I felt nothing for him. Not a bone in my body ached for this man I had shared a life with for so many years. It was Commando who had saved my life, he was the one who I cared about. I was just realizing that Blaine had meant nothing to me, not ever. Not even close to the way Commando did.
Chapter 26
Commando
“That dick is in prison,” I said, while Ava lay soaking in the bath tub.
I had brought her to my apartment and run her a bath. I couldn’t bear to see her in pain, to see her crying. And the whole time I rode my bike, I was able to hear her whimpering. Now, she lay in the bubbling water, her head propped up against the back, the bottoms of her red hair soaked and damp.
Ava moved her arms, sending ripples around her in the water. Her makeup was smudged from all the crying, and her green eyes shone largely. She was the most beautiful creature I had ever laid my eyes on, and now she was all mine.
“Blaine is in prison?” she asked, her voice cracking with anticipation.
“Elwood…my dad called in a favor with the cops. They’re going to transfer him to Mississippi,” I said, and sat down with my legs crossed on the bathroom floor.
“Mississippi?” Ava said, an almost-smile tugging the corners of her mouth.
“Yeah,” I said and reaching for her arm, I stroked her soft skin, while she leaned over the edge of the bath tub to look at me. She was stretched out, soaking, and every time I caught sight of her luscious body submerged in the water, I felt my cock move. But fucking her was the last thing on my mind tonight. I just wanted her to feel safe, I wanted her to know that I wouldn’t let anything happen to her.
“On what grounds?” she asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. For a moment, I didn’t know what she was talking about, and then realized that she was still speaking about Blaine Salzburg.
“Something made up. We have cops on our payroll, who owe us a shitload of favors,” I said and Ava arched her eyebrows and then smiled. That smile made me weak. A happy genuine smile. She was warming to my lifestyle, she wasn’t complaining about how many laws we were breaking. She was the kind of woman who would
never hold anything against me. She would always be by my side, and it felt amazing to have that.
“You’ll be safe now, princess,” I said and she blinked, her cheeks flushing red to match the color of her bright hair.
“I was safe from the moment I met you. I owe my life to you, Commando,” she said and I reached over and kissed her lips.
We were staring at each other, and I couldn’t believe that a gorgeous woman, a woman like her…had deemed me worthy to take a bath in my tub. I had never felt this way about a woman before. No girl had even come close to making me feel the way she did. So, what was I waiting for? What other proof did I need to convince myself that she was the most important thing in my life.
“Move in with me, Ava,” the words came blurting out of me and for a few moments, her brows crossed and she looked at me with disbelief.
“Here?” she asked and a nervous laugh escaped from me.
“That was my plan, or we could find a different place if you don’t want to live here,” I said and she bit down on her lip, trying to suppress the smile that was bursting on her face.
“Is this because you want me to be safe? Because this way you’ll be able to keep a close watch on me?” she said and I saw the goosebumps on her arms, her shoulders, her skin glistening with the soapy water of the bath.
“No, this is because I want to wake up next to you every day,” I said and Ava’s face flushed again. She batted her eyelids and dropped her gaze downwards.
“I want to wake up next to you every day too,” she said and I reached for her again, kissing her damp face.
“And I want to support you,” I said and she snapped her eyes up at me again.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, that I want to take care of your course fee, your books, whatever you need. You don’t need to work at the Lucky Lady anymore,” I explained and she opened her mouth to protest.
“But…”
“No buts. It’s final. The MC will take care of everything, and all you have to do is study and become a Vet Tech. After that, you can get your dream job and live the life you’ve always wanted,” I continued and even though she was trying hard to hide it, I could tell that she was bubbling with excitement.
“Commando…I…” she said and I shook my head, thrilling at the sound of her sweet voice. I would have done anything to see her not cry. And she looked like she was finally happy.
“Thank you,” she said and clamped her mouth shut, smiling widely.
“You don’t need to thank me, princess. This is what I want to do for you,” I told her and she swished out of the bathtub, hurling herself at me and the water flew everywhere, dampening my clothes.