The Billionaire’s Bride by L. Steele

12

Ava

"Get yourself off on me. Come now, Eve," he commands, and I shatter. The climax rips up my spine. Sparks flare behind my eyes. My shoulders snap back as I cry out, then slump against him. The aftershocks ripple through me as I rest my forehead against his chest. He holds me there with his arm around my shoulders. I bury my nose in the strip of skin bared between the lapels of his shirt. Draw in the scent of cut grass, and below that, the faint trace of Frankincense which still clings to him.

"Do you miss it?" I whisper. "The priesthood, I mean?"

He stills, then drags his fingers down my hair. His fingertips catch on a knot at the ends and he carefully untangles it.

"Do you have a brush?"

"What?"

"A hairbrush."

I tip up my chin, "If you don’t want to answer the question—"

He places his finger on my lips. "A hair brush," he repeats. "Do you have one?"

I scowl, but damn, I am so relaxed right now, I don’t want to fight with him. "On my dressing table," I murmur.

He steps back, only to wind his fingers around my wrist. He tugs and I follow him to the bedroom. He leads me to the dressing table, urging me onto the stool in front of the mirror, then reaches for the brush. He starts near the tips of my hair and patiently unravels the knots. Brushing a few centimeters more every time, he gradually works his way up to finally have the full sweep from scalp to tip.

I lower my chin, close my eyes and enjoy his soothing strokes. For a few seconds, there’s only the steady rustle of the teeth of the brush through my strands. The sound of my breathing, the heat of his body, the slide of the fabric of his pants against the edge of my seat.

Then, "I don’t miss wearing the robes." His voice rumbles and he draws the brush down another portion of my hair. "I don’t miss the discipline and the routine, something I thought I would." His voice is pensive. I try to turn my head but he clicks his tongue. "Stay still," he scolds and I turn to face forward, watching his face in the mirror.

"But you do miss some parts of it, surely?"

"I miss…" His voice lowers to a hush, "Helping people, I suppose."

Of course, he would. He may be an alphahole, but that is just a part of him… Just as much as that something inside of him, that wants to do something for the greater good. Perhaps it’s that core of him I had sensed, which had been as attractive to me as the strength of his presence?

"You could still do that, you know?" I survey his reflection in the mirror. "You could still help others."

"I am not sure if that’s what I want to do…now."

"What do you want to do then?"

"I want to do…you?" He raises his gaze to meet mine. The look in his eyes… OMG, it’s hot and smoldering and so bloody intense. That’s the thing with Edward. Nothing about him is ever half-way. It’s like he always gives one-hundred percent—no one-thousand percent—of himself to everything he does. His amber eyes flare with that inner fire I recognize and I have missed. I may not have known him for very long, but the time I have is imprinted inside of me. How could someone have had such an impact on my life in so little time?

"Ed…" I whisper and his lips twist. That smirk? Jesus, it’s so hot. And so mean. Why is it that I am always attracted to the bad boy? Not once, but twice over? Clearly, I have a type. And clearly, this type of thinking is not getting me anywhere.

"Ed, please don’t," I plead.

"I’m not doing anything." He turns back to the task of grooming my hair. The rasp of the brush against my scalp makes goosebumps erupt on my skin.

"Ed, please." I pull away, rise to my feet, then pivot to face him. "It’s not fair," I protest, "what you’re doing to me."

"What am I doing to you?"

"You know exactly what." I scowl. "You’re trying to seduce me."

"No, I am not."

"Yes, you are." I fold my arms round my waist. "You know, I am not going to sleep with either of you."

"But you’re okay to kiss him, you’re okay to rub yourself up against my thigh and come, you’re okay to—"

"That’s not fair," I burst out. "You begged me to kiss you."

"And you fell for it?" He raises an eyebrow and anger sparks at my nerve endings.

"You…you bastard."

"If you couldn’t pass this test, I wonder what else you’ve been up to with him."

"You were testing me?"

"Of course," he smirks, "did you think I’d actually beg you for anything?"

I swallow. "How dare you?"

"Just trying to establish that your game of not sleeping with either one of us isn’t working."

"You’re right," I swallow, "it isn’t. In fact, I was wrong to have thought that I could actually stick to this ridiculous notion...of trying to give each of you a fair chance. Especially when both of you seem to turn everything into a competition. When neither of you wants to play by the rules, what chance do I have?"

The blood thrums at my temples. What the hell had I been thinking? Trying to make some sense of this crazy, twisted relationship… Or whatever it is that exists between the three of us. I am the only one who seems to want to find the solution. Both of these…idiots, clearly, don’t want to find a way out. I am the only one trying to play fair, when neither of them wants to respect the boundaries I have tried to create. Obviously, I am going about this all wrong. There is only one way out.

"Leave," I say in a low voice.

"What?" He frowns. "What do you mean?"

"Last I checked, this was still my house," I firm my lips, "and I want you out."

"What the hell?" He glowers. "I am not going to leave you alone."

"Ha," I snarl, "should have thought about that before your little…act, earlier."

"I am not leaving, Ava." He draws himself up to his full height. "Not until we figure out who the hell is behind the attack on you at your studio."

