278 days...and counting (The Montgomery Brothers)

by Aya Mai

  ‘’It’s happening. It’s happening. It’s finally happening.’’ Ana clapped her hands in happiness.

  ‘’Are you alright, dear?’’ an elderly woman in a patient gown asked.

  Ava realized she must have looked like a mental person because she’s been standing in the hall talking to herself. Where the hell was Grayson? Why was it taking him so long to get here?

  ‘’Yes, everything is quite alright, ma’am. My sister is giving birth as we speak. I’m going to be an aunt.’’

  ‘’Congratulations. You are a first timer then.’’

  ‘’Excuse me?’’

  ‘’It’s your sister’s first baby and the first time you become an aunt, correct?’’ the grey-haired elderly lady asked with a knowing smile.

  ‘’Yes, it is. I guess I am being rather obvious.’’

  ‘’Happiness is only a good thing,’’ the lady said, squeezing Ava’s arm in a soft hold before walking further down the hall and out of Ava’s sight.

  Ava gazed at the door at the end of the hall and willed for Grayson to walk through it, but he didn’t. What was taking him so long? He promised he’d only be gone a minute.

  After another five minutes, the obstetrician came to the waiting room with a bright smile on her face.

  ‘’Is everything okay? Is it over?’’

  ‘’The birth went perfectly. Mom and dad and their son are all doing well. They’re tired, but well.’’

  ‘’Thank you so much. When can I see them?’’

  ‘’You can go right in. They’re in room 204.’’

  Ava took one last glance at the door, searching for Grayson, but he was still nowhere to be seen. She turned away and went down the hall to the room that her sister, brother-in-law, and newly born nephew were occupying.

  Ava kept gazing back over her shoulder, wishing for Grayson to turn up. He was down in the hospital's gift shop to purchase a gift for the baby. Maybe he had run off, back to his bachelor pad in fear of pregnancy infecting him. Nicole laughed. Of course, Grayson hadn’t done that, he wasn’t that afraid of children and commitment.

  Him and Ava had been hanging out for three weeks now. It was nice. Ava enjoyed her time with Grayson. She enjoyed it too much. She knew she was getting too close and comfortable. She constantly looked forward to her time with Grayson. She liked leaving work and head to his place. She liked going out on dates with him. Not dates. It wasn’t dates. They weren’t dating. They were just hanging out and having fun.

  She liked having fun with Grayson. She felt alive and carefree with him. She couldn’t remember the last time she had laughed as much as she had done the past three weeks. She even liked it when they argued about work or a client or a book. Sometimes, she suspected Grayson only started an argument to rile her up, making her cuss and watch as her face turned red as a tomato. He was a scoundrel after all. She liked him and them way too much for her own good.

  No love, no marriage, no kids, Ava said to herself like a mantra, but damn it was hard not to let her heart swell even a tiny bit every time she laid eyes on Grayson Montgomery and his charming face. She was growing weaker by the minute. It wouldn’t be long now before she would need to take a step back before she got too involved. She didn't want to take a step back. Maybe she was already so gone she was unable to save from sin.

  ‘’Ava!’’ a man’s voice shouted from behind her. She turned around and gave Grayson a pleasant smile, all of her earlier thoughts still playing on a loop in her head.

  ‘’Grayson,’’ Ava exclaimed, her eyes tracking over his body, or more like all the stuff he was holding in his arms. ‘’Did you buy the entire gift shop?’’

  ‘’What? No! I just didn't know what to get. There were so many things down there, so I bought a couple of different things. Better safe than sorry.’’

  Ava smiled at the stupid man. He had bought a huge bouquet of flowers, chocolates, a big teddy bear, a book with bedtime stories, and a onesie with the text that said ‘I have the coolest uncle in the world.’

  Grayson’s arms were filled with presents. Ava was barely able to see his face over the mountain of presents in his arms.

  He looked damn cute, which was a thought that had never crossed Ava’s mind before when it came to Grayson Montgomery. Sexy, hot as hell, charming, smug idiot, arrogant, jerk, bastard, scoundrel, but never cute. He would make a good father one day. The thought made Ava’s heart clench in pain. He would make a good father and husband one day when he stopped running after all the girls and settled down with the one.

