Devin: A Romantic Suspense (V Mafia Series Book 2) Read online

  Our men were taking him down the block to an empty shell of a building. The site would be perfect to clean up after we were done with him, but I had a lot of questions for this loser before his end arrived.

  “Would you like to lie down for a little while?” I pulled away and her body quivered. “We can get the car to take you home.” I held in a deep sigh. “Whatever you want to do.”

  “Is there a place I could rest just for a little bit?” She glanced at my brothers and brought her eyes back to me, and I nodded. “What’s going to happen to that guy?”

  “I’m not really sure.” I absolutely hated lying to her.

  “So, he might come for me a third time?”

  “No. That we can be sure of.” I traded a knowing glance with Jaxson and circled my arm around Avery’s waist. “I’m going to take her downstairs so she can rest.”

  “Absolutely.” Jax nodded and held out his arm to Avery, reaching for her wrist. “If there’s anything you need, let us know and we’ll get it for you immediately.”

  “How about a Colt .45?” A spark glimmered in her eyes, and she laughed softly, leaving my brothers and I speechless. “I grew up in Idaho, remember?”

  Jax hid a smile and nodded as I led her inside and toward the bank of elevators. Tess had moved upstairs, and she eyed me coolly as Avery and I waited for the elevator. I didn’t care for her prying eyes and hoped Avery didn’t notice.

  My brothers and I had already done our round of toasts, so other than dealing with our intruder, my night was mostly free.

  The elevator chimed and Avery and I walked on. We stood silently in the empty elevator for a few seconds before she looked at me and drew in a deep breath. My eyes dropped to her mouth before I turned to face the doors. I needed to behave myself, but being confined in such a small space with Avery wasn’t particularly easy.

  “Why do I feel like there’s more going on than just developing properties around the city and providing a little internet security here and there?” She shifted nervously and glanced at me, but I kept my gaze forward. “I’ve temped at a lot of places, been exposed to a lot of things, but I’ve never dealt with people who came with a security team at their disposal.” She cleared her throat and stepped closer. “I want to believe it was only an ex-employee who made your security tighter at Wolf Industries, but ever since I started, those men have remained, and I’ve heard nothing more about a rogue ex-employee.”

  I hid a smile and kept my gaze forward as the elevator doors opened into a marble hallway. I walked off, only turning to make sure Avery was following.

  “Our holdings are diverse. Our endeavors aren’t focused solely on civilian projects.” I punched in the code on the door and it unlocked. “Because we often work with highly classified material, we take security measures very seriously.” I walked into the spacious foyer of one of our models with Avery right behind.

  “That’s all I’m getting, isn’t it?” Her brow arched and she folded her arms across her chest.

  “That’s all there is.”

  She scanned the grand foyer that opened into the great room overlooking the city. The stagers did a beautiful job with the décor, which was probably why our units sold as quickly as they did. Well, that and the views.

  Her arms dropped to her sides, and she wandered over to the glass wall.

  A sigh packed with loaded emotion escaped her lips. The sounds made me want to comfort her, but I didn’t even know why or for what in particular.

  What bothered me most was that I cared.

  “I can’t imagine calling something like this home. When I was growing up, our idea of a view was either pastureland or a creek. . . sometimes mountains.”

  “Sounds wonderful to me.” I made my way over to where Avery was standing.

  Her silhouette curved against the city backdrop, and it took all of my control not to kiss her. I ran my hands slowly up her arms, and she placed her left hand on mine as it rested on her shoulder.

  “I didn’t used to see the beauty in growing up in Idaho. I was mesmerized by the idea of living in a big city, escaping everything that made me who I was.” She pressed her fingers against the glass. “But I’m not sure escaping is really possible, you know?”

  Avery turned around slowly, her mouth curving into a smile.

  “I know exactly what you mean.” I let my eyes follow as my hands ran along her waist.

  Her body responded with the same desire I had running through me by moving forward. I could see her fighting the same pull I felt so I took a step away.

