The Billionaire’s Bride by L. Steele

2

Ava

Shit, shit, shit, I knew it was a mistake being in the same room as Baron and Edward. But how could I stay away? Edward had been hurt. He’d been in and out of consciousness for the last two days. I’d stayed by his side, only to make sure that he was okay. That’s it. It has nothing to do with the relief that had swept through me when I’d seen him framed in the doorway of the studio. Right before he’d been shot—by mistake—by Baron.

Now, Edward glares at Baron, a suspicious look in his eyes. Of course, he’d spotted the body language between me and Baron. Too bad. Not that there's anything between me and Baron anymore, not after he'd left me too. But he'd rescued me again, when he'd walked into the studio. If it hadn't been for him arriving when he did... I swallow. Still, I hadn’t been prepared for Edward to figure out what had transpired between me and Baron so quickly. And no, I will not feel guilty about that. After all, it’s Edward who left me in the first place, didn't he?

Now he fists the fingers of his free arm at his side. "Did you?" he growls. "Did you shag her?"

Baron raises his shoulders and drops them. He opens his mouth, shuts it, shuffles his feet. Shit, if that isn’t a dead giveaway for guilt, I don’t know what is.

And damn, if we have done anything wrong. Yeah, you only slept with his friend while he was away.

But it’s not like I had been in any kind of committed relationship with the Father… I mean, Edward. It is going to take some time getting used to not seeing him as a priest anymore. And the man in front of me with his bloodshot eyes, hair standing up every which way, anger bouncing off of him…is as far away from the calm, collected, Father as I can imagine. It’s as if he left as one person, and returned as someone else. The change had already been underway the last time he’d seen me—when he’d fucked me, made love to me in a passionate blaze that had burned into my skin and imprinted itself in my cells. I swallow, glancing away.

"It’s… just…" Baron starts to speak then purses his lips.

"Oh, for fuck’s sake," I burst out. "Yes, he shagged me. I shagged him. Does that answer your question?"

Both men turn to glare at me. Edward with those golden eyes that seem to be ablaze in a way I’ve never seen them before. And Baron with those twin beams of laser blue that seem to cut me to the bone.

"What?" I demand. "What did you think would happen, Ed? You abandoned me—"

"—Left you while I took some time to figure things out," Edward snarls.

"Then called your best friend to come back to the life he’d left behind—"

"—to watch over you." He squares his shoulders.

"Knowing full-well that I was in a vulnerable position." I purse my lips.

"—I wanted to make sure you weren’t alone."

"And that Baron, here, was trying to cope with life after everything that he’d been through," I insist.

"—I was giving him the chance to mend fences with the rest of the Seven."

"You pushed us together, knowing there was a good chance that we’d develop feelings for each other," Baron interjects.

"I trusted you," Edward roars, and I jump. Whoa, hello! What the hell happened to the Father who was always tightly in control? Who wore his serenity like it was the most important part of his personality?

To be fair, I’d always sensed that burning intensity just below the surface, only I’d never seen him lose his cool before. Not like this, and sensing how full-on Edward is now, compared to how he never showed his emotions earlier? It's something else altogether.

Silence descends in the space, broken only by the muted sound of footsteps outside the door.

"You were supposed to watch her… From a distance," Edward growls. "You weren’t supposed to make contact."

"What can I say?" Baron drawls. "I screwed up. Oops."

"Why you—" Edward’s jaw tics. A vein pops in his temple. Anger pours off of him as he glares at Baron, who meets his gaze with a stoic countenance.

OMG, this can’t be happening. I cannot believe this is actually unfolding in front of me. I mean, I can’t possibly be witnessing this kind of a showdown, and with two men…at the same time, right? Both of whom I fucked; no excuses. And who were—are? —close friends…had clearly been through a lot together.

Now, because of me, they are eyeing each other like they hate each other… Maybe they already did, to some extent, if I’ve correctly read between the lines of how they had spoken about one another. Still, I can’t live with myself if I destroyed whatever little bit of trust remained between the two. Going by how the two of them are engaged in a game of who-blinks-first… Well, I’m afraid things are going to get a whole lot worse.

I drag in a breath, then step between them. "Stop it, you guys."

"Get out of the way, Ava," Baron snaps.

"Don’t talk to her like that," Edward snarls back.

I throw up my hands, "No seriously, you guys, this is not the time or the place to engage in a game of who has the biggest dick."

Both sets of gazes train on me. I glance sideways at Edward’s glowering face, then at Baron’s stony one. Shit, I had to go and say that, right? Of all the things.

Baron opens his mouth and I hold up a finger, "Don’t even think about it."

"You don’t know what I was going to say."

"Oh, please." I toss my hair over my shoulder. "The way the two of you pounced on that comment—which is a figure of speech, by the way, I’ll have you know—you think I don’t know what’s going through your minds right now?"

"Actually, I don’t," Edward drawls.

"Neither do I," Baron widens his stance, "but I’d sure like to know."

I stare between them, "Seriously, now the two of you are going to unite against me?"

"Of course, not, " Edward bites out.

"No way," Baron retorts at the same time.

The two glare at each other again. The tension in the room ratchets up. Now we are back to square one. Lovely.

"Enough. Really, you two, cut it out." I fold my arms across my chest.

Edward scowls.

Baron’s jaw hardens.

The animosity in the room seems to hit a fever pitch. The hair on the back of my nape stands on end.

"Step aside, Ava," Baron’s voice lowers to a hush.

"No, no, no." I wring my fingers. "Don’t do this."

"Do it," Edward says in a hard tone. Then he turns his gaze on me, and his features soften, "Please. Baron and I we need to sort this out."

"But… You’re hurt," I burst out.

Edward rises to his feet. He pulls his arm out of his sling. Sweat beads his brow, but his features don’t change. "You mean this?" He smirks. "It’s fine, just a scratch."

I blink down at his arm, then at his face. "You are crazy," I mutter.

"I have been since I met you," he agrees.

Baron growls deep in his throat and the hackles on my arms rise.

"Now, Ava," he snaps, and I skitter back.

I feel the breeze a second before he throws up his fist.