  Ava shook her head, and gave Grayson another beaming smile. He didn’t catch the sadness in it, which she was thankful for. She needed to cool down whatever it was they were doing. She wasn’t ready to end it yet, but she needed to hit the brakes a tiny bit. She was sure Grayson would tire of her soon enough. A man like him didn’t stick to a church mouse like her for too long.

  ‘’Ava? Earth to Ava?’’ Grayson called, making big eyes at her.

  ‘’What?’’ she asked, too lost in her thoughts to realize Grayson was asking her something.

  ‘’What room are they in?’’

  ‘’204.’’

  ‘’Great, let’s go,’’ he ordered, moving forward, leading the way in a hurry as though he couldn’t wait to get ahold of the baby.

  When they arrived at the room, Nicole was lying in bed, her tired eyes meeting Ava’s. Ava scurried toward her sister, hugging her, wishing her congratulations. William turned around to face them with his and Nicole’s little bundle of joy securely positioned in his embrace.

  Ava gazed up at William, who had tears in his eyes. Grayson gave all of his presents to Nicole, kissing her on the cheek while she chuckled at him and all his gifts. Grayson surprised Ava by going straight to William, clawing the baby boy out of his hands. William didn’t seem too pleased about letting his son go, but Nic gave him a stern look, and he sighed, involuntarily handing the boy over to Grayson.

  If Ava hadn’t thought Grayson looked good before, she certainly thought it now with him having a baby in his hands. He was so big compared to the little, innocent thing lying safely in his muscular arms.

  Ava couldn’t help herself. She walked over to him like an animal attracted to light. She needed to be closer to him. She looked down on the boy, softly touching him with a finger. He was beautiful. Both of them. A picture of her with Grayson and their baby flashed before her eyes, but she killed the vision before it had the chance to develop. Never. It was never going to happen. Ava wouldn't let it. She wasn’t strong enough to be a wife or a mother.

  She saw what it did to her dad when she got cancer as a kid. She would never have the strength to go through what he did. First, losing his wife, then almost losing his child to the horrible disease. She knew herself well enough to know that she wouldn’t be able to survive what her father had.

  Grayson looked over at her, his gaze boring into her skull, but she ignored him. She didn’t have the guts to confront the look in his eyes.

  ‘’Why don’t you try and hold him, Ava?’’ Nicole spoke from the bed, her voice weak but somehow still demanding.

  Ava shook her head. Holding the boy wasn’t a good idea. It would only make her heart ache for the things she would never have.

  ‘’Here,’’ Grayson said, shoving the baby toward her, forcing her to take action. When the baby boy was in her arms, she cooed at him. He didn’t weigh a thing. He was just lying there, sleeping peacefully.

  A click from a cell phone went off. Ava looked up to see William putting away his phone after having taken a picture of her and the baby...and Grayson. The way Grayson was standing behind her, his body almost wrapped around her and the baby while he peeked down on the sleeping form in her arms, felt like a protective hug.

  She turned her head to the side, her face an inch from his, her lips so close to his that she only had to reach up and they’d be touching. She knew why William had taken a picture of them; it was most likely Nicole that had told him to do
it, but only because Ava and Grayson had looked like a loving family.

  Grayson caught her eye, and for a split second, Ava saw the same thoughts and feelings go through him that had just gone through her. It was a dangerous and seductive possibility to entertain.

  Nicole had always tried to convince Ava that she could have it all - love, marriage, and kids. Ava had never agreed. She was too afraid. Too afraid of getting cancer again. Too afraid of loving someone only to see them get ripped away from her by the ugly disease.

  A phone interrupted the quiet atmosphere, turning the quiet and beautiful sleeping boy into a crying monster. Grayson apologetically excused himself and left the room to take the call while Ava handed the little devil over to his mom, who cooed at him, asking him if he was hungry.

  Ava left the room to give her sister and William some privacy. It wasn’t until she left the room, the exhaustion hit her like a freight train. She had been in the hospital for hours, waiting for Nicole to pop out her nephew. She couldn’t imagine what Nicole must feel like right now, having practically been split in half by something the size of a watermelon. The thought cured Ava of wanting children, at least until she found Grayson, standing in the hallway looking fine as hell.

