“We don’t have a choice. We have to until we find another buyer.”
Bomber takes a deep breath, a hint of a smile curving the edge of his lip. “Your woman can cook.”
“Yes, she can,” I reply with a smile. “You know... she thought you were celibate.”
Bomber’s mouth opens in disbelief.
“Don’t worry, I set her straight,” I taunt. “But she was worried that you would be lonely.”
He stills. “Did you tell her about Zara?”
I playfully barge him with my shoulder, trying to lighten the mood. “Not my story to tell.”
He subtly nods. His eyes peer off.
I wish I’d never brought it up. He really must have loved her to never want a relationship with a woman again. I never understood it, but now that I have Ava, I do because I could never see myself with anyone else. Even if something happens, I’d never be able to move on.
“Let’s go get some breakfast.”
As we walk through the house, it’s quieter than usual, but then voices come from outside. I go to touch the back door handle, but I step back, letting Bomber go ahead while I go to the fridge and pull out the steak. I shake my head. I’m the alpha male here. I shouldn’t have to give the dog a gourmet dinner for it to damn well like me.
I step toward the back door and open it. When I step outside, I see the men sitting at the tables and stuffing their mouths full of food. “Pancakes again?” I ask, then point to them. “My woman spoils all of you too much!”
Rage grins at me and Axle smiles with a mouthful of food, giving me the thumbs up.
I open the plastic covering the steak and reluctantly place it in Conan’s bowl. He trots over and sits in front of it, drool oozing from his mouth. A part of me feels like making him wait for ages, but I don’t.
“Eat,” I tell him. When he does, I look at his leg in the plaster cast. “Well, at least you can’t piss on me now.”
As I walk over to Ava, I chuckle to myself. When I come up behind her, I bend down and kiss her cheek. “Hello, beautiful.”
She blushes but flashes me one of her blinding smiles. “I’ll get you a plate. How many pancakes do you want?”
“No, thanks. I’m saving myself for lunch,” I reply. Really, my stomach is doing somersaults, worried about how she’s going to respond. My hands rise to her shoulders and I massage them, enjoying the contented sigh that falls from her mouth.
Elena elbows Axle, who’s beside her. “You don’t rub my shoulders.”
“Babe,” he draws the word out while drilling displeased eyes into me. “Stop making me look bad,” he says in a mocking tone.
I laugh as he turns back to his wife. “I’ll rub your shoulders tonight. How about that?”
She smiles back. “You better!”
“A rub for a rub.” He raises his eyebrow suggestively. Elena swats his chest as Ava’s face screws up.
I lean down. “Don’t listen to him,” I whisper into her ear.
Her head falls back as she relaxes into the massage.
I love making Ava feel good. She’s mine, and I will worship her every day for the rest of my life.
Ava
“Turn it up,”I yell.
The volume of “Jump Around” by House of Pain gets so deafening I can feel the music. I sing, bopping to the lyrics, stirring the potato salad to go with the barbecue lunch. Viper slides into the kitchen like he’s Tom Cruise inRisky Business, and he jumps around with me to the lyrics. Axle walks in, shaking his head at us but then breaks out dancing while raising his hands in the air. My heart is full as I laugh hysterically at them.
When the song finishes, Viper, Axle, and the sweet butts come in to help take the food outside onto the tables.
