A_Dom_Is_Forever

by Lexi Blake

  Her heart hurt, but she couldn’t let begging work this time. She got up and pulled on his arm. She was weak. She knew it, but she couldn’t let it stop her. She had to get him out of here. She had to be the strong one now. He’d taken those bullets for her. He could have gotten away at the apartment, but he’d reached out for her. He hadn’t left her alone. He would never leave her alone.

  “I’m not leaving, Liam. I’ll stay here with you,” she choked out. “I’ll sit right here and hold you until those minutes are up. I won’t ever go without you.”

  “Fuck all, woman. Give me some room.” He gritted his teeth and turned over, forcing his knees to move. A low groan came from his mouth as he pushed up and got to his feet. He held on to the desk, his face a sheet of pure white. “Did you find the tablet?”

  She nodded and scurried to grab it. She tucked it under her arm.

  “Do you have any idea how gorgeous you are?” He swung an arm around her shoulders. “I love you, darlin’. And I will spank you in the afterlife.”

  She wasn’t going to the afterlife. She held on to him and moved to the window. It was the fastest way out. Three agonizing steps and they were there. She forced the window open.

  “This is going to hurt, baby.” She couldn’t imagine the pain he was going to go through.

  “Push me out and then follow me.” His face was set.

  He barely groaned, and she forced him through the window. He hit the bushes outside and rolled. Avery followed. How much time was left?

  She started through the window, but a big hand reached out to grab her. She shrieked as she was pulled out of the house and lifted into strong arms. She looked up and saw Ian Taggart’s face staring down at her.

  “How are you here?” Avery asked.

  “When Nelson didn’t show up, we figured out something had gone wrong on this end. We found a dead thug at your place and couldn’t get Li on the phone. This was the first place we thought to check. Alex? You got him?” Ian didn’t seem to even notice her weight.

  “I got him,” a deep voice shouted. “And if he’s not insane, then we need to fucking run. He says the whole place is going to blow, and we need to get him to a hospital ASAP.”

  She looked over Ian’s broad shoulder and saw that Alex McKay had slung Liam over his shoulder.

  Ian took off, catching up to his partner and running through the garden gate. Jake was waiting, holding the gate open.

  “Fuck, is Li alive?” Jake asked.

  “Move, Dean. There’s a fire in the hole,” Ian yelled as he ran past. “Take cover.”

  She was suddenly on the ground, Ian covering her with his big body. She couldn’t breathe, but she felt another weight on her. Jake Dean lent his own body to protect her. In the moonlight, she managed to move her head, looking for Liam. Alex covered him. Liam reached out, his hand threading among the protective bodies to find hers. He gripped her hand.

  She wasn’t alone. She would never be alone again.

  A loud boom filled the world and the night lit up. Avery held on to that hand as the world exploded around her.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Three months later

  Dallas, TX

  Liam looked down at the little scrap of humanity wrapped in a pink blanket. It was actually pretty cute, but it was so damn small. Given who her father was, he’d expected more substance to the kid. “Are you sure she’s yours, Sean?”

  He grunted a little as Avery’s hand came out to slap him in the chest. His wife didn’t mind telling him when he was being dumb. “That’s horrible, Li.”

  Sean just rolled his blue eyes. “It’s not entirely unexpected. Marriage hasn’t curbed your sarcasm, man. It’s kind of refined it.”

  Marriage had refined everything. He looked over at his gorgeous wife, his lover, his best friend, his sub. “I’m better at everything now.”

  He was certainly better at pleasing her. It was his job in life.

  Avery laughed, her eyes rolling. He bloody loved that. It was her way of telling him she was amused. He was also very good at amusing her. “Listen to him. He’s so arrogant.”

  He wasn’t arrogant. He just knew his place. It was by Avery’s side, and she was the smartest damn woman in the world. She was also pregnant. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise. He was on top of her most of the time. “Do you think our kid is going to be that wrinkly?”

