“Are you still planning on going back to your family?” I asked.
“No,” she said with a whisper. “I can’t. Not even for my brothers. My father would—”
“Enough with your father. He doesn’t control you any longer, is that understood?”
“Yes,” she said. “I get it.”
“Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to bring your stuff inside and set up in any room you want. You are carrying my child, which means you are under my protection. Whatever you need, I’ll make sure you have it. Whatever doctor’s visits you need, I’ll make sure I’m there with you. I want to be a part of this child’s life, Ava. But more importantly, I want to be a part of yours.”
Ava let out a shuddering breath as another tear fell down her skin.
“Are you serious?” she asked.
I leaned forward and encompassed her lips in a heated kiss as my cock swelled for her.
“Yes,” I said. “I’m dead serious.”
I looked into Ava’s sparkling eyes and saw my entire world. This beautiful, passionate soul was carrying my child, and there was nothing that was going to stand in my way of being a part of this. Ava’s hands rushed to my hair, yanking me back down to her lips as my hands traveled up her shirt. I could taste her passion for me. Her zest for life and her want for me still. I wanted her more than I could stand. I craved her more than I should have.
And now, we were going to have a baby.
The mountain was safe, Ava was back in my arms, and I felt more impregnable than ever. I tasted the whole of my future on the tip of her tongue as I picked her up, cradling her closely into my body. She shook with desire as her skin heated against mine. Our lips swelled underneath the pressure we bestowed upon each other as I carried her back to my room.
I had Ava back, and there was no way I was letting her go.
There was no way I was letting either of them go.
Twenty-Four
Ava
Tears fell down my face as Travis carried us into his bathroom. He set me down onto my feet, his hands roaming my body. He cupped my stomach, cradling it in his touch as my hands worked his clothes off his body. His skin was electrifying, setting a fire within my gut I’d dreamed about over the last three months.
Figuring out I was pregnant was the leverage I used to get away from my aunt, but it wasn’t easy. Once she found out I was pregnant, she was determined to have it given up for adoption. So I wouldn’t bring shame to my family. Shockingly enough, it took my uncle having pity on me and “forgetting” to lock the mansion gates that allowed me to get away.
Had it not been for his “forgetful mind,” I had no idea how I would’ve gotten away.
I fled to the only place I knew I would be safe, but I didn’t know how Travis would react. I was scared he would turn me away. Be angry at me for dropping off the face of the earth and not coming to see him. Never would I thought his reaction to my being pregnant would’ve been this.
Standing naked before him as the hot water of his shower wet our bodies.
My hands slid up and down his muscles, taking him all in like it was our first time. He was such a sight for sore eyes and the warm water soothed my aching hands.
He backed me into the water, wetting my hair and running his hands along my body. He dropped to his knees, peppering kisses down my curves as his lips landed onto my stomach. He placed kiss after kiss on my little bump as his hands pressed me into the tiles of his shower.
Then, his hands spread my legs.
I gripped at his hand as his tongue parted my pussy folds. I was dripping for him. More than I ever had in my life. I rolled against his lips as he worked me expertly, shaking my legs and rendering me a moaning, gasping mess. Water poured down my body, soaking me to the core as his tongue flicked my clit. He dove into my depths and lapped me up, drinking down my juices and pushing me to a precipice I desperately wanted to fall over.
“Travis. I’ve missed you. So much. Please. Please let me… oh. Shit. I’m… it’s… I—”
My climax rendered me silent. My jaw unhinged in pleasure as Travis pinned me to the wall. My legs fell out from underneath me, his arms supporting the whole of my weight. My hands curled into the tendrils of his hair, my nails scratching his scalp. I pulled him as deep into my pussy as I could get him, shaking on his lips as he rode me through my high.
I leaned against the tile wall, breathing heavily as he kissed back up my body.
“Come here,” he said. “I’ve got you.”
We slid back to the floor and I straddled his lap. His cock rubbed between my folds, slicking itself with my juices. I ground into him deeply, moving the tip of his dick closer to where I wanted it the most.
He slid in with a pop, pulling groans from both of us as my forehead fell into Travis’.
“I love you,” I said.
My eyes fluttered open and found his beautiful amber stare smiling at me.
“I love you, too,” Travis said.
His hands gripped my ass, rolling me deeply into his body. My clit raked against his skin, sending me spiraling for our second round. My knees planted into the floor as the hot water battered against our skin, our lips lazily kissing any inch of skin we could find on one another. His callused hands scaled my body, rubbing my back and smacking my ass. Encouraging me to roll faster as I bounced in his lap.
I wrapped my hands around his neck and clung to him tightly. My breasts bounced against his chest and his cock throbbed against my walls. I gasped and moaned into his ear, capturing his earlobe between my teeth. I felt him groan deeply, a carnal desire pouring from him as he moved quickly.
He planted my back onto the bottom of the shower, the hot water cascading around his muscles and dripping off his chiseled form. He was breathtaking. The perfect vision of a man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.
I reached up to cup his cheek, his lips moving to kiss the palm of my hand.
