Embracing Trouble (Trouble Series)

by Bridle, Dee

  I needed to show her everything about me before we went any further and I felt strangely liberated but nervous at the same time. It was everything that I had run from and now I was about to lay myself bare. Whether or not I thought I was right for her, I had to man up and tell her just how much she meant to me.

  I leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips, her body moving slightly and instantly returning the kiss in her sleep. I smiled down at her and then kissed her again. Her eyes opened from sleep and focused on me, her lips instantly curving into a smile. Who wouldn’t want to wake up every morning to the beauty of her just-awake face? She was all mine.

  “I want to show you something,” I whispered to her.

  She smothered a yawn.

  “Again?”

  I chuckled softly at the thought of another round of sex with her and knew I was ready to go, but I had to talk to her first.

  “Something else,” I whispered.

  “Okay,” she said sleepily.

  “It’s downstairs.”

  “I’m naked,” she said.

  “Totally fine by me,” I said huskily.

  “I need to put some clothes on first,” she said rubbing her eyes and then sitting up as she held the sheet against her.

  She focused on me.

  “Close your eyes.”

  I raised an eyebrow.

  “After what we did a few hours ago to each other?”

  “Yes,” she laughed. “It’s broad daylight and I’m embarrassed.”

  “Never be embarrassed with perfection, Ava,” I said with a smile as I sat up in bed and covered my eyes. “Go.”

  She climbed out quickly, saying “No peeking.”

  “Of course not,” I said opening my fingers to peek.

  She laughed as she closed the bathroom door behind her.

  I was soon taking her hand and leading her out of my bedroom and down the stairs. I went through to the garage and then past my car to a locked door that was my underground office. I unlocked it and went down the stairs, pulling her with me.

  She stopped on the last step to take in all the screens on one side of the wall and all the computers. I saw her take in the fridge with a glass door, housing cans of energy drinks, the wall full of drives and flashing lights.

  She stepped off the last step and looked to me.

  “Is this your bat cave?”

  I smiled, and said, “Yeah.”

  “So this is where you work,” she stated quietly.

  I nodded and watched her moisten her top lip as she looked at all the screens. I loved how she did that and wanted to do it for her.

  “I need you to understand that this is what I do when I’m not with the guys, rescuing my sister or trying unsuccessfully to keep my distance from a beautiful dark angel,” I said.

  “I have no idea what hackers do,” she said softly. “I mean, I get the idea of it, but -”

  “We play dangerous games, real life, highly illegal commissions, some for fun, most for money. Corporates pay a lot of money for information. I go in and find it for them.”

  “Like the police file on my mother,” she whispered.

  “Yeah,” I said running my hand through my hair. “This was one of the reasons I was keeping my distance. It’s dangerous, illegal, and has serious consequences if anything goes wrong.”

  “So don’t let anything go wrong,” she whispered.

  “I’m never going to be the guy who holds a corporate job and settles down with a mortgage and do normal things,” I stated.

  “So?” she said with a shrug.

  “You deserve the other type of guy, Ava,” I said. “I’m always going to be covered in tatts, have a secret job, and a fucked-up sister to look after.”

  She trailed her finger over one of the keyboards. “I don’t want the other type of guy, never did. I like that you have a secret job. It’s hot and your tatts are even hotter,” she said pausing with a teasing smile. “Actually, they are the hottest tatts I’ve ever seen, and as for your sister, you’re not alone with her. She has Will now and she has me,” she said with confidence. “I don’t care about anything that you consider bad. I’ve only ever cared about you.”

  “It’s not going to be the fairy tale you’re after,” I warned softly.

  “Let me be the judge of that,” she said softly with a smile as she came over to me and put her hands around my neck. “I’ve got my knight in shining armor, and I’m very satisfied with my fairy tale.”

  My hands went around her waist and I leaned my forehead against hers.

  “I’m going to fuck up sometimes.”

