"It's justice for those twenty girls, for your sister, and for everyone who's ever been hurt by monsters like Castellano." Her expression is fierce. "And it's proof that sometimes the good guys win, even when they wear leather cuts and operate outside the law."
"We're not good guys, Ava. We're just less bad than the alternatives."
"I'll take it." She kisses me softly. "Now, you promised me a week in bed. I'm holding you to that."
"Already gave you a week while I was healing."
"That doesn't count, you were injured. I want a week where you're at full strength."
"Demanding."
"You love it."
"Yeah. I do." I flip us so she's beneath me again. "But if we're doing this, we're doing it right. No leaving this room except for food and bathroom breaks."
"What about the club? Your responsibilities?"
"Vulture has Falcon and they can handle things for a few days. Right now, my only responsibility is you." I kiss down her neck, feeling her pulse jump beneath my lips. "Think you can handle that?"
"I can try." But she's smiling, her body already responding to my touch. "Though I should warn you, I've got stamina. You might be the one who needs breaks."
"Is that a challenge?"
"It's a fact."
I prove her wrong over the next several hours, taking her apart with hands and mouth and cock until she's begging for mercy. We order food delivered to the room, eat naked in bed, and then go another round because neither of us can seem to get enough.
By the time we finally collapse in exhaustion, the sun's setting and I've lost track of how many times we've come together. All I know is that Ava's boneless and satisfied beside me, her skin flushed and her breathing deep.
"I changed my mind," she murmurs against my chest. "You definitely have the stamina advantage."
"Told you."
"Smug doesn't look good on you."
"Liar. Everything looks good on me."
She laughs, the sound tired but happy. "Your ego's showing."
"Can afford to be confident when I've got you in my bed, thoroughly satisfied and too tired to move."
"Fair point." She's quiet for a moment. "Mason, what happens after this? After the interviews and the publicity dies down and life goes back to normal?"
"I don't know. Never had normal before." I tighten my arms around her. "But I know I want you in whatever comes next. Want to wake up next to you every morning, want to come home to you every night. Want to build something that lasts."
"Even though I'm a journalist and you're an outlaw?"
"Especially because of that. We balance each other out." I press a kiss to her hair. "Unless you're having second thoughts?"
"No second thoughts. Just trying to figure out the logistics." She tilts her head to look at me. "I can't live here permanently. I need my own space, my own place to work, but I also don't want to be apart from you."
"So we figure it out. Maybe you get an apartment close by, somewhere you can work without brothers constantly interrupting. I'll stay there when I can, you'll stay here when you want. We make it work." I trace the line of her spine. "As long as we're together, the details don't matter."
"You make it sound so simple."
"It is simple. I love you. You love me. Everything else is just logistics."
She's quiet for so long I think she's fallen asleep. Then she says, "Okay. Let's do it. Let's figure out how to make this work."
