he joined her on the bed, she opened to him like a blooming flower, opening its petals to the morning rays of sunlight. The way Luke fit himself perfectly between her legs had her ready to slip over the precipice of something amazing.

  Ava’s intense gaze followed Luke’s as he grabbed his erection in his hand and leaned forward, sweeping the swollen head through her slick folds. “Damn, you already feel good.” The pained look on his face told her he was holding back. She didn’t want him to. It was time to put up or shut up.

  “Now, Luke.” The demand came out on a whine.

  But he must’ve been as ready as she was. He let go of himself and unhurriedly pushed inside her depths, the walls of her pussy clamping down on him like it was drawing him in further. When he was completely seated within her, Ava let out a moan at the full sensation. Even though they’d been intimate several times before, every single time felt like their first. It didn’t surprise her though, Luke was special. He was the only one in the world who’d stolen her heart. Funny thing was—even after everything that’d taken place—Ava still didn’t want it back. Even though he’d thrown it away, a small piece would always belong to him.

  “Hey.” Luke pulled her from her inner musings. “I don’t know where you are right now, but I need you here. With me.” His voice was low and genuine.

  “I’m here,” Ava confirmed.

  “Not fully, you’re not. Ava, sweetheart, I’m so sorry for everything.” Luke began to apologize but she didn’t think this was the right time.

  To ward off his grand speech, her hands reached around and grabbed ahold of his ass, pulling him farther into her. His hip bones dug into her inner thighs causing a slight pain from the pressure. But it only heightened what she was feeling. He took the hint and began a steady pace, pulling his hardness from her body and thrusting back inward. Each time she could feel the buildup increasing until her body sat on the edge ready to tip over.

  “Ask me to make you come,” Luke grunted as if he was holding onto his control by a threadbare rope. But she didn’t want to ask anything of him. If she was going to fall, she wanted to do it on her own and not owe him and damn thing. “Ask, me Ava.” Luke continued to push himself into her, each stroke bumping a spot to send zinging sensations to every nerve ending in her body.

  “Please.” she wouldn’t ask, but she’d beg for some reason.

  He slowed, delaying her impending release. Her frustration was evident in the way she crumpled her face. “I need you ask you something,” Luke began. “And I want you to tell me the honest truth, Ava.” The pace of their lovemaking had slowed but he kept them steady.

  “Fine.” Ava relented.

  After moments passed, Luke finally stopped fighting with his indecision. “Before the other day, did you feel anything for me?” His question shocked her.

  “Why are you asking me this now?”

  “Because I want to know. Tell me the truth, Ava.”

  She shook her head furiously. “I can’t do this right now.” Salty tears began to gather in her eyes.

  “Yes, you can. I need to know if you felt anything for me. Anything at all.”

  “Yes, damn it,” her voice raised a bit.

  “What did you feel, Ava?” He kept pushing her.

  “Don’t make me say it.”

  “Say it.”

  “I loved you, Luke,” Ava blurted out the words he wanted to hear. Oh, how she wanted to not use the word ‘love’ in a past tense, because honestly, she still loved him.

  Luke didn’t respond, he only picked up the pace and drove himself deeper inside her body. Her legs fell open to let him go in as far as he possibly could. It seemed like you couldn’t even tell where one of them began and the other ended, but it was perfect for this moment.

  The coils in her body wound so tight she thought she’d die when they finally snapped. Each plunge of his cock into her body brought more emotion to the forefront and soon Ava felt the warm streaks of her tears begin to trail from the corners of her eyes and onto her cheeks.

  “Come for me, sweetheart,” Luke commanded.

  And soon she did. The dam broke and with it, her heart broke just a little more.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Luke sat for a few minutes and peered down at Ava’s sleeping form. She lay curled up on her side with a hand tucked under her chin. She was gorgeous in sleep and when awake. And the fact that she’d admitted she loved him, well that was what he needed to hear. Sure, she’d said it in past tense, but there was a seed of hope planted that maybe she might still feel that way about him. He didn’t know what would happen after this whole situation was over, but he knew for sure he wanted it to include the beautiful woman asleep in his bed.

  When he left his bedroom, Luke went downstairs in search of Cole. It was his turn to take watch and let his partner get a few hours of shut-eye. If he knew Cole well enough—and he did—the other man would deny himself sleep because of the dire situation they were all in.

  “How’re things looking?” Luke asked as he sat at the kitchen table across from Cole.

  “All clear for now. One of the motion sensors were tripped but it was a fox.”

  “Good deal. Why don’t you go grab some shut-eye for a bit while I take over?”

  “Nah, I won’t be able to sleep with all this shit going on. You should know that by now.” Cole laughed. Yes, Luke was right in thinking his partner would want to be where the action was.

  “Suit yourself.” He shrugged and got up to make some coffee. It was only two in the morning and they still had several hours until backup arrived.

