Ava shook her head and walked away, muttering under her breath.
He and Landon shared a grin.
Gavin stood and gestured down at himself. “So seriously. Would you dress this up?”
Landon considered him, glanced over his shoulder at Ava now puttering in the kitchen, and said in a low voice, “Wear my dark-blue sweater. It’s a little tight on me and will make you look even more buff than you are. Chicks dig that. And put on a little cologne. Look good. If you like this one, play it safe. Take nothing for granted. The women you really want take effort. Hell, look at my doc in there. She’s a handful…” He paused.
“Please don’t say it.”
“…in all the right places. Trite, but true. And she’s mine,” Landon reminded him.
“Whatever. I don’t have time for your macho head games. I have a woman to win over.” He blew out a breath. “She wants to watch Netflix and just relax over dinner. Does that mean what I hope it means?”
Landon blinked. “Zoe York? Nah. No way.”
“That’s what I thought.” He glanced at the clock on the mantel. “Well, gotta motor. Wish me luck.” He dashed to the fridge in the kitchen, took the flowers he’d been saving, and saw Ava’s startled gaze. “I’m not totally lame when it comes to wining and dining women, Ava. Geez. Hurt my feelings, why don’t you?”
“But I—”
He passed Landon. “Ava’s making me feel bad about myself, Bro. Give her a talking-to, would you?” he asked loudly enough for Ava to hear.
“Gavin, that’s not true.” She tried to exit the kitchen, but Landon’s wide shoulders blocked her.
“Doc, that’s just not right. You know Gavin’s got self-esteem issues.”
“But I wasn’t…”
Gavin laughed to himself as he raced to Landon’s room to borrow his blue sweater, then left. Yep. Landon owed him one. Now Ava and Landon could do their version of verbal foreplay. And he, bless him, would be far away while they got their shrink on.
He shuddered at the thought of his brother getting frisky. Now if it were Gavin and Zoe, that would be more than okay. The entire way to her house, he continued to tell himself she couldn’t possibly mean they’d be having sex tonight, all casual and hot. But what if she did? Should he do the gentlemanly thing and say no, or give the lady what she wanted? Whathedesperately wanted, despite wanting to go slowly with her.
Decisions, decisions…
