“You know,” I said after a moment while she double-checked herself in the mirror and then walked over to help me with my tie, “I have some work-related travel coming up next week. I’ll be flying out to Brazil and then Canada to meet with a couple of different teams there. I’ll be gone ten days.”
She was fingering the edge of my jacket sleeve while I spoke.
I put my thumb under her chin and brought her gaze up to meet mine. “Will you promise me that you’ll be okay?”
When her eyes met mine, they were peaceful and relaxed. Ava was finally letting go of her grief, and I didn’t want Kyle’s reappearance to undo that.
“Are you anxious about what’s going to happen next, Desmond McKinley, the man who always worries about the future?”
“No, of course not,” I said, trying to step away.
She put her arms around my torso and held me there.
“I was just letting you know that”—I fiddled with the buttons on my cuff as she looked back at me evenly—“you need to be careful while I’m gone. I don’t like the idea that Kyle is still out there. Especially after you discussed him in your recent interview, I’m concerned he could be out for some payback.”
“Uh-huh,” she said, nodding gravely and letting go as she tried to walk away. “Or are youreallyworried I’ll pop off and have a thing with Otto while you’re gone?” She looked at me over her shoulder with a wicked wink.
She squealed as I spun her around to face me and bent down to kiss her deeply and sensually. She opened her mouth to let my tongue in, and I could hear her groan as she relaxed in my arms.
“Don’t you for one moment think that anyone else can take my place, Ava Hale,” I said in a mock stern voice. “It’s booked, signed, sealed, and spoken for.”
She giggled as she wriggled out of my grip. “I’m getting late for my lunch date,” she warned when I followed.
“Oh, and there’s another thing,” I said just as she picked up her bag and made for the door.
She stopped and turned.
“How about we invite Brody over here for dinner this weekend?”
Brody had heard about Ava getting back into my life and subtly reduced his visits to my place, possibly to give us some privacy. I appreciated that, but I also missed his company. It was time he met Ava again.
Ava’s mouth fell open, but she closed it shut and nodded. She walked up, stood on tiptoe, and hooked an arm around my neck. “You’re having me meet your family?”
I placed my hands on either side of her waist. “I am. I meant it when I said this isn’t a fling, sweetheart.”
The smile on her face grew wider, and those amber eyes went soft. “I think dinner with Brody sounds fantastic,” she responded with a quick kiss on my lips. She walked away, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
37
AVA
The aroma in the air was undeniably comforting. Soup, white and bubbling, boiled on Desmond’s large five-burner stove, and he was just putting the finishing touches on an arugula salad when the apartment door opened.
A young man—in his early twenties and with a mild resemblance to Desmond—who could only be his cousin, walked in.
He was as tall as me and had a goofy, cheerful attitude to him as he walked up and fist-bumped Desmond. He smiled at me, a warm smile, while Desmond introduced us before taking out the pots from the stove and transferring the soup to the serving bowl. Only a little splashed out on the counter, and I was ready with a washcloth to wipe it off.
Desmond steered me away from the kitchen and to the dining table. “Your job is to relax,” he reminded me. “Not to be useful.”
Brody walked up to the kitchen counter, inspecting the food. He turned to me. “Did Des really cook?” He sounded astounded.
I nodded. “He’s really good.”
Brody looked at Des and then back at me. “Des, a good cook?” he repeated, his voice filled with what seemed like laughter.
“Are you sure he hasn’t been passing off Betsy’s food as his own?” he continued while Desmond turned from the stove to give him a look.
He opened the oven door to check on the ribs before shutting the door and walking over to us. “Betsy’s on a well-deserved break, and I have indeed cooked in my own kitchen before,” Desmond insisted.
