“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.
The mother of my child and my unborn daughter.
Nothing could get better than this.
“I love you, Ava,” I said into her lips.
“I love you, too, Travis.”
Defending The Mafia Princess
A Bad Boy Bodyguard Romance
Sophie Madison
Chapter One
Alexandra
“For the last time, Alexandra, it’s not going to happen. Please, just drop it so we can eat in peace. I’ve had a shit day, and I just want to drink this wine, eat some junk food, and slump in front of the TV.”
I clenched my fists under the table and glared at him, giving him the slight frown that I had practiced in the mirror earlier. Normally it was effective, but at the moment, he wasn’t having it.
“Don’t even try it, sweetheart. I’ve had enough bullshit at work, so that it’s just not gonna work on me today. I said no, and I mean no. That’s the end of it.”
I sighed defeatedly but wasn’t ready to give up just yet on what had thus far been a week-long argument, played out in small one or two hourly episodes every evening.
“Dad, I know you don’t like it, but I’m not a little girl anymore. All I constantly see on Instagram are pics of my friends all over the world, and believe me, there isn’t a chaperone in sight in any of them! Cocktail bars, pool parties, gorgeous hotels…just young people having fun with no danger nearby!”
I raised my dainty, recently manicured eyebrows and pouted slightly again. If this was some random guy, I would have leaned forward and showed a hint of cleavage, guaranteeing a quick end to the argument.
But unfortunately, this wasn’t some random guy. This was my father.
He wistfully glanced up from his large glass of wine, looking almost annoyed that I was distracting him from it. “You can’t see the chaperones because they’re damn good at staying out of sight. That’s why the good ones cost so damn much! I’m not insisting on this just because I think you’re some special little snowflake, believe me. I have my reasons.”
And here we come to the brick wall again, I thought to myself, knowing we would soon begin skirting around the issue of why I needed protection, although Dad would never actually answer the question. But I decided to take the chance and engage the argument anyway. “Why do I need a bodyguard then?”
If my psychology degree had taught me anything at all about body language—which it had, considering that I’d graduated Summa Cum Laude—it was that my dad wouldn’t be swayed. Regardless, I refused to give anything away, despite the fact that I was nearing the end of my patience and almost ready to fold.
I’ll make it worth my while when I do though, that’s for damn sure! I thought bitterly.
Dad sighed and tore his eyes away from the TV for a moment, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You know I can’t explain, I’ve told you that. I’ve signed confidentiality agreements that would put me in jail if I even told you what kind of paper they were written on.” He drained his glass of wine.
I refrained from rolling my eyes. Not sure that’s how you’re supposed to drink a $300 bottle of red wine, Dad…
“Look, I’ll tell you what. Let’s make a deal,” I offered.
Dad sat up and put on what I called his ‘business mode’ face, his head slightly raised and his shoulders back with his hands crossed in front of him. “I’ll tell you what I can do, even though it’ll still get me in trouble. I might be able to talk my way out of it though, but only on the condition that you agree to my terms.” He paused for a moment and smiled. “Oh, I almost forgot. As a sweetener, I’ll cover all your travel expenses, not just the flights and accommodation.”
I sat up, my eyes widening. This was more to my liking. My dad was a very rich man, but the money he had put aside for me when I was younger was being held in trust in the form of shares in his company, and I couldn’t spend a penny of it until the trust matured in just under two years.
And I wanted to go on vacation now.
“What’s caused the sudden generosity, Daddy?” I asked. “Did someone slip something into your wine?”
He gave me a sympathetic laugh. “No, Alexandra. My company’s share price has risen rather considerably in the last few days, with the positive media reaction over the completion of our last contract. Which was front page news, I hasten to add. Oh, and following the news article, the companies are now queuing up to get us to sign more software development contracts.”
Dad still referred to the company as his even though he’d sold the majority stake to a large multinational software and hardware development conglomerate when I was young. The share price had risen sharply, making us billionaires on paper almost overnight, and it seemed we were even richer now. Not much of that mattered to me though, at least not until my shares matured and I’d have more money than I could ever spend.
