She ate in front of me at the restaurant, which was impressive. Usually, women eat like birds in front of me, but not Ava.
“You like steak?” I ask over my shoulder as I pull everything from the fridge.
Her face lights up. “Yes, I love it.”
“A girl after my own heart. Let’s cook dinner, eat, and you can tell me all about your week. We were caught up last night. I didn’t even ask you.”
“Yes, sounds like a plan…”
I slip my hand on her lower back, where there’s a sliver of skin peeking out. My hand touching her smooth skin has me tracing circles on it with my thumb. She leans back into the palm of my hand, like she belongs here. It feels right. I’m a gentleman, so reluctantly, I drop my hand to grab the food from the island.
“What can I take?” she asks.
“If you don’t mind, I forgot to grab the salad and dressing. It’s in the fridge.” I nod toward the refrigerator.
She struts her ass with those cut-off shorts like it’s her job. I can’t help but stare at her. I may be drooling. If I had an extra hand, I’d wipe my mouth to double-check.
We walk out onto the deck. I light the grill and turn back to her.
Ava’s mouth is wide open, staring at the sky. It’s bright out tonight. The moon is high in the sky; it must be close to full. I walk over to her and slide my hand over her shoulders and down her back.
Staring at her while the moonlight illuminates her face. “You’re beautiful in the moonlight. I couldn’t resist touching you.”
“It’s amazing out here,” she says, staring up at me.
The silence envelopes us as we stand there connected. And then, I dip down and brush my lips on hers. Feeling her out,is this something she wants too?Her teeth grab my bottom lip ever so lightly.
Holy shit.
And she kisses me. It’s tentative at first, but turns ravenous quickly. With her hands on my face, her tongue sliding over, nudging me to open. And I do, ready for her. There’s a time lapse while we kiss, and my hands spread over her back, holding her tight.
When she pulls back a bit, she says, “That was…” She clears her throat. “Wow!”
“It sure was.” I bring my hands to her shoulders, and I rub my nose against hers. She closes her eyes, and as I lean back in to kiss her again, her stomach growls. I chuckle. “Let me get these steaks on the grill.”
“Thank you,” she says, staring up at me with her hazel eyes, sucking me in.
Not wanting to move, I lean in and kiss her skin right by her ear. “You’re welcome.” She shivers in my arms.
She slides her hands off my face and down my chest. Blood shooting south, we linger. Then I twist and walk to the grill before she eyes the bulge in my pants. I casually adjust as I head to cook up the steaks.
While I’m cooking, she tells me about her crazy week at the courthouse. Way busier than she expected. “I have to order again. I didn’t expect to run out of items so quickly, but the courthouse was a success this week. It could be a decent gig.”
Is she pondering staying a bit longer?My heart squeezes thinking about it—her in Saxville. I’m hooked on her, and I want to see where this all leads.
The steaks are done, and I bring them to the table. I walk over to my fully stocked four-season room and grab plates, silverware, and napkins. And there’s a candle and lighter on the windowsill, I snag for good measure.
Placing everything on the table and lighting the candle, she places her hand on her chest. “Did you have this planned?”
“Nah, I like being prepared for any possibilities.”
“Well, I’m hardly ever prepared,” she laughs, and a snort comes out.
We both laugh. She covers her face. “It’s so embarrassing.”
“It’s cute,” I say, touching her shoulder for reassurance.
She shakes her head. “Definitely not anything I’ve ever been called.”
