The Brother I Was Never Supposed to Want

Chapter 30

Chapter 29

The days that followed the disastrous family dinner blurred into a tense rhythm of stolen moments and rising pressure. Ava threw herself into her art with a fervour she hadn’t felt in years. The new studio, which was a gift to her from Nathan became her sanctuary, walls covered in half-finished canvases, the air thick with the smell of oil paint and turpentine. But even here, the outside world intruded.

Nathan checked in constantly. Sometimes, with a simple text. Sometimes, with armed men discreetly posted near the building entrances. He never hovered, but his presence was constant, a dark shadow ensuring her safety while he waged war on multiple fronts.

One afternoon, Alex burst into the studio like a whirlwind, Victoria trailing behind with an indulgent smile.

“Ava! Look what I drew!” Alex held up a new masterpiece, this one featuring Ava with a paintbrush the size of a sword, standing protectively in front of him and Nathan. “We’re a team. Like superheroes.”

Ava’s heart clenched. She knelt and hugged him tightly. “We are a team, little man. The best one.”

Victoria watched them with soft eyes. “He’s never warmed to anyone this quickly. You’re healing something in both of them, Ava.”

Later, when Nathan arrived to pick them up, he found Ava and Alex covered in paint, laughing over a collaborative mural on one of the studio walls. For a moment, the cold mafia king simply stood in the doorway, watching them with an expression Ava had never seen before, raw, unguarded longing.

He crossed the room, pulled her into a deep kiss right there in front of Alex and Victoria, then ruffled his son’s hair. “This is good. Really good.”

That night, after Alex was asleep, Nathan took Ava to bed with a hunger that bordered on desperation. He worshipped her slowly, tongue and fingers drawing out her pleasure until she was begging. When he finally slid inside her, it was deep and unhurried, eyes locked on hers.

“You’re changing everything,” he whispered against her lips as they moved together. “I never wanted a family again. Not like this. Not until you.”

Ava came apart beneath him, clinging to his shoulders, and for those moments, the danger outside ceased to exist.

---

But peace was an illusion.

Erica struck again two days later.

Ava was at a small gallery meeting, her first real opportunity since the breakup, when her sister appeared with a folder and a predatory smile. The gallery owner, a sharp woman named Lena, looked uncomfortable.

“I thought you should see these,” Erica said, sliding photos across the table. They were images of Ava and Nathan together, leaving the penthouse, at the park with Alex, even one from the night of the home invasion aftermath. “Your new boyfriend’s world is violent, sis. These photos are just the beginning. The press will eat this up. ‘Mafia Princess Takes Over Walker Heir.’”

Lena cleared her throat. “Ava, if there’s any… controversy attached to your name right now..."

“There isn’t,” Ava said firmly, though her hands shook. She stood and faced her sister. “You’ve always wanted what I have. First Ethan. Now this. But you’ll never understand what Nathan and I have because you only know how to destroy things.”

Erica’s eyes flashed with real anger. “Enjoy it while it lasts. Nathan will get bored. Or his enemies will take you out to hurt him. Either way, you lose.”

The meeting ended poorly. Lena promised to “think about it,” but the hesitation was clear. Ava left devastated.

Nathan found her that evening on the terrace, staring at the city.

“I heard what happened,” he said quietly. He pulled her against his chest. “Erica will be dealt with. And the gallery? I’ll make calls. Your work deserves to be seen.”

“I don’t want you fixing everything with money and threats,” Ava whispered. “I want to earn it.”

“You will.” He tilted her chin up. “But I won’t let them take your dreams from you.”

He kissed her then, slow and deep, lifting her onto the wide terrace railing. The city sprawled beneath them as he slid her panties aside and entered her right there, the thrill of exposure mixing with the safety of his arms. Ava rode him hard, nails digging into his shoulders, until they both shattered under the stars.

---

The real storm broke the following evening.

Nathan had the sit-down with Rossi’s representatives at a neutral warehouse on the docks. He left Ava at the penthouse with heavy security and strict instructions to stay inside.

She tried to paint. She tried to read. Instead, she paced.

At 2 a.m., Nathan finally returned. His knuckles were bruised, and there was a fresh cut above his eyebrow. But he was alive.

“They want concessions,” he said, pouring himself a drink. “Territory. Money. They’re testing whether I’m distracted by… personal matters.” His eyes met hers. “I made it very clear that any move toward you or Alex will start a war they can’t win.”

Ava crossed to him, touching the cut gently. “You’re bleeding for me.”

“I’d bleed a lot more.” He set the glass down and pulled her close. “Richard is using this to push Ethan as the ‘stable’ choice. My own father is undermining me. Victoria is the only one on my side.”

The confession hung heavy between them. Nathan carried her to the bedroom, stripping her slowly. This time their lovemaking was fierce and emotional, a reaffirmation amid the chaos. He took her from behind, one hand around her throat, the other between her legs, driving her to peak after peak until she was sobbing his name.

Afterward, as they lay tangled together, Nathan traced patterns on her skin.

“Ethan reached out again,” he admitted. “He wants one last meeting with you. Says he has information that could destroy me. I told him to go to hell, but… I won’t stop you if you need closure.”

Ava shook her head. “I don’t need him. I need you. But I’m scared, Nathan. For Alex. For us.”

He held her tighter. “Then we’ll be scared together.”

---

The next morning brought new complications.

Victoria called early. Richard had called an emergency family meeting, without Nathan. Ethan was pushing hard for control of certain legitimate businesses, claiming Nathan’s “personal entanglements” were risking everything.

Alex overheard part of the conversation and grew quiet. “Is Dad in trouble because of me and Ava?”

Ava’s heart broke. She spent the afternoon with him, painting and reassuring him that he was the best part of their world. When Nathan returned, the three of them cooked dinner together, a small pocket of normalcy in the storm.

But as night fell, Nathan received another message. Rossi wasn’t satisfied with the sit-down. They wanted more.

And somewhere in the city, Erica and Ethan were no doubt planning their next move.

Ava lay in Nathan’s arms that night, listening to his heartbeat, wondering how much longer their fragile peace could last before the empire around them cracked completely.

The brother she was never supposed to want had become her entire world.

Now, the world was coming for them both.

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