  Ava placed a hand on Grayson’s back. Out of character, he stiffened under her touch. She gazed at him questioningly, his eyes were hard and cold, only softening when they found hers. He blew out a breath, muttering hushed and angry words into the phone. Ava didn’t understand the conversation. Someone wanted to meet with him, but Grayson didn’t seem very happy about the prospect of meeting with the person on the other end of the line.

  Ava felt misplaced. Should she stay or give him some privacy? It wasn’t like they were a couple, and she wasn’t his girlfriend. Still, she remained by his side, rubbing soothing motions on his back, hoping to ease some of the tension in his body. When Grayson hung up, he started to pace back and forth, panting heavily.

  ‘’You okay?’’ Ava asked.

  Grayson glared at her, giving her the stink eye as if she had been the one to piss him off. She tried not to take it personally. She knew it had been a mistake to ask that stupid question before she had even asked it. Of course, he wasn’t okay, but what else could she have said?

  Another long moment went by with Grayson pacing back and forth, running a hand through his hair. Whatever that phone call was about; it was bad news.

  Ava made a bold decision and positioned herself in front of him, crushing her lips against his. It took a moment, but Grayson finally reciprocated, kissing her hard and brutal. He grabbed her face in his hands, invading her mouth with his tongue, kissing her as though his life depended on it, as though kissing her this way was the only way for him to gain back his power and control. Ava let him take whatever he needed from her.

  When the kiss ended, they were both panting heavily. Grayson rested his forehead against hers, his eyes closed, his hands still clinging on to her.

  ‘’Do you want to talk about it?’’ Ava whispered quietly, not wanting to break their bubble.

  Grayson snarled and shook his head, but didn’t let her go.

  ‘’Do you want me to leave you alone?’’

  Again Grayson snarled and refused to release her face from his captivity.

  ‘’Do you want to go back to your place?’’

  At that, Grayson finally opened his eyes, and the sight that greeted Ava shocked her. His eyes looked haunted. He looked vulnerable and mad with fury at the same time. Grayson still didn’t respond with words, but he let go of her face and grabbed her hand in his, yanking her toward the exit.

  They drove in silence back to his place. As soon as Ava entered the apartment, Grayson was on her, crashing her back up against the nearest wall, trapping her with his strong body, his hands holding her wrists in a firm hold, denying her access to touch his body. His lips plundered hers. It was hard and rough and amazing.

  They tore each other's clothes off, making their way to the bedroom in a hurry. Grayson showed her no mercy, yanking the fabric of her dress apart. Ava had no idea what was going on with him, but she was going to give him everything he needed tonight. She was going to be his willing slave.

  Grayson wrenched his lips off Ava’s, his body trembling with barely controlled emotions, his eyes a haunting black color.

  Roughly, he grabbed her and turned her around, pressing her front down on the mattress.

  ‘’Get on all fours,’’ Grayson growled. When she took too long to oblige him, he used his strength to position her himself.

  When Ava heard the sound of a condom package being ripped open, she looked over her shoulder and saw Grayson with expert precision slide the condom on his hard member. He didn’t spare her a glance. Instead, he grabbed her hips from behind, letting his hands travel over her ass, squeezing it so hard it was on the verge of being painful. Ava let out a moan, and Grayson immediately slapped her ass.

  He teased her wet core by sliding his cock back and forth her pussylips, handing her several ass slaps. Ava gripped the bedsheets and dug her nails down into the mattress, letting out each pleasurable scream Grayson made her feel.

  ‘’That's right, sweetheart. Fucking scream!’’ Grayson growled, slapping her ass, his fingers digging into her flesh. ‘’It’s going to be hard and rough, you okay with that?’’ he asked out of breath, readying his cock at her entrance.

  The second after Ava nodded her head in confirmation, he violently intruded her in one long thrust. She let out a sound that was a mix between a moan and a scream. The intrusion hurt in the best way possible.

  Grayson shouted out curses, immediately thrusting his hips back and forth, not giving Ava a second to come to her senses.

