The video of James and me.
Unable to stop myself, I clicked it, watching the two of us and how intimate we were. You couldn’t hear anything we said on the bed, thankfully. The cameras were still rolling on an empty bed, but the audio caught what Claude said to James about us. I played it over and over again, laying my head against the back of my sofa and let it sink in. Every little kiss and touch had been genuine. Nothing about it was an act; it wasn’t the rich playboy’s game that Henry made it out to be.
Hell, there was no denying the way his body reacted to me: our kisses, the way he actually devoured my slit and made me finish. All of it had been real, and so had the look of genuine heartache when he saw his brother half dressed in my apartment. A dawning washed over me. A brother’s war stumbled into my lap, and I had witnessed firsthand who had always been the victor.
I had to talk to him, but I just tossed him out on his ass after I had his brother in my home.
Chapter Seven
James
I shouldn’t have stormed the fuck out of there. She didn’t deserve my anger because none of this was her fault. My hatred and mistrust of my brother shouldn’t have ever touched her.
I’d pulled up as she let him in. The bastard had gotten the images and her address along with the check before I could. He knew damn well what he was playing at. He watched the footage. I was late working too long today.
When Elizabeth ran into my office out of breath, and said, “Boss, you need to see the ad images. I just sent them to you. Your father sent them over. That means they already have them.” I looked at the clock and paled. I opened them and growled. Each image was more provocative than my brain remembered. The video made me stiff all over again, and then my soul dropped when I heard my voice with Claude’s.
There was no doubt about my attraction, and my brother would use that against me for sure. The bastard would do whatever he could to get to her. As I sat outside, I had to decide whether to storm the door or just trust her.
A part of me worried that she wasn’t safe with him. What if he just took advantage of her without her permission? But would he go that far just to hurt me? I got out of the car, unable to wait any longer, and pounded on the door like a damn madman. My reaction was ridiculous, but seeing Henry’s shirt open like that, I wanted to kill him. I already noticed the way Ava was dressed. It was almost seven at night and she just got out of work—of course my kitten was relaxing and unwinding when the jackass showed up.
When she tossed us out, I understood, but that didn’t stop the pain in my chest. I was pissed at myself nearly as much as I was at Henry. He forced me to lose control. Never in my life had I been so afraid of losing someone, and he’d smiled like he won. It was the last fucking straw.
I drove around for an hour and decided to return to apologize. Even if she never wanted to see me again, I needed to explain myself and my terrible behavior.
I’d gotten to the curb only to find that son of a bitch had pulled back up. I whipped out of my car, hardly remembering to turn the engine off. “What the fuck is your problem? You didn’t learn the fucking first time?”
“She has my tablet in there, you dick. I need it back.”
“She’s not yours. She’s mine, and if you ever go near her again, I’m going to kill you.” I pushed him aside as I marched up her stoop. “I’ll get the fucking tablet for you.”
“Relax. Just doing my job, James. I can’t help it that every girl wants me.”
The door flew open before I could beat the hell out of him.
Ava looked right past me at Henry with a flat expression. “The files have been deleted from your tablet. I don’t want you to touch my pictures. You’re fucking disgusting, and if you ever make a comment about me sexually again, I’ll sue the shit out of you for harassment. You’re fucking vile.” She slammed the tablet into my brother’s chest and said, “Get away from me before I call the cops. You…” she stared me down “…get in here now.” I followed her command like a goddamn puppy. My dick had never been harder.
“So did you see the video?”
“Yes, I did.” I nodded, willing to appease her. She was a hot fireball when she was pissed.
“All of it?”
“Yes.”
“Is it true?”
“Since you came in my arms, you know that was real. That means you were talking about my conversation with Claude, and that, my sweet Ava, couldn’t be more real. I don’t want these images out there. Fuck my father’s company.”
“I’d rather not.”
“Damn right.”
“What is this between us, James?”
“I don’t know, but it’s intense and real. From the moment I met you, I knew you were the one. So, let’s not waste any more time with Henry’s bullshit.”
“It is bullshit, right?” Her expression went from desire to uncertainty.
