by Amarie Avant
He paused to give her waist a soft squeeze and kiss her neck. In his mind’s eye, Avery must’ve been afraid of the things he’d done. But she was clinging to every word now, not working obsessively in her brain how to keep Donavan out of jail.
“It was just my luck that the moment I got shipped off to Afghanistan, my unit, got in with an alpha company who pushed all us sharks to cross over to special ops. We did patrols throughout the town, and sometimes shit went down, sweetheart.”
That was his way of telling her he’d had to murder. Avery snuggled closer to him but kept her head tilted to read his lips.
“Did a few doors to door searches, had to be on my toes, Avery. You couldn’t even imagine, some kids—knee-high to a fucking ducks tail—were strapped with machine guns or worse, bombs. It was all about being cautious, staying ready, staying alive. That’s how I kept you outta my head, you were always in my heart; but, AC, I wouldn’t have survived a minute just thinking about your beautiful face.”
She reached up to caress his cheek.
“But you know how the story ends. Me fucking shit up as usual. Six months in, I was on a simple patrol around the perimeter of the base when I swear I heard a piano playing, shit, I must have been hallucinating. I heard you making a melody, and then it stopped abruptly, and I snapped on another shark.”
“Did you have PTSD?”
He shrugged. “Didn’t matter, I would take a dishonorable discharge. I wasn’t going to no inpatient treatment facility.” His eyes shaded in anger, and he didn’t notice the embarrassment on Avery’s face as he continued. “No talking it out. No mentioning the girl who got away because I couldn’t cut it in the army and come back a better man to prove you and your dad wrong.”
“Donnie, you don’t have to prove anything to me.”
“I was held at Qatar. I was appointed JAG as legal counsel but couldn’t care enough about the trial. I did two years Fort Leavenworth in Kansas. All because, one day, in particular, I just couldn’t get you out of my head.”
Her heart went out to him as the thought hit her of how parallel their lives were. Instead of choosing the crazy house, Donavan chose jail. She wasn’t granted the opportunity to snap and suffer the consequences with legal ramifications. But the past couldn’t be changed. Avery loved Donavan. She wanted to hold tight to him, keep him from ever becoming so angry again.
In trepidation, she asked, “And since you’ve been back?” Avery placed her hand over his. “Tell me you haven’t done anything since you’ve been back?”
The look on her face faltered. Donavan’s knuckles grazed along her jaw. “Just once, but the man deserved it, Avery, when I tell you the motherfucker deserved it, you take my word for it.”
She nodded her head in agreement, needing to stick by Donavan’s side. They were a team from now on regardless of how things transpired due to Timothy Brown’s murder. Maybe he deserved it too. But she was overwhelmed with curiosity, “And you promise not to ever again?”
“That’s a hard promise to make, sweetheart.” He let her go. “What if something comes up?”
“I don’t care if something comes up.” She pressed her hands against his chest, attempting to push him, but she couldn’t. The thought of living without Donavan again was enough to put a gun to her own head.
She was angry at him, angry to want a happily ever after that didn’t include the passion of Donavan’s wonky emotions or actions. But how could that be? Both of them were easily riled up. Funny thing, they took turns with it.
“Donavan, you need to choose, now! Because you can get so damn angry, and I won’t have that. I can’t give you my heart and . . . and you end up locked up or worse!”
He shoved a hand through his thick waves and shook his head no. “AC, I may keep shit from you if I feel it’s in your best interest not to know. But I won’t make a promise that—”
“And me, live without you? What if we’re years down the road with kids.” The fierceness of having him see her side subsided for a moment. Was it traitorous of her to want to replace their son? She continued. “With a house full of happy kids, and someone pisses you off enough to make you angry.”
His hand caressed the side of her neck as it wove around to clutch her long hair. He tugged her ponytail softly which pushed her mouth up. Donavan stole a soft sweet kiss. He said, “I already have your heart. Stole it when you were just a little girl. You have mine too, baby. You have to be confident in knowing I wouldn’t intentionally put you through any pain.”
