“One: I’m glad you’re alive. Two: Don’t ever pull that again—I thought something happened to you. I froze. You could’ve died if Elijah hadn’t been here. And three… Blacksmith here is shocked because, according to every rumor and tabloid in circulation, Kaleb Evans and Kade Kingston have been involved for years. Nothing confirmed, of course—but everyone knows Kaleb lives with the Kingston brothers.”
I glance at her. She knows too much. Too much for her own good.
I force a smile. “Don’t look at me. I don’t know anything.”
“You’re lying,” Mia says, stepping closer. “Come on, give us something. We’re not stupid.”
“I’m not saying a word,” I reply. Calm. Measured. But the tension is rising. “Even if I did know something, I wouldn’t tell you. The last thing I need is a target on my back—or worse, Kade Kingston coming after me.”
Mia shoots me a look of mock disappointment, sticking her tongue out like a mischievous little kid before slipping behind the counter. Ava chuckles beside me, shaking her head.
“Mia, I think our day’s done,” Ava says with a tired smile. “I’m not really up for being here anymore, and I don’t want to leaveyou with the afternoon’s work. Take the rest of the day off—I’ll clean up before closing.”
I’m about to protest, but Mia beats me to it.
“Uh, no,” she says sharply, hands on her hips. “You’re not cleaning up yourself. Your loving boyfriend will be taking you home so you two can cuddle and relax. I’ll handle closing. Go.”
I grin. “I really like the idea, babe.”
I wrap an arm around Ava’s waist and lean close, lowering my voice just enough so only she can hear. “How about we spend the afternoon on the couch, wrapped up in blankets, watching trashy TV? We’ll order takeout… maybe finish with a bubble bath. A couple of orgasms on my tongue, too.”
Ava’s cheeks turn crimson. She buries her face in my shoulder, trying to hide her smile, and I catch Mia watching from behind the counter, laughing into her hand.
God, Ava’s adorable when she gets shy like this. You’d think I’d be used to it by now, but it still hits me every time—how this sweet, gentle girl who blushes when I whisper dirty things in her ear in public is the same woman who, behind closed doors, begs me to take control. Hard. Rough. Unapologetic.
She’s a contradiction, and I love her for it. Every part of her. The soft, giggling side that flusters easily, and the bold, needy one that calls me Daddy and tells me exactly what she wants.
She’s perfectly, beautifully her.
***
We’re curled up on the couch, the credits ofTransformersrolling in the background. Ava lifts her head from my shoulder, her expression thoughtful.
“Do they know about me?” she asks softly.
I glance down, brushing a kiss to her forehead before answering. “Yeah, babe. They’ve known about you since the dayI met you. And the night I kissed you… I went to see them. I needed to talk to someone—someone outside of Asher, someone who didn’t know you, who hadn’t seen us together.”
Her brows knit together, pain flickering in her voice. “What were you expecting? For them to tell you to stop fighting for me?”
“What? No,” I say quickly, shaking my head. “Of course not. But… when you're too close to something, it’s easy to lose perspective. I just needed clarity. And for what it’s worth, they both told me the same thing—give you space, and never stop fighting. That you were worth it. Worth waiting for, for as long as it took.”
Her eyes widen, glassy with emotion. “But… they don’t even know me.”
“No,” I say gently, “but they know me. They knew what it meant that I was struggling that much. That I was holding on so tightly. That you had to be someonespecial. And if you ever want to meet them, I’d love that. Ever since I told them you gave us a real chance, they’ve been dying to meet you.”
A smile touches her lips, but it’s laced with nerves. “Yeah? When could we see them? I’m somewhere between terrified and curious to meet people who knew youbeforehere.”
“We could go this Sunday, if you’re up for it. Gabe will need a day to work through his usual anxiety spiral—he wants everything to be perfect for you. He’s just… wired that way.”
She laughs softly. “He doesn’t have to stress for me.”
“Baby, that man wasbornstressed. And not even Sebastian—with all his discipline—has managed to completely iron it out. It’s better, but it’s still there.”
She perks up. “Wait—discipline? What do you mean?”
The curiosity in her voice makes me grin. “Sebastian and Gabriel have a relationship like ours. Sebas is Gabe’s Dom. Gabeswitches depending on his partner, but with Sebastian, he’s submissive.”
Her eyes light up, brain already working. “So Gabe’s a switch?”
