Thayer Universityโs annual alumni charity gala was the
event of the season, but while it did raise money for the latest cause du jour, it wasnโt really about charity. It was about ego.
I attended every year.
Not because I wanted to be a philanthropist or reminisce about my college days, but because the gala was a fountain of information. Thayer counted the most powerful people in the world amongst its alumni, and they all congregated in the ballroom of the Z Hotel D.C. every August. It was the perfect opportunity to network and gather intel.
โโฆpass the bill, but itโll get killed in Congressโฆโ
I pretended to listen while Colton, an old classmate who now worked in government affairs for a major software company, droned on about the latest piece of tech legislation.
He rarely had anything interesting to say, but his father was high up in the FBI, so I kept him in my orbit in case I needed him in the future.
It was always about the long gameโmeasured not in weeks or months, but in years. Decades.
Even the tiniest of seeds can sprout into the mightiest of oaks.
It was a simple concept most people didnโt understand because they were too busy chasing short-term gratification, and it was the reason most people fail. They spent their lives sitting on their asses and telling themselves โsomedayโ when preparation shouldโve started yesterday. By the time โsomedayโ came, it was too late.
โโฆthis IP issue with Chinaโฆโ Colton stopped abruptly.ย Thank God.ย If I had to listen to his nasal voice one more second, I wouldโve walked over to the bar and stabbed myself in the eye with a fork.
โWho isย that?โ he asked, a hungry look overtaking his face as he stared over my shoulder. โSheโsย hot.โ His voice was as hungry as his expression. โIโve never seen her before. Have you?โ
I turned out of mild curiosity. It took me a second to latch onto whatever unsuspecting girl had captured his attention. Colton was almost as big a womanizer as Josh.
When I finally located the source of Coltonโs ravenous gaze, my muscles snapped into a rigid line and my fist closed around the stem of my champagne glass, tight enough the delicate glass could shatter at any moment.
She glided into the ballroom, her lithe body poured into a sleek gown that flowed over her curves like liquid, shimmering gold. Sheโd gathered her hair up in a fancy hairdo, exposing her swanlike neck and smooth shoulders. Dark eyes. Bronze skin. Red lips. All smiles and sunshine, unaware sheโd walked into a pit of vipers.
A goddess entering the gates of hell, and she didnโt even know it.
A pulse ticked in my jaw.
What theย hellย was Ava doing here, wearing that dress? She wasnโt an alumna yet. She shouldnโt be here. Not around these people.
I wanted to gouge out the eyes of every man staring at her like they were starved and she was a juicy steak, which was pretty much every man hereโincluding Colton. If he
didnโt put his tongue back in his mouth soon, Iโd cut it out for him.
I left him salivating behind me without a word and stalked toward Ava, my strides eating up the distance between us with angry, purposeful steps. I made it halfway before someone blocked my path.
I recognized her scent before I saw her face, and my muscles tightened further.
โAlex,โ Madeline purred. โI havenโt heard from you in a while.โ
Her scarlet gown matched the glossy lipstick coating her pouty lips. Blonde hair spilled over her shoulders in sculpted waves, and I was close enough to see the faint outline of her nipples through the silky material of her dress.
Once upon a time, that mightโve turned me on. Now, she might as well be wearing a potato sack for all the reaction her outfit and seductive smile elicited.
โIโve been busy.โ I sidestepped her; she mimicked my action and blocked my path again.
โYou never made it up to me for canceling our date.โ She trailed her fingers over my arm. It was a light, practiced touch, meant to leave the receiver wanting more.
All I wanted was for her to get out of my way.
My eyes strayed toward Ava again, and my already-tense muscles bunched up further at the sight of Colton by her side. How the fuck did he get over there so fast? Iโd played basketball with him once in college; the man was slower than a turtle on morphine.
โAnd I never will.โ I removed Madelineโs hand from my arm. โItโs been fun, but itโs time for us to part ways.โ
Shock scattered over her face before coalescing into a mask of stunned anger. โYouโreย breaking upย with me?โ
โIn order to break up, weโd have to be dating.โ I nodded at one of the men staring at her ass. โThe congressman looks interested. Why donโt you go say hi?โ
Red tinted her creamy skin. โIโm not a prostitute,โ Madeline hissed. โYou canโt pimp me out to another man when youโre done with me. And we areย notย done. Not until I say so. Iโm Madeline fucking Hauss.โ
โThatโs where youโre wrong. Weโre all prostitutes in our own ways.โ My smile lacked any semblance of warmth. โIโll give you a pass for your tone tonight, given our history. But donโt contact me again, or youโll find out the hard way how I earned my reputation for being ruthless. Iโm not above ruining women.โ
This conversation was over.
