Holy shit. She’s not dating him. She wanted me to be jealous, which means there’s still a chance.
My head jerks up. “You could never be a pathetic loser.”
Tears glisten in her eyes, but she huffs a laugh. “Out of everything I just said, that’s the part you chose to focus on?”
Abso-fuckin-lutely.
“I will always focus on you, Ava. You’re what matters.” I drag my thumb over her pretty mouth, wishing like hell I could taste her, right here, right now. “You have no idea how badly I want to kiss you.”
“So do it.”
I lean down, my lips a hair’s breadth from hers.
“I can’t kiss you when you’re on a date with another man.” I smirk. “Get rid of the rent-a-boyfriend, and I’ll kiss you so hard you’ll forget your own name.”
She shivers, and something tells me it’s not the temperature that’s got her body reacting so viscerally. “What if I want more than a kiss?”
“Just say the word and I’ll give you what you need.”
Hell, I’ll give her everything I have and more.
She swallows, her throat bobbing delicately. “Okay.”
“Okay, what?”
She has to say it. I need to hear the words so there’s no confusion.
“I want you to come over to my place tonight.”
Desire stirs low in my gut. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
A slow grin splits her face. “We should probably get back before Adam notices we’re missing.”
She’s right, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. It’s been eight days since I last touched her, but it feels like an eternity. The prospect of waiting even a few more hours when she’s this close is excruciating.
Which will make tonight that much sweeter.
“You can go first.” I step back, giving her space. “I’ll follow in a bit.”
She turns to go and pauses, looking back at me over her shoulder. “This doesn’t change anything.”
“Darlin’, it changes everything.”
She shakes her head. “It can only be sex, and no one can know. Not my father, not the team. I have too much at stake personally and professionally, but if we keep it secret—if it’s purely physical—we can both get what we need.”
I open my mouth to argue because I need Ava in my life, not just in my bed, but I snap my jaw closed.
She’s giving me a chance, even if she doesn’t realize it. Because now I know with certainty that she wants this as much as I do, and it’s not just about the sex, even if that’s what she’s telling herself. Ava was hurt by the prospect that I’d moved on so quickly, and she wanted to make me jealous. That has to count for something.
I’llmakeit count.
“Alright, darlin’. We’ll do things your way.”
For now.
14
AVA