A Dom Is Forever (25 page)

“So you’re going to leave her?” Jake asked. “I want my money back.”

“I didn’t say that.” Why couldn’t he leave it be? He left everything be. He hadn’t said a word about what Weston had showed him. Apart from sessions with Eve, he didn’t talk about his past or his brother. So why was he actually tempted to talk about this with Adam and Jake? He needed Sean. Sean would just pop open a beer and sit beside him. After a while, he’d slap Liam on the back and that would be their very manly discussion about feelings. Not a word said. Not a thing worked out because a real man didn’t ever really work that shit out. He just did what his wife told him to do.

Holy fucking shit.
He’d just thought about marrying Avery.

“Get him a beer,” Jake said. “Li, sit down. I’m going to turn on the TV, and we’ll find some soccer.”

He slumped down into the sofa, the reality washing over him. He didn’t want to leave her and not just because he was worried she would get hurt. He liked her. He liked who he was when he was with her.

She’d been hurt. She’d lost everything. She’d lost her home and her parents and her money. She’d pulled herself up and gotten married and had a baby when she was still a baby herself. She’d lost them, too, along with the ability to walk. She’d fought. She’d taught herself to walk again, and she put herself right back out in the world because that girl didn’t know how to quit.

He’d quit a long time ago. He could see that now. He’d worked and walked around, but he hadn’t really lived since that day in the wharf-side flat. The man he’d been, alive and vibrant and happy, had died and a completely different human being had been dragged out of the water. Shut down, cold, distant. He’d chased pussy that didn’t matter. He’d fucked women who couldn’t touch him for precisely the reason that he knew damn well they couldn’t move him.

Something cold was pressed in his hand, and he took a long swig. The low hum of an announcer’s voice filled the room. Jake sat down beside him, not saying a word, and Adam passed him a beer before sinking into the chair and staring at the TV.

Yep. This was what he needed. He trusted Adam and Jake. There was something deep inside that trusted them because in so many ways, they had taken the place of his brother. They annoyed the fuck out of him. He wanted to punch them half the time. And he was happy they were here.

“It’s football,” he heard himself say.

Jake snorted a little. “Footballs are oval shaped and way more manly than this shit.”

“And more interesting. Does anyone ever actually score?” Adam asked.

Fucking
plebians
. He laughed, his tension dissolving. He would figure out what to do with Avery. He had a little time. Damon Knight wasn’t going to kick him out of the country. They would need him, and he would protect her. “It’s called football, boys, and we don’t need all those pads and shit. This is a man’s game.”

They started arguing, but the tension was gone. His problems were still there, but he could handle them.

And he would handle Ian. He would listen to him. He owed the man that much and more. He owed them all, and he wouldn’t let them down. He’d been sulking for four days. It was time to get his head back in the game and back his people up.

It’s what family did.

Avery looked up at Simon Weston. It was so much easier to be friendly with the man now that she had Lee. She didn’t feel uncomfortable with him anymore. She’d even caught herself halfway flirting. It was a little perverse that she couldn’t flirt before, but now that she had a boyfriend, she was okay with a little harmless repartee. And Simon had eased up so they were finding a very nice friendship.

“How was the time off? I managed to get the quartet scheduled for the ball.” He sat on the edge of her desk, a mug of coffee in his hands.

She winced a little. “I’m so sorry I pawned that off on you.”

He smiled, a genuine beaming that lit up his face. “Hey, no problem. I’m happy you’re having a good time. That Lee guy seems all right. And it’s obvious he’s making you quite happy.” He nodded toward the door to Thomas Molina’s office. “I noticed he’s been in the office a lot lately. And he’s crabby. Aren’t you supposed to keep him calm?”

Yep. She’d gotten an earful from a whole bunch of the staff the minute she’d walked in. Apparently Thomas had been a bear to deal with. “I will give it my best shot. Let everyone know that he won’t be in tomorrow so they can all take extra-long lunches.” She remembered the look Monica had given her. “And I’ll buy the first round after work.”

“You’re going to come and drink with us?” Simon asked, one aristocratic brow arched.

