I couldn’t stop this even if I tried.
I opened my eyes the second I stood before Ace naked and time stopped. He froze, taking in every inch of me, and I knew I wanted to put that look on his face for as long as he was in my life. “Jesus Christ, you’re stunning,” he grumbled, both angry and turned on.
I reached for his jeans. “Now it’s your turn,” I replied, ignoring the compliment. I might be stunning on the outside, but I was rotten to the core on the inside. I knew this. I knew this, and I accepted it.
Ace dropped his forehead against mine as his hand danced down my body. “Let me taste you first, baby,” he pleaded. “Let me get a taste of that sweet-smelling pussy I want so badly.”
“Ace…” I moaned but didn’t protest as he dropped to his knees in front of me.
“I’m telling you, Greg. I heard yelling,” my mom’s voice cut through the night. “Something is going on.”
Golden eyes looked up at me, and it was clear Ace was letting me know he would back me on whatever I wanted to do when the resounding knock on my bedroom door broke through our sexual haze.
“Ava,” my mother called through the door. “Open up.”
Ace held my gaze as he stood up. He looked like he wanted to tell her to go to hell and continue what we were doing, and while I liked that idea, I couldn’t. As much as it pained to me to admit that Ace was different, he was. And because he was, I couldn’t let my mother catch him in my bedroom like she had countless other guys.
Suddenly, everything about this felt wrong.
“Get in the closet,” I ordered before I ran towards my bathroom, grabbed the robe hanging on the hook behind the door, and raced towards the door. I watched dejected as Ace took his time putting his shirt back on and headed towards the closet with a look of disgust on his face, so profound, it felt painful. He thought I was ashamed of him.
God, he couldn’t be more wrong.
“Ava!” my mother screeched again, pounding on the door.
I wrenched it open, and she walked in with Greg right behind her. “What the hell, Mom?” I asked. “I just got back from a party and was about to shower. What do you want?”
Her eyes scanned the room looking for evidence that I was lying, but even if I was, what did she care? “I heard some yelling, and I was afraid you and Ace weren’t getting along again,” she stated.
“And, so what, if we were fighting?” I challenged. “What exactly were you going to do about it?”
She was the perfect amount of outrage. “Ava, I told you to welcome him. He’s Greg’s son and-”
My laugh was dark and full of resentment. “I know exactly who he is. I also know that’s the only reason you’re acting like you give a shit. You’re still trying to impress Greg. You’re still trying to convince him you’re a good mother and I’m just an out-of-control bitch.”
“You are out of control,” she countered, but she was wrong. Since I was 10-years-old, I’ve always been in control. Well, at least, until Ace showed up.
“Well, don’t worry your pretty little head, Elise,” I snarked. “I didn’t run Ace off to hide and cry in a dark corner somewhere.”
“Ava, that’s not what Elise means,” Greg said, chiming in. “We just want to make sure you and Ace are getting along. We don’t need any…unpleasantness coming forth.”
I glanced back and forth between the two and wondered just what Elise has told Greg about me. “What exactly is it you two think I’m going to do to Ace?” I asked, surprised that I was surprised by their apprehension. “Ace is a grown ass man. Are you seriously suggesting he can’t defend himself against me?”
“Oh, stop it, Ava,” my mother snapped. “This isn’t about whether or not Ace is in danger.”
I wrapped my robe tighter around my body. “Then what the hell is it about?”
“He’s only a man,” she barked. “And, like all men, he only has so much self-control when a pretty girl is throwing herself at him.” This bitch. “He doesn’t need an STD souvenir of his time with us. Or worse, be tied to you for life by getting you pregnant.”
“Elise,” Greg squawked, clearly embarrassed for me.
She turned towards him, ignoring me. “Really, Greg?” she accused. “Don’t tell me you’re not worried about Ace getting involved with Ava.”
He looked taken aback, while I felt nauseous. “Of course, I’m concerned,” he replied. “But not for…not for those reasons.” He shook his head. “Ace has enough problems without getting involved with a girl-any girl.”
“Get out of my room,” I said, interrupting their little debate. “Get the fuck out and leave me the hell alone.”
My mother turned back towards me. “Don’t put this on me, Ava,” she replied. “Don’t act like I don’t have cause for concern. Lord knows I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve come up here to find some strange boy in your room. Don’t act the innocent now.”
I felt violent.
I wanted to put hands on my mother and tear her to pieces.
Instead, I went for what I knew would push her buttons. “Well, now, Elise,” I taunted. “I haven’t been innocent for a very long time. Maybe Greg’s up to hearing about the first time I had a dick waved around in my face.”
“You’re horrible!” she screeched with enough theatrics to make Greg chase after her as she fled my room.
The second the door shut, Ace was stepping out of the closet, and I knew he was pissed. I just didn’t know why he was pissed or who he was pissed at. However, I was betting that his anger was directed at me, because…well, why wouldn’t it be?
He walked past me and had his hand on the doorknob when he turned back to face me. “Countless times she’s found guys up here, yet, I ended up in the closet,” he mused. “Well, fuck you, Ava. I don’t need pity sex. If I’m not good enough to even rank amongst the countless nameless and faceless, then I have no business being up here in the first place. I’ll just get my pussy elsewhere, thanks.” I stood frozen as Ace walked out the door, slamming it behind him.
