48
Ava
Cats have nine lives, yet I’m clinging to the one, sorry excuse of an existence I’ve had. The man I came to lovetoo soonstares at me through a deadly, glass gaze. The man I’ve hated for as long as I can recall keeps twisting the knife he placed in my back. On this occasion, he’s appealed to Kieran for his own good.
Jesus. Jesus. Jesus.
I’ve heard there’s something about that name. With nothing left to live for, I should take the bullet with grace. But I beg to a God I’ve neglected and who I feel has neglected me too. All I can say is the one name:
Jesus . . .
“Wait,” Kieran groans. Tempering a glance my way, he then cocks his head. “Everyone.”
The men start to leave the room.
I’m still calling on Jesus as Kieran climbs from his seat. He stops the last guy, grips his bicep, and whispers something into his ear.
Heartbeat thumping in my ears, I watch the silent exchange. The henchman clutches Adnan by the hair, pulling him up.
“Nnnnnngggg—”
The butt of the goon’s gun leaves Adnan unconscious. Dragging him by one arm, the man slides Adnan over the marble and into the bedroom. The door closes behind them.
Shaking, I turn my head away from Kieran. His pleasing scent floods my nostrils as he kneels on the ground in front of me. The muscles in my thighs scream as he wrenches them apart, pressing his waist there, eye level with me. Our foreheads kiss as I silently sob.
I’ll never vindicate Arika.
With our faces pressed together, Kieran’s hands tangle in my hair. I groan, twisting my shoulders, shying from his touch.
“I wasn’t supposed to tell you I love you like this, little bird. We . . .” His deep, distraught voice drowns away. “I can’t apologize for taking you. I’d do it again. You saved me in unimaginable ways . . . Mam stopped visiting me.”
Eyes snapping shut, I bite back more tears. Although my body aches from all the revelations running through my mind, like how I won’t bring honor to Arika’s name. It is Kieran who grips me tightly, his body shuddering against me. He slowly calms as if my touch reassures him.
“You restored my relationship with Kiera. Until you, she was the only thing in this world I gave afeckabout. I’ve loyalties. I’d die for my clan and Clan Mackenzie. But I’d go tofeckinghell for her.For you,Ava.”
A cloud transcends over my eyes, turning the powerful man between my thighs into a subdued haze.
God, he loves me.
God, he will kill me.
Suddenly my vision is restored, Kieran’s holding a gun to the side of my temple. The tiny hairs atop my lips burn as I work the skin around my mouth to loosen the tape.
“If I didn’t have Kiera, I’d go with you, lassie. Me and you. Forever. You hated that word.” His taut muscles seem to tremble. “Promise you’ll haunt me. I’m so in love with you.Feckingtorment me, Ava.”
No, baby.I rub my cheek along his abrasive, chiseled jaw. He hasn’t pulled the trigger yet. I won’t give up on life after it gave up on me. I won’t give up onhim. Or us.
A velvet purring vibrates over my tonsils as my cheek caresses his. Voiceless, I’m trembling, crying, hiccupping, and imploring the man I love to listen to his heart.
“I remember the night we had candles on the beach,” Kieran groans.
I continue to abuse my raw, scrubbed cheek over his chiseled chin.
“I didn’t taste you, little bird. We were arguing. Alwaysfeckingarguing. God, I kept thinking I could argue with this woman forever.”
After a while, I don’t care for my life anymore. I’m not numb. I’m content dying in Kieran’s arms. Overtaken by the moment, I moan softly. His scent subdues me further. I whimper when he pulls back, then heave a sigh at the sight of Kieran stuffing the shiny, silver gun into the waistband beneath his blazer.
His hands fit the pillar of my throat, thumb stroking my collarbone. The whisper of his breath coaxes my stalled heart into a proper beat. Kieran replaces his fingertips with his mouth, pressing reverent kisses on my collar and up the slope of my neck.