  Grace frowned from her hospital bed. The room was filling up fast. Grace had given birth just twenty-four hours before, but she was already back to smiling and beautiful as she held her tiny girl. “She’s not wrinkly. She spent a lot of time in the womb. Give her a little credit.”

  Serena stepped up. “Baby Carys isn’t wrinkly. She’s gorgeous. Look at those little fat baby legs.”

  Adam moved behind his wife, his hand covering her slightly rounded belly. “She is beautiful, sweetheart.”

  Jake took his place at her side, too. “Our son is going to be gorgeous, too.”

  Jake and Adam were sure the baby in Serena’s belly was a boy, but Liam didn’t give a shit. He just wanted a healthy baby. It sort of freaked him out. He still wasn’t sure he was father material, but he loved his wife so much he had to try. That baby would be a part of Avery. The baby would get all her goodness. The baby would be the best thing he could put into the world. While he was scared out of his mind, he was also okay because Avery was with him. Avery was his strength. He pulled her close, nuzzling her hair. This was where he lived. Avery O’Donnell was his home.

  “She’s awful cute, love,” Liam offered.

  Avery gave him a big grin. “She is.”

  The door opened behind him and Ian, Alex, and Eve walked in. The gang was all here. Ian had a wary look on his face as he entered the room. He was a little awkward carrying a massive teddy bear.

  Sean stood up straighter, his jaw going just a little hard. He hadn’t forgiven his brother yet, but he dealt with it for Grace’s sake. Liam had talked a little to Sean about Rory. He was kind of hoping that his good-for-nothing, arms dealing, rapist, killer brother would make Ian look good. Sean needed to know that he had it easy when it came to blood family.

  Grace gave her brother-in-law a glorious smile. “Do you want to meet your niece?”

  “Yes.” The answer came out in a rush, Ian flushing slightly. He shook it off. “But she’s so…little. I think I might break her.”

  Big Tag stood over the tiny infant looking utterly helpless. Carys kicked her baby legs and managed to break free of the bunting they had wrapped around her. One tiny fist came free, and there was no way to miss the proud little smirk that hit Ian’s face.

  “Just pick her up, man,” Sean said, sighing. “She’s tough. She’s a Taggart.”

  Liam had never seen Ian flush before, but he did as he looked down at that little day-old girl. His big ass paws came out to lift the infant up.

  “She’s beautiful. I think that’s from Grace, though. Not you, Sean,” Ian said, looking down at his niece.

  A broad smile broke over Sean’s face. “Yeah. She looks like her momma.”

  Liam hated this part, the part that made his eyes water and his stomach roll. Emotion. It still kind of made him want to puke, but he would do anything for these people. His real family. He was a bloody lucky man. He’d gotten to pick his family, and they were amazing. He pulled Avery close. His wife. His better half. He’d lost his brother, but he’d found his soul.

  Ian smiled down at the girl. “I’m going to meet all of your boyfriends.”

  Grace shook her head. “The poor girl. She’s never going to date. Sean already has plans.”

  Ian gave the baby to Sean, handing her over carefully. The baby was precious. He turned to Liam, gesturing to the door.

  Liam followed him out. “What’s up, boss?”

  It had been a quiet couple of months. His marriage to Avery and the birth of Carys had been the big events in their lives. It was a wonderful way to live.

  The door closed, and Ian turned to him.
“I already told the others, but MI6 just apprehended the first of Nelson’s buyers.”

  A fierce satisfaction flooded his veins. His wife had made that happen. She’d taken down a terrorist with smarts and good sense. She hadn’t backed down. She was a warrior, his girl. “Fucking brilliant. Did they get Nelson?”

  Ian’s face went blank. “He didn’t show. He got tipped off somehow. Thanks to Avery, we have the code. Weston broke it, but we can only hope Nelson shows his face soon. He has people inside the Agency. It’s obvious. But we’ve shut his arms dealing down for the moment and MI6 has arrested the UOF employees who helped your brother. Thomas Molina’s accounts have been frozen, and MI6 is sure they’ve tracked down where Rory stashed the cash he’d stolen from the UOF.”