  “Me, too. It’s all part of the deal.”

  “You know how special you are to me, and I can’t let anything happen to you,” I whispered.

  “Did you really mean the forever part last night?” she whispered.

  “Yes, until the day you realize you deserve better.”

  “Zac, I want you. I deserve you and you deserve me,” she said softly.

  “One day, I’ll believe that,” I whispered, kissing her lips softly.

  She closed her eyes.

  “I want exclusivity.”

  “It’s yours,” I answered huskily, knowing I would give her whatever she wanted from now on.

  “I want you as my boyfriend. I want your heart. I want it all,” she added.

  “I’m yours,” I said as I leaned in to kiss her again. “My heart is yours, Ava.”

  Later that night as I touched her face, she looked up at me with eyes full of promise and fun. I put my lips to hers, the kiss full of sweetness as her tongue stroked mine before it became deeper and hungrier. Tenderness turned to lust as our mouths became eager and impulsive. I pushed her back onto the bed, following her down as I kissed her passionately. She made me wild, my body already so close to the end and I still had my clothes on.

  She pulled my T-shirt up over my back and then I pulled it off for her as I continued to kiss her. Her hands made their way down to my pants where she undid them, feeling her way inside. I closed my eyes at her touch. She was no longer tentative, but now direct, knowing exactly what she wanted. We were both soon naked against each other and I tried to find an inner calmness and control. I needed to maintain a level of sanity, but as she let out a soft moan of pleasure, my control waned. She hungrily kissed me, running her hands through my hair and pulling at me.

  I kissed my way down her perfect body, tasting her skin and then pausing at the small sexy tattoo on her pelvis. I looked back up at her and my chest ached as pleasure shot through me at the sight of my girl. I leaned down and kissed the lily, knowing I hadn’t seen anything sexier.

  I leaned over to get a condom and her hand shot out to stop me. She looked at me meaningfully, wanting no barriers between us and my control suddenly snapped. As I thrust into her, she arched her back in pleasure, sighing my name with her eyes closed. I thrust into her again and again, hearing her moans, knowing she was close. Happiness weaved its way through me, knowing I was pleasing her. This beautiful girl had become a part of me. Just before she fell apart under me, she opened her eyes and gazed up at me. I saw my future as we came apart together.

  Time passed as we both tried to catch our breaths, still connected in every way. Our mouths met and clung to each other in an almost sweetness. The same warm feeling from earlier permeated through me. She brushed her hand down my cheek and smiled up at me. Without a doubt in my mind, I knew that I couldn’t and wouldn’t let her go, ever again.

  Chapter Twenty-One: Coming Home

  Ava

  We fell into a careful rhythm with each other, knowing that what we had decided was a big shift in our lives. I was careful not to overcrowd him as a girlfriend, knowing I needed to take small steps. It worked well for us and we were both suddenly very happy, like a weight had been lifted from both of us.

  Janey and I became best friends and were inseparable, spending a lot of time together when Zac was working or out with the boys. I was scheduled to start univer
sity in March and planned on having fun while I had the chance.

  I slept over with Zac most nights, whether it was at Noah’s place or his own and whenever we had been apart, we would always collide, desperate for each other.

  Christmas and New Year’s flew past in a haze of parties and fun. We all went away for a couple of days to Noah’s family’s beach house and we spent time relaxing in the sun. Zac quietly gave me a spare key to the townhouse during one of those nights and I knew I would never love anyone as much as I loved him.

  January passed us by, full of laughs, parties, bands, beach and fun. Everything seemed to be wonderful.

  Until one day, it all went very wrong.

  I ran up the stairs to my old bedroom to get a few things and looked around at the empty room. I hardly went home anymore, because I was just too happy and I didn’t want anyone like my father or Sarah to spoil it. My closet was now empty of clothes, with them now dispersed between Noah’s place and Zac’s, and I knew my father had resigned himself to the fact that it wouldn’t be long until I was completely gone.