He refused to make a promise.
She refused to cave and compromise.
She spoke curtly while arising abruptly, “Good night, Donavan.”
He watched as she headed into the bathroom. Inside, Avery locked herself in and leaned against the door. Her heart screamed that Donavan was keeping secrets. However, bullying the truth out of him wasn’t something her soul was ready for. She undressed, to her panties and bra, and exited. While heading toward her dresser, Avery stopped in her tracks. Arms folded, she glanced down at Donavan as he lay in the middle of the bed, leaning on his elbow. His eyes twinkled in interest while taking in her curvy frame.
“Just great, Donnie. If you weren’t going home, you could’ve at the least taken the guest room or the couch.”
He cocked a grin. “I distinctly recall being held captive in your bedroom when I was a teen; you telling me we couldn’t go to sleep angry with each other, meaning, you wouldn’t let me go home. And when I finally did, my pops would be sitting in the living room waiting to dish out my restrictions for the next few days. No video games, no baseball. This is payback.”
She chortled. “Donavan, I’m not screwing you tonight.”
“Maybe I’ll make you beg the next time.” He grinned, signing the words.
Her mouth tensed, but her eyes sparkled with laughter. She signed back, “I love you, Donnie, but you have to promise me something.”
“I’ll do my best?”
His response clutched at her heart. Donavan was too much of a wild man. “At the very least, whatever you’re up to. Just try not to get angry.”
This was his time where he could refute the notion that anything lawless was going on. Donavan stood up, palms reaching for her face. “I can do that.” He kissed her softly.
CHAPTER 32
Donavan
Avery had helped with knocking down the walls that weren’t load bearing. The entire process of dumping the debris had taken two entire weeks to get out the house with Johnson’s crew. Today, Donavan was in a forklift, which had surprised Que that he even had a certificate to drive it.
For almost a year, when Donavan returned from doing time at Fort Leavenworth, he’d been on the straight and narrow, doing things right—working—church with his parents. He’d worked at Mr. Kelly’s Construction and would watch with a laugh in his eyes when Palmer’s men would come shake up the place due to the money Kelly owed him.
He’d did taxes that year.
And then his mom got sick, and everything went to shit. That’s how life had always been for Donavan. Good times overshadowed by bad times.
Avery had always been his good time. So, he stopped waking up at the crack of dawn to weld and lay cement. He reintroduced himself to Palmer.
Presently, Donavan helped move all the scraps while waiting for the curator of the Myrtle museum to arrive. He pulled out his cell phone to see a text message with a bowl of soup and a whole lobster with the word lunch from Avery.
DONAVAN: Give me two hours?
AVERY: Okay…but I have downtime right now, try to hurry.
He grinned. For over a week, they’d been so busy being productive that they didn’t have any time for them. Next, he had Palmer’s request, and after that, Joshua would be off for summer school, and Donavan had already made a promise to Carly to watch his nephew. So, they’d be even busier.
Salt air licked the sweat at the nape of Donavan’s neck. He hopped down from the forklift as Quentin’s team headed toward the b
ed of his truck, where there was a Gatorade cooler full of food. Que stayed back.
“I was wrong about you,” he said.
Donavan nodded, taking the bottle of Gatorade he held out.
“But I thought you were done with Palmer,” Quentin said. He’d seen Palmer’s SUV earlier today when he came by to have a quick chat with Donavan. Donavan could tell that Que was waiting for the moment to give him some advice. But Donavan rarely took anyone’s advice, he knew right from wrong.
Que continued, measuring out his words slowly. “You’ve got a good thing going, Donnie. A great start at a business, a beautiful, smart woman.”
“Thanks.” Donavan stood there. They were away from the rest of the workers. And he felt Que wasn’t done imploring him to be a better man.
Quentin cooked under the hot sun then rubbed his neck with a towel from the back of his jeans. “I wish I had noticed my son struggling in college more. All I did was talk goals and the future and didn’t even address the issues of the present. You can strive for great things.”
