A Dom is Forever (Masters and Mercenaries #3)(9)

Avery’s apartment was in a building just across from the station. She was conveniently situated between a fast food joint and a pub called Dirty Dick’s.

Serena turned to him, her eyes bright as though she recognized a reprieve when it was offered to her. “I promise. I won’t go near that part of the city. I’m working on a book. I’m on a hard deadline, so it’s very unlikely you’ll see me at all. I’ll just send them a text when I’m ovulating.”

Adam grinned. “We tag team on the baby making. It’s my sperm’s turn next time.”

Ian groaned. “God, I did not need to hear that.”

Liam didn’t understand the impulse to create a tiny human thing that would be utterly dependent on him and require hours of upkeep. Simple. That was the only way to live, and that meant avoiding hairy entanglements like children. He could barely maintain friendships. “Can we move on to the actual work portion of this evening?”

He wanted the rundown on the blond * who’d been hitting on her. She’d obviously known him. He didn’t need competition. He needed to be the only thing little Avery thought about. He needed to find a way to become her obsession.

Serena’s eyes lit up, and she ran for her notepad. Liam groaned. If he let her stay, she would inundate the whole team with questions and then later this little meeting would undoubtedly show up in one of her books.

“Jake and Adam, no civvies allowed.” Liam didn’t want to become one of her bloody heroes. They inevitably lost their balls to some girl.

Serena looked up. “What? Come on. I just want to take a few notes.”

Adam simply picked his sub up and started for the door. “You’ve pushed them enough, love. Time to go and wait for us to be done. You knew we were working. I’m taking you back down to the dungeon.”

She pouted up at him. “Yeah, but I thought I could watch.”

“Not this time, baby. Sit out in the club and don’t pester Master Damon with questions,” Jake said as his partner opened the door.

“But he seems so interesting.” Serena’s voice faded as Adam carried her away.

“We’ll be lucky if Damon doesn’t toss us out on our arses, as he would say.” Ian growled right before throwing himself in the chair at the head of the table. “Reports, people.”

“He’s in an awesome mood.” Eve opened her arms and hugged Liam. “How are you doing?”

There was a speculative look in her eyes as she gave him a once-over. There was no denying that look. It was the look a shrink gave her prized patient. Sometimes Liam thought Eve used his case as a way to escape her own problems, but he didn’t begrudge her. She kept his secrets and he kept hers. They had settled into a nice friendship. “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” Eve touched his shirt, smoothing it down. Sometimes Eve could treat him like a child in need of soothing and mothering. Perhaps because she’d heard him cry out like one.

“He said he was fine, Eve. You don’t have to baby him.” Alex stared at them, arms crossed over his chest. Alex stood almost as tall as Ian, though he had a leaner frame. He looked just as f*cking mean, though, as he stared at Liam.

Because Liam knew what Alex thought. Alex thought Liam was sleeping with Eve. Alex didn’t understand that the time he and Eve spent together had nothing to do with sex. Alex was brutally jealous and a simple conversation could clear it up, but it really wasn’t Liam’s problem. Alex didn’t need to know that he was seeing Eve on a professional basis. That’s what the whole term “client-patient confidentiality” meant, and he wasn’t going to feel guilty about it. He just wasn’t.

“I think I can ask questions on my own, Alex.” Eve’s voice was frosty cold, and she turned away from Liam, crossing the room and taking her seat again.

Fucking hell. He didn’t want to give a shit. Eve was his bloody therapist, and Alex didn’t need to know a thing. He could think what he well wanted. It didn’t mean anything to Liam. He didn’t care. The mission was the only thing that mattered.

Yeah, he was going to keep right on telling himself that.

Adam walked back in the room. He twisted a dial on the wall and the lights dimmed. Liam took his seat. It was showtime.

“So who’s the blond guy?” Liam asked.

Adam jogged across the room, clicking on the remote in his hand. “Okay. I got the lowdown on this guy. Simon Weston. Thirty-five. Single. So very British. He’s a lawyer. Cambridge law. Top of his class. Joined a small, top-of-the-line firm right out of school. He’s the second son of the Duke of Norsely. Financially he’s a winner. According to what I could track down, he’s worth roughly ten million pounds. He did some time in the Royal Air Force because apparently that’s what Weston males do.”

So he was rich and had titled relatives. Nice. “What’s he doing chasing after Avery Charles?”

Liam could hear the edge in his own voice. The f*cker should be dating some available pop star. What was he doing with a slightly overweight brunette who was so f*cking soft she practically melted in the sunlight?

“He left Hanover and Giles last year to join the United One Fund. He now heads up the legal department of the charity. He doesn’t have anything to do with Molina’s for profit businesses.”

“So he’s a do-gooder?” Eve asked, her pen tapping against the table.