  “It was always expected of me to work with my brothers. There was never any thought about what I might like to do. I just understood what I was supposed to do. Looking back, I can say the way I grew up shaped me into the man I am today. For better or worse.”

  Avery took another step closer, narrowing the distance between us, and I swallowed down another wave of longing.

  “What would you want to do if you weren’t building big buildings?” she asked coyly as she ran her fingers along the lapel of my jacket.

  The truth was that I loved business. I enjoyed turning companies around. I loved coming up with better ways to do the ordinary. But I didn’t enjoy what waited for me once the sun went down, and that I couldn’t tell her, not without giving too much away.

  “I enjoy my day job.” I smiled, feeling her hand slide under my jacket. “I like working with my brothers, and I understand why I am the way I am, what shaped me and all that, but I think I’d like to do what I’m doing elsewhere.”

  Her eyes widened with surprise. “You mean like out of the city?”

  “Out of the state.” I nodded. “It’s not possible, but I do often wonder what it would be like to experience a different part of the country.”

  “I can relate.” Her fingers slid down and unbuttoned the two buttons on my jacket. “If my dad were still alive, I’d probably still be in Idaho.”

  Her gaze darkened and dipped to the floor.

  “I didn’t know your father was a police officer. You must be so proud of him.” With everything that had gone on, I’d nearly forgotten her revelation to Ava earlier in the evening.

  “He definitely made the world a better place.” Her eyes flicked to mine. “The man who pulled the trigger is still walking the streets.”

  “Did they figure out who did it?” I asked, feeling the pain roll off Avery, and all I wanted to do was make things right for her, but I knew with my own sister’s murder, there was no such thing.

  “They knew who murdered him. There was no doubt about it. They arrested the man on site with the murder weapon still in his hand. It was all caught on a traffic cam and a video camera from a convenience store.” Anger lodged behind her expression.

  “What happened?” I shook my head. “Is he still awaiting trial?”

  “A technicality.” She let out a frustrated sigh. “The very same cameras that showed that my father was murdered in cold blood also showed that the arresting police officers never read the suspect his Miranda rights. The prosecutor was left with no choice but to offer a plea deal, which the suspect gladly accepted, and he’s now a free man wandering around Boise or who knows where.”

  My blood chilled, but I knew these kinds of things happened every day.

  “How long did he serve?”

  “Three years,” she answered curtly.

  “I’m so sorry.” I brought her into my arms, feeling her hands slide around my waist.

  “It’s just life. My father always used to tell me that there was no such thing as fair, except the kind you go to. I never expected his words of wisdom to be applied to something so horrendously brutal and life changing.”

  “I wish I could do something,” I told her, pressing my mouth to the top of her head as she clung to me.

  Everything about Avery was so good, and it was hard to understand how the world’s cruelty didn’t harden her. There was still light in her eyes and sweetness in her voice. She didn’t want anything from the worl
d. “I can tell you from firsthand experience that there is nothing that makes the loss better, except maybe time. . . but I think for me, the jury is still out on that one too.”

  “I don’t know. I often wonder what it would be like in this world if he weren’t still in it. I always carry hope in my heart that there will be a day when I find out the man who murdered my father will finally get the justice he deserves.”

  “Are you hoping it will make you feel better?” I questioned, and she nodded as I pulled her in tighter.

  I had the answer for that.

  It changed absolutely nothing.

  “When my sister’s murderer was brought to justice, we all thought it would bring closure, would allow us to move on, possibly make the pain a little less jagged and sharp.”

  Avery lifted her head, her gaze connecting with mine.

  “It didn’t do a damn thing to take the pain away.” I didn’t bother telling her that it was our own family’s brand of justice that brought no closure. That piece of information was irrelevant.

  “Didn’t it make things even a little better knowing they were held accountable?”

  “I don’t know that it did.” I shrugged. “Maybe it brought comfort knowing they wouldn’t be doing anything like it again.”