“Sure. I have to warn you, though, I’m a total lightweight and I’ll probably get even
klutzier
than usual.”

“I think we can handle that. We would all help you, you know.”

She leaned back wondering just how much she could ask him without sounding like a massive moron. “I don’t know. I don’t seem to fit in here.”

“You would fit in just nicely. You’re an incredibly likable woman, Avery. Have you ever wondered why you haven’t found friends here?”

She wasn’t especially good socially. She often felt awkward and out of place. Her twenties had been one long hospital room stay. She could talk to doctors and sling medical jargon around all day long, but she was a little lost when it came to small talk. She liked sci-fi movies and romance novels, two things assured to put a blank look on most people’s faces.

But she was more confident now. She had Adam and Jake, and most of all she had Lee. And now she had Simon. And she’d been assured that she would likely find friends at the club Lee was taking her to. He’d laughed a little and said subs liked to stick together.

“I think I’ve been a little standoffish.” She hadn’t really tried. She’d asked a couple of the women if they wanted to have lunch, and when they couldn’t she’d given up. Why had she done that? Why had she gone into her shell? Because getting close to someone meant deciding just how much to tell them. Because what the hell was she supposed to say if they asked about her past? “But I’m done with that now. I’m going to be more in the present.”

It had been easy to view this as a transitory job so she didn’t have to open herself up, so she never had to talk about
Maddie
. It was easy to be friendly with people on the street because they wouldn’t really become part of her life. Even Thomas was easy. He liked to talk about business and news and sports. He rarely delved into truly personal subjects. He could talk with her for hours, but he didn’t ask her pesky personal questions.

God, was that why she’d been so comfortable with him?

“You’re not standoffish, love,” Simon said with a wary little frown. “It was made clear to many people that they should keep their distance.”

“By who? Who wouldn’t want me to make friends?” That didn’t make any sense.

Simon nodded toward Thomas’s door. “He was subtle about it, but I understood. We were supposed to be hands off.”

“Why would he do that?” One of the things he’d been insistent on was that she would meet new people and see the world.

And he’d asked her to stay with him in his town house. Oh, he’d offered her a separate room, of course, but he’d asked her to stay. It was only when she’d made it clear she would need her own place that he offered her the place by Liverpool station, but he’d been a bit grumpy about it.

Was Thomas trying to be more than her friend? “I’m sure you just misunderstood, but it doesn’t matter. I’m here for a little while, and I’m going to enjoy it.”

“That boyfriend seems to be good for you.” Simon pushed off the desk. “And let me know if you find out anything about our missing files.”

She nodded. She was going to look tomorrow while Thomas was out meeting his mysterious friend. The man had never come to the office, but he seemed to be close to Thomas.

Thomas’s door opened, and there was a pained expression on his face as he stood in the doorway, cane in hand. “Avery, you’re here. I was wondering if you were going to come back to work or if I’d lost you.”

He looked like he hadn’t been taking care of himself. Guilt rode her hard. She’d been diving into her relationship with Lee, and Thomas had been faltering. No matter what he’d said to the staff, he’d helped her in a huge way, and she couldn’t pay that back. He’d given her a chance when no one else had, and they were connected by tragedy. They both knew what it meant to lose a loved one. She’d lost so much, and he’d lost his brother.

“I’m here.” She stood up and grabbed her laptop. “I told you I would be back for the monthly board meeting.”

“It’s being pushed back. Dubai needs a couple of hours to get their numbers together. They had a last-minute donor pull out, and it’s changed the budget. Apparently the sheik of some tiny country needs his two million now to put down a coup.” He sighed. “We have to completely rethink the Congo shipment. In addition to losing the donor, we have to deal with the fact that the grain we planned on purchasing is more expensive than promised. Something about a goddamn drought. I need this shipment to go through, Avery.”

Yes, that would make him crabby. She’d picked a hell of a time to use her vacation. “It’s okay. If it’s a few weeks late, it will still get there.”

His face turned a brutal shade of red. “It will not be late. If it’s late, someone’s fucking head is going to roll. Do you understand me?”

