Never Letting You Go (Being Yours Novella Series Book 1) (9 page)

Chapter 20

3 years into marriage

Cameron

I storm out of Ava’s room pissed. I look at Zach, who is standing on the other side of the door, and glare at him. He just smirks. Makes me want to clock him. “She’s my wife. Remember that,” I warn him.

His brows shoot up. “Maybe you should remember that while you’re out fucking Becky and every other girl you are seen with,” he shoots back.

“Mind your business.”

“Far as I can see, Ava is my business right about now.”

“You touch her, I’ll end you,” I threaten, feeling my fists ball, ready to punch his lights out.

“I’d like to see you try,” he says back.

I clench my jaw, a muscle ticking, knowing now isn’t the time or place, and storm off back to the party downstairs.

Becky spots me the instant I make it down, flocking to me, as usual. She rubs up against me, purring, and it sets me off further. “We’ll be talking when everyone leaves,” I growl at her.

She stares at me in shock. “You’re seriously going to believe that crap those two just told you over me?” she asks incredulously.

“I said, we’ll talk later,” I tell her again.

She nods. “That’s fine, baby. I have mingling to do anyway,” she says and saunters off.

I go over to Mr. Veldhuizen, and we talk business because I have no other choice. I tune him out, though, once I see Zach and Ava coming down the stairs. She’s in jeans and a t-shirt. Damn, she looks amazing. My eyes zoom in on the two of them holding hands. The vein in my neck pops out and my blood boils.

“Your wife isn’t very discreet,” Mr. Veldhuizen says. “None of that matters, though. I’m sure the next few years will pass quickly, and you’ll be free to be with Becky.”

I brush his comments off and continue to watch in anger as my wife walks away with another man. Is this how she has felt on the end of my indiscretions? Is it this hard for her?

Checking the time on my watch, I announce it’s time for everyone to leave and ask Becky to stay behind. I shouldn’t have said that out loud, since now, I’m being shot dirty looks from just about everyone in attendance, except for Becky’s father, who looks thrilled.

“Start the cleanup,” Becky snaps at the team that was hired for after the party, and then she storms to me. “Ready to talk?”

“Yes, come to my office.”

I don’t bother closing the door before start in on her. “You’re never welcome into my home again.”

“What?” she breathes out in shock.

“My wife is not comfortable around you, and I’m rectifying that. You have made it so that my wife has no choice or say in anything that goes on in her own home, but you won’t be doing that anymore. To be honest, the bitch you’ve turned into since I married her is grating on my nerves. Our friendship is over. I don’t want to see or hear from you again.”

“What the hell, Cameron? I don’t understand where this is coming from. We were going to get married, have a life together, and because of that will, we got sidetracked. But in just a few more years, we will be back to how we once were,” she says, whining, missing the point.

“As I said, things change,” I tell her, leaving no room for argument.

She stares at me in shock, her face quickly changing into disgust. “You like her,” she states.

“No, I don’t. I’m in love with her.”

The noise Becky makes sounds as if I just punched her in the stomach. “But no, you can’t. You love me.”

“Don’t love you. Never did. We worked and then we didn’t.”

“Fuck you, Cameron. Fuck you.” She smacks me hard, backhanding me across the face before she storms out. Minutes later, I hear the front door slam so hard, a picture hanging up by it falls to the floor.

I love it when trash takes itself out. I’m such a dick for keeping her around as long as I have.

I rub my jaw as it swells and go into the kitchen for a frozen bag of peas to soothe the ache. Now to wait for Ava to come home. Thinking of what might be happening between her and Zach is killing me, and it is all my fault. I did this to her, to us.

Chapter 21

Present

Ava

We make it home in silence, and I’m just trying to take everything in that Cameron told me. Looking back, I guess there were signs that he was into me. I always just brushed them off since he made it clear on our wedding day we wouldn’t be anything more than friends.

All of our hanging out times, just watching TV together, eating together, him asking me about my books, all of it… I guess, yeah, looking back, he was trying, just, at the time, I thought he was just being friendly. It’s why he was so angry when I started dating Zach. Cameron thought he was getting somewhere with me, only to be shown he wasn’t making any headway at all.

