War (Boston Bolts Hockey #3)

31. Ava

THIRTY-ONE

AVA

“I don’t even recognize myself,” I mutter as I pull up the skirt I borrowed from Hannah.

She snorts as I duck and grimace at my reflection in the little mirror she keeps in her office. Shit. My hair is a mess.

“I’ll say.” She presses a finger against my neck and lets out a laugh. “Is that a hickey, or were you bitten by a vampire?”

Huffing, I back away and pick up the mirror so I can inspect the mark Tyler must have left on me while he came. God, this is embarrassing.

“He didn’t tell me we were meeting with the attorney this afternoon.”

“Probably because he expected his wife to be wearing clothes when he picked her up from dance class.” She arches a brow. “Not that I’m not loving this side of my sweet Ava.”

“Don’t let my wife fool you. There’s nothing sweet about her.”

We spin in unison and find Tyler standing in the doorway, completely put together, his hands in the pockets of his suit pants as he leans casually on the frame.

“Then why’d you take a bite out of her?” Hannah digs through her purse and pulls out a bottle of concealer, then tosses it to me. “Might be a little dark for you, but it’s the best I can do. ”

After I finished riding Tyler like he was my personal carousel, he informed me that we were scheduled to meet with his attorney, so we’d have to stop by the locker room so he could get a change of clothes. The man came in his pants and didn’t even blush about it. Nope, I’m pretty sure he walked into Langfield Corp with a grin on his face.

I, on the other hand, am mortified and oh so thankful that my best friend keeps multiple changes of clothes in her office. According to her, one never knows when they’ll need a wardrobe change for a date or a game. Or to go undercover to fix one of the players’ problems. She’s my idol, and I love her always, but today, I love her the most. Even while she continues to tease me for being such a disaster.

“Give her a minute, War. The girl needs to put herself back together before her panties get wet all over again, and from the way you’re looking at her, that can’t happen while you’re in the room.”

War throws his head back and laughs. Also, it’s too late. All it took was one look at the way his Adam’s apple bobs to make my panties damp. Every inch of him exudes strength and power and sex. It’s a deadly combination, and one that clearly has the ability to fry my brain cells into riding him in his freaking car. Oh, excuse me, my freaking car. The one with the Mrs. War license plate, as if I need to be reminded that I’m his personal property.

But god, I don’t even get mad about it anymore. I try to. I tell myself that I’m my own person, that the only person who controls me is me. Then he goes and looks like that, and those mantras go out the window, and I melt at his feet, begging him to pull out that monster cock of his and let me revel in the beauty of it. It’s one seriously beautiful penis. Though it’s probably wasted on me. I can’t possibly appreciate just how perfect it is when I have practically nothing to compare it to.

Not that I’ll allow anyone else to see it. I’ll scratch a girl’s eyes out for merely glancing in his direction.

Who am I, and what the heck has happened to me? It’s like Tyler’s dick has altered my brain chemistry.

“That was supposed to be an inside thought,” Hannah mutters.

Blue eyes locked on me, Tyler saunters in my direction, and the rest of the world fades away. I’m pretty sure Hannah is squawking, but when Tyler is near, he’s all I can focus on.

He runs his fingers through my hair and tugs until my chin is forced up and I’m staring at that mouth of his as the most beautiful words fall from them.

“Tout ce à quoi je pense. C’est te faire l’amour à chaque instant de chaque jour. Comment tu go?tes. Comment tu parles. Je suis obsédé et te voir obsédé, C’est me foutre la tête. Ne me brise pas le c?ur visqueux. Je ne m’en remettrai jamais.”

Before I can ask him to translate, his mouth is on mine, capturing me in the most indecent kiss I’ve ever experienced. I don’t need to know the meaning of his words to understand what he’s telling me. This isn’t a contractual relationship anymore. Though our initial reason is still important, it’s not all that binds us. This is so much more. It’s an obsession I can’t imagine waning.

Arms looped around his neck, I pull myself closer, giving in to my desires. This man. This freaking man may destroy me, and I may just let him.

“Holy shit, I need a cigarette,” Hannah mutters.

Even as I giggle and pull back, Tyler cradles my head and eases us apart. All the while, he presses kiss after drugging kiss to my lips, then my cheek, then my chin. Then he smiles that cocky smile that pisses me off so much. “Come on, wifey. We’re going to be late.”

“It’s so nice to finally meet you.” Madi shakes my hand, and I’m immediately put at ease by her demeanor. She’s well-known around the country—she’s married to a famous actor, after all—so I wasn’t sure what to expect. But the petite brunette has a kind face, and I immediately like her.

“It’s nice to meet you too. Thank you for getting all the paperwork together so quickly.”

She points to the chairs across from her desk, signaling for us to sit. “Of course. I think it’s wonderful that Josie helped bring her two favorite people together and that they fell in love.”

