“Go ahead and leave your man card on the desk because that is the most pussified statement I’ve ever heard from a dude before.” Both Dominic and Mac jerked around in surprise to see Gage smirking in the doorway. “If you getting married means we have to take up knitting and just generally turn into chicks, then I’m gonna need to do something drastic at night to get the testosterone flowing again.”
Dominic had to turn away until he had his laughter under control. Gage was loud and irreverent, but damn, he was funny, for the most part. He had always provided the comic relief in their group, even in the hellholes of Afghanistan. He’d seen very few things through the years that could bring Gage down for long. He was a glass-half-full kind of guy.
Mac cupped his hand over his cock, making a rude gesture before saying, “I’ve got your man card right here, pretty boy. If you ever find a woman you don’t have to pay by the hour, you might have some feelings to discuss.”
“Yeah, it’s still not looking too good with Crystal, either. So, the pay-to-play route is pretty much all he’s got right now,” Dominic added helpfully.
“Who’s Crystal?” Mac asked as he kicked a chair out for Gage to sit in.
Before Gage could answer, Dominic said, “That’s the girl with the tramp stamp from the parking garage who kneed him in the family jewels. I will add, though, that I’ve since discovered that she’s Ella’s sister and is not a tramp.”
Gage propped his feet up on the desk in front of him, letting the chair rear back on two legs. “And tell us, Dom, how did you find out that information? Are you friends with Crystal—or maybe you have friends in common with her?”
Dominic gritted his teeth, knowing he had asked for the sarcastic innuendo from Gage. He should have kept his mouth shut and minded his own business. Problem was, all of them were so close that they stayed entirely too involved in one another’s lives. A fact that he usually liked. Mac was looking back and forth between them, clearly trying to figure out what he was missing. He refused to sit here and squirm while Gage continued to throw out hints. “Crystal is friends with Gwen, okay?”
“Um . . . Okay,” Mac drawled out. “So, you’ve been talking to Gwen then? Have you guys been on a date yet?”
Dominic studied his friend carefully but saw only curiosity in his gaze. He knew Mac was crazy about Ava and had dated Gwen for only a short while, but it still made things rather awkward. He was absurdly grateful that they’d never slept together because that would have been hard to get past. From what both Gwen and Mac had said, their relationship had barely progressed past kissing. Even that made him feel crazy jealous if he dwelled on it. He might not own Gwen’s mouth, but he felt pretty possessive of it.
Before he could answer Mac’s question, Gage jumped in. “Oh, I think you could say that those pesky first date nerves are all behind them now. In fact, I believe they are quite . . . blissful together . . . Almost orgasmic. Wouldn’t you say, Dom?”
Dominic popped up his middle finger, giving the other man the universal go-to-hell symbol before turning back to Mac’s questioning stare. “Boy, that was fast,” he said, unable to mistake Gage’s meaning. “I was only away for a week, so when did this new development occur?”
He saw Gage open his mouth to speak so Dominic hurried to answer first. “The evening I returned from Vegas.” He winced knowing how that sounded. He wasn’t sure why he wanted to be the one to answer. Hell, Gage probably couldn’t have made it sound much worse.
Mac’s mouth dropped open in shock. “Really? How did that happen? I thought you were waiting until the opportunity presented itself?”
“Oh, it presented itself all right,” Gage chimed in, looking vastly amused.
Dominic glared at Gage. “Just a little advance notice, I’m going to kick your ass when we’re done here. And at least I have a new development in my love life. Last I heard, you were no closer to getting a date with Crystal.” Turning back to Mac, he added, “Gwen . . . approached me. I don’t want to go into a lot of detail here because frankly that would be strange, but we’re sort of together now.”
“Don’t forget the kid part,” Gage tacked on. At any other time, Dominic knew that Gage would be scanning through the security feeds without paying the conversation around him much attention. He seemed to tune into his surroundings only when he could spill the beans on either Dominic or Mac. Lately it seemed to be Dominic’s life that provided all of the office entertainment. He hoped like hell at some point in the future the other man had a serious relationship because Dominic planned to rain hell down upon him.