  “How did things go with Ava? Did you tell her the full story?”

  “I did.” Luke went about dumping grounds into the coffee maker.

  “How’d she take it? Is she alright?” Cole had a concerned look on his face.

  “Surprisingly well. I don’t think I’d have taken it that good if someone dumped all that on me. But I knew she’d be strong enough to handle it. She’s a remarkable woman.”

  “That she is.” Cole grabbed a couple mugs from the cabinet beside Luke. “Have you decided what you’ll do when this is over?”

  “If they put her in Wit-Sec, I dou
bt I’ll ever see her again.” Luke heard the sadness in his own voice.

  “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that woman won’t let them put her in witness protection,” Cole snickered.

  “Well, I don’t want them to put her in it either.” He went about pouring them both cups full of strong black coffee.

  “Then the only option is to finish this and make sure she doesn’t have to go.”

  “You’re right. I can’t lose her.”

  “I know you’ve had a rough go of things for the past several years, but I can see how she’s impacted your life. I’m not embarrassed to say that she’s made you a better man.” Cole gave him a light slap on the back.

  “I know she has. I want to give her everything she deserves and more. I know it sounds sappy as shit but I want to stand at the end of the aisle and watch her walk toward me in a frilly white dress someday.”

  “Yup, that’s pretty fucking sappy.”

  “Leave it to you to ruin a heartfelt moment.”

  “At least I’m good for something,” Cole joked.

  Both men drank their coffee and had seconds. A couple hours passed and the caffeine began to wear off. Luke’s head bobbed forward as he sat in the wooden chair across from Cole. His partner had already laid his head down on the table and was snoozing. He just needed a couple minutes of shut-eye and he’d be energized and ready to keep watch some more. So Luke let his eyes drift shut just for a bit.

  ***

  Ava sat up in bed when her phone began to ring in her purse beside the bed. She swung both legs over the side and dug around for the device. The display showed it was Brandi calling.

  “Hey, is everything okay?” Ava answered. She was met with silence on the other end. “Brandi? Are you there?” More silence. She wondered if her friend had a bad connection or lost signal. “Hello?” Ava asked one more time. Chills ran down her spine when a male voice finally answered.

  “Hey, baby. Did you miss me?” Bile rose in her throat at the sound of Frankie’s voice.

  She tamped down her disgust and recognition hit. “What are you doing with Brandi’s phone?” Ava asked shakily.

  “I borrowed it. Seems your friend can’t take a beating very well.” Frankie laughed.

  “Oh, my God. Please don’t hurt her.”

  “Too late. But if you meet me right now with my money, I promise not to put a bullet in her skull.” She heard him take a drag off his cigarette.

  “Fine, I’ll meet you. Where?”

  “Meet me at your beach house in an hour. And don’t forget my money, you little bitch. Oh, and if I see you have those Feds with you, I’ll ax this chick and you immediately. Am I clear?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good, hurry the fuck up.” Frankie disconnected the call.

  Ava didn’t have a choice. She’d brought danger to her friend and it was up to her to help her. Brandi had been there for her all this time and there was no way in hell she’d let Frankie hurt anyone she cared about. She’d rather take the bullet herself before one was lodged in someone else.

  Gathering up some clothes she quickly dressed and slipped on a pair of shoes. She’d go downstairs and ask Luke and Cole what to do and then be on her way. Down the steps she went and followed the only light on in the house. It led to the kitchen where Cole was asleep with his head on the table and Luke was the same but sitting upright. She didn’t want to wake them so she did what she thought was best and grabbed a pen and paper from her purse. She jotted down a note and laid it in the middle of the table. Silently she said goodbye to them both and went in search of the duffle full of cash. It wasn’t upstairs anywhere, so her instincts led her to the basement. When she turned on the lamp on the workbench, she spotted the black bag but it was empty. “Damn it.” Ava bit out. “Where the hell is it?”

  She scoured the basement trying to locate the cash but couldn’t find it anywhere. When she rounded the corner into a small hallway, her heart sank. There sat a medium-sized safe with a combination lock right in the middle of the heavy door. Panic set in as the thoughts of what she should do ran through her head. She couldn’t break into the safe, there wasn’t time, and she sure as hell wasn’t a safecracker. Looking around, she decided she’d at least take the bag with her. After snatching it up, Ava quietly ascended the stairs and passed by Luke and Cole once more. She slipped Luke’s truck keys off the hook by the back door and escaped without waking the men. As her feet crossed the gravel driveway, it seemed like the crunching sound under her feet echoed louder than normal. But so did the nervous thudding of her heart.