  She nodded and tears surfaced along her lashes. “Exactly. Knowing this man wouldn’t do this again is enough for me. I wouldn’t want another family to go through what I did.” She quickly wiped away the tears and brought a smile to her lips. “Sorry. Kind of a mood killer, but I do hope that someday, he gets what he deserves.”

  “Life has a way of working out like that.” I wiped a stray tear from her cheek, and that was when she moved forward, cupping her hand along the base of my neck and bringing my lips toward hers.

  “You make me feel safe,” she whispered.

  A blush stained her cheeks, and the need inside me pounded as I slid my fingers into her hair. Avery leaned into me, tilting her head slightly as her tongue gently brushed along my lips.

  “Are you sure?” I whispered.

  “Positive,” she moaned as I parted my mouth, feeling the softness of her tongue dance with mine, tempting and teasing me as our kisses deepened. Longing dug deeply into every fiber of my being. “More,” she said between kisses, moving her hands under my shirt.

  Her touch caused a sharp, electric charge to run through me. I needed to experience all of her now. She slipped her fingers from underneath the fabric and began to quickly unbutton my shirt, but I collected her hands in mine, picked her up, and moved her to the bedroom, closing the door with the heel of my foot.

  I quickly scanned the room and placed her on the perfectly made bed. She squirmed up the comforter, freed her dress, and lifted the fabric over her head.

  Avery sat in her black lace bra and panties, motioning for me to come over to the bed, but I couldn’t move. I was too in awe of her beauty. It was like I wanted to memorize everything about her.

  “You’re so beautiful, Avery,” I whispered, imagining what it would feel like to rip the lace from her body and taste her.

  She locked her arms behind her and leaned her head back, laughing. “It’s dark. You can’t see me.”

  “You’d be surprised,” I nearly growled, crawling on the bed. “I can see the lace, your smile, your stomach, the soft curves of your hips. . .” I stopped talking and trailed my fingers against her exposed skin. Her body quivered under my touch and I smiled, sitting back to take her in.

  She sat up and curled her hands around my neck, bringing me back down before kissing me and wrapping her thighs around my waist. I couldn’t help but smile as I kissed her harder, feeling her body respond to me, but I wanted to take this slow.

  I sat up, her legs falling around me.

  “I’ve wanted this since I saw you at Meta,” I told her.

  Avery’s eyes held me captive as her fingers quickly worked the button on my pants.

  “So have I.” She smiled, her eyes filled with lust as she tugged on my pants, sliding them down, but I pushed her back on the bed.

  Avery’s laughter filled the room as I clasped her hands above her head.

  “Bossy,” she teased.

  “You haven’t seen anything yet.”

  Desire darted through her gaze as I moved my mouth over hers. She let out a tiny moan, and I let go of her hands, working my mouth down her neck to her chest, feeling the roughness of the lace against my lips before my mouth slid across her belly.

  Her body shuddered, and the desire to feel her around me wasn’t subsiding. The need was only growing, and with every little movement of her body, I wanted her even more.

  I kneeled over her, moving my hands over her bare skin, watching her expression change to heated desire as I moved lower down her body. Nudging her legs apart, I ran my mouth across her hips, across the lace of her panties. She shuddered beneath me, and I pressed my smile into her thighs as I teased her the way she’d teased me all these weeks.

  “Devin,” she breathed as my mouth traveled slowly along her left thigh. I pressed my lips deeper into her skin and her breathing quickened.

  I inhaled everything about Avery. Smelling the sweetness of her nearly undid me as I moved my lips to her curves and her seam, softly licking around the lace. She ran her fingers through my hair before I grabbed the lace between my teeth and tugged.

  Avery let out a little giggle, which made it all worth it as I quickly pulled down the lace and lowered my mouth between her legs.