Mac’s eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head at this new piece of information. “Kid? Man, I’ve only been gone a week,” he reiterated. “Even you, Dom, couldn’t have had a kid that fast.”
Dominic grimaced as he shook his head. “No, I haven’t and I’m dearly regretting unloading on the mouth-of-the-South over there in a moment of weakness. I swear you two had better never mention that you know any of this to Gwen.”
“No danger of that,” Gage huffed. “I only got the highlight reel. You wouldn’t answer any of my important questions.”
“No one answers the questions you ask, brother, because they always involve some part of our woman’s body or if she’s a screamer,” Mac added dryly.
“We had a condom mishap,” Dominic finally answered Mac’s original question. “I don’t think we need to be worried about a pregnancy, but I can’t be certain. If it does, then I’m one hundred percent in.”
“And if she isn’t pregnant? Then what?” Mac asked as he studied him.
“It doesn’t make a difference to me,” Dominic answered honestly. “I don’t think it would be the best way to start a family, and I’d like to wait and let things take a more traditional route, but either way, I want Gwen in my life. I told you after you broke up with her how I felt, and now that we’re seeing each other, my feelings have only grown stronger. It’s crazy, I know, but she’s it for me, man. I knew it in my gut from the first moment I saw her. I screwed around dealing with a case of denial, but that’s over now.”
“I’m happy for you, bro,” Gage said sincerely, surprising both Dominic and Mac. “I think we’ve all grown tired of finding a stranger in our bed the next morning.”
“Since when have you ever let anyone stay the night?” Mac snorted.
Gage tossed a pen at Mac’s head, laughing when he hit his mark. “Listen fucker, I was just trying to be supportive and not call both of you a bunch of whipped pansies.” Then in a perfect feminine voice, he sang out, “Boohoo, I love you honey. Do you love me? Can you hold me while I cry? I’m feeling so sensitive today, and I just want to share all of my thoughts with you. Baby, I bought us matching Christmas sweaters to wear and my gift-wrapped balls are under the tree for you.”
Dominic tried to keep it together, but the laughter exploded from him. He laughed until tears were welling in his eyes. He could hear Mac’s booming voice as he succumbed to Gage’s obnoxious brand of humor as well. “There’s something wrong with you, man,” Dominic managed to gasp out as he tried to catch a breath.
“I hate to even ask what’s so funny.” They all swiveled quickly to find an amused Ava holding a coffee tray and shaking her head.
Mac jumped to his feet, almost tripping in his haste to reach her. Yeah, Gage had one thing right—Mac was whipped and didn’t care who knew it. “Hey, baby,” he said as he took the tray from his wife. When the coffee was safely on the desk, Mac pulled her into his arms and dropped a kiss on her smiling mouth.
Dominic had really grown fond of Ava when he had helped in her quest to win Mac from Gwen. Yeah, it sounded like a total asshole move now, but they’d both been desperate at that point. He’d always thought that Ava was an unfeeling ice queen who had put his friend through years of hell, but he soon found out that he was wrong. In reality, she was so damaged by her past that she’d been afraid to admit that she loved Mac as much as he loved her.
The collateral damage, when t
he dust settled, had been Gwen. Dominic knew at some point if things continued to move forward with Gwen, that he needed to admit his role in Ava’s pursuit of Mac to her. He didn’t want to begin a relationship with secrets between them. Gwen had assured him that she hadn’t loved Mac, but he knew that she had been hurt in the crossfire and that made him sick.
“So, what was so funny?” Ava asked, looking at Mac indulgently.
“Just Gage and his usual insults.” Mac rolled his eyes.
Ava pulled away from Mac to distribute the coffee that she had brought for them. Dominic looked at his watch and stood. Gwen should be in her office by now. Seeing Mac and Ava so affectionate and happy made him want to steal a moment before the day began to see his woman. Without thinking, he started toward the door throwing over his shoulder, “I’m going to take Gwen some coffee. I’ll be back in a few.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he cringed. A look at Ava showed her staring at him in surprise before giving Mac a questioning look.