  Starting the truck she cringed at how loud the engine was when being fired up. Was it always this loud? she thought. It didn’t matter so she threw it into reverse and backed out of the driveway. Once she was away from the house a hundred yards or so, Ava hammered on the gas pedal and shot down the road. She only had forty-five more minutes to get to her house. She prayed that Brandi would be alright and that she wasn’t too late already. Frankie would be livid that his money wasn’t in the bag, but she’d cross that bridge when she got there. The fact of the matter was, she knew she was a dead woman walking.

  Frankie wanted to shut her up and when she saw him again, he’d make sure he accomplished that.

  ***

  “Damn it.” Luke’s eyes flew open and he realized he’d passed out.

  Cole’s head shot up from the table and he looked at Luke with hazy eyes. “What happened?”

  “I fell asleep. I can’t believe I did that,” Luke chastised himself.

  “Damn. That sucks.”

  “What the hell?” Luke spotted a note in the middle of the table. It was folded in half and had his name scrolled across the front in Ava’s handwriting.

  Luke,

  I know you’ll think I’m an idiot for doing this but Brandi was in trouble. I had to go help her. I took your truck. I don’t really know if I’ll see you again, so I wanted to tell you something. I already told you that at one time I did love you, but I wasn’t being entirely truthful. You see, it wouldn’t matter how many times you broke my heart, I would always love you. You were it for me, Luke. I hope you find happiness in your life and please think of me every once in a while.

  Love,

  Avalyn Woods

  Luke stuffed the note in his back pocket as he stood. “Time to go,” he ordered. “I’m not letting her walk into anything without me.”

  “Jesus, you really do love her don’t you?” Cole followed as he grabbed up his gear.

  “Yes, I do. That’s my future that just ran out of here and I’ll be damned if I let anyone or anything take it from me.”

  “Yee Haw!” Cole snatched up his gear as well and soon both men were in Cole’s truck, backing out of the driveway.

  Luke was in combat mode now. His only focus was making sure Ava made it through this thing. If that meant he had to run in there with guns blazing so be it. He’d burn down the entire fucking state to find her and make sure she was in his arms where she belonged.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Ava pulled the truck in the driveway at her beach house. Brandi’s car was there already—Frankie must’ve driven it to throw suspicion off himself, she guessed.

  Every nerve in her body was on full alert as she grabbed the empty duffle bag and climbed down from the truck cab. Of course she’d never walk into a situation such as this without protection—and since Luke had confiscated her gun—she ‘borrowed’ one of his that she found in the basement. Stuffing it into the back waistband of her jeans, Ava pulled her shirt over the exposed part of the black handgrip. Her hope was that Frankie would think she was too stupid to know how to protect herself. If that was the case, she had a fighting chance of making it out of this ordeal alive. That small fraction of positivity is what propelled her toward the front door of the house.

  Ava said a silent prayer that she wouldn’t meet her demise in this home, but either way, she’d never be able to live here again. The thought that Frankie had invaded her
personal space caused a sick feeling to settle in her gut. Pushing those feelings down, Ava stood on the stoop outside her front door. She noticed small things while she stood there. How the paint was starting to peel a little on the wooden door; must’ve been due to the salt from the ocean nearby. The cloudiness of the glass at the very top of the door; she’d never gotten around to cleaning details like that.

  “Hey baby,” Frankie’s voice sounded behind her and she whipped around to face him. “Glad you could make it.”

  “Where’s Brandi?” Ava asked with a bite to her tone.

  She was done playing the meek little woman for him. It was time to stand up for herself and go down like a champ—if that was the case.

  “Sounds like you’ve turned into a little bitch. Guess I’ll have to break you of that,” Frankie said as he pushed her against the door and pinned her arms beside her body.

  “Let. Me. Go.” Ava enunciated the words.

  “Hey, boss.” Frankie was interrupted by another man. When the guy rounded the corner she recognized him as Frankie’s right hand man, Flynn.

  “What?” Frankie let her go and turned to the other man.

  Ava made a split second decision. She reached behind her, quietly turned the door knob then pushed it open a tiny bit. The men stood there talking but Ava wasn’t concentrating on their words, all she could think of was getting inside the house to find her friend. When Frankie stepped forward and pointed a finger in Flynn’s face, Ava spun around and shoved the door open. She darted through the opening and slammed it shut—locking the deadbolt and regular locks. Cursing came from the outside along with loud banging on the door. Ava walked backwards as she watched the doorframe shake with the force of the men’s actions. The number one priority was finding Brandi, so she hastily began searching the house. The banging outside continued and Ava thanked her lucky stars she’d had strong locks installed when she bought the house. Those locks were the only thing keeping her from seeing the faces of two extremely dangerous men right now.

  Fearing there was someone else lurking in the house, Ava refused to call out for Brandi. Being discovered would only complicate things at this point. She didn’t really have a plan if she did find her best friend beyond running as fast and as far as they could get. She knew in the back of her mind it wasn’t a good plan but it was the best she had at this stage in the game.