This was something Greg would’ve told Donavan if he weren’t all doped up on pain meds. Donavan wouldn’t be heeding his words anytime soon, but he patted Que’s shoulder. “I appreciate the pep talk.”
It was like déja vu when Que shook his head. It’s what Greg would do when Donavan shrugged off his words of wisdom. A shiny Aston meandered around the construction zone, and Donavan gave Que one last nod before he went to shake hands with the curator.
~~~
A pale green pantsuit clung to Avery’s curves. Her long hair was still straight, which Donavan did not prefer, but it was in waves over her shoulder, caressing her sexy breasts. She wore pearls at her ears, throat, and left wrist, looking prim and proper, a gem inside of the booth with Donavan, whose jeans and white shirt were dusted with wood shavings, entered. He wasn’t sporting the good boy baby face today. Light brown hair bristled at his jaw, giving him the perfect rugged look. He’d cleaned up as much as he could before sitting down at the table next to her.
A seagull perched on the windowsill as Donavan placed an arm around her and kissed her forehead. He pulled back to ask, “How long do we have?”
“Forty-five minutes. You should’ve come sooner,” she pouted.
“I tried.”
“I know. Are you hungry?”
“Hell, yeah. I’m starving.” His hazel eyes darkened, and Avery blushed.
“We don’t have time,” she said picking up the menu while smiling from ear to ear. “We have to chat about your conversation with the museum curator.”
He reached down and gripped her thigh. But with their rush to eat, the desire between them fizzled as they ordered lunch. Donavan told her briefly how excited the curator had been while touring Baudelaire and that he’d have a proposal of what should be upgraded and the meticulous care that they needed to take while doing so.
Two side salads were placed down on the table. Avery got up just as Donavan took a bite of food.
She reached over and whispered. “Donnie, we only have twenty minutes left, and we haven’t screwed in a week. But enjoy your lunch because I can get myself off if necessary.”
Cocking a grin, Donavan watched her ass sway as she strutted toward the back of the restaurant. He shoveled in another mouth of grass before hightailing it from the table.
Avery had almost made it down the hall toward the ladies’ room, when Donavan spun her around with the tug of her wrist. His lips locked onto hers, tongue seeking her sweet elixir. She was on fire with lust, practically trembling in his arms. His cock was a heavy weight at just the thought of having her.
There it was.
That still, tiny moan only his ears could hear. The sound could make him lose it. Her body was melting for and into him. Donavan's hand found the small of her back then grazed down to the pear of an ass that belonged to him. Hand wide, he clutched as much plumpness as humanly possible while guiding Avery backward toward the only unisex restroom.
His eyes never left Avery’s as he held her against the door and jiggled the handle.
“Fuck,” he breathed against her lips as the door held firm. “It’s locked,” he mouthed silently.
The deadly sparks in his lady's eyes implied that she felt the same about waiting.
He beat on the door.
Avery poked her head around Donavan then elbowed him, just as a busboy came from the general direction of the dining room called out, “Sir, ma’am, you’ll have to wait!”
Donavan continued to knock with an open palm as Avery tugged his arm and chuckled.
The door opened as a young girl with floppy ponytails exited, none the wiser about their urgency. Donavan backed Avery into the room and slammed the door on the nosy busboy.
“I'm fucking you right now,” Donavan assured her, stormy eyes glued onto Avery’s. There was no room for denying him, not that she'd want to in a million years. As the statement boomed throughout the tiny, newly renovated bathroom, his lips automatically sought and magnetized to her own.
“Don . . . Donavan,” Avery stammered as he yanked the tie holding the wrap to her pantsuit around her slender waist. “This is a very nice outfit, please don’t ruin it.”
She chuckled as he gazed wildly at how to get the damn thing off her. His callused hand sought her beneath her Victoria’s Secret bra. In that very moment, Donavan’s quest ceased. He stepped closer, allowing his thumb to flick against a swollen, hard nipple. Avery did the pleasure of unclasping her own bra from behind. The haste, the urgency had been doused.