I left a sputtering Madeline behind me and walked away, irritated by the interruption and furious at the sight of what awaited me in the middle of the dance floor.
Ava and Colton swayed to music from the live band the university had hired for the gala. His hands rested on her hips, and I saw them inching lower with each passing second.
I arrived next to them right as she laughed at something he said. It rang through the air like silver bells, and the tic in my jaw pulsed harder.
He didnโt deserve her laugh.
โSomething funny?โ I asked, masking my ire with an expression of cool indifference.
Surprise and wariness flared in Avaโs eyes at the sight of me.
Good.
She should be wary. She should be fucking home, safe and sound, instead of dancing with a manwhore like Colton and letting him put his hands all over her.
โI was just telling her a joke.โ Colton chuckled but shot me a warning look that said,ย Why are you cockblocking, man?ย He was lucky if all I did was cockblock. I was tempted to break every bone in his hand for touching her like that. โYou mind? Weโre in the middle of a dance.โ
โActually, itโs my turn.โ I maneuvered myself between them and pulled him off her with a little more force than necessary. Colton flinched. โYou have to leave the gala early. Business calls.โ
His brow pinched. โIโฆโ His eyes roved between me and Ava, whose own eyes did the same between me and Colton. Realization dawned on his face. Guess he wasnโt so slow after all. โAh, youโre right. Sorry, man. I forgot.โ
โWeโll get lunch one day,โ I said. I didnโt burn bridges unless it was a business rival or I had to.ย Seeds. Oaks.ย โAt Valhalla.โ
The Valhalla Club was the most exclusive private club in
D.C. It capped its membership at one hundred members, each of whom was allowed to bring one guest for a meal each quarter. Iโd just handed Colton the ticket of a lifetime.
His eyes widened. โOh, y-yeah,โ he stuttered, trying and failing to hide the awe in his voice. โIโd like that.โ
โGood night.โ It was a dismissal and a warning rolled into one.
Colton scurried off, and I turned my displeasure on Ava. We were close enough that I could see the way the lights from the chandeliers reflected in her eyes, like tiny star- beams streaking across an endless night. Her lips parted, lush and wet, and an insane desire to find out whether they tasted as sweet as they looked gripped me.
โYou ran off my dance partner.โ Her voice came out breathier than usual, and my cock jerked at the sound.
I gritted my teeth and tightened my hold on her until she gasped. โColton is not a dance partner. He is a womanizer and a slimeball, and itโs in your best interest to stay far, far away from him.โ
It would be in her best interest to stay far away from me too, and the irony wasnโt lost on me.ย If she only knew why Iโm in D.Cโฆ
But fuck it, I was okay with hypocrisy. It didnโt even crack the top ten of my worst traits. โYou donโt know
whatโs in my best interest.โ The star-beams morphed into fire, sparking with challenge. โYou donโt know me at all.โ
โIs that so?โ I guided her across the floor, my skin prickling from the strange, electric charge in the air. It was a thousand needles piercing my flesh, searching for a weakness. A crack. A doorway, however tiny, through which it could slip and jumpstart my long-dead, long-cold heart.
โYes. I donโt know what Josh tells you about meโif he tells you anything at allโbut I assure you, you have no idea what I want or whatโs in my best interest.โ
I paused, causing her to stumble into my chest. My thumb and forefinger grasped her chin, forcing her to look up at me. โTry me.โ
Ava blinked, her breaths coming out in short, shallow puffs. โMy favorite color.โ
โYellow.โ
โMy favorite ice cream flavor.โ โMint chocolate chip.โ
Her chest rose and fell harder. โMy favorite season.โ โSummer, because of the warmth and sunshine and
greenery. But secretly, winter fascinates you.โ I lowered my head until my own breath skated over her skin and her scent crawled into my nostrils, drugging me. Turning my voice into a hoarse, sinful version of itself. โIt speaks to the darkest parts of your soul. The manifestations of your nightmares. Itโs everything you fear, and for that, you love it. Because the fear makes you feel alive.โ
The band played, and the people around us whirled and danced, but in this world weโd carved for ourselves, it was silent save for our ragged intakes of breath.
