Page 308 of Secret Shifters Next Door

“Uh, no. I’m not going to stay in your home.”

“No need. I have a guesthouse out back. You can stay there if it’s weird to stay in here.”

I grinned sardonically and shook my head. “Gio, seriously, it’s unnecessary. I can take care of myself.”

“That’s true, but it would be better to have one more person around here watching out for Ava. Besides, she might be more comfortable you around.”

“Gio, I’m pretty sure you and your…associates will have no trouble protecting Ava. Adding me to the mix won’t do that much.”

“I’ve got cancer. Look at me—I’m a shell of myself. I couldn't even go out today to protect my baby girl. Had to send my brothers. I’ve accepted that I’ll be in this situation for several more months. I’m not too proud to ask for help. Not when it comes to my daughter. I’d like for you to be Ava’s personal bodyguard. You and your guys do that, right? Bodyguarding? Name the price. Shit, overcharge me, for all I care.”

There was a look of desperation in the man’s eyes, which took me by surprise. He wanted me here. I couldn’t make that decision, though. Not without Ava agreeing.

“What do you want?” I asked her.

Ava studied me for several minutes. The pull I felt toward her was so strong, it was startling. Even with the bond being severed, something still twined us together. Perhaps the rejection hadn’t been complete—although it sure as shit had felt like it. Whatever was still between us, it was strong, and it was all I could do to tamp down the budding feelings.

Ava sighed. “I won’t tell you that you need to stay. Though…I do feel safer when you’re around.”

A switch flipped inside me, and protective desire surged through me. My panther leapt inside me, delighted that she wanted our protection.

I forgot her father was even in the room. I knelt in front of her and cupped her cheek in my hand. “I’ll always keep you safe. I’m not fond of the idea of staying in the guesthouse, though. I like my privacy. I don’t want people watching me too closely, but if it makes you safer, I’ll do it.”

Had Liam experienced this same compulsive need to protect Ava and care for her? If this was what it had been like for him all those years ago, it was no wonder he’d ignored all my protests about being in a relationship with her. It was too hard to deny. Too powerful to overcome.

Ava’s eyes fluttered shut and she sighed. “Thank you.”

Our moment of connection was only broken because Gio spoke. “I’ll have the guesthouse ready for you by tonight.” He turned to the other two men. “Kyle, get Marissa. You two go get the house ready.”

Kyle grimaced. “Uncle Gio? You want me to clean?”

Gio growled. “Yes, you brat. Clean, make up the bed, do whatever the hell Marissa tells you to do. Be a good boy and go.”

Kyle’s shoulders sagged, but he trudged off to find the housekeeper.

I took Ava’s hand again, twining our fingers together. “I need to take care of a few things. I’ll be back later to get settled.”

Ava’s eyes told me all I needed to know. She looked at me with gratitude, relief, and warmth I’d not seen before. It sent a little shiver through my body. A million thoughts and questions rocketed through my mind, but as we stared into each other’s eyes, one thing wouldn’t be put to rest. One thing, above all else, had to happen. There was no way to stop it. It was inevitable, like a tsunami rolling toward shore.

“Fuck it.” I kissed her.

This wasn’t the chaste, timid kiss we’d shared in at her dining room table. It was a deep and demanding kiss. Desirous and claiming. Ava gripped my shirt and pulled me closer. An ember deep in my chest sparked and billowed until a firestorm swirled inside me.

Finally, our lips broke apart, and Ava looked at me again. “Are you okay with this?” she whispered.

I gasped in a breath and nodded. “It’s too late to go back now. But if you want it to stop here, I’ll make sure it does.”

She put her hand on my chest, symbolically sealing a fate I’d been running from since the moment I bumped into her in the cemetery. Whispering even quieter, she said, “I don’t want it to end.”

Gio cleared his throat, and I suddenly remembered Ava and I weren’t alone. I turned and saw her father and Mike staring at us uncomfortably.

“So…uh.” Gio fidgeted with his cell phone. “If you two are done, Sam said he’d like to see you,” he said, nodding toward me. “I’ll send you the address. It’s a warehouse on the outskirts of the county. He wants to talk about what to do with the jackass we caught.”

“Sure, I can meet him there. I’ll see if one of my friends can stop by, too,” I said as I stood. Ava clung to my hand for a second before she reluctantly let go.

“See you soon,” she said.

“You sure will. I shouldn’t be gone too long.”

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