Chapter 325: I Want Him

Holly’s POV

The door slammed shut behind me with a finality that rattled the framed photos on the wall.

The two guards…big, silent, annoyingly professional…set me down like I was a package they’d finally delivered.

One of them gave me a quick, almost apologetic nod before they both backed out and locked the door from the outside.

Click.

I spun around, fists clenched, chest heaving.

“Seriously?!” I yelled at the wood. “You lock me in my old bedroom like I’m twelve?! Is this even legal? I'm a grown-ass woman!”

No answer.

Of course not.

I stormed across the room…past the pastel bookshelves still lined with every fantasy novel I’d devoured and medical journals, past the vanity mirror where I used to practice eyeliner wings and dream about the man who is now downstairs…and threw myself onto the bed.

The mattress bounced once.

I stared up at the ceiling, heart hammering so hard I could feel it in my throat.

David.

Downstairs.

Probably bleeding because I know Orion must throw a punch or two at him.

Because of me.

Because he walked into this house…knowing exactly what Orion would do…and still told them the truth.

He didn’t run.

He didn’t lie.

He didn’t even flinch when Orion’s hard glare bored holes into his face.

The things I'm willing to do just to be by his side… Just to have him for the rest of my life.

I pressed both hands to my cheeks. They were burning.

God, I was so gone for him.

Obsessed didn’t even cover it anymore.

How can someone be so tempting and divine at the same time?

Every time I closed my eyes I saw him…shirtless this morning, muscles shifting under scarred skin while he pinned me to the hotel mattress and fucked me slow and deep like he had all the time in the world to worship every inch.

The way his breath hitched when I said his name. The way his fingers dug into my hips…hard enough to bruise because he couldn’t hold back anymore. The way he looked at me afterward…like I was the only real thing he’d ever touched.

And now he was downstairs, fighting for a future, a life with me, probably tasting his own blood, and still standing there telling my sister and Orion that he loved me.

That he wanted forever.

With me.

I rolled onto my stomach and buried my face in the pillow, muffling a scream that was half frustration, half delirious joy.

I wasn't bothered. Not even a bit. Because I don't care about their verdict. I will have David, with or without their consent.

I wanted to claw my way back down there.

I wanted to punch Orion myself for looking at him like he committed treason.

I wanted to climb David like a tree the second I saw him again and remind him…in the most obscene way possible…that no one, not even family, got to hurt what was mine.

The door opened after what felt like an eternity.

I shot upright so fast the room spun.

Ava stepped inside.

Alone.

She closed the door behind her…softly…and leaned back against it, arms crossed, studying me like I was a patient she hadn’t quite diagnosed yet.

I scrambled to sit cross-legged on the bed, chin up, refusing to look guilty.

She didn’t speak at first. Just watched.

Then, quietly… “You’re really in love with him.”

It wasn’t a question.

I swallowed. “Yes. I thought you must have figured that out already, Ava. I'm crazy about him.”

She exhaled through her nose…long, slow, like she was trying to decide whether to laugh or cry.

“Holly…he betrayed our family once. He fed every secret we ever told him straight to the Jamesons. He sat at our table, looked me in the eye, and lied for months. He almost got me killed.”

“I know,” I said softly. “He told me. All of it. Every ugly detail. He hates himself for it more than you ever could. And to be honest, he's the biggest victim in all of this mess. He was just doing what he thought was best for his family. Hurting our family was never personal, Ava,” I said and exhaled deeply.

“He hurt you in the past…deeply,” I began but she caught me off.

Her eyes narrowed as she inhaled sharply. “You know this and you still chose him?”

“I didn’t choose him over you,” I said quickly. “I chose him because he changed. Because he crawled out of whatever hell his family put him in and decided he wanted to be better. Because when I’m with him I feel… safe. And wanted. And seen. Like I’m not just the baby sister anymore. Like I’m someone who matters.”

Ava’s throat worked. “You’ve always mattered.”

“I know,” I whispered. “But with him… it’s different. It’s bigger. I won't be here if not for him, remember? He saved me when that monster almost tried to kill me.”

She pushed off the door and walked closer…slow, deliberate.

Then she stopped at the foot of the bed and sat down next to me.

“He took a punch from Orion without blocking. Didn’t even try to defend himself. Just stood there and took it.”

I nodded. Tears stung the backs of my eyes.

“He knew he deserved it,” I said. “And he still came here. For me. He knew you guys might not accept him, but he still came. Because he loves me, Ava. And I adore him.”

Ava was quiet for a long time.

Then she scooted closer…enough that our knees almost touched.

“I still don’t trust him,” she said flatly. “Not yet.”

“I know.”

“But I trust you,” she continued. “And right now… you’re looking at me like you’re ready to burn this whole house down if we try to take him away.”

I gave a watery laugh. “I would.”

She reached out…hesitated…then tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. The gesture was so gentle, so much like when we were kids, that my throat closed up.

“You grew up to be more courageous than I ever was, Holly,” she said amidst a giggle and I laughed.

“I think it's safe to say that you did a pretty good job raising me,” I whispered and kissed the back of her hand.

“Aren't you just lucky to have me?” She said, smiling through tears that had gathered in her eyes.

“The luckiest, Ava. But guess how lucky I will be if I finally become Mrs Hunt, huh?” I teased and she laughed, clutching her belly.

I looked down and touched it fondly. Then leaned further down and kissed her baby bump. “You're so amazing, Ava,” I whispered, and I really meant it.

She sniffed and patted my head. “Dinner’s in thirty minutes,” she said. “He’s in the east guest room. Cleaning up. Bleeding all over Elena’s good towels, probably.”

I snorted despite myself as Ava stood.

“But Holly?” She looked down at me…serious, unblinking. “If he hurts you…if he lies to you, uses you, makes you cry even once…I will destroy him. And then I’ll help you hide the body. Understand?”

I nodded fast. “Understand.”

She turned toward the door, paused and glanced back.

“You’re not a kid anymore,” she said quietly. “You haven’t been for a long time. I just…forgot to notice. Thought you were still my cute baby sister.”

Then she left before I could say another word and the door clicked shut.

I flopped backward onto the bed, arms spread wide, staring at the ceiling again.

Thirty minutes.

Thirty minutes until I saw him again.

Thirty minutes until I could touch him, kiss the split on his lip, taste the blood and the stubbornness and the love he’d just bled for me downstairs.

I pressed my thighs together…hard…trying to ease the sudden ache.

Thirty minutes felt like forever.

And I was already counting the seconds.