A Dom is Forever (Masters and Mercenaries #3)(94)

“It doesn’t sound like he’s ever been alone.” It sounded like he’d screwed half of the women in the US.

“Sex isn’t the same for a man as it is for a woman,” Jacob replied. “His emotions weren’t engaged. He didn’t care. I’ve never known the man to care about anyone really.”

“I don’t know that I should listen to you about the emotional needs of straight guys.” Avery looked between the two men. Jake and Adam had been in a relationship for years. They couldn’t possibly understand how she felt nor could they speak to why Liam had done what he did.

“About that, Avery,” Adam began.

“They aren’t gay, love,” Liam said, letting her go in favor of scrubbing a frustrated hand through his hair. “She’s going to blame me for that, too. They aren’t gay, but they’re damn good at playing it. They’re married.”

Adam shuddered. “That makes it sound so vanilla. We’re married to the same woman. See, we had something freaky to hide.”

But she’d been perfectly comfortable with Adam because he was gay. “You tricked me.”

He flushed. “I was protecting you.”

“Were you protecting me when you helped me buy those clothes?”

“I was helping you and it worked,” Adam replied, his voice softening. “You felt better when you dressed better. Avery, it was obvious you didn’t have a friend to help you out. You’ve lived a very sheltered life. I was just doing what a real friend would do. You’re a beautiful woman, but you didn’t have any idea how to dress. I was helping you find your way.”

And it had worked. She did feel more confident in her new clothes. She felt more confident in herself, and Lee Donnelly had a lot to do with that, but he’d been one big lie. Adam had been, too. “Did you enjoy the show?”

Liam’s face flushed, and he turned on his friend. “Did you go into the bloody dressing room with her?”

Adam backed off, his hands coming up like he was attempting to ward off an encroaching beast. “I was playing a part, Li. Gay Adam wouldn’t hesitate to help a friend with her zipper. By the way, the emerald green undies really do look gorgeous on you, Avery. You have a great ass.”

“Jacob, I’m going to kill him,” Liam growled.

“Hey, neither one of us have forgotten the fact that you kissed Serena. I think I’m backing him up on this one.” Jake turned to Avery as Liam let his fists fly. The two men started to fight, but Jake acted like it was an everyday occurrence. Adam got Liam with a quick upper cut, but Liam had some height on him. “And Adam wouldn’t have bothered with that bit of revenge if he hadn’t known you meant something to Liam. Liam wouldn’t care less if some guy came in and took his place with a woman as long as he’d finished. It won’t be that way with you. He’s possessive. He’s never possessive.”

“Shouldn’t you stop that?” Avery watched the two men. Liam had Adam in a choke hold.

Jake shook his head and waved the whole thing off. “This is what we do, Avery. We’re dumb animals in the end. They’ll get it out of their systems and go back to being friends. You women want to attribute all kinds of meaning behind the things we say and do, but we’re really simple. We run around aimlessly f*cking anything that comes our way until we meet the one woman who can take care of us, who can fix all the shit that’s wrong inside, and then we’re done, and a man like Liam is done for the rest of his life. He won’t fall again.”

“He hasn’t fallen now.” Even before she’d found out he’d lied to her about everything, she’d known it wasn’t forever. A man like Liam didn’t end up with a woman like her.

“Then why is he over there trying to kill Adam?” Jake asked. “Besides the fact that Adam can be so brutally obnoxious I want to kill him sometimes.”

She shrugged. “He feels guilty that he took advantage of the fat, crippled girl.”

Jacob’s eyes flared, and he suddenly seemed about a foot taller than he had before. “Liam, your girl just called herself something you’re not going to like.”

Liam came off Adam and turned around, his focus shifting to her. His hand came up and wiped a thin trickle of blood off his mouth. “It better not be something about her size. We’ve already had that conversation once tonight, darlin’.”

When he looked at her like that, she wanted to sink down and beg his forgiveness, but that was stupid. The whole BDSM thing was just as fake as the rest of him. “It’s none of your business.”

He stalked across the apartment to get to her. “That’s where you’re wrong. It is me business and it’s going to be me business for the foreseeable future, or are you going to walk away from this here and now?”

Walk away? And never see him again? She shook that thought off. It was a dangerous thought and just proved she wasn’t really thinking at all. “I’m going to the office tomorrow and you know it.”

“I won’t have you talking bad about yourself. Not now. Not ever again.”

He was just a big old bully. “I want to go to bed now, Liam.” She was done with this conversation. She was done with Adam and Jake. She was definitely done with Liam. Except he had to come home with her. “You can sleep on the couch. There are no cameras, so no one has to know. All they’ll hear is someone shuffling around.”