“Go ahead, bro.” Mac waved him on. “I’ll fill her in.” Dominic gave his friend a grateful look before opening the door and stepping out into the hallway. He was too close to Mac and now Ava to keep his relationship with Gwen a secret from either of them. He knew it might take some adjustment on all of their parts, but they needed to accept that Gwen was in his life now, and if he had anything at all to say about it, she was here to stay.
* * *
It had been a hectic morning as was typical for the end of the month. For the most part, all the divisions of Danvers ran like a well-oiled machine, but that didn’t mean there were no problems to address. Gwen had been so busy analyzing budgets for purchasing that she had been ignoring the growling of her stomach for the last hour.
When a knock sounded at her door, she figured it was either Crystal or Mia wanting to go to lunch—or if she was lucky, Dominic. She almost fell out of her chair in shock when she looked up to see Ava standing uncertainly in her doorway. Tension sat heavily in the small space as they stared at each other. Finally, Ava broke the silence by saying softly, “Hi, Gwen. I . . . er . . . know I’m probably the last person you were expecting, but I wanted to see if you would have lunch with me?”
Gwen moved from shock to completely flabbergasted at Ava’s invitation. What in the hell is her game? Wasn’t this a bit like kicking someone’s dog after you’d already run over it, and then backed over it for good measure? Expelling a breath that sounded as loud as a bomb in the quiet room, Gwen said, “I have no idea why you would want to do that.”
“I think we should talk,” Ava replied, looking extremely uncomfortable. Gwen felt a perverse sense of pleasure that the usually poised Ava Stone seemed ill at ease. She always felt frumpy compared to the other woman and this was like a small, although petty, victory for her.
Pinching the bridge of her nose, Gwen doodled on her desk pad as she said, “I don’t see what we would need to talk about. We’ve never been friends or even acquaintances so there’s not really anything to say.”
Ava took a few steps into the room until she was in front of her desk. Gwen was surprised to see her hands trembling as she clasped them together. “Please, Gwen. I realize that you don’t owe me anything and that you probably hate me, but I would like a chance to clear the air with you. Dominic and Mac are best friends, and I don’t want anything to change that. I owe you an apology and an explanation, and I hope that you’ll give me the opportunity to do both. Please . . .”
Gwen studied the other woman for a moment before getting slowly to her feet and pulling her purse from her desk drawer. She had no idea why she was agreeing to this. Maybe, at the very least, she was curious as to what had happened to end her relationship with Mac so abruptly. She had told Dominic that she didn’t love Mac and that was true, but Ava was offering her something that she’d never had in past relationships—an explanation. A reason why things had ended. “Okay, how about the sandwich shop around the corner?”
Ava waved Gwen in front of her saying, “I’ll just follow you. I’m not sure which place you’re talking about.” Gwen clenched her jaw as she preceded the other woman down the hall. No matter how much Dominic seemed to admire her ample ass, she still felt self-conscious knowing the thin blonde was behind her. The jersey dress that had seemed like a good idea this morning suddenly felt too tight. When she heard Ava clear her throat and say, “I like your dress,” Gwen had to fight the urge to run away. She also had to wonder if Ava was being sarcastic even though she heard nothing but sincerity in her voice.
“Um . . . thanks,” she replied grudgingly. She was grateful to see the usual crowd of people on the elevator, which made it possible to avoid further conversation. In fact, not another word was uttered between them until they were seated at a table in the sandwich shop.
Gwen ordered a bowl of vegetable soup and a turkey sandwich while Ava, damn her, ordered a chef salad with the dressing on the side. Was it too much to hope that she’d at least have some carbs in her meal? Seeing Ava’s hand shake as she lifted her water glass to her lips gave her a moment’s pause. Apparently, they were both nervous about this unexpected lunch. Finally, Ava took a deep breath before saying, “I . . . God, this is so awkward, isn’t it?”