It was the first time she’d heard him curse, and she took a step back. He’d always been gentle around her. She’d heard rumors that he could be nasty, but she’d discounted them. She didn’t question the fact that the man who stood in front of her now could be ruthless.

“Absolutely,” Simon said smoothly. “I’ll get some of the American liaisons on the phone. We’ll find the grain or the money, I promise. This is for the Congo shipment, correct? I heard we had a big donation coming through. A bloke named Lachlan Bates, I heard. We can use that money to buy the grain.”

A blank expression went across Thomas’s face. He took a long breath, and then he was his sunny self again. “Sorry, dear. I’m in a little pain. My legs are aching today. Weston, you’re a legal advisor. Don’t worry about this. I’ll get Monica on it. The Bates donation might not go through. I’m looking into it.”

“Of course, sir.” Simon nodded and sent her a small stare before he left the office.

“I’ll go talk to Monica myself.” Maybe it was a good sign that he was letting himself be real around her. She could handle a little bad temper. The look on his face had been another thing entirely. He’d been righteously angry, but she had to try to calm him down.

“Avery, I’m sorry.” He leaned against the door. “I didn’t mean to yell at you. It’s been difficult to get about on my own. I think you understand that.”

She’d struggled for years. Again, guilt welled. “Yes, I understand. I’m sorry. I just wanted a few days to myself.”

“But you weren’t by yourself, were you?”

There was no way to miss the rebuke in his voice. She wasn’t going to feel guilty about Lee. “I was with my boyfriend.”

“He’s an American, right? A tourist?”

“He’s here for a little while.”

He hobbled over to her desk. “I hate this. I hate that he’s using you.”

“He’s not using me. He’s dating me.”

“He’s not going to stay around,” Thomas said, frowning again. “Are you going back to America with him?”

“No.” Lee hadn’t even mentioned when he was going back, much less invited her to come along.

“Is he coming to Dubai with us? Are you coming to Dubai at all? I would like to know if you’re going to leave me high and dry.” He struggled with his cane, walking back into his office, leaving the door open for her to follow.

She had tried not to think about it. She had a good job. It paid well, and she believed in it. And he had a job back in the States that he never really talked about, but she understood it was his company. He couldn’t just leave it behind. It was too quick to make decisions.

She’d started out wanting a few weeks with him, but now she knew damn well she wanted more and she couldn’t ask for it. She’d known him for a week. She couldn’t ask him to make lifetime decisions based on a few days. “I’m going to Dubai.”

Unless Lee asked her not to and then she would most likely give up the best job she’d ever had for the chance to be with him. She was so dumb, but she knew she would regret not trying. She could forgive herself if it all imploded, but not if she didn’t try. Her stupid, hopeful heart wouldn’t shut down no matter what bad stuff happened.

“I’m glad to hear that because I would hate to think I had to go alone.” He sat down behind his desk, the cane leaning against the wood. “I’m going to see some doctors in Dubai. They think they might be able to help me with my legs.”

“That’s wonderful.” She knew how much it could change a life. Her phone vibrated in her pocket.

“I just care about you. I wouldn’t want you to get hurt.”

She pulled the cell out, glancing down. Her mother-in-law. Her heart sped up a little. Brandon’s mom. She hadn’t called in two years. Avery had tried everything to get the woman to talk to her.

“Someone important?” Thomas asked.

“I need to take it. Is it okay?” What if something was wrong? Or what if she finally wanted to talk? What time was it back in the States?

He nodded. “Of course, but I need you with me at that meeting. We’ll order in lunch.”

Damn it.
Lee was going to be upset, but she had to work. She hated to admit it, but while she felt very comfortable with Lee, the truth of the matter was he would likely go back to the States and she would go to Dubai. “I’ll be there.”

She walked out of the office and immediately answered her phone. “Lydia? Is that you?”

Her hands were shaking.

“Look you little bitch, I told you not to contact us ever again. What do you not understand about that? Did you think sending us that magazine article would change the fact that Brandon and Madison are dead?”

The words lashed at her. “What are you talking about?”