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He choked down sobs over the next minute or so. I did my best to try and calm him down.
“Do you want me to stay in here with you tonight?”
He squeezed me and nodded his head.
“Okay, but only if you promise to go to sleep,” I said. “Will you do that for me?”
“Yes,” he muttered.
I leaned over and kissed him on top of the head one more time. Holding him close to me, I continue to stroke his hair. Within five minutes, he’d fallen asleep.
As I lay there, I stared up towards the ceiling. I had no idea what the next few days would bring. But no matter what, I’d never give Simon up, not for anything.
Just then, Jillian tapped lightly against the bedroom door. Rolling my head on the pillow, I glanced up in her direction.
“Should I close this?” she whispered, pointing at the door.
I nodded and seconds later the room went dark.
AVA
I arrived in Los Angeles and joined the team. Maybe it was my preoccupation with Gene, or maybe it was the fact I’d gotten to go home for a while, but for some reason, things were better. I didn’t have any of the homesick feelings I experienced in Miami.
Small victories.
Still, I couldn’t deny being distracted. Each night, I’d call home, never one hundred percent sure Simon would be there. Jillian told me she’d spoken with Dan, and he’d agreed to help, if needed. I felt a bit guilty about it since I never particularly cared for their relationship. For now though, I had to take help wherever I could find it, so I told her to thank him for me.
As for Gene, he still hadn’t called me since Austin. With each day that passed, I grew more and more anxious.
Dyson was busy testing and getting the car ready for the race. We’d only seen each other a handful of times. Luckily, I’d been able to camouflage my frazzled state of mind enough, he didn’t grow suspicious.
Or at least, I didn’t think he did.
Even so, I knew it was a matter of time before Gene contacted me again. In fact, I’d just left the team trailer when my cell phone began to vibrate in the pocket of my jeans. I swallowed hard, sliding my hand inside and pulling it out. I flipped it over and saw the ‘Unlisted’ flash on the screen.
I closed my eyes and answered.
“Hey there, sis.”
After a slow blink, I exhaled and leaned against a nearby wall. “What do you want?”
“You already know what I want, Ava. The time has come for you to give it to me.”
I reached up and ran my fingers through my hair, shaking my hand free with a vigorous motion. “You told me I had a month, Gene. It’s hardly been a week. There’s no way I can get you the money right now. None.”
Gene scoffed at my protest. “Plans change. Adapt accordingly.”
“Adapt?” I said, snapping my upper body away from the wall. I began to pace back and forth, taking a series of small steps in each direction. “You can’t just change the deal. I don’t have any money to give you.”
“Did you talk to your boyfriend yet?”
I slid my hand around to the back of my neck and squeezed it tight. “I already told you, he’s not my boyfriend. How many more ways do I need to say the same thing to you?”
Gene ignored me. “I’ll give you one more week to get your shit together. If you don’t, I’ll get the state involved and take the kid from you. Understand?”
Trying to restrain myself from screaming, I dug my fingernails into my neck. “I swear, Gene, if you come anywhere near Simon I’ll…”
Gene interrupted me. “You’ll what, Ava? You think I’m afraid of you? If you try anything, I promise you, I’ll vanish with that kid, and you’ll never hear from him again. Do I make myself clear?”
I stayed silent, restraining the rage within me.
“Now, listen to me,” Gene began, increasing the volume of his voice. “Quit fucking around and get your boyfriend to cough up the money.”
“How many times do I have to tell you? Dyson is not my God damn boyfriend!” I shouted, squeezing my eyes closed tight.
Gene stayed silent for second. “Get it handled. I’ll be in touch.”
“Shit!” I exclaimed.
Shaking, I flipped my eyes open and to my horror, Dyson stood not six feet away from me. I looked at him in shock before turning away. Frantic, I tried to slide my cell phone back into my pocket and get out of there. But before I could even move, he spoke.
“Ava?”
Frozen in place, I closed my eyes and swallowed hard. From behind, I heard the sound of his footsteps as he moved along the crushed gravel path.
Oh no, oh shit.