I couldn’t move as I stood there thinking how wrong he was about everything except one thing. He was right that he didn’t belong in my room where too many guys to count came before him. This room, like this house, was tainted.
I was tainted.
Good thing my mother interrupted when she did.
Chapter 14
Ace~
I didn’t know what time it was, but I knew it was too early to be up.
Granted, I hadn’t fallen asleep until the nighttime hours technically turned into daytime hours, and the sleep I did get was shit, but lack of sleep was the least of my problems.
Ava stuffing me in the closet last night had really fucked me up. And then hearing Elise talk about how many guys she’s caught in Ava’s room had really done some damage. It wasn’t that I cared how many guys had been up there; I knew she had a past and a wild one at that. My issue was that she hid me. Why would she hide me when every other guy before me had been flaunted loud and proud?
It put a chink in the theory that I thought what was happening between us was different; special.
But Ava really was a slut, and I really was just another dick in a long line of dicks.
I decided to quit being a pussy and got out of bed, showered, changed, and headed down for some breakfast. Or lunch, depending on what time it was.
Walking down the steps I was greeted with the sight of suitcases taking up the bottom of the huge ass foyer. My stomach rolled as the first thought to pop into my head was that Ava was leaving.
I saw my dad emerging from the back of the staircase and I jerked my chin towards the suitcases and asked, “What’s that?”
He watched me with a wary eye as I descended the steps and finally stood in front of him. “We’re cutting our…stay short,” he answered.
“Is that so?”
He sighed. “Ava brings out the worst in Elise, and their…volatile relationship is causing Elise a lot of undo stress,” he explained. “I
think it’s best if we head out earlier than scheduled.”
“Ava brings out the worst in Elise,” I repeated. I cocked my head. “Are you sure it’s not the other way around?” As much as I was finished with Ava, I wasn’t blind to how evil Elise was.
My father put his hands on his hips and dropped his head in defeat. I couldn’t imagine the stress that came with being surrounded by people who you were supposed to care about but couldn’t control. That had to be hard for a man like Greg McIntire to accept.
He looked up at me and I could tell he was choosing his words carefully. “Maybe you should come with us, Ace,” he said. “Maybe, just…it’s summer. We’ll be in New York for a month, and then Florida before having to make the trip to Japan. Maybe you can fly back before Elise and I head for Japan.”
I shook my head. “You don’t want me tagging along any more than I want to tag along,” I told him. “I’m here because you don’t want to have to tell your friends and colleagues that you’re sending prison packages to your only son every quarter. I’m not here because you give an actual fuck about me, Dad. Don’t embarrass yourself and insult my intelligence by pretending you do.” His face colored a bit, but he couldn’t deny my words. I was here to protect his image, not because he really cared if I rotted in prison or not. And then it dawned on me. “Oh, I see,” I chuckled. “You don’t want to leave me here because you’re worried Ava and I will end up making an internet sex tape or make the six o’clock news because we tried to kill each other. You don’t want to see Elise’s obnoxious mansion being burned to the ground on television.”
“This isn’t funny, Ace,” he spat. “Ava’s volatile and you are not known for making the best decisions. Of course, I’m worried.”
“Then why did you bring me here to begin with if you thought we’d make a bad combination?” I bit out.
“Because I didn’t have a choice,” he snapped back. “This is the only stable place I could think of to house you. I can’t leave you at my place unattended.”
“But you can leave me here unattended?”
“No,” he sighed. “I thought…I was hoping you and Ava would get along and maybe help to keep each other out of trouble, but I see I was wrong.”
I arched a brow. “Really?” Sarcasm laced that one word.
“I can see now that Ava doesn’t need added…situations in her life. Elise told me she was getting better, but it’s clear that she’s not. Her complete disrespect of her mother is proof enough that Ava’s beyond help.”
My blood went from an annoyed simmer to boiling rage. He knew nothing about Ava except for whatever Elise felt compelled to share. How dare he say Ava was beyond help? And, yeah, maybe she was, but did that mean you, as a parent, just washed your hands of the problem and jetted off to New York, Florida, and Japan?
Before I could tell my dad to go get fucked, Elise came waltzing into the room. “Oh, Ace,” she gushed, her act on full display, “has your father told you we’re heading out today?”
I was pissed at Ava and I wanted nothing to do with her and her games, but this felt wrong. It felt wrong to pretend their leaving wasn’t fucked-up. “Yeah,” I replied, cocking my head to the side. “Dad was just telling me how you’re not interested in making things right with your daughter, so you guys are going to run away to New York, so you can pretend you don’t have two children who…oh, I don’t know…might need their parents to-”
“That’s enough!” Dad barked. “I will not have you speaking to Elise that way, Ace.”
I laughed, darkness blanketing everything I felt towards these two. “The truth?” I smirked. “You won’t have me speaking the truth to Elise?”
Elise stood there, perfectly put together, and fell into her victim role. “Ace, honey, I’m not sure what Ava’s told you, but…she’s a very troubled young girl,” she said smoothly. “I think her father walking out on her really did a number on her mental health.”
