REBORN: MEET MY BROTHERS-Chapter 93: TAKING OUT THE TRASH

Warmth came with the morning, and it eveloped Ava who stirred slightly in Maximus’s arms. She blinked slowly and her hazy vision cleared on his face.

"Good morning." His deep voice resounded in her ears.

"Good morning," she said with a small smile, but she never would’ve prepared herself for the kiss that came next.

Maximus tucked away the strands of hair on her face behind her ears to deepen the kiss. She froze, but the feel of the softness of his lips against hers drove away her shock.

The tenderness of how his tongue danced on hers made her breath hitch, and her fingers instinctively curled into the fabric of his shirt.

The kiss was sedative, deliberate, like Maximus was savoring every second, every tiny gasp she made. His hand slid to the small of her back, pulling her closer, and warmth bloomed in her chest.

She felt like she was melting into him as their tongue entwined, and her heartbeat drummed in sync with his. When he finally pulled away, his forehead rested lightly against hers, and his breath was warm against her lips.

"That’s a good way to wake up," he murmured while his lips ghosted over hers again.

Ava swallowed. "I—I wasn’t expecting that." Her face burned, and his thumb that traced lazy circles on her back made her stomach churn in the most pleasant way.

"You should get used to it." The knuckles of his free hand brushed her warm cheeks. "Did you sleep well?"

Her eyes traveled down. She was lying directly on top of him on the couch. She couldn’t recall how she got to this position, but she didn’t hate it either.

"I’d have loved a softer mattress, but this..." She traced a fingertip on his bare chest that was exposed from the two buttons left undone on his shirt. "... isn’t so bad."

Maximus smiled, and his fingers tightened slightly on her waist. "So I’m guessing you won’t have a problem with me being your personal mattress."

Ava laughed outright to that. "Why would you want to take up this position?" She tried to play it off even if her stomach fluttered.

"I’ll do anything to keep you in my arms, little one." His lips brushed her forehead.

Ava felt her heart stutter. The way he was looking at her, like she was something precious, and the way he said things so casually, yet with so much intensity, made her feel lightheaded. It took everything within her to fight the urge to bury her steamed face in his chest.

"I suppose I could get used to this..." she traced small patterns on his chest with her fingertip, but she got distracted when her phone buzzed.

As she shifted slightly to check her phone on the table, she felt his firm muscles beneath her, but something else poked her thighs. Ava bit her lips, and her face flushed a deeper shade of red when she realized what it was, but she didn’t move away. Instead, she stared quietly at his face.

"Is something wrong?" Maximus arched a brow at her silence.

Ava swallowed hard. With her fingers resting on his chest, she could feel the steady rise and fall of his breath, but her mind was stuck on the very obvious thing pressing against her thighs.

She cleared her throat and tried to act normal. "N-no, nothing’s wrong," she said but her atrocious eyes darted down.

Realizing what why his little wife was acting this way, a smirk grew on Maximus’s face. "Are you sure? You look... flustered." His hand trailed up her back in slow, lazy circles, sending shivers down her spine.

"I should—" Ava tried to move, but his grip on her waist tightened slightly, holding her in place.

"You should what?" He leaned in, until his lips were almost brushing hers, and his eyes darted between them and her eyes. "Do you want to see it?"

Ava’s stomach churned.

"Or would you rather touch it?"

Her whole body went rigid. She could feel him. His hard dick was firm and undeniably real against her thighs, and it surprisingly made her excited, but when she thought about where they were and how her grandfather was lying just a few steps away, she hesitated.

Ava decided shifting away from the temptation will do her more good, but when she tried to move, Maximus didn’t let her.

"Keep moving like that and I might think you’re doing it on purpose."

Her face burned hotter than the morning sun steaming through the window. Her eyes darted lower again. "We can’t do this here, Maximus." She looked at her grandfather on his bed.

Maximus’s smile widened. "Why?" Her lips twitched in embarrassment and he placed a soft kiss on it.

When he pulled away, she pressed her lips together. Gathering her thoughts, "Cause my grandfather’s here. What if he wakes up while we’re at it?" She asked shyly.

Maximus held back his laugh and instead, leaned into her ears. His lips brushed against the shell. "What’s wrong with holding your phone and seeing your text?"

"Huh?" Ava stared at him wide eyed.

"Mm," he hummed while sliding his fingers up her back, "what did you think I was talking about, little one?"

She blinked rapidly. All these while she thought... Her cheeks turned impossibly hot that she feared they were going to light up.

"Nothing!"

Maximus laughed out loud. "Doesn’t sound like nothing to me."

She smacked his chest slightly, covering her face with her hands. "You’re impossible!"

He easily pulled her hands away and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "You can touch me whenever you want, little one. But just not...right here."

Ava was about to bury her face in his chest when her phone buzzed once more, and she’d never been more grateful for the distraction. She quickly pushed herself away from Maximus and the couch.

Staring at her screen, a deep frown settled on her face. There was a text from her father, something that has never happened before.

"What’s wrong?"

"I have to go home." She faced Maximus who now sat on the couch. Maximus pulled her to himself.

"Is there a problem?"

"No... It’s just—there’s something I have to take care of at home."

"I’ll drop you off." Ava nodded.

~~~~~~

Ava watched Maximus’s car vanish as stood at the entrance of the mansion, before she proceeded inside. When she entered the living room, Ava looked around dumbfounded.

Her father had texted her to come home immediately. With the urgency in the text, she’d expected to come back to a full living room with lots of glares, but it was disappointing finding no one here.

Just as she was about to go to her room for some change of clothes before looking for her father, Fiddlestick walked into the room.

"Miss Ava." She turned to him. "You’re back." His voice was lower than usual, Ava noticed, and this only happens when something was wrong.

"Hm..." She hummed a reply. "Is there a problem?"

"Mr. Whitlock is waiting for you in his study."

Ava nodded. "I’ll meet with him shortly after I get a chance of clothes."

"I advise you see him now, Miss Ava." Ava’s brow furrowed. "He doesn’t seem to be in a good mood and you know how much he loathes waiting."

Ava pouted. She didn’t care about any of that, but she’d rather just get this over with. "Okay." She retracted her feet from the stairs and headed for Gaulin’s study.

A soft knock was placed on the door, and Gaulin’s voice echoed from the other side before Ava pushed open the door.

Her eyes landed on Gaulin first, before Matilda, Jerome, and Noah, who was in the room as well.

Ava ignored their glares and closed the door behind her, but the moment she turned back to face them, Matilda was already in front of her.

*Slap!*

Her head stirred and she cradled her cheek. Ava’s furious eyes shot up. "What was—"

Another slap followed.

Ava’s cheeks burned from the sting, but the anger that brewed in her chest stopped her from reacting to the pain.

"I underestimated you, you stupid, little ingrate—" Ava was more focused on Matilda’s words and the pain that she couldn’t have braced herself for the harder slap that landed on her face.

Since she wasn’t prepared for a third, she accidentally bit the side of her lips and blood trickled from the cut.

Ava sucked in a deep breath as she wiped the blood with one of her hand. She frowned at the stain in her hand before looking at Matilda who was the least concerned about the injury.

"All these while, I should’ve known! You’re a pathetic snake! This was your plan from the start, wasn’t it?" Matilda sneered with venom in her voice. "You’ve been manipulating your grandfather since you got here, but I underestimated you!"

"I’ve told you time and again that she doesn’t belong here, Gaulin, but you wouldn’t listen."