The suddenly, Travis pulled back. He snapped his hips into me, shooting a searing jolt of pleasure through my body. My fingernails dug into his back as he pounded into my skin, my toes running up and down the backs of his legs. I could feel every single muscle in his body working for my pleasure, dripping with life-giving water as the two of us writhed against one another.
“Ava. Fuck. Your pussy’s so tight. You feel… amazing.”
“Fuck me harder, Travis. Make me forget my last name.”
I saw an animal burst forth from his vision. He reared back onto his knees and grasped my ankles, throwing them over his shoulders. He slid deeper into my pussy. Deeper than I ever thought possible as he grazed along something that made me cry out in pleasure.
“There it is,” he said. “I found it.”
He folded me in half, spreading my legs so he could feel my swelling stomach against his. Time after time, his cock raked across that fiery spot, sending jolts of pleasure ricocheting through my limbs. My jaw unhinged in pleasure as Travis grinned down at me.
I felt my walls fluttering around his cock, milking him for everything he had as my back arched from the floor.
“I feel it. I feel you. Cum for me, Ava. Cum around my cock and take what you want.”
“Travis! Yes! Holy… fuck. Oh. Shit. Stop. Stop. It’s too good. I can’t… oh.”
My body fought between stopping and going. Continuing and bringing things to a halt. My body didn’t know if it was in pain or if it was being enjoyed. My toes curled, and my eyes rolled into the back of my head as Travis’ fingertips dipped between my folds. He flicked my clit, circling it with his thumb as he pounded into my hips.
It threw me over the edge for a third time, rendering me useless as he spilled himself into me.
He grunted and groaned, his cock throbbing deep within mine. I could feel his hot threads of cum filling me up, shooting from between my legs and dripping down my ass crack. He filled me until my body couldn’t take anymore, then he pulled his cock out and continued to cum against my skin.
My vision tunneled with pleasure as his entire body shook.
He fell on top of me, his forearms holding him up off my stomach. Our lips connected sweetly as we breathed one another’s air. We panted, heaving for air as the steam of the shower swirled around us. The room was spinning and my eyes felt heavy. I could feel our love for one another dripping from between my thighs as the shower washed it all down the drain.
“Holy shit,” I said breathlessly.
Travis chuckled into the crook of my neck.
“Guess we should wash up,” he said.
“I don’t know if I can. I can’t move,” I said.
“No need. I can clean you up.”
I laid there as Travis moved, leaving me vulnerable to the shower water. It battered down onto my skin, turning me a crimson red as I closed my eyes. I felt a washcloth descend to my skin, circling around my body as I sighed with relief. Travis took time in washing me down, caressing every part of me and kissing my lips whenever he could.
“Do you know what room you want to sleep in?” he asked.
The question caused my eyes to flutter open as I caught his gaze.
“Got any room in your closet?” I asked.
The grin that crawled across his face caused his eyes to sparkle in a way I’d never seen before.
“I could make room,” he said.
“Good,” I said as his hand dipped between my thighs. “Oh… that’s so good.”
Epilogue
Travis
“Hey, look who it is!”
“Well, if it isn’t the belle of the ball and the beast of the underworld.”
“Are they talking about you or me?” Ava asked.
“Pretty sure you’re the belle and I’m the beast,” I said.
“That’s not very kind.”
“It’s Jasper and Leo. Did you expect any different?” I asked.
My brothers came striding up and wrapped their arms around Ava. She was seven months pregnant with our flourishing baby girl and looked more radiant than ever. Ever since my parents decided to take up permanent residence in Florida, my brothers and I had grown closer. I wanted my daughter to know her uncles. I wanted Ava to become a part of this family.
But most of all, I wanted all three of the business owners to have a close relationship with one another.
“How are you feeling, beautiful?” Jasper asked.
“You look good. That a new dress?” Leo asked.
“It is new, yes. Because I’m ballooning faster than my closet can keep up,” Ava said. “And thank you, Jasper. That means a lot.”
“Have you guys gotten everything together for the tax season? It’s gonna hit us sooner than you think,” I said.
“We can talk shop later,” Jasper said. “Right now, I want to hear all about how this last month has gone.”
“Yes. How is my little niece doing?” Leo asked. “She still using your kidneys as kickboxing bags?”
“She’s flipped a bit, so now she’s on my bladder. I’m two more well-placed kicks away from needing diapers myself,” Ava said.
“That sounds petrifying. Travis, I hope you’re doing everything for this woman so she doesn’t have to do anything herself,” Leo said.
“I’ve got it under control,” I said with a grin.
Jasper fired up the grill to cook us up some venison steaks. Out of all of us, he was the hunter. The one who did it year-round. If it was an animal and legal to hunt, he did it. Deer. Bear. Quail. Squirrel. One time, I caught him trying to make a roach stew for the hell of it.
It was fucking awful and I made sure he understood it.
“When did you catch this one?” Ava asked.
“Fresh from the basement this morning,” Jasper said. “It wandered up into my driveway and I took a shot right from my door. Most convenient kill I’ve ever made.”
“You still drag those things down into your basement?” Leo asked. “I figured you would’ve set up a shed or something by now to make it easier. You know, with a drain pipe or something.”