Now, I sort of feel bad. I think about what he said about Becky, and how he never touched her, and I believe him. So, again, I feel like a total cow. I didn’t stay and talk with him; I just ran away. But at the same time, our six years were up, so of course I left.

“Ava,” Cameron calls as I’m walking to my room.

I turn around. “Yeah?” I ask hesitantly.

“Tomorrow night, do you think we could go somewhere else for the night? Just the two of us?” he asks.

“Like out to dinner or something?” I ask him.

“No, alone,” he stresses. Oh. I feel my face heat up, and then I nod. “Good. I’ll leave you alone for tonight, but tomorrow, you’re mine.” He kisses my forehead and walks away, leaving me to rush to my room to grab my things for a shower.

I haven’t shaved, or anything really, in a while, not since I left.

I finish up in the shower, only nicking myself twice, and hurry back to my room. Sitting on my bed, I start thinking about everything Cameron said. He once said all the right things to me, before, promising a life together, but those were quickly broken.

After throwing on a pair of PJ bottoms and a t-shirt, I lie down on my bed and click the TV on. I settle for watching some reruns of Pretty Little Liars and turn onto my side. My phone dings with an email, and I grab it.

Avalynn,

Hey, sweetie, just wanted to let you know, I finished the first round of edits for Crazy In Love. I’m now sending it to my beta team. Once they are done, I’ll do a second round of edits and then send it back to you to go over.

Should only take two weeks. I’ll let you know.

But the reason for this email is to let you know, this book is your best work yet. Absolutely amazing!

Talk later,

Maryann

I smile and set my phone down. It took me nine months to write that book, mainly because I kept adding way too much to it. Cameron kept giving me ideas, so instead of it being just a simple romance, it turned into an Erotic Romance.

Thinking about Cameron, I smile. His words might have been fake before, but I think he’s being real now. If he is, then I’ll gladly give him all of me. I just hope Becky stays gone, and that Cameron was telling me the truth that he didn’t father her child.

Only time will tell, I suppose.

Cameron

I’m about to go into my guest room when Jeff stands in front of me, arms folded across his chest. “Well?”

I smile. “We won’t be here tomorrow night. We need some alone time. We’ll be back Wednesday morning,” I tell him.

He grins at me. “About damn time. I need my house back. I can’t have Loretta the way I want when Ava’s here because she’s a cock blocker,” he grumbles.

“I did not need to know that,” I mutter, going into my room. I know they have sex, but talking about it with him is entirely different. I’m sure he doesn’t want me talking about banging his daughter.

Once in the guest room, I make a few phone calls to make tomorrow night amazing for Ava. Then, I Google the hell out of pregnancy. I want to make sure that the plans I have for her tomorrow night are okay.

My phone starts ringing, and I see Becky’s name light up. “What, Becks?” I growl into the phone. I need to block her number.

“Where are you? I’ve been to your office, and that bitch wouldn’t let me even leave a message, after saying you weren’t there. I go to your home, and your stupid maid slammed the door in my face once she saw me. And your mother came to my house and yelled at me. I need to talk to you,” she whines.

“Too bad. I’m busy with my wife.” I kick my shoes off and unbutton my shirt, settling in for the night.

She groans. “Are you seriously still on about that?” Is she seriously asking this right now?

“I’m never going to be off of ‘that’, as you put it. She’s my wife, and she’s having my child,” I inform her, hoping she finally understands that there will never be anything between the two of us.

“She’s what!? You have got to be kidding me. I’m not raising that brat, Cameron!” she screeches, getting upset.

“I wouldn’t let you, anyway. You’ll never get near my child.”

“So you’ll be signing your rights over?”

“What the fuck, Becky? Of course not. Ava and I will be raising our child together. As I said before, I will not marry you, ever.” I hang up before she starts talking, and then quickly shut my phone off.

Groaning, I lie on my bed. I have a feeling this isn’t the end of me hearing from Becky. I don’t need this shit right now, not when I’m fighting to save my marriage.

I turn my phone back on and call Mr. Veldhuizen. “’Lo,” he answers, sounding as if I woke him.

“Sir, it’s Cameron. I just got a phone call from your daughter, and I’m telling you now to discourage her from calling me again. I’m trying to spend time with my wife and our unborn child, and I refuse to talk to Becky when she is clearly not thinking properly.” I tell him how she was talking out of her head, unable to hear reason.