At the moment though, I just wanted to enjoy the last few years of my early twenties before I had to worry about buying a house, having kids, or any of the burdens that would come with either. And by fun, I meant luxury travel. partying, sightseeing…
And sex. Not necessarily lots of it. Just good sex from a man who knows what he’s doing, not like the small handful I’d experienced casually at college, small being the operative word…
“Deal?” Dad barked, bringing me out of my daydream.
This is it, then. Time to concede defeat on favorable terms. “Okay, Daddy. If it really means that much to you, I’ll let you hire someone to look after me. As long as they don’t get in the way, cramp my style, or cockblock me.” Dad winced, making me regret my choice of words. “Well, you know what I mean. I am 22 now, you know.”
“I know. Anyway, here’s what I can tell you.” He leaned forward, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial tone. “You know I manage the software development of part of the company, right? A position I was given when I returned to work, after your mom passed away. Let’s just say that I manage the development of software that either helps kill people or helps to stop people from being killed. And not just for companies, but for armed forces and governments too. And there’s lots of nasty bastards out there who would do anything to get their hands on it.”
He leaned back in his chair, his gaze distant for a second. He rarely spoke about Mom. She had died after a brave but short battle with an aggressive form of cancer when I was three. Dad later told me that he had sold the majority of his company at the time of her diagnosis, so he could be there to support her and look after me. I could tell that he still wasn’t over her death and would probably never be. And the loss made him even more protective of me, which was touching but could be very smothering at times.
“Anyway,” he continued, “I’ve already told you more than I’ve ever told anyone outside of work about what I do. But hopefully you understand that I’m not just being an overprotective old bastard. I want you to have fun and do your own thing, but I want someone there…just in case, ya know?”
“I know,” I said as sympathetically as I could manage, even as the excitement started to build up. After almost two years of planning and re-planning, chatting about the details with friends, and a week of arguing with my dad, I was finally going travelling! And with Dad covering my expenses, travel, and hotel, I’d be travelling in sublime style and luxury. None of that slumming it with dirty backpackers, getting fleas or crabs or whatever you’d get living in a hostel, or sleeping with unwashed
travelers.
For me, it would be first-class or business-class, the best hotels, and nicest restaurants. Not to mention clean, wealthy, handsome, and hopefully well-endowed men.
Hey, a girl can dream, right?
Chapter Two
Cruz
I looked up from my whiskey glass, my cold blue eyes fixing the older businessman sitting opposite of me with an intent stare. “How much?” I said in a soft but deep monotone.
“You heard me. Listen, I’ve had a look at your previous work and spoken to your…references. I know this isn’t the type of contract you usually take. And I may be being damned paranoid, but I can’t shake the feeling that the risk is greater than you or anyone else suspects.”
“Right. So, this isn’t simple babysitting, knocking some sense into some over-friendly jocks. I know, Andrew.” As I spoke, I saw my potential future employer flinch.
“How the fuck?” The older man leaned forward, his hand reaching for the panic button under his desk. “I never told you my name, did I?”
I leaned back, trying to relax my muscular frame into as non-intimidating of a position as possible for someone standing 6’ 5” and weighing 260 lbs. “You don’t need to press that. I’m on your side. Plus, your name is on that certificate over there.” I gestured with my glass towards the faded yellowing certificate on the far wall a good ten feet away.
If I was being completely honest—which I never was, especially when trying to impress or intimidate—my eyes weren’t that good. I’d heard of the heat this guy was facing through some old mob contacts. The sort of contacts you needed when you were an ex-vigilante slash criminal-turned-gun for hire, mercenary, bodyguard—hell, I’d do a fucking dog protection service if the money was right.
I had even managed to find out his address, name, and a good idea of what his pretty daughter looked like from squinting at her almost-private social media pages. From what I could see, she was about an eight. Maybe a nine after a few drinks. I had fleetingly found myself wishing I was a few years younger, but immediately stopped those thoughts right in their tracks. I knew what happed when I got involved with women—trouble. So, I vowed to keep this one strictly professional. Besides, I knew this man’s daughter was probably way out of my league.
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