Page 7 of Choose Me

“I am.” He replied slowly, still grinning from ear to ear and shifting his gaze between Ava and me.

“I forgot I gave him a key,” I groaned inwardly, shrugging my shoulders and fighting the urge to laugh. Her face was bright red in embarrassment. I helped her off the counter, and she pulled my shirt down in an attempt to cover her beautiful, toned legs that were just wrapped around my waist.

“Were you guys boning on the counter?” He asked.

“Not yet.” Ava hid behind me, continuing to yank my shirt down self-consciously.

“This is becoming a common theme with you two. I can leave if you guys want to finish your kitchen hanky-panky.” Everett jested with a smirk.

“Says the man-whore.” I chuckled, pouring him a cup of coffee.

“I’m offended.” Everett feigned hurt feelings, crossing his arms. “I prefer to be referred to as the God of Pleasure. I’m just the friendly neighborhood orgasm man, doing the Lord’s work, providing pleasure and joy throughout the world.”

Ava giggled, rolling her eyes in amusement. “Do you want some eggs and bacon?”

With a smirk, Everett sat on the tall bar stool at the raised bar counter, “I would love eggs and bacon, Ava, thank you.”

My hands slid around Ava, tracing my fingers up her bare leg while my lips brushed against her neck. She shivered slightly, though she attempted to hide it from Everett’s view as she prepared his plate, letting my fingers linger teasingly slide up her leg, hidden from the view of Everett.

“I need to get to work,” I said reluctantly, pulling away from her warmth. “I want you to stick around the penthouse today until I can see if Thomas and the IT team have found anything. Please check in with me regularly.”

“I will, don’t worry.” She said, smiling up at me reassuringly. “I’ll be ok.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be here unpacking, so I’ll keep an eye on her.” Everett accepted the plate from Ava and started devouring the food.

“Behave,” I warned him sternly.

“If I had a nickel for every time I heard that.” He smirked back with a raised eyebrow.

“I mean it, keep her safe.”

“With my life,” Everett vowed before giving Ava a wink and continuing to shovel the food into his mouth.

I turned to leave, giving Ava one last kiss, making sure she knew how much I loved her. As much as I hated to leave her, I trusted Everett to protect her in my absence.

FOUR

JAMES

I rolled up to headquarters and took the elevator to the 10th floor, where Martinez set the urgent meeting. My heart pounded, and my mind was on fire with rage. My thoughts remained on Ava and figuring out who this fuckhead was that was harassing my girl, threatening her life and our baby's life. Someone wanted Ava and our unborn baby out of the way, and my blood boiled at how this faceless bastard was threatening to take them from me.

I would burn the world to keep them safe, and I would give up my life for her and our child. All I wanted was for her to be safe and happy, and I had promised her that I would give her those things, and right now, I wasn’t keeping my promise. Someone else was trampling all over the happy ending she deserved, and I wouldn’t stop until I found them.

I walked through the hallway and was greeted by his secretary, Glenda, a redhead in her 50s who had been his secretary as long as I had been working in New York.

“Agent Buchanan, how are you?” She greeted me with a sincere smile, her lips colored in a bright pink lipstick that was a horrible contrast to her pale skin.

“I’m well. Is he ready for me?”

“He said for you to go right in when you got here.” She instructed, waving her hand towards his office door.

“Thanks, Glenda.” My voice was tight and strained from my inner turmoil as I marched sternly into his office.

Javier Martinez sat rigidly behind his desk with a pinched expression on his tan face and a tie that was tied too tight around his bulbous neck. He was a bloated man, squeezing his rotund figure into an ill-fitting suit that stretched around his waistline like a sausage casing. His black hair was going grey, and his brown eyes were like slits of dark fire, and I knew that he didn’t like me much. He was the embodiment of a stuffed suit. He was the first to question my abilities when I joined the agency, and he fought against my appointment as the lead agent in charge of my task force.

Nonetheless, I have proven myself over and over again since I joined. I had been the best man for Ava’s case; regardless of my tactics, he knew no one else could have accomplished everything I had. Since my return to the office, I was made to grovel at his feet, at his beck and call. He made it clear that he wanted nothing more than to make me suffer under his thumb, pushing me further and further until I reached my breaking point.

Whenever he said jump, he expected a “how high?” He wanted to have me removed permanently from the bureau. However, much to his displeasure, my impeccable record kept me firmly in place within the bureau. Javier Martinez had no choice but to respect and follow the orders from the bigger fish above him.

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