  She let out a low whimper, sinking deeper into the mattress as I gripped her hips between my fingers, anchoring her in place as I teased her into a perfect rhythm. Her fingers tangled in my hair as she pulled me deeper and her body writhed beneath me. Feeling her let go was the best sensation I’d ever experienced. Her breathing was ragged as she tried to catch her breath and pulled me on top of her.

  “Your turn,” she whispered, her eyes filled with longing. I wanted her so badly my body ached, and I couldn’t wait to feel her squeeze around me. She brought her mouth to mine and I felt my world twist into a moment of paradise.

  “Devin.” A solid pounding at the door snapped me out of my momentary bliss. “We need to see you now. Learn to answer your texts.”

  Jaxson in all his glory. I let out a deep sigh and pressed my forehead against Avery’s.

  “Duty calls?” she asked, her eyes still heavy.

  “It never ends.” I rolled off her and quickly slid my shirt on. “I’m sorry. This isn’t quite how I pictured—”

  “Please, this was amazing and I’ll be here”—her lip curled up slightly—“waiting or sleeping.”

  I laughed, quickly buttoning up my shirt before pulling my pants back on. My eyes settled on Avery and I drew in a deep breath. “I shouldn’t be long. My brothers always think emergencies exist when they don’t, especially Jax.”

  She nodded, pulling her dress over her head. “Do what you gotta do. To be honest, I’d rather spend my time in this beautiful condo than at the party anyway. It’s not every day someone like me gets to experience something like this.”

  Her words gutted me. “You, more than anyone I know, should experience this on a daily basis. You deserve more than this.”

  She shrugged. “Remember, there’s no such thing in life as fair.”

  I leaned over and kissed her cheek, but she pulled me in and pressed her lips to mine, and I suddenly didn’t care that my brother was waiting outside the bedroom.

  “Don’t want you to get in more trouble.” She giggled in between one last kiss, her palm cupping my cheek, before her mouth left mine.

  “Thanks.” I smiled, pulling my jacket on.

  “No, thank-you.” She winked and watched me leave the bedroom.

  I didn’t see my brother anywhere in the condo, which annoyed me even more. I walked into the hallway and he wasn’t there either. I slid my phone out of my jacket and saw the texts Jax had been referring to and let out a deep sigh.

  The elevator opened and I
glanced behind me, somewhat expecting to see Avery waving goodbye. I stepped inside, pushed the button for the parking level, and waited to be carried away to whatever was lurking in the vacant building with my brothers.

  For the first time in a very long time, I felt completely alone. Over the last several years, I’d managed to keep myself drunk enough or busy enough to keep loneliness at bay. I filled my nights with my job, women, drinking, and a little illegal betting now and then. Recently, I’d cut back on the drinking and women. I let out a groan and leaned against the back wall of the elevator. Why did any of this even matter?

  Now that the fog was beginning to lift, I was starting to feel, and what I was feeling was an aversion for what my life had become.

  Something I didn’t really like.

  The elevator stopped, the doors opened, and I walked into the muffled silence of the empty parking garage. It had a back entrance that would let me get outside without being seen. My phone buzzed and I glanced down to see a text from Jax.

  Well?

  I rolled my eyes and stuffed my cell back in my jacket. I was five minutes away. . .max. My mind flitted back to Avery, her lying on the bed, the smile tracing her lips.

  Happiness.

  When I was around Avery, I was happy.

  I walked outside, darted across the street, and made my way to my brothers.

  The problem was that my life didn’t have room for happiness.

  A wooden barrier secured the vacant building where the man was being held. I slipped through the plywood door and secured it behind me. The developer for this project was still in the beginning stages, so scaffolding and ladders dotted the landscape. I wound underneath the shell of a doorway and made my way to the temporary stairs.

  “Did you kill Jenn?” Drake’s voice was low.

  A few seconds passed before I heard a mumble and then a loud crack. Apparently, he didn’t give the right answer. I climbed the last step to see the man bloodied and tied to a stainless-steel post. There was a small halogen light in the corner where my brothers stood, along with George, Will, and Peter. Some of our top men in the organization.