Page 102 of Savage Ends

“This way I don’t disturb the whole house.”

Ava nodded.“That does make sense.”Also, it was kind of cool that he wanted to climb through her bedroom window and see her.She saw he wasn’t happy, though.“Are you okay?”

Pat looked at her, and she stared back at him, waiting.

“No,” he said.

She stepped toward him and sank down onto her knees in front of him.Placing her hands onto his knees, she waited.“What is it?”she asked.

Pat put his hand over hers, and she saw he struggled.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want.”

“Lidia’s in the hospital,” Pat said.“Someone attacked her inside her home.Hit her hard, and it appears injected her with heroin.”

“Wow,” Ava said.“That’s awful.Is she going to be okay?”

“The doctor said it is going to be touch-and-go for a while.We don’t know if having the drugs forced on her is going to have any effect.She might crave them.”

“That’s insane.”

Pat ran a hand over his face.“I didn’t even think to go and check on her.It’s only when I was talking to Grant and we worried.Fuck.”

Ava gripped his thighs tightly.“This is not your fault.”

“Lidia hung out at the club.Her best friend is an old lady.This attack is because of the club.”

“There is nothing you can do, and I bet Lidia wouldn’t want to hear you talking like this.”

“The club is not a good place right now, Ava,” he said.“Bad shit is happening to people around us.”

She had not heard about Lidia, this was new.The town would start talking about this, and there was a risk the club become even more of an outcast.

“You’ll make it right,” Ava said.

“How do you know?”

“Because I can see that look in your eye, and regardless of what you say, you try to break up with me, I will kick your ass.There is a chance I might be pregnant seeing as we haven’t been careful.You’re not backing out now.”She smiled to show she was also kidding around, but not by a whole lot.

“You’re funny,” he said.

“That’s me.I’m a funny woman.”

“I’m not going to give you up, Ava.I’m too fucking selfish to let you go.”He cupped her cheek, tucking some of her hair behind her ear.“I’ll never let you go.I have tried to walk away, and I keep coming back.”

Ava felt her throat burn.“That’s because of the coffee and cake.Another woman’s baked goods helped you fall for me.”

“No, I fell for you.This smile is what I fell for, and your kindness.Nothing else.”

She took a deep breath, then reached up, cupped his face, and kissed him.Pat didn’t push her away, and she was so damn pleased he didn’t leave her or break up with her.There was only so much she could take.

Pat began to remove her clothing, and she pushed his leather cut from his body, only she stepped back, grabbed his jacket, and placed it over her chair in the corner.“I know how you like to take care of your jacket.”

“Woman, you’re fast becoming my very favorite person in the whole fucking world.”

Ava laughed, and then she sank to her knees, removing his jeans, and when she removed his boxer briefs, he reached for her hand as if to stop her from doing anything else.She didn’t fight him as he pulled her up off the floor, and then sunk his fingers into her hair, kissing her at the same time.

“There is going to be a time and a place for that,” he said.“Tonight, I just want to be balls-deep inside you.”