She nodded, looking serious. The passion and fire she’d spoken to me with moments ago left her. Darn it. Why did our meetings always end on such a dull note? Why couldn’t I part with an image of her laughing? That way, I wouldn’t have anything to fix.
“But I want to assure you that you have nothing to fear about the restaurant. You’re right that the remodeling has been pushed back, but I’m going to do my very best to make sure that it is up and running as soon as possible,” I said.
“And my team,” she added, all fired up in a way that roused an unexplained passion in me. A passion for someone who could feel so much and care so much, forsomeone whose eyes lit up so vibrantly. “You promised to get me my team back too.”
“Ava,” I said, trying to douse the fire of passion that was slowly burning stronger in me, “don’t worry. You’ll get your team back too. I’ll make sure of it.”
She calmed down a little. “So, I don’t need to make an appointment with Zach then?” she asked, her voice low and enticing.
“I’m really sorry about tha—” I began when I realized she was teasing me, the saucy woman.
“Ava,” I responded, my voice low too, “when you think of reaching out to me, I want to be the only man in your mind. Not Zach or anyone else. Do you understand?”
18
AVA
It felt dangerous all of a sudden. The direction our conversation was going, the burning in his eyes, and the short, restrained step he took toward me. Standing in his office, I looked up at him, my chest rising with each disbelieving breath I took. Someone could walk in any moment now just as I was dealing with the sudden news that Desmond wanted to be on my mind.
He took another step closer, and we were inches apart. His hand went to my left cheek, and I leaned into it, a small breath escaping my lips. His touch was so familiar that it made my heart ache with longing.
“Ava,” he breathed out, his thumb grazing my lip, stroking it gently as his eyes went dark, “I want to text you every time I see something I know you’d laugh about, just to see if the two of us still laugh about the same things. But I have to stop myself because of a company policy that the board put in place. I want to meet you about ten times in a day, but I hold myself back because I’m scared of what it might lead to, because it might ruin our careers. In spite of all that, I’ve found myself thinking about you a lot lately.About us. Wondering if you’d still be interested in the man who is no-t the boy he once was.”
I wish I weren’t.
The moment I thought that, I knew I’d gone too far. He’d changed. I wasn’t the same girl either. At the sharp reminder, I took a step back, and when I did, his thumb drew back, his hand falling back to his side. He put his hand slowly back in the pocket of his pants, giving me just a brief glimpse of regret.
“You’re right that we’re quite different now,” I said, looking away. I took another step back. “I’m grateful you invested in my restaurant, even when it was failing. I’ll never forget that. I never forget people who help me.”
He smiled the first genuine smile I’d seen from him.
“Any man would’ve done the same, Ava.” He cleared his throat.
Our gazes locked, and the moment felt electric.
“Not really,” I muttered, feeling the memory of his arms around me when we had been in the elevator. My skin tingled in anticipation. “I can’t think of anyone I’ve ever dated who would’ve done it. Even if they’d had the means to do so.”
A muscle in his jaw flexed. “Is there a man in your life, Ava?”
Pinpricks trickled down my neck as I considered the truth.No, because I don’t do serious relationships anymore, Des.
“Maybe,” I said a moment later, recollecting that I had a date coming up with Hank.
He took a step closer. His gaze was intense as he looked at me. “You’re seeing someone?”
I could feel his eyes burning on me.Is he jealous?
“It’s just a first date,” I said, trying to shrug it off. “Hisfriend’s band is playing, and we’re cheering for them and having dinner. It’s still early days.”
His jaw clenched, and the look on his face implied that he thought it was anything but.
“Ava,” he began, taking my hand in his, just as we heard footsteps approaching us and the doors opened.
Desmond let go of my hand instantly, took a step back, and nodded at the person behind me. “Ah, Zach,” he said in a neutral voice while I turned around to see his assistant.
“Thank you for your time, Mr. McKinley,” I said, and without giving him a chance to respond, I walked away through the office doors and down the corridor to the elevator, my heart thumping in my chest.
That had been too close. I had almost told him my real answer.