  Cutting off his access to funds would only make Nelson more dangerous. “He told me this is all a game, and he intends to beat you.”

  Liam still had the scars. He’d been taken to a hospital and spent the better part of a week there. He had a bunch of new scars to show off, but he was alive because of Alex and Ian and Jake. His wife had gotten his ass up and moving, and his brothers had saved him. His brothers had covered him and Avery with their own bodies as the world blew up around them. Just as his blood betrayed him, he’d found his real family. The old Liam would have pulled into himself and shut everyone else out.

  Avery’s Liam had opened up. He’d embraced his family. He was a loving husband, a proud brother, a protective uncle. He’d held Avery’s hand as they visited the grave of her first husband and her first baby. He honored them because they had such a place in his love’s heart.

  And he’d visited her in-laws. It wasn’t perfect, but they were talking. His wife was too lovable to reject. She’d opened the world for him. She’d taught him to forgive himself.

  Ian slapped his arm. “I’ll take care of Nelson.”

  Liam was so fucking worried about his friend. “I think Nelson is planning on taking care of you.”

  A savage look came over Ian’s face. “Then he should bring it on.”

  “He’s going to come after us again.” Liam had no doubt.

  Ian nodded. “I know. I’ll try to take care of it. I’m bringing on a new member of the team, by the way. I hired him yesterday. We’ve got a bunch of family men now. I need a smart agent who won’t get squeamish about handling a dirty op.”

  “Who? Did Alex approve?” Liam had come to appreciate Alex’s opinion.

  “Alex is in agreement, and you won’t like him.” Ian shrugged a little.

  Liam groaned. “Not Weston. Please. Doesn’t he have a kingdom to run or something?”

  Ian’s smirk told him he was right. “He left MI6 because he screwed up. I think he won’t do it again, and he was the one who figured out the cipher. We shut down Nelson’s money because of him. Damon says he’s a little haunted because he took Nelson’s data. I promised I would take care of him. We’ve all trusted the wrong people. I think he could be helpful.”

  He would be a pain in Liam’s ass, and if the bugger looked at his wife wrong, he would take Simon out. But otherwise, he was on the team. “I’ll show him the ropes, boss.”

  He owed Ian. He owed them all. Simon Weston would have the chance to prove himself.

  “Thanks, man.” Ian looked around, his discomfort palpable. “Tell Grace good-bye for me. I love the kid, but I don’t know how to deal with her. I have a trust already planned for her school if that makes a difference. I won’t have any kids. I figure I can help with Sean’s.”

  “Sure, mate.” Liam watched as Ian walked away. Nelson would show up, but they would be ready. They had won this battle, but the war raged on.

  He opened the door again. Avery had Carys in her arms, rocking the baby sweetly. She looked up, her eyes bright.

  She was his whole fucking life.

  “Hey, baby,” she said with a smile.

  Liam let the door close behind him. It was all right. He was with his family.

  * * * *

  Deep in the night, Alex turned on his laptop. He would just check his email before going to bed. Hell, who was he kidding? He would be sitting here for hours. The minute he laid down in bed, he would be reminded of the fact that Eve wasn’t with him.

  Watching Sean and Grace and their baby had hit him squarely in the gut. He was happy for them. He was happy for all of them. Everyone was married and had pregnant wives it seemed. Adam and Jake had wanted to start a family forever. Fuck, even love ‘em and leave ‘em Liam had settled down. He would be a father before Alex.

  That was what churned in his gut. He and Eve should have been parents a couple of times over by now. Two or three kids. They should be in the suburbs with a couple of girls who looked like Eve and a dumbass boy who would act like Alex. They should have had a future.

  He’d screwed it all up. He’d thought he was so fucking smart, but Michael Evans had shown him. He closed his eyes, the memories still so fresh in his head like the horror had happened yesterday and not years ago. But then wounds never healed when a man just kept ripping them open again.