He sputters for a few seconds before gaining his composure. “How dare you call me to discuss my daughter like this, and what did you just say? You and your wife are expecting?”

“That’s right.”

“Well, this will make the divorce proceedings much harder,” he grumbles. “You should have kept it in your pants, Cameron.”

“There will be no divorce. I don’t know why you think, or why Becky thinks, that there will ever be anything between us, but I’m not going over this again. I love my wife, and I’m not leaving her.” I click the off button and turn my phone off for good. They are both crazy.

Minutes later, I sneak up the stairs and down the hall to Ava’s room and quietly open her door. I see her TV on, but she is fast asleep. I shrug off my shirt and my jeans, pull back the covers, and slide in next to her. I don’t want to spend another night away from her, ever. Sleeping next to her feels right. It feels like home.

Chapter 22

4 years of marriage

Cameron

Zach and Ava have been dating for a year, and I’m so fucking over it. I know they’re supposed to be going out later tonight, but it’s not going to happen. I’m done—done waiting, done pretending, all of it. She’s mine, and tonight, I’m not giving her a choice.

“Hello?” Zach answers.

“Zach, Cameron.”

He sighs. “What?”

“Cancel your date with Ava,” I demand.

He scoffs. “Why would I?”

“Because if you don’t, I’ll have the board vote your father out of the company, and we both know how much he loves his work,” I threaten, making my point clear.

“Fuckin’ bastard. Fine,” he concedes, hanging up, and I smile.

I never would have done that, mostly because his sister, Alana, and Ava are good friends now, and Ava would be upset if I hurt her friend. But I needed to say that to Zach to get him gone. I want Ava, and I’m sick and fucking tired of not having her.

I get home, and she’s typing away at her computer. I go to her, telling her to get dressed because we’re going out. I have plans to take her out for a date, but then I get to reading what she’s currently typing. All thoughts of going on a date fly out the window because I’m not waiting another second to have her.

“Tell me you want me, Ava,” I growl against her lips.

She whimpers as I trail my hands down her sides. “I want you,” she stammers out.

“Finally.” I capture her mouth with mine.

Her tongue melds against mine, and it’s like tasting a glimpse of heaven.

“You been saving yourself for me, my sweet wife?”

“Yes,” she answers, making me the happiest man alive.

“I want you so damn bad, but I don’t want to rush. Gonna take my time with you. It will hurt, but I promise I will make it good for you.”

I spin her chair around fully and pull her up from it as she looks at me, on the brim of tears.

“What’s wrong,” I ask, cupping her cheeks in my hands.

“Nothing. I’m just happy, Cameron.”

I capture her mouth again, taking my time and really tasting her mouth. Her breath tastes of strawberries and peaches from the wine she was drinking. I don’t know why I waited so long for this. I shove the straps of her camisole from her shoulders, exposing the top of her breasts.

My lips travel down Ava’s neck, tasting and pleasuring her. She moans as I roughly grab her breasts, filling my hands. She leans back into me, feeling my firmness against her backside. A shocked gasp leaves her throat.

“See what you do to me, Ava? You drive me wild.”

“About time,” she whispers.

“What?” I ask, but she claims my mouth, making me forget what I was asking.

We make our way to bed, stripping each other bare. She is beautiful. I trace her curves with my tongue, and she trails her fingers down my back as we get used to each other. We’ve shared a house but never a bed, until now.

Her hair fans out over the pillow as I lower my lips to hers and settle my body between her legs. With care, I pleasure her with my fingers, stretching her and preparing for her what is to come. Her legs tremble as I spread her wider.

“Open up and let me in, Ava. Let me guide you.” She responds eagerly, digging her nails into my back.

“I’m ready, Cam.”

I steal a small kiss, taking her mind from the burn she is about to feel as I push in slightly. She bites down on my bottom lip as I push a bit further.

“You okay?”

“Perfect,” she says.

“Perfect,” I say with a broad smile and fill her completely.

She arches up, bucking her hips against mine, meeting me thrust for thrust. I never thought of sex as anything more than getting off, until now. This is what people are talking about when they call sex ‘making love.’ I am making love to my wife, and it feels like nothing I have ever felt before. I never want this feeling to end.