  I grabbed a few things and put them in my bag as I stopped to look at the photo of my mother. It was the beach photo where she was smiling, looking happily into the camera. I wondered if she had been unhappy at that moment and was doing everything in her power to hide it. Had she been smiling for the world to see, but quietly dying inside? I picked up the photo in its frame and opened the back up to slide the picture out. I put the empty frame back and then put the photo in my bag. It was all I had left of her.

  I heard my father call my name from downstairs and scanned the room once more before I left it. There was nothing left here for me anymore, and I closed the door with a resounding click. I headed downstairs to where he was waiting for me, seeming happy but nervous as I braced myself for what was to come next.

  “Can you come in here for a moment?” he asked looking at my bag. “Before you go.”

  I followed him into the kitchen where I found Sarah happily perched on a kitchen stool, looking like she was going to burst. I braced myself further. Something big was happening, and it was going to swallow me up if I didn’t turn and leave immediately.

  I think my father felt that I was about to run and touched my arm.

  “Ava, we have some news that we would like to share.”

  I swallowed a lump of emotion, knowing what was coming. It was like a sudden freight train, coming at me with full speed and I couldn’t move from the tracks.

  “Sarah is pregnant,” he said with a nervous smile, warily looking at me for my reaction.

  The freight train blared its horn at me, and I felt the collective wind hit my face.

  “She is twelve weeks and will be due in July,” he said quietly, his smile starting to disappear.

  I felt the train as my body shuddered and I was seconds from impact.

  “We are going to get married next month and would like you to be a part of the ceremony,” he continued.

  The buzzing in my ears intensified until it all just stopped. All I could hear was my breathing. In and out. In and out.

  “You lied to me about my mother,” I whispered, my eyes focused on the table in front of me.

  My father put his hands on the table in front of him, like he suddenly needed the support.

  “Ava.”

  “She disappeared and I spent five years hoping she would come back,” I whispered, still focusing on the marble table in front of me.

  It was the marble table that my mother would have wiped and prepared dinner on, all the while being desperately unhappy.

  “I didn’t-”

  “You lied to me about her, about the police, about everything,” I whispered.

  The buzzing in my ears returned and I felt something strangle my chest.

  “It was for your own good, Ava. You were so young and I couldn’t…”

  “I hate you,” I said louder, turning my face to look at him. “I fucking hate you for that.”

  He looked to me, and his eyes were full of hurt and regret.

  “I’m sorry, Ava.”

  “I don’t care,” I said, throwing his apology back at him. “Both of my parents are dead to me now.”

  “Oh, Ava!” said Sarah.

  “Shut up,” I snarled, turning to her in anger. “You don’t get to talk right now.”

  Sarah pulled back at my anger and looked to my father for support.

  “Ava,” he warned.

  It only fuelled my anger further. I had been a ticking time bomb, since my eyes had set upon the death certificate all those months ago. My anger-bomb exploded.

  “Does she know?” I shouted, looking to my father. “Does she know that your wife killed herself? From being fucking unhappy? With you?”

  Sarah gasped.

  “That’s enough, Ava,” he said angrily.

  “Does she know that the bathroom she uses every fucking day, the one where she fucking pleasures you in, is the one that my mother spent her last dying minutes in?” I screamed.

  Sarah moved from the stool and covered her mouth, stepping away from me.

  “Enough!” shouted my father.

  “It’s not enough!” I screamed. “She’s gone and will never come back. It was because of you, you piece of shit.”

  He angrily moved toward me and grabbed my arms.

  “Stop, Ava!”

  I shoved him back with all my strength.

  “Go to hell,” I howled.

  He dropped his arms and leaned against the table, breathing heavy.

  I moved away toward the doorway and picked up my bag. I put it over my shoulder and turned back to Sarah to see her crying.

  “Hope you get everything you wish for,” I muttered, turning away and leaving the room.

