*Ava* “Okay, you’ve completely lost me. Noah? Stalking you?” Emma questions, her attention focused on me. “Since when does that boy have a single violent bone in his body?”She’s not wrong, but I still don’t know the whole story. I divert to Liam, looking for answers. “What happened? Did you see him or something?”“You were right, Ava, he’s stalking you. I followed you both today. He watched you while you were working all day, in that coffee shop across the street. We … had words.” It’s very rare I notice Liam at a loss for words. But I see him holding something back. “Words?” I ask, hoping to get even a little bit more information.“Yes.”So much for that. But regardless, I can’t believe I’d been right. Of all the people in my life that I assumed might be a stalker, Noah would never even crack the top ten. James stalking me, that I’d understand. But Noah? Because I turned him down? It doesn’t make any sense. Nothing is making any sense.“I’m going to call Daniel and se
*Ava*It’s early when Liam and Daniel pull up to the apartment. They’re here to pick us up, and something inside me is screaming not to leave. It’s adamant that this isn’t the last time I’m coming here. All of this will just be temporary, I know it. I hope so, anyway.“Have everything you need, babe?” Daniel asks Emma.“I think so,” she says, looking at what she’s got in her arms and suitcase. “It’s just difficult to imagine not coming back here in a day or two.”I nod, getting exactly what she’s saying.A home has been ripped out from both of us. I’ve always had somewhere to land on my feet, but nothing has ever been taken away quite like this.“I’m sure this is a lot for you both,” Daniel sympathizes. “This whole situation is absolutely bonkers. Are you holding up okay, Ava?”It’s nice that he cares enough to ask me how I’m doing. “Honestly? I feel like I’m becoming numb to everything. It’s all a lot.”Liam’s eyebrow arches, and I try not to look directly at him. H
*Ava*“Ava? Will you please come to Chicago? For me?”“Of course!” I reply quickly. “You don’t even need to ask, Dad. I wouldn’t miss it. I told you I’d be there, didn’t I?”My father sounds relieved. “You did. But I know you have your new job and–”“I won’t miss it, no matter what,” I say firmly.“Alright, pumpkin. That’s what I was hoping to hear. I love you,” my father responds, and I can tell he’s smiling.“I love you, too, Dad. We’ll talk soon.”We hang up at the same time, and I turn to Liam, chewing my lip. “Will you … come with me to Chicago for my dad’s trial?”Liam grins at me. “I was hoping you’d ask me. I would love to. I’d like to be there to support you, and your father.”I hop right in his arms and hug him. “I love you.”“I love you more,” Liam teases.“Not a chance,” I say. I let go just so I can grab my phone. “I hate asking for time off when I’ve just started, but there’s nothing I can do about that.”Liam is pulling his own phone out. “I would
*Ava*I’m tense the whole flight, despite Liam dismissing the flight attendant and pulling the curtain so he can try to “alleviate my tension.”When we land, I’m just tense AND sweaty and, despite how long I spent in the jet’s bathroom cubicle, I still look like I had sex on a plane.“Want to go to the house first and freshen up?” Liam asks when we slide into the town car he’s hired.“No. If we go to the house, we’re not leaving it for hours, and you know it,” I scold him.Liam’s lip twitches, and I know he’s trying not to smile. “Guilty.”“You know you are. Now my dad’s going to think I’m some sort of sex maniac,” I grumble.“No,” Liam says, unrepentantly thumbing my nipple through my now-buttoned blouse and bra. “He’s going to think I’M a sex maniac.”I swat his hand. “Good. He’ll get the right impression right off the bat.”“Wouldn’t want to be dishonest,” Liam chuckles.The town car doesn’t move, and I look curiously at Liam.“You haven’t said where you want t
*Ava*Of course the “house” Liam rented is actually a mansion.A mansion with more than one private chef, it turned out, and all three of them tried to outdo each other at breakfast, much to Liam’s and my delight.I confess I was a little unfair to Liam this morning, letting my robe drop open just enough to show a lot of cleavage when the staff left us to eat.Liam’s eyes twinkle, and I know he plans to get me back for that later today.He does grope me back in our bedroom while I’m changing, and I’m surprised he leaves it at a single breast squeeze.“You must have something special planned for today,” I remark as he pulls on a nice, black cashmere sweater over a pair of khaki-colored pants.I’m especially sure of it when I help him with his belt and all I get is a pointed clearing of his throat.“I thought we’d explore the city. I want to see Chicago through your eyes,” Liam says.I blush. “What a sweet thing to say.”Liam circles his arms around me. “I mean it.”
*Ava*Liam smooths his hands over my hips, looking at me in the mirror. The skirt is already hugging me perfectly, but I know my boyfriend just wants to touch me. I smile at him as I hook in my earrings.“Do you like it?” I ask, meaning the pencil skirt.“It’s good enough to eat,” Liam replies, meaning me. He leans in and kisses my neck, and I find myself giggling and swatting him away.“We’ll be late!” I whisper-yell at him. “We can’t be late for Dad’s trial.”Liam sighs and skims one disappointed hand over my ass, then raises his hands in surrender.“Good boy,” I grin, patting him on the head.“Oh … we’ll be discussing THAT later…” Liam rumbles, his eyes smoldering.My throat goes dry. Yes, I’m sure we will be.Liam shrugs into his suit jacket, then holds out his arm to me.I place my hand in the loop of his arm and go down to the town car with him.I’m glad I wore a pencil skirt once we’re sitting side-by-side in the back seat because as much as Liam wants to p
*Catherine*“Well, that’s … disappointing,” I seethe at the television screen.Joseph Williams hugs his daughter, that brat Ava, on the courthouse steps in Chicago. Standing next to them…I lick my lips. Standing next to them is my new target. James Kincaid is not nearly as big a fish as Liam Johnson, much as he likes to grandstand about his position. I might not have been able to swim with the whales, but Ava’s sure doing a good job climbing the ladder.It baffles me because she’s not even pretty. She doesn’t take care of herself like I do.I’m the one who should be getting all these men. But now, well, my youth is behind me, and it’s clear men like Liam Johnson and James Kincaid are only interested in women half their age.Bitterness swamps me. I was still better looking than Ava Williams any day of the week, and back in my heyday, I was fucking gorgeous. Seeing these men falling all over themselves for that scraggly little brat was just … infuriating.They’d never t
*Liam*The plane finally touches down, and I’m relieved to have made it to New York. I hope Ava can finally relax now that her father is safe and we can find ourselves a sense of normalcy.My phone starts ringing as soon as I walk down the steps of the plane, one foot touching the tarmac. I immediately take the call, calling hello into the phone to a number I don’t recognize. I get a lot of business calls from people so it could be anyone. But I am not expecting the voice I hear on the other line.“This is your last chance. I’m offering you one final out, your chance to walk away from Ava and let her be with the better man.”Noah.My nostrils flare, but I quickly put on a façade when Ava looks over at me.“Who’s calling?” she asks, her breath airy. I can tell the weight that has been lifted off her shoulders is making her much happier. Her father being found innocent on charges that so obviously were set up should make her feel as though she’s floating. I know how much h