Keeping my expression neutral, I eye Tyler. Is that what he told her? That we fell in love and decided to get married on a whim after Josie introduced us? Honestly, it’s more far fetched than the already ridiculous truth—that we both love Josie and so we decided to get married in hopes that we can keep her.

Wouldn’t the court question our sanity if they believed that story? It’s not rational to fall in love that quickly. Then again, nothing we’ve been doing is rational.

“Also, I’m impressed by your willingness to put an agreement in place that establishes what happens should you separate. It shows just how important the well-being of the children is to you.”

Once again my eyes skirt to Tyler’s. This time, though, my stomach sinks. We did? Is he already planning our end?

Tyler grips my hand and squeezes. “What she means is the agreement that we’ll live together until Scarlett turns eighteen, no matter what. That we’ll put the kids first and raise them together because that’s what they need—both a mother and father who are dedicated to them. Not that there’s any kind of language in the contract regarding divorce.”

But maybe there should be. Maybe if we lay out what happens when we divorce, it’ll help me remember that this is all temporary. Then again, after years together, of being touched like this and aching for him like I already do, how will I ever recover when he walks away?

And he will walk away. Keeping the people who matter has never worked out well for me.

I clear my throat. “Yes, well, the kids come first. Always.”

Madi smiles. “Exactly. I can see why Tyler fell so hard so quickly. Finding someone with such similar values—especially when it comes to kids—is not easy, but it really is the foundation for a strong and long-lasting marriage. Now let’s go over everything so you two can get out of here.”

Hours later I’m still walking around in a fog. Tyler thought of everything. Every term in the contract protects the kids. Every question he asked was to ensure that we will do all we need to over the next few months so that when social services interviews us and the court evaluates us, we’ll not only meet their expectations, but exceed them. He’s willing to do anything to become Josie’s father. That doesn’t take away from the attraction we’re navigating now. If anything, it makes me want him more. But it hit me hard. The realization that I’m not only incredibly attracted to him, but I’ve become incredibly invested in a future together.

I’d be smart to pull back. To give myself space to remember why we’re doing this. Maybe I should be scared, but how can I be, when I know that even if this part of our relationship comes to an end, Tyler will protect everyone—even me—so that we can make it as a family.

If anything, that frees me to explore the connection between us. We’re married. We’re attracted to one another. We have a contract in place to protect the kids should we decide we want nothing more than to be co-parents. If I keep my heart unattached, then I’ll be okay no matter how life plays out. It shouldn’t be too hard. The man drives me nuts 98 percent of the time. So this works. We’ll be married, we’ll raise our kids, and fool around.

How very Samantha of me. I slip my phone out of my pocket to text my sister. That thought would make her smile.

As I start down the hallway on the second floor, Josie’s little voice catches my attention, and my feet falter. Holding my breath, I pause outside her door.

“But what if it hurts?”

“Come on, fighter. You’re the strongest person I know.”

I peer into the bedroom, only to find Tyler sitting behind her on her purple and pink comforter, braiding her hair. He’s dressed in blue Bolts sweats and a white T-shirt, and she’s in her pajamas. The way he gently twists her hair and the way the tattoos on his arm flex as he does have a tightness growing in my chest.

“But what if it does? Everyone told me the needles wouldn’t hurt, but they did. It hurts, Tyler. They all lied.”

My heart breaks for our sweet girl. I know the pain of being jabbed with needles day in and day out. Of being aggravated when the nurses swear it won’t be that bad, yet don’t offer their arms instead.

I will my breathing to steady, but it’s nearly impossible. With every memory, my anxiety ratchets up. The scratchy sheets on hospital beds. The loud noises. Whispered discussions of what if? and we can’t tell her . Surgeries. So many surgeries. Flowers. I still hate the smell of them.

“How about this? I’ll come with you and have my teeth cleaned first. Then, if you’re comfortable with it, you’ll get yours done too.”

Josie flips her head so quickly, the braid Tyler is working on falls free. “You’d do that?”

His expression goes soft, his blue eyes full of more warmth than I’ve ever seen. “Of course I would. You are one of the most important people in the world to me. Don’t ever be afraid to tell me when something scares you. I’ll always do everything I can to help make it better.”

Josie studies him, her brow furrowed, as if she’s trying to make sense of his words. I get it. I’m right there with her. I feel the same way Tyler does, but even so, to hear those words so earnestly from him? To know he cares about her, that she’s that important, is everything for a girl like Josie. A girl like me. “You’d do the same for Scarlett?”

Tyler nods. “And Bray and Ava. The four of you are my world.”

With tears welling in my eyes and a lancing pain in my chest, I fall back against the wall. Any chance I had of protecting my heart just went out the window. This man owns me. And I have a feeling he always will.