Donavan leaned down and kissed the chocolate morsel. His sexy mouth opening, warm, wet breath becoming satin her soft skin. Avery sighed. With a mouth full of her breast, Donavan groaned. His teeth softly clamped onto the melon. The pressure tantalizing enough to make Avery lean into him with her body and as extra support, leverage a hand on the granite counter. His teeth grazed over the curve of a breast he'd been waiting to love on and slowly dragged to her nipple. The pressure releasing softly as he continued.
“Pahhhhhhhh leeeeez.” Avery was driven to tears.
Donavan again kissed the tip of her nipple then looked up at her. Somewhere, some part of him wanted to deny her. She'd done that for a godforsaken week. Seven days of pain. But the blood that made him a savage had already gone down to a super thick, extremely long member. The beast didn't operate by morals. It didn't hold it against her. Well, he was going to fuck Avery into a sort of submission that never allowed her to be released.
Donavan's hand went to the silk of Avery’s almond skin. He turned her around until his hard cock was pressing against her ass. In the mirror, Avery glanced back at him, face drowned in bliss.
“And don’t get my outfit dirty either,” she ordered.
Donavan growled as a response, determining that the top and pants were connected somehow. Of course, it was the same material, but horny as he was, the thought took a while to click that she was wearing some sort of a body suit. He pulled the material from her shoulders and over her hips until it was down to the floor but not touching the ground. She stepped out of it one heel at a time, took it from him, pulled down a paper napkin and sat her wrap pantsuit on it.
“Never wear this again,” he commanded in a barbaric grunt of a tone.
“It’s cute, though.” Her joke ended as his lustful eyes swam along her body.
Dragging his hand up her shapely thigh, he squeezed the meat of her ass. Soon her stilettos were positioned wide, as pushed her thong to the side and slammed inside of her from the back
His dick plunged deeply into the wettest sea. Avery’s back arched deeply, sending his cock further into her core. His abdominals were glorious, taut and rock hard as he thrusted. As the busboy knocked on the door, Donavan drove in and out, addicted to the soft, tight, wetness of her pussy slushing down on his cock. He smacked at her ass, causing her to screech and further send her back into the perfect curve. Her slick walls gripped tightly at his cock, as he screwed her doggy style.
CHAPTER 33
Avery
“Shhhh.” She held her index finger to her lips, though her mouth was erotically twisted in desire. While diving in deep, Donavan started to kiss the nape of her neck, but she pushed at his mouth.
“Quickly, quietly,” she ordered. With her hand against the door, she could feel the knocking that the busboy was no doubt doing.
“Just a sec,” she called out, face a firework of laughter.
Donavan sucked and bit at her neck until her mind went crazy. Now, he was begging her to quiet down as his cock drilled into her like a piston.
“Yes, yes, yessss . . .” Avery screeched out, unable to contain herself as an orgasm cruised through her body. She clutched the countertop, with the way he was going at it, she could hardly stand. His cock had her dripping wet as it soared deep, banging her g-spot with each drive.
He placed a hand over her mouth, and she bit down as he continued to thrust into her body. Donavan grunted against her neck, kissing her hard at her pulse. She sunk into his strong muscular embrace as his bicep wrapped around her. His hearts beat wildly against her back. Once they caught their breaths, his hand grazed down her shoulder and his finger entwined with hers. Donavan turned around slowly.
Avery’s shoulders shook as she began to laugh. He pawed her face. “You were loud as fuck.”
“No, I wasn’t. Sheesh, I hope I wasn’t.” Reality set in as Avery placed a hand over her burning cheeks. “Remind me never to do that again.”
“Maybe, not here. But there are more than enough restaurants to be kicked out of while we ride out forever together.”
Her fingers rubbed at the mass of thick curls on top of Donavan’s head. “Forever, baby, I love that.”
“And I promise you; I’ll always give you a million reasons to stay, AC. You . . . ” he huffed. “This,” he caressed her nether regions, “makes me turn into a pussy.”
