Page 4 of The Billionaire's Bride

The door opens then, and Baron walks in. He glances between us. His gaze takes in my features, sweeps over my bandaged arm, before coming to rest on Ava.

His brow furrows. "Are you okay?" He walks toward her, and she holds up her hand.

"I… I’m fine, just need some space."

"Not happening," he snaps. "You were attacked, and from what that man said before I took him down—"

"You mean before I took him down?" I interject.

He turns to survey me, "You look like shit."

"No thanks to you," I growl.

"I shot you by mistake. You know that, right?"

"Is that right?" I take in his jeans and shirt, the ruddy glow of his features. Bastard looks in the peak of health, while I feel like I could keel over at any moment.

"You know it is." He frowns. "I was aiming for the guy who broke into the studio."

"Only I got him first."

"About that," Baron scowls, "how did you have a gun on you?"

I arch an eyebrow, "Because, I am one of the Seven?"

"But..."Ava swallows, "you were a priest."

"Precisely." I dig my heels into the floor to stay steady, "Because I was a priest, I know people from all walks of life, enough to be able to procure a gun. Besides, no way was I returning unarmed. Not when I knew I'd need to keep you safe, Ava." I glance between them. "Turns out, I was right to do so. If I hadn't arrived in time, I'd never have shot that asshole."

"He’s alive, by the way," Baron offers.

"Too bad." I glower. My legs begin to tremble. I sway. Both Baron and Ava step toward me. Their shoulders brush and she stiffens. So does he. They spring apart as if an electric current shocked them. More likely, an electric connection did pass between them. I sit down on the bed, look between them, before turning to him.

"Did you fuck her?"

2

Ava

Shit, shit, shit, I knew it was a mistake being in the same room as Baron and Edward. But how could I stay away? Edward had been hurt. He’d been in and out of consciousness for the last two days. I’d stayed by his side, only to make sure that he was okay. That’s it. It has nothing to do with the relief that had swept through me when I’d seen him framed in the doorway of the studio. Right before he’d been shot—by mistake—by Baron.

Now, Edward glares at Baron, a suspicious look in his eyes. Of course, he’d spotted the body language between me and Baron. Too bad. Not that there's anything between me and Baron anymore, not after he'd left me too. But he'd rescued me again, when he'd walked into the studio. If it hadn't been for him arriving when he did... I swallow. Still, I hadn’t been prepared for Edward to figure out what had transpired between me and Baron so quickly. And no, I will not feel guilty about that. After all, it’s Edward who left me in the first place, didn't he?

Now he fists the fingers of his free arm at his side. "Did you?" he growls. "Did you shag her?"

Baron raises his shoulders and drops them. He opens his mouth, shuts it, shuffles his feet. Shit, if that isn’t a dead giveaway for guilt, I don’t know what is.

And damn, if we have done anything wrong. Yeah, you only slept with his friend while he was away.

But it’s not like I had been in any kind of committed relationship with the Father… I mean, Edward. It is going to take some time getting used to not seeing him as a priest anymore. And the man in front of me with his bloodshot eyes, hair standing up every which way, anger bouncing off of him…is as far away from the calm, collected, Father as I can imagine. It’s as if he left as one person, and returned as someone else. The change had already been underway the last time he’d seen me—when he’d fucked me, made love to me in a passionate blaze that had burned into my skin and imprinted itself in my cells. I swallow, glancing away.

"It’s… just…" Baron starts to speak then purses his lips.

"Oh, for fuck’s sake," I burst out. "Yes, he shagged me. I shagged him. Does that answer your question?"

Both men turn to glare at me. Edward with those golden eyes that seem to be ablaze in a way I’ve never seen them before. And Baron with those twin beams of laser blue that seem to cut me to the bone.

"What?" I demand. "What did you think would happen, Ed? You abandoned me—"