Ava shivered beneath my touch. โHow do you know all that?โ
โItโs my job to know things. I observe. I watch. I remember.โ I gave into my desireโa tiny oneโand traced her lips with my thumb. A shudder rolled through us, our bodies so in sync we reacted the exact fucking way at the
exact fucking time. I brought my thumb down and tightened my grip on her chin. โBut those are shallow questions, Sunshine. Ask me something real.โ
She stared up at me, those eyes liquid chocolate beneath the lights. โWhat do I want?โ
A dangerous, loaded question.
Humans want a lot of things, but in every heart, there beats one true desire. One thing that shapes our every thought and action.
Mine was vengeance. Sharp, cruel, bloodthirsty. It had bloomed from the bloody corpses of my familyโs bodies, inking itself into my skin and soul until my sins were no longer mine but ours. Mine and vengeanceโs, two shadows walking the same twisted path.
Ava was different. And Iโd known what her true desire was the moment I set eyes on her for the first time eight years ago, her face shining and her mouth stretched into a warm, welcome smile.
โLove.โ The word floated between us on a soft gust of air. โDeep, abiding, unconditional love. You want it so much youโre willing to live for it.โ Most people thought the biggest sacrifice they could make was to die for something. They were wrong. The biggest sacrifice someone could make was toย liveย for somethingโto allow it to consume you and turn you into a version of yourself you didnโt recognize. Death was oblivion; life was reality, the harshest truth that had ever existed. โYou want it so much youโd say yes to anything. Believe in anyone. One more favor, one more kind gestureโฆand maybe, just maybe, theyโll give you the love you want so desperately youโd whore yourself out for it.โ
My tone turned biting; the conversation made a U-turn and headed straight for harsh and brutal.
Because what I admired most about Ava was also what I hated about her. Darkness craves light as much as it wants to destroy it, and here, in this ballroom, with her in my
arms and my cock straining against my zipper, that had never been more clear.
I hated how much I wanted her, and I hated that she wasnโt smart enough to run away from me while she still had a chance.
Though letโs be honest, it was already too late. She was mine. She just didnโt know it yet.
I hadnโt known it myself until I saw her in Coltonโs arms and every instinct raged at me to tear her away. To claim what belonged to me.
Iโd expected her to grow angry at my words, to cry or run away. Instead, she stared at me, unflinching, and said the most unbelievable thing Iโd heard in a long, long time.
โAre you talking about me, or are you talking about yourself?โ
I almost laughed at the sheer ludicrousness of the statement. โYou must have me confused with someone else, Sunshine.โ
โI donโt think I do.โ Ava stood on tiptoes so she could whisper in my ear. โYou donโt fool me anymore, Alex Volkov. Iโve been thinking about it, the way you noticed all those things about me. How you agreed to look after me, even though you couldโve said no. How you stayed in to watch those movies with me when you thought I was upset and let me stay the night in your bed after I fell asleep. And Iโve come to a conclusion. You want the world to think you have no heart when in reality, you have a multilayered one: a heart of gold encased in a heart of ice. And the one thing all hearts of gold have in common? They crave love.โ
I tightened my grip on her, equal parts furious and turned on by her foolish, stubbornย goodness.ย โWhat did I tell you about romanticizing me?โ
I wanted her, but it wasnโt a sweet, tender kind of want.
It was a dirty, ugly want, tainted by the blood on my hands and a desire to drag her out of the sunshine and into my night.
โItโs not romanticizing if itโs true.โ
A growl slipped out of my throat. I allowed myself to hold onto her for one more moment before I pushed her away. โGo home, Ava. This isnโt the place for you.โ
โIโll go home when I want to go home.โ โStop being difficult.โ
โStop being a jerk.โ
โI thought I had a heart of gold,โ I mocked. โChoose a side and stick to it, Sunshine.โ
โEven gold can tarnish if you donโt take care of it.โ Ava stepped back, and I tamped down the ridiculous urge to follow her. โI paid for my ticket, and Iโm staying here until I decide I want to leave. Thank you for the dance.โ
She walked away, leaving me in fuming silence.
 |
I MADEย a concerted effort to ignore Ava for the rest of the night, though she hovered in my peripheral vision like a golden spark that wouldnโt go away. Luckily for every man in the room, she didnโt dance with anyone else; she spent most of her time chatting and laughing with alumni.