“That’s why I use the basement. Sure, it takes some work hauling the animal down there. Especially those damn bears. But there’s a bathroom for me to wash off and a drain pipe in the middle of the floor. Got my butchering bench right over it,” Jasper said.
“What are you doing with the fur this time?” Ava asked. “Are you making anything?”
“Why? You wanting something? Because I’ve got no issues making you something,” Jasper said.
“I was thinking about making our little girl a blanket. You know, pink fleece on one side and the animal fur on the other,” Ava said.
“That’s a fucking tremendous idea. Jasper, you could turn that shit into a side business,” Leo said.
“He’s got his hands full with the company right now,” I said. “The new business we’ve acquired requires his personal expertise.”
“What? In wooing women?” Ava asked.
“In a manner of speaking,” Jasper said with a grin.
“I don’t even wanna know,” Ava said.
“Oh, Leo. I was wondering if you could jerky some of this venison for me. I can get it for you after we eat,” Jasper said.
“Yep. You give me what you want, tell me the flavors, and I’ll get it to you,” Leo said.
“Now that’s a side job I can get behind,” I said. “Leo’s jerky is the best.”
“Really? Do you sell it?” Ava asked.
“I’ll give you some of mine when I get it back,” Jasper said. “He does all kinds of flavors. What’s your favorite?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never really been a jerky eater,” Ava said.
“Oh! Oh, my heart! It hurts. Those words stung, beauty. Cut me right to my core,” Leo said.
“You can stop being dramatic now,” I said. “We don’t want to distract Jasper while he’s cooking. Remember what happened last time?”
“Last time?” Ava asked. “What happened last time?”
“He stumbled back into the grill and burned his ass,” Leo said.
He said it with such a straight face that I wasn’t sure if Ava believed him.
“No he didn’t,” Ava said.
“God as my witness,” Leo said.
“I mean Jasper’s tall, but his butt doesn’t come all the way up to the grill,” Ava said.
“You starin’ at my ass?” Jasper asked.
“That’s actually a good question,” I said with a grin.
“I’m just saying,” Ava said with a giggle.
“Wanna see the burn scar?” Jasper asked. “It’s right there on my left ass cheek.”
“She’ll pass,” I said.
I heard a car pull up as we all turned our heads. Ava locked up beside me as the car came dragging to a stop. Leo and Jasper looked at one another before Leo came to Ava’s side, standing just in front of her in case things got rough. Despite my opinion of the situation, Ava wanted to invite her family to this get together. She wanted to try and make amends with them after spending a few months away from their grasp. I loved her big heart and her willingness to make things work, but I also knew people didn’t change.
But, for Ava’s sake, I supported her decision.
We watched as her brothers stepped out, their eyes widening at her protruding stomach. They looked so much like her, it was almost impossible to deny who they were. They ran and gave her a massive hug, doting on how good she looked and how they had missed her. I shook their hands and they clapped my back, then I introduced her brothers to mine.
Then, I looked over and saw her parents step out of the car.
Their eyes were hard on me as we all stood around Ava. The last thing I was going to let them do was ruin this for her. These family cookouts were supposed to be a stress-free time for all of us to get to know one another and update each other on our lives. It was a time for Ava to get to know my family and for me to get to know hers better. And I wasn’t going to allow her bullshit parents to ruin that for us.
I�
�d drag them off this property with my bare hands if I had to.
“Hey Dad,” Ava said.
The sea of men surrounding her parted as her father and mother approached us. Their eyes raked up and down her body, clocking her stomach and drawing in deep breaths. I watched their faces closely, ready to pounce at a moment’s notice in case anything went south.
But then, a smile bloomed on her mother’s cheeks.
“You look gorgeous, sweetheart,” she said.
Ava and her mother embraced as her father rubbed her back. Ava soon threw her arms around her father’s neck, holding him close to her. I watched in partial shock as her parents embraced her, but the moment was pierced with the sound of another car coming up the driveway.
And I gawked when I saw my parents behind the wheel.
Ava rushed to my parents, hugging them tightly as they got out of the car. We all embraced as the steaks rested on the grill, with Jasper running into his cabin to get more food. My parents were introduced to Ava’s and tensions slowly dissipated. My anxiety and my protective stance turned into one that was welcoming and warm, and I was shocked as to how my father and her father got along.
Despite all the bullshit those two had gone through with their companies, it was shocking how much they had in common. They talked about their golfing trips and their experiences traveling abroad. They both had a love for Barcelona and classic literature. The two of them talked like they were old friends, sipping from beer bottles while Jasper cooked up more steaks. I held Ava close to my side, pressing a kiss to the side of her head.
“Did you ever think you would see this?” I asked.
“What? My father getting along with yours? Not a fucking chance,” Ava said.
“How do you feel about all of this?”
Ava turned her gaze up to mine as she stood to her toes, her lips hovering in front of mine.
“It feels like home,” she said.
I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her deeply as Jasper continued to cook food behind us. Leo bonded with her brothers, cracking lewd jokes and bragging about his sexual escapades. Our parents laughed over memories and talked about future ventures for their companies, and I held my world in my arms.
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