  This was it. I would never come back here again. I left the house and didn’t look back. I just kept walking.

  I walked to Noah’s, hoping Zac would be back, because I needed his strength right now. But there was no answer and I went back down the stairs in frustration. I sat on the end one and promptly burst into tears, feeling empty and raw now that I had released all of my pent-up anger. My phone rang and I pulled it out to see it was Zac calling. I laughed amongst my tears. He was so tuned into me.

  “Hey,” I said in relief.

  “What’s the matter?” he asked instantly, hearing the emotion in my one word.

  “Just need you,” I smiled, my tears blurring my vision.

  “Ava, what’s going on?”

  “I just had a fight with my father and it’s all over now. I’m upset, but I’m okay. Everything that needed to be said has been said. I’m at Noah’s but no one is here.”

  “I’m about fifteen minutes away,” he said. “Wait for me.”

  “Okay,” I sighed happily.

  “Guess this means you have to live somewhere permanently, huh?” he said next.

  I took a sharp intake of breath as my heart pounded at the meaning of his words. He chuckled at my silence.

  “See you soon,” he said ending the call.

  I smiled happily through my tears as I looked down at my phone screen. I was going to move in with him permanently, and I couldn’t be happier. I put my phone in my bag near my feet and looked up as I heard a car.

  It wasn’t a car I recognized and as soon as it parked near me, I saw Max climbing out. My happiness instantly disappeared. I quickly wiped my tears off my face and braced myself. Uneasiness was already spreading through me.

  “Beautiful Ava,” he greeted me smugly. “Aren’t they home?” he asked coming over to me and leaning against the railing.

  His feet were nearly touching mine, and I tried not to show any facial expression.

  “Zac will be here any minute.”

  He looked amused.

  “So how’s things?”

  “Okay,” I said with a pretend quick smile.

  “I hear you and Zac are going pretty strong,” he said lighting up a cigarette and then sitting down beside me.


  It was a tight squeeze and I tried to move away so we wouldn’t touch, but I was already pushed up against the wall. The last thing I needed was for Zac to come here and see us squashed on the step together. So, I started to stand up, because Max was making my skin crawl.

  His hand grabbed my arm.

  “Relax,” he said with a laugh.

  I pulled my arm from his grasp and kept sitting, while warning bells went off in my head. I didn’t buy his chilled attitude and fake laugh. We were in broad daylight and I was sure he wouldn’t try anything, but I took in my surroundings and tried to remember my self-defense moves, just in case. The point was to defend, and then be able to run away and run away fast.

  Hurry up, Zac. He was fifteen minutes away and it was going to feel like an hour. I needed my phone. I went to lean over to get it from my bag when something suddenly burned my arm. I flinched in excruciating pain.

  “Oww,” I wailed.

  “Shit, sorry,” he said throwing his burning cigarette on the driveway. “My bad.”

  I looked at him in disbelief and touched my stinging arm.

  “Let me take a look,” he said taking my sore arm and pulling it toward him.

  He pried my other hand off it and looked down at it. I didn’t like his hands on me, but I was still trying to work out how he had even burned me when his cigarette was in his right hand.

  Then he was suddenly pushing me down on the step, still holding my arms.

  “Maybe I can kiss it better,” he said with a maniacal smile.

  I went to scream and he covered my mouth with his. I tried to move from him, but he was too strong. He tasted horrible and his mouth was hard. I screamed into his mouth and he laughed. I tried to bite him and he laughed more.

  My knee went up but he was too quick. He pushed my legs apart, his knee crushing into my thigh to keep me in place. I hoped that Noah’s Mum might be home, or someone would hear me.

  Something snapped inside me and I was no longer going to be the victim. Clarity in my head let me think of my self-defense moves. His right hand let my arm go, so he could put it under my top and I used that split-second opportunity to do the move. I made my hand into a fist and then struck as hard as I could into his neck and windpipe.