I spent mine gathering intelโinformation about congressmen Iโd need if I wanted to expand Archer into a conglomerate, tidbits about competitors, interesting nuggets about friends and foes.
Iโd just wrapped up anโฆenlightening conversation with the head of a major consulting company when I lost sight of Ava. One minute she was there; the next, she was gone. She was still gone twenty minutes laterโfar too long for a bathroom break.
It was getting late; perhaps sheโd left. We hadnโt parted on the best note, but Iโd check on her to make sure she got home safely. Just in case.
I was already on my way out when I heard a thump from the small room by the ballroom, which served as an overflow space for guestsโ bags and jackets.
โGetย offย me!โ
I froze, my blood icing over. I opened the door, and the ice erupted into scalding flames.
Avaโs soon-to-be-dead ex Liam had her pinned against the wall with her wrists above her head. They were so focused on each other they didnโt notice me enter.
โYou told me you didnโt have a new man,โ Liam slurred. โBut I saw you dancing and watchingย him.ย You lied, Ava. Why did you lie?โ
โYouโre crazy.โ Even from here, I saw her eyes flashing fire. โLet go of me. I mean it. Or do you want a repeat of last week?โ
Last week?ย What theย hellย happened last week?
โBut I love you.โ His voice turned plaintive. โWhy wonโt you love me back? It was one mistake, babe.โ He pressed his body against hers, preventing her legs from moving. Fire scorched my veins as I stalked over, my approach mu๏ฌed by the plush carpet beneath my feet. โYouย doย still love me. I know it.โ
โIโm giving you three seconds to move, or I canโt be held accountable for my actions.โ A burst of pride shot through me at Avaโs flinty tone.ย Atta girl.ย โOneโฆtwoโฆthree.โ
Iโd just reached them when she head-butted him. A howl ripped out of his throat; he stumbled back, clutching his nose, which now gushed blood.
โYou broke my nose!โ he spat. โYou asked for it, you slut.โ He lunged for her, but he only made it halfway before I closed my fist around the back of his shirt and yanked him back.
It was only then that Ava noticed me. โAlex. Whatโโ
โMind if I join the fun?โ I hauled Liam up by his collar, my lip curling at the sight of his watering eyes and bleeding nose, and socked him in the gut. โThatโs for
calling her a slut.โ Another blow to the jaw. โThatโs for holding her against her will.โ A third hit to his already- suffering nose. โThatโs for cheating on her.โ
I continued my blows, letting the fire wash over me until Liam was unconscious and Ava had to drag me off him.
โAlex, stop. Youโll kill him!โ
I adjusted my shirtsleeves, breathing hard. โIs that supposed to deter me?โ
I could go all night and not stop until the bastard was nothing more than a pile of bloodied flesh and broken bones. A film of red tinted my vision, and my knuckles were bruised from the force of my blows.
The image of him pinning Ava against the wall flashed through my mind, and my anger erupted anew.
โLetโs just go. He learned his lesson, and if someone sees you, youโll get in trouble.โ Avaโs face was the color of porcelain. โPlease.โ
โHe wouldnโt dare say anything.โ Nevertheless, I relented because of how bad she was trembling. Despite her toughness earlier, Ava was shaken up over the incident. Plus, she was right; we were lucky no one had stumbled in on us yet. I didnโt give a shit if they did, but there was no need to drag out an already unpleasant evening.
โWe should call an ambulance.โ She eyed Liamโs prone form with unease. โWhat if heโs seriously hurt?โ
Of course she still cared about his well-being after he tried to fucking assault her. I didnโt know whether to laugh in disbelief or shake her.
โHe wonโt die.โ Iโd controlled my hits so they were punishing but not fatal. โHeโll wake up with a helluva banged-up face and a couple of broken ribs, but heโll survive.โย Unfortunately.
The worry remained on Avaโs face. โWe should call 911 anyway.โ
For fuckโs sake. โIโll place an anonymous call from the car.โ I had a burner phone in the glove compartment.
I placed a steadying hand on the small of her back as we exited the hotel. Thankfully, we didnโt pass anyone except the doorman along the way. โNow.โ I pinned Ava with a glare. โTell me what theย hellย happened between you two last week.โ
