It was almost nine at night, and we’d had a fantastic dinner. Now, as I walked back into the building and into the elevator, I turned to Ava.
“Every time I meet Brody, I start thinking about the people who make the products that help him. His medical alert bracelet, for example. I’ve always wanted to move to health care, but I kept telling myself that it was never a good time.”
She nodded as we got into my apartment and shut the door. We made for the balcony, setting our phones on the round table, and Ava poured us each a glass of red merlot. I took a sip. It was earthy and smooth, and I leaned against the glass railing, looking out at the bright night skyline, feeling more relaxed than I’d been in a long time. Everything about this night had been wonderful, just like the woman next to me.
“It sounds right up your alley, darling. I could totally see you doing it.”
I ran my thumb over the palm of her free hand, thoughtful. “It would mean that I could step down from Luxe Hotels and run a different business. One where you aren’t an employee, tied down by rules.”
I saw it in her—a brief widening of eyes before a smile took over.
“So, Desmond McKinley has been worrying about the future after all,” she said, setting her glass aside before turning around and placing both her hands around my waist.
“We could go out in public all the time. I would not be bound to a company policy that prevented us from seeing each other.”
“Owning a different business would take a long time, wouldn’t it?” she asked, reaching out to cup my cheek with the palm of her hand.
It was dark out, the stars twinkling in the hazy New York sky, and we were contemplating a more solid future together.
I nodded, putting my glass down on the table. “A year, at max.” I leaned in closer to her, nuzzling her cheek. “Do you think you could wait that long to go public?”
I put my finger on her chin and looked deep into her eyes. I was defenseless now, and Ava had the power to ruin me if she wanted to. I was giving her the permission to do that.
“I think it sounds wonderful,” she replied, sending a shiver down my back.
I tipped her chin up and bent down over her lips.
I was in this with Ava, and there was no going back.
39
AVA
Ilet Desmond give me an intense, sensual kiss, opening my mouth to deepen the kiss when he picked me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist, and he walked us over to the bedroom, where he set me down on the bed. He unbuttoned my blouse slowly, and when it fell off, he kissed every bit of me.
“I still can’t help but hate that I lost two hours of my evening with you,” Desmond said as I put my fingers under his shirt, feeling the hardness of his chest.
Minutes later, I had taken his clothes off, and the two of us fell back on the bed, a mess of limbs and kisses and skin.
“Should we be quick? You have an early morning tomorrow,” I reminded him just as his hungry hand found the swell of my breast, where he teased and licked my nipple.
“I’d rather be late for that than hurry this,” he said, blowing a cool draft of air over my breast and making me forget everything. Everything but him.
I was unable to resist anything anymore and arched into his hand as he sucked one nipple, palming the other.
When he tried to step away for a condom, I pulled him closer. “Not tonight, darling. I want you and only you.”
“How badly?” he asked, a devilish look on his face.
I reached for his cock, feeling the dewy tip before I touched the smooth shaft. I slid down until the head of his cock was at my entrance, teasing and rubbing myself. “I want you as badly as I did that night you left, Desmond. Because I realize I love you, and that terrifies me. For the longest time, I felt nothing but guilt and regret. And then you came along, and you showed me what it was like to feel happiness, passion, and pleasure. You taught me what it was like to be wanted too. You made me feel wanted and cared for, and that was too many feelings for when a girl only knew regrets. So, go ahead and push in because I can take an orgasm over all these feelings that threaten to rip me apart.”
A second later, he grabbed my hips and pulled me to him. Lining himself up, he slid in deep, his body over mine, face-to-face, as close as we could possibly be. He touched my face gently, placing his fingers on my lips.
“Those feelings aren’t going to rip you apart, sweetheart,” he said into the skin of my neck, thrusting with each sentence while I moaned. “They’ll just make you whole again.”
Another big push into me, more forceful this time, while I made a strangled sound as I felt his hard cock fill me up completely inside, stretching me out even more.
“I’ll make sure you don’t have any regrets anymore.”
