Chapter 40

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“How can I help you, miss A?” Ryder asked, glancing at Gabriel.

“Gabriel and I are going for a walk and Zane asked me to take you or Tom with us, and here you are. Do you have time

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to accompany us?”

“Sure, no problem,” he said and tried to steal a cookie and got a slap on the hand from Anna.

“Thank you. Anna, could I ask something from you as well?”

“Of course, miss Ava, what do you need?”

“Gabriel and I were thinking of spending the afternoon by the pool, but Gabriel didn’t bring any swim shorts. Do you know if there is a way he could borrow some?” Ava asked.

“Yes, we have some for guests. Let me guess,” Anna said, sizing Gabriel up. “Size 40?”

“That’s spot on,” Gabriel said with surprise.

“They will be in your room after your walk, miss Ava,” Anna said. She held out the platter with cookies for Ava and. Gabriel while keeping an eye on Ryder.

“Don’t’l get one?” Ryder asked, sounding like a sad puppy.

“No, you tried to steal one. This is your punishment. It will teach you to have patience and wait to be given one.” Gabriel, Ava, and Ryder made their way out of the kitchen and grabbed their jackets and walked outside. Once the coast was clear, Gabriel broke his cookie in half and handed one part to Ryder. Ava pretended she didn’t see a thing

and studied a bush.

“No, I can’t. It’s yours,” Ryder refused.

“It’s mine, and I decide to share it with you,” Gabriel said. Ryder hesitated and looked at the cookie and then at

Gabriel.

“Thank you,” he said with a smile and took half the cookie. Ava smiled as well. They were too cute. Gabriel walked up

to Ava.

“What are you looking at?” he asked.

“This bush, it’s interesting,” she told him.

“Darling, it’s a bunch of naked twigs,” he remarked.

“I guess I can see the beauty in that,” she said with a laugh as she hooked her arm in his and they took a walk in the garden. Ryder followed them a little behind and kept quiet. Even though the two men barely had spoken, Ava thought they were making good progress. She was more than happy to let things play out on their own. After walking in the garden for almost an hour, they decided to head back to the house and get changed for the pool. As they walked up to Ava’s room, Zane and Jax came out of Zane’s office.

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“Angel, we need to step out for a moment. We are taking Tom with us,” Zane told her.

“Okay, be safe. Gabriel and I were just about to change and go down to the pool.”

“You are both changing in your room?” Zane asked.

“Yes, I can go into the bathroom,” Ava said.

“Angel, get your bathing suit and go and change in my room,” Zane told her.

“I don’t see why that would make a difference,” she said.

“It just does. Now get your swimsuit,” he told her. She shrugged and did as he told her. There was no point in arguing over such a silly thing, she thought. When she got back outside, he looked at her as she was holding her robe and her

bikini.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“The robe or the bikini?”

“Bikini? I told you to bring a swimsuit,” he told her. Ava shrugged.

“I didn’t buy one, I only have bikinis.”

“Fuck. Okay, go get changed and I’ll ask Ryder and Tom to clear the ground floor in the meantime. Ryder will make sure they keep away,” Zain said. O

“What are you talking about?” Ava asked, confused.

“I can’t have the men ogling you in that thing, especially if I’m not around.” Ava felt like she needed to object to that, but she could see he was determined. So she gave him a kiss on the cheek and nodded. As she walked into Zane’s room to change, she heard Zane mumbling and Jax chuckling. She changed and came back out in her robe. Gabriel was already waiting for her, wearing a robe as well. Zane eyed her up and down and walked up to her. He kissed her and leaned into her.

“I fucking hope you have something on beneath that robe. Everyone knows only Ryder and Anna are allowed near the pool while I’m gone. If I find you skinny dipping when I get back, there will be consequences,” he whispered so only she could hear. She nodded, a little part of her wanted to know what the consequences would be, but she wasn’t sure she was brave enough to find out.

“Good girl, I’ll be back soon,” he then said.

“Stay safe,” she said, knowing if they were taking Tom, they were going somewhere which wasn’t safe.

“Don’t worry, angel. Have fun with your friend,” Zane said as they all walked downstairs. He kissed her again at the foot of the stairs and the two groups split up. Ryder escorted Gabriel and Ava to the pool. They got comfortable on two of the deck chairs which were placed around the pool.

“So, just casual?” Gabriel smirked at Ava.

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“What?”

“You and the big boss? Nothing serious?”

“I have told you it’s not like that,” she said,

“Sure. You may fool yourself into believing that, and he might be fooling himself to believe it. But the way you two are acting isn’t fooling anyone else,” he said. Ava heard a snort coming from Ryder and she gave him a look.

“If I’m delusional, at least I’m not alone,” she told Gabriel, giving him a look and, to her satisfaction, she could see him turn pink. They went for a swim and disrobed. They spent a long time in the water, only coming up when Anna brought in a tray of exotic fruits and cheeses and glasses with sparkling cider. Ava didn’t miss the way Ryder looked at Gabriel’s body, it was on almost full display in a pair of sky–blue swim shorts. Gabriel looked good. Even Ava could see that. He had angel like features and a toned body that looked like it was carved in marble. Ryder was getting all the motivation he would need to make the move on Gabriel. An hour later, when they were back in the pool, supporting themselves on their folded arms on the edge, Zane and Jax walked in.

“Having fun?” Zane asked.

“It has been a fantastic afternoon,” Ava said honestly.

“I’m happy to hear that, Angel. I need to borrow Gabriel for a while to sign the contract.”

“Sure,” she said, turning to Gabriel. “You can use the shower in my room and I’ll just wait until you are done and shower when you are in Zanes office,” she told him.

‘Sounds like a plan,” Gabriel said, lifting himself out of the pool by his arms. Ava followed him and realized that everyone in the room except Zane and Gabriel had turned their back.

“What?” she asked as she straightened up at the side of the pool.

“Angel, you can’t just wear something like that,” Zare groaned. Ava looked down at the turquoise bikini. It wasn’t that revealing. That was why she had chosen it at Gabriel’s recommendation. It looked like an ordinary bikini except for the straps that ran between the breasts, around her ribcage and then over the hips.

“Why not? It’s not revealing,” she asked. Gabriel laughed as he walked to get a little distance between him and the situation. Still with his back turned, Ryder was holding out a towel in Gabriel’s general direction. Zane walked up to Ava. He stopped just short of their bodies colliding.

“Sometimes, angel, it’s not about what you are revealing, but what you are showing,” he told her as he let his eyes sweep over her body. Ava felt like his look traced fire on her skin.

“I don’t understand,” she told him and heard Gabriel and Jax trying to hold back laughter. Zane closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them, they met hers.

“The way these straps wrap around your body, angel, makes me think of other things I would use to wrap around you. Things in far more alluring situations than in the middle of the poolroom with my men all around us. Unless that is a kink of yours,” he whispered. Ava’s breath hitched as his words sent puffs of air against her wet skin. Goosebumps appeared all over her skin and her cheeks heated.