Not long after, I sensed his presence. He passed by me, brushing my upper arm. I flipped my eyes open to see him standing in front of me, arms crossed and eyes narrowed at me.
“Are you going to tell me what that was all about?”
I shook my head, still half in shock by the conversation I just had and the fact Dyson likely heard the most important part of it.
“No,” I whispered. “Please don’t make me. And anyway, it doesn’t concern you.”
“I heard my name. I happen to think it does concern me.”
I shook my head. “No, really, you don’t understand.”
“Yeah, no kidding, Ava. That’s why I’m standing here asking you. I heard you telling someone I wasn’t your boyfriend. What the hell is that about?”
I licked my lips, frantically searching my mind for a plausible lie. “It’s… It’s just my roommate, Jillian. She keeps making silly jokes about what I’m really doing when I’m here with the team.”
Dyson scowled at me, nodding his head slowly. I stared at him until I couldn’t anymore.
“So why don’t I believe you?” he said.
I looked at him once again, shrugging and shaking my head. “I have no idea. It’s the truth. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get going.”
When I’d finished speaking, I tried to walk away. Before I’d taken a single step, Dyson stepped in front of me, blocking my path. Our eyes met for a second. I tried once more. Again, he moved in front of me.
“What are you doing, Dyson? Get out of my way.”
He edged closer towards me, shaking his head. “No. You’re not going anywhere. Not until you tell me what’s going on.”
“I don’t have to take this from you. Don’t threaten me.”
He licked his lips. “Trust me, it’s not a threat.”
It was clear he wasn’t about to let me walk past him. Frustrated, I turned my back and tried to walk in the other direction. But after only a single step, I felt his hand crush my upper arm in its grasp. Stopping, I snapped my head in his direction.
“Ow!” I exclaimed. “Let…” I began, yanking my arm. “Go! You’re hurting me!”
Yet Dyson remained silent, and instead of releasing me, he grabbed hold of my other arm. I struggled to free myself, but he pinned me against the wall.
“Shut up, Ava,” he warned, glaring at me. “Tell me what is going on. I know something is wrong.”
“Unnhhh,” I growled, shaking my upper body back and forth, still trying to break free. “Stop!”
And then, without a word of warning, Dyson leaned the weight of his torso against me and crushed his mouth into mine, kissing me. I continued to struggle, twisting my upper body and trying to break my mouth free of his.
“Unnhhhh!!” I exclaimed, thrashing beneath his viselike grip.
However, the harder I tried to break free, the stronger he became. Soon, I felt the energy of my struggle began to wear on me, and I relaxed a bit. Not long after, Dyson pulled his lips away from mine. We both stood there looking at each other without a word.
The only sound between us was the labored breathing we shared.
I tasted him in my mouth, traces of him left behind on my tongue. My lips parted. But before I could speak a single word, Dyson pressed his mouth to mine once again.
For no sane reason, I forgot about all of my troubles.
I inhaled his sweet scent, allowing his tongue into my mouth. With a soft moan, I reached up and slid my fingers into his thick hair. Dyson twisted his head back and forth as we kissed, in full view of anyone who happened to see.
DYSON
Yeah, I knew something was wrong. But fuck it, I couldn’t help myself.
I hadn’t seen much of Ava at all and something about the state she was in… I can’t explain it. What started as wanting to help, an urge to protect, transformed into something else.
I had to have her and I was sick of waiting.
And I couldn’t have been gladder I’d done it. She tasted incredible, sweet in a way that I can’t describe. She’d resisted me at first, but now I felt her body give in beneath me. She dragged her fingers along my scalp, making lazy strokes with the tips.
I didn’t give a shit who happened to see.
I’d waited so long for this moment that there could’ve been thousands of people around, and I wouldn’t have noticed. Eventually, we separated from each other. Ava looked up at me, her eyes glassy with the kind of lustful gaze I’d seen hundreds of times in my life.
I smiled at her, expecting the same in return. But, instead Ava blinked a couple of times and shook her head.
She looked away from me.
“Dyson,” she began, reaching up and wiping her lips. “We shouldn’t have done that. Please, let me go.”