Relaxing just a bit, Gwen nodded before admitting, “Yeah, it sure is. I don’t guess there is much of a way around that, though, considering the circumstances.”
“No, I don’t suppose so,” Ava agreed. “Gwen, I had planned to seek you out even before I found out that you and Dominic were seeing each other. If not for discovering that this morning, I would have probably chickened out for at least a few more weeks before I worked up the nerve to speak to you.”
Gwen couldn’t contain the reluctant smile that curved her lips at the other woman’s candor. She had fully expected to dislike her forever, but found that she seemed more down-to-earth than she had imagined. Curious, she asked, “What does my seeing Dominic have to do with this meeting?”
“I care about Dominic—as a friend.” Ava smiled fondly. “Also, he, Mac, Gage, and my brother Declan are extremely close. I don’t want my actions with Mac to drive a wedge between them.” Gwen could see Ava mentally bracing herself before saying, “I love Mac—I always have—but I’m not proud of my recent behavior, especially where you are concerned. In order for you to understand the relationship that I’ve had with Mac for years, I need to tell you a little about our past. It’s difficult for me, but it’s the only way you’ll hopefully understand some of our history.”
Seeing how hard this was for Ava, Gwen held up her hand, saying gently, “You don’t have to tell me anything. Yes, I was hurt by what happened with Mac, but I’m a big girl and I’ll recover.”
“Please,” Ava begged, “just let me try to explain myself.” After a moment, Gwen nodded for Ava to proceed. “Mac’s family lived next door to my grandfather, so we knew each other most of our lives. I’ve loved him for as long as I can remember, but he treated me more like a sister. Fast forward several years and I went to my first prom with a guy who I’d been seeing for a bit. That night he . . . he raped me.”
“Oh, my God,” Gwen gasped out, hardly able to believe what she had just heard.
A single tear tracked down Ava’s cheek before she quickly wiped it away. “Afterward, I managed to make it to Mac’s house, and he found me. I—I wasn’t the same after that. My grandfather didn’t report it to the police and made me feel like it was my fault. Mac . . . he tried to be there for me, but I pushed him away. Eventually, he joined the Marines along with my brother, Declan. He still wrote and visited me anytime he could. After he was discharged, we formed a friendship again, spending a lot of time together, and I knew that he wanted more from me, but I wasn’t capable of giving it to him. I did everything I could to push him away and to make him believe that I was normal, when I was anything but. Finally, he had had enough and decided to move on with his life. When he started dating you, I panicked. I knew Mac slept with other women, just as he believed I slept w
ith other men. But, he never dated anyone—until you.”
“It made you realize how you felt about him, didn’t it?” Gwen asked, even though she already knew the answer. After hearing what Ava had been through, she couldn’t even bring herself to hang on to any of the bitterness that she had directed toward her since losing Mac.
Looking shamefaced, Ava whispered, “I always knew I loved him. I just didn’t feel like I deserved him. When I met you, though, I knew I would lose him if I didn’t do something. You were so beautiful and exactly the type of woman Mac would choose to settle down with. I guess I thought that we would be frozen in time forever with neither of us ever leaving the other behind. Suddenly the reality hit me hard when I had to face the fact that he was pulling away from me.”
Gwen laid her hand atop Ava’s, giving it a squeeze of sympathy. “I’m sorry for what happened to you, truly I am. And I know it must have been hard for you to tell someone who is essentially a stranger to you something so personal. I’m touched that you care enough about my feelings to put yourself through that, and it does help me to find some closure knowing the reasons behind what happened with Mac.”
Ava gave her a timid smile, still looking more than a little guilty. “Mac really thinks a lot of you, Gwen, and the fact that we both hurt you has been hard for him to handle. I know that it’s too soon and maybe you’ll never be comfortable with it, but eventually I hope that we can all be friends. Dominic spends a lot of time with Mac, and I don’t want anything to change their relationship.”
Watch Over Me Page 9
