This wasn’t good.
“Grayson wouldn’t…” Micah began to defend him. All I could do was put my hand on his arm, trying to calm him down.
“We know,” Amelia added. “I was standing right behind him when all hell broke loose. There was no way it was him, but it doesn’t look good.”
It really didn’t.
Micah and I left the house feeling a lot worse than when we arrived. We walked back to the car in silence. Every little noise had us moving faster.
“Fuck,” Micah cursed as soon as he slammed his car door closed.
“Micah, it’s going to be okay,” I said as I reached out to cup his cheek. “Look at me.”
It took a few seconds, but he did. It was beautiful to see how much he cared about Grayson. I could imagine this was how he had felt about me a few days ago.
“We won’t let anything happen to him, okay?”
He absently nodded. I leaned closer and kissed him. I gave him comfort in the best way I could think of. Kissing Micah felt right…natural, something we should have been doing all along.
15
MICAH
My mind was racing, even as I let myself be soothed by Ava’s soft, addictive kisses.
We were college students. We were supposed to be enjoying life before we entered the drudgery of a full-time job. But this? This was a nightmare that there was no waking up from.
We had to get out of here. I kissed Ava harder, losing myself in the sweetness of her mouth. “Want to go somewhere?” I suggested when we drew apart, doing my best to ignore my hardening dick. It jerked when Ava eyed me beneath her lashes and leaned forward, her hand sliding onto my leg. At least one part of me was working normally.
“Where?” she whispered.
I swallowed, my hands flexing around the steering wheel. “Anywhere away from here. I don’t want to think about it.”
Her palm brushed over my thigh. “Okay.”
No one had ever come here before. Not until now. Not until Ava.
I watched, my heart beating out of my chest as she took in the rickety structure between the branches of the tree at the farthest corner of my backyard, built way before I was born. I felt so raw, as if I were exposing the deepest parts of me, with no guarantee she’d understand.
My dad never understood. He wanted me to fit into a mold that was the wrong shape for me. He never understood my need for silence, to be alone, to soak in the quietness until the stress of the day disappeared.
My uncle had built this treehouse, and then he’d disappeared. He’d told us he didn’t want to live here anymore, that he wanted to be at peace, and then…he was gone. Just like everyone else.
After a long silence, Ava spoke softly.
“I can see you here.”
Her words brought a lump to my throat. I settled back against the thickest part of the trunk. Stretching my legs out along the wooden boards that made up the platform, I widened them slightly, crooking my finger toward her.
“Ava. Come here.”
“Micah,” she breathed, sinking down between my legs and laying her back against my chest, her head falling to my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around her, feeling her body relax against mine, her breaths evening out. How had this happened? Even now, I was struggling to process it. The fact that this amazing woman had chosen to be here with me…
I swallowed before kissing her temple. “How are you feeling?” My thumb stroked across her stomach.
“Okay.” Her voice shook. I hated that I had to steer things in an impersonal direction, but at the same time, I wanted this nightmare to be over. I wanted things to go back to normal…except…with the woman I wanted. I wanted Ava to be mine.
You want Cruz and Grayson, too.