I stuck my hands in my pockets and rocked back on my heels. “And, as her mother, what did you do to help her through that when she was young, Elise? I mean…you being such a great mother and all, I’m sure you went to great lengths to get the help Ava needed, right?” Her jaw ticked, and I wanted to laugh. What Elise failed to realize was that Ava and I were cut from the same cloth. My father had very little to do with me growing up, but Elise only knew the Greg from the two years she’s been with him. She didn’t know the cheating, abandoning asshole he’s been my entire life, just like all Greg knew was the Elise from the past two years of their relationship.
“Ava is a grown woman now,” she stated haughtily. “If she deems she needs help getting over her daddy issues, then she can sign up for counseling on her own.”
Christ, this woman was a piece of work.
“Ace-”
I threw my hand up to stop him from saying whatever stupid shit he was about to say. “Look, Dad,” I huffed, “it’ll be fine. I have no desire to follow you anywhere.” I shrugged a shoulder. “If things get too bad here, I’ll rent a hotel for the summer, or go back to Mom’s. Whatever.”
Then he lit the fuse by saying, “I think you’ve caused your mother enough troubles, Ace. She needs to get her life together herself. She doesn’t need you…weighing her down.”
I stepped up to him and it took all I had not to swing on him. “Don’t you mean you’ve caused her enough troubles?” I raged. “You’re the one who cheated on her and left her heartbroken and alone.”
He straightened his spine “I don’t expect you to understand adul-”
“I understand that when you make a commitment to someone you should honor it!” I yelled, interrupting his bullshit excuses. “I know you shouldn’t marry someone if you can’t keep your dick in your pants around other women.”
“Ace!” Elise cried. “That’s enough!”
“What the fuck is going on in here?” I looked past my dad and saw Ava coming out of the kitchen. Her eyes fell to the suitcases, but she didn’t seem affected by the sight. “I could hear you guys squawking damn near outside.”
Elise lifted her chin and stood side by side next to my dad. “We have to head to New York sooner than we expected, and…we were just telling Ace goodbye.”
Ava snorted. “Yeah, sure you were,” she mumbled before heading up the stairs, ignoring us all.
Elise looked back up at my father and said, “I’m going to have to speak with her about our departure. She tends to get…impulsive whenever I leave her.”
Dad gave her a tight nod. “I’ll finish packing up the car,” he said, effectively ending our conversation about what a shit person he was. He looked back at me. “Behave yourself, Ace.”
“Sure thing, Pop,” I threw back lazily.
He took a deep breath, but rather than engage, he turned around and went to back to loading their bags into the car.
My gaze shot towards the staircase, and even though I knew it was none of my business, something compelled me to intrude on Elise and Ava’s goodbye. I knew I shouldn’t care about whatever Elise was about to put Ava through, but I did.
I did because, I’ve seen the evil in Elise that my dad didn’t see, or chose not to see, and I wasn’t about to mill around the house as if things couldn’t get physical upstairs.
So…I headed upstairs.
Chapter 15
Ava~
I wasn’t really surprised, but unlike all the other times Elise has run away, this time, she was leaving me with Ace in the house, and that had me feeling greatly anxious.
I wasn’t used to unfamiliar feelings, and I’ll be the first person to admit that I didn’t know how to handle them. I was messed up, and I knew it. I knew all my choices were a result of not being able to face just how out of control my feelings were. I knew that.
I knew that, yet I still didn’t know how to fix it. Hell, up until last night, I hadn’t even realized that I wanted to fix it; to fix myself. I’ve been forcing myself to feel nothing for years, and finally come face to face with those
feelings I’ve been pretending didn’t exist, had me feeling…exhausted. It was the reason I came upstairs instead of joining in on whatever was going on between them all downstairs. Normally, I was up for a good fight, but last night had left me out of sorts.
I liked Ace, and I couldn’t, for the life of me, figure out how to tell him that.
“Ava?” I closed my eyes and let out a deep sigh at the sound of my mother’s voice.
I turned to face her as she walked into my room. “What?”
“Ace has agreed to stay here throughout the summer, but…” she lifted her chin and started blinking her eyes at me “…is it too much to ask that you…don’t taint the poor boy? He’s been through enough.”
It shouldn’t hurt anymore.
It shouldn’t.
I knew this was more about her than it was about me, but I was so goddamn tired of it. I was tired of being blamed. I could accept being broken, but I was sick and tire of being blamed for being broken. Or, more to the point, I was tired of Elise acting as if she wasn’t the reason I was broken. I knew I was old enough to seek help for my issues, so that was on me. But I was tired of her exonerating herself from our reality.
“Taint him?” I mused.
She straightened her posture and said, “It pains me to have to say this about my own daughter, but you’re poison, Ava. You taint and destroy anything and anyone who comes near you. You continue to live in the past, and that doesn’t benefit anyone. Including you.”
I stepped to her because I wasn’t going to let her hide from me. “Continue to live in the past?” I snarled. “You let your child molesting boyfriend have his way with me when I was nine fucking years old! And I’m just supposed to get over that because it’s an inconvenience for you?”
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