  The slapping sounds of their body as his hips collided with her ass made Ava even hornier than she already was. She squeezed her inner walls around his cock, which earned her a low growl from Grayson and another slap to her ass.

  Grayson bent over, his fingers finding her clit, rubbing it with her wet juices. SheAva arched her back, moving her hips back each time Grayson’s hips moved forward, thrusting into her.

  ‘’Fuck, your pussy is pure heaven. It’s so fucking tight. I’m going to fucking destroy you,’’ Grayson barked.

  Ava was too far gone to understand the meaning behind his words. Grayson would never hurt her. She liked aggressive sex with him. He always made her feel good. At first, she hadn’t thought spanking was something she would have enjoyed, but look at her now, practically begging for it. There wasn’t much they hadn’t done in the sex department. Grayson did, after all, have quite the experience in the department, which was something Ava didn’t want to think about now or ever. Imagining Grayson with other women made her entire body twist with an unpleasant feeling.

  Ava moaned when the sound of another slap to her ass echoed off the walls. Grayson kept rubbing her clit. She was so close to reaching Nirvana.

  ‘’Fucking come, baby. Come on my fucking cock!’’ Grayson commanded, and Ava obeyed. She came hard. The brutal pounding of her pussy prolonged her orgasm to last forever it seemed.

  When Ava had given him all she had to give, she wanted to pass out on the mattress, but Grayson wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her up on all fours, letting out a mighty roar.

  Ava felt his cock starting to tremble within her. She thought he was going to explode, but instead, he pulled out, ripped the condom off, and pumped his cock a few times before shooting his cum all over her backside.

  Grayson’s muscles bounced with strength, his eyes still lost in blackness. When he was done coming, he sat back on his haunches, looking at the masterpiece he had made on her ass. He was still panting as he grabbed her ass, spreading his cum all over it. With any other man, Ava would have felt disgusted and cheap, but with Grayson, she felt sexy. Or maybe it was just the mind-blowing orgasm she had received that was making her delirious.

  Without a word, Grayson went to the bathroom and came back with a warm washcloth and wiped awa
y his masterpiece. He threw the cloth on the floor before getting into bed. They laid in silence. Once again, Ava didn’t know what to do. She desperately wanted for sleep to take her away so she wouldn’t have to think about why Grason wasn’t reaching out for her like he usually did. He remained lying on his back, looking up in the ceiling. It was like she wasn’t even there.

  A feeling of being used seeped into Ava’s mind. Why on earth had she allowed herself to get accustomed to Grayson and his warm embrace? They had fun, and now the fun was over for tonight. Maybe she should just leave. Maybe he wanted her to leave but didn’t have the guts to say it to her.

  All her thoughts were soon deleted when Grayson shot a hand out, grabbing hold of hers, squeezing it tightly as if it was a life jacket and he a drowning man. Ava followed her heart over her mind and squeezed back, making sure Grayson knew she was there for him.

  Chapter 7 - Ava

  The face in the mirror was her own, but it was glaring back at her, laughing her in the face, calling her a fool. She had been stupid to fall for Grayson’s charms, abandoning her old life and routines. Now, she was going to pay the ultimate prize for three weeks of reckless stupidity.

  Ava lowered her arm from above her head, quickly putting on her clothes, ignoring her stomach turning and twisting in pain. She looked at the closed bathroom door. Behind it, Grayson was still lying in bed sleeping, his face finally looking relaxed after last night. She still had no idea what was going on with him, and now she probably never would. When she left his bedroom today, it would be for the last time. They were done. A lone tear fell from Ava’s eye at the realization that she and Grayson were over.

  As a coward, Ava snuck out of his apartment, taking one last glimpse at him, lying in bed with the sheets wrapped around his waist, his naked chest on display. She hated herself for letting Grayson enchant her. If she hadn’t started to sleep with him or hang out with him, she would have discovered it sooner. She would have discovered the lump in her breast sooner.

  Cancer was all Ava could think about on her way home. Her apartment seemed foreign to her after having spent most of her nights at Grayson’s apartment for the past three weeks. With tears falling from her eyes, she called her doctor.