  A weariness invaded his veins as the screen changed. He’d earned his heartache. He’d gotten out of Eve’s bed not an hour before, and his soul was already aching. He’d lain there and just for a moment he’d pretended she wasn’t going to kick him out. He’d let himself hope that she would turn to him, lay her head on his chest and they could fall asleep wrapped around each other.

  She’d gotten up and taken a shower as though she couldn’t wait to wash him from her body. He’d slunk out knowing damn well she was done with him for the night.

  Their world was changing, and he was wondering if he wasn’t changing with it.

  He couldn’t handle it. He loved Eve, but he couldn’t handle the punishment much longer. He loved her, and he’d destroyed her.

  If he couldn’t put her back together soon, his life might be over.

  He glanced down the e-mails. Work. Work was the only thing that held him together half the time. He could lose himself in work. He answered a few questions about ongoing cases. There was nothing special in the list until about halfway down.

  He hit select, his heart skipping a little. His eyes searched the mail, and his blood pressure rose.

  Michael Evans was back, and it seemed like he wanted to play a little game.

  Eve was in trouble. Eve was in danger. She might not want his help. But she would get it. It was time to protect his wife.

  Whether she wanted it or not.

  The McKay-Taggart security team returns in 2013 with On Her Master’s Secret Service:

  Her submission fulfilled her

  When Eve St. James married Alex McKay, she had her whole life ahead of her. They were the FBI’s golden couple by day, but by night Eve gave herself over to her husband’s world of Dominance and submission filled with pleasures she came to crave.

  His betrayal destroyed her

  Worried for her safety, Alex left Eve behind to tackle a dangerous mission. But Alex never suspected that Eve was the real target and her security is destroyed by a madman. By the time he rescues her, his wife has been changed forever.

  But when her life is in danger he is her only hope

  Unable to heal the damage, Alex and Eve are still trapped together in a cycle of pleasure and misery that even their divorce cannot sever. But when a threat from Eve’s past resurfaces, Alex will stop at nothing to save her life and reclaim her heart.

  About Lexi Blake:

  Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog in the world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance that she found success. She likes to find humor in the strangest places. Lexi believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome or foursome may seem. She also writes contemporary western ménage as Sophie Oak.

  Connect with Lexi online:

  Facebook: Lexi Blake

  Twitter: www.twitter.com
/@authorlexiblake

  Smashwords: www.smashwords.com/profile/view/LexiBlake

  Website: www.LexiBlake.net

  Other Books by Lexi Blake:

  Masters And Mercenaries

  The Dom Who Loved Me

  The Men With The Golden Cuffs

  A Dom Is Forever

  Coming in 2013:

  On Her Master’s Secret Service

  Love and Let Die

  Masters of Ménage by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake

  Their Virgin Captive

  Their Virgin’s Secret

  Their Virgin Concubine

  Coming Soon:

  Their Virgin Princess

  Coming Soon:

  Leaving Camelot, Wild Western Nights, Book 1

  Enjoy the following excerpt from Their Virgin Concubine, by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake, available now:

  Copyright 2012 by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake

  The country of Bezakistan – renowned for its wealth and the beauty of its deserts…

  Piper Glen is thrilled when Rafe and Kade al Mussad ask her to visit their country on a business trip. Madly attracted to both, the virginal secretary knows that neither of her intensely handsome bosses desires her. But every night she dreams of having them both in her bed, fulfilling her every need.

  Rafe and Kade have finally found the perfect woman in Piper. Sweet and funny. Intelligent and strong. Before they can reveal their feelings, the brothers must fulfill an ancient tradition. Every sheikh must steal his bride and share her with his brothers. They have thirty days to convince Piper to love them all forever.

  The country of Bezakistan – notorious for its danger…

  Sheikh Talib al Mussad knows his villainous cousin seeks to take his throne. If Talib and his brothers fail to convince the beautiful Piper to love them, all will be lost. After meeting Piper, he knows he would risk everything to possess her heart.