"I don’t care," I snap. "I want you out of my space, Ed. Now."

"You’re angry. I understand." He rakes his gaze across my features. "You’ve been through a lot."

"You have no idea."

"First Baron, then me, turning up out of the blue… And the attack—"

"Was nothing compared to how you and Baron seem to play so easily with my emotions."

"That wasn’t what I intended—"

"Oh, yeah?" I take a step forward. "Didn’t seem like that to me. In fact, from where I am, you and Baron seem so consumed with trying to take the other one down you don’t care how it’s hurting me here."

"Shit, Ava." His features twist. "That wasn’t my intention…and while I can’t speak for Baron, I am sure he didn’t mean to cause you any pain either."

"Well, too late, buster." I take a step back from him. "I suggest you be on your way."

"I am not going to leave you here on your own."

"You don’t have a say anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"It means…" I swallow, glance around the room. Am I going to do this? Guess I am going to do it. I don’t have a choice. It’s not working this way and I can’t allow myself to be torn apart like this between the two of them. For my own sanity, maybe this is the only way out. "I need a little time away from both of you."

"No." His features darken. "You don’t mean it."

"See," I stab a finger in his direction. "There you go again, telling me what I do or don’t think, and honestly, I am tired of it. I just need some time alone to think about where this is all going, about what I want to do with my life, without either of the two of you meddling in my affairs or ordering me around."

"Don’t you dare do this, Eve."

"Oh, fuck off." I throw up my hands, "Both of you call me by the same nickname. Do you have any idea what kind of a mind fuck that is? I mean, what are the chances? Two men, best friends… Or at least, once-upon-a-time best friends, call me by the same bloody nickname, and of course, I have fallen for both of them."

"Wait," he shakes his head, "you have fallen for both of us?"

I gape at him. "Hello? What do you think this entire," I shake my hand in the air, "situation is about."

"I thought…" He scowls. "I know you said you have feelings for him, but you have fallen for him as well?"

"Oh, my god." I slap my palm to my head, "I can’t even… I mean… Seriously?" I march to the door of the bedroom, "Get out of my house."

"No."

"Edward," I slam my hands on my waist, "I want you out of my sight, right now. I mean it."

He places the hairbrush on the dressing table, then turns to me. "I’ll leave—"

I release a breath.

"This bedroom. I’ll spend the night on the couch."

"What the—?"

"Before I leave, I need to make sure there’ll be someone watching the house at night—"

I make a rude noise.

"And that Baron…" his features harden, "has arranged for round the clock surveillance."

"Whatever."

He prowls toward me, and I watch him draw closer, closer still. He pauses in front of me, his big body blocking out the rest of the room from my line of sight. I gulp. A ripple of desire pulses down my spine. I jerk my chin toward the doorway. "Leave, please," I mutter.

"This isn’t over, Eve." His jaw tics. "Not by a long shot."

I hold his gaze. I will not look away. Nope, I need to hold my own if I have any chance of getting through this in one piece. Hah! Famous last words. I am already broken inside. And confused. And at my wit’s end about what to do. Time away from both… Yes, that is exactly what I need. A little time apart, without either alphahole breathing down my neck or getting jealous about the other. Yes, totally what I crave at the moment. Some peace and quiet please?

He lowers his knees, peering into my eyes. "Is this what you want, Eve?"

I nod.

He holds my gaze a second longer, then nods, straightens, and walks out of the room. I close the door behind him, lock it. Bet he heard that. Too bad. Right now, it’s self-preservation. That’s my focus. I head for the bathroom, take a quick shower, then change into my sleep shorts and cotton-camisole. I slide into bed, switch off the light and pull up the covers. Shit, I didn’t get any pillows or a duvet for him. I roll on my side. Too bad. He’ll just have to do without it. Alphahole has a thick hide; that should keep him warm. And the bathroom... There isn’t another in the house, and I locked the door. Forget it. If he wants to use it, he can knock. For once, it will be him asking me for something… Instead of the other way around. I close my eyes and must have fallen asleep, for the next thing I know, it’s morning.

I throw off the covers, head to the bathroom, brush my teeth.

I walk back into the bedroom, just as my phone pings with an incoming message. I pick it up, swipe the screen to read the message.

Raisa: I've emailed you all the details of the wedding. Dad will be gutted if you don’t come. Please Ava, don't be selfish.

Am I selfish? Is that why I'd fallen so quickly for Baron, right after falling for Edward? Is that why I am holding onto both of them, because I can't let either of them go? Is that why I am so confused, because I want everything? Is that so wrong, though? To not settle for what doesn't feel right?

It's why I had dropped out of med school. And not that embarking on a creative career is any easier, but at least, it feels right somewhere inside of me. Just like... It doesn't feel right to make a decision about the two of them...yet. And going to Dad's wedding? I sit down on the bed. I had read Raisa's email, and know that the wedding is in the backyard of our family home. It’s only a few days to the event now and... Shit, I don’t want to break his heart. Truly, I don’t.

I reach for the phone to answer her message, keep my fingers poised over the keyboard, but the words don’t come. I place the phone aside. Head to the closet, drag on a sweatshirt and leggings then walk out of the bedroom.

When I reach the front room, I find it’s empty.