Chest heaving and face red, she opened her door and backed inside. “Good night, Lincoln.”
“Good night.”
I stared at the door long after she had closed it. Finally, when my eyes started to burn, I blinked out of the haze I got lost in and walked away. Something still burned between us, but Ava was determined to fight it. How did I get her to stop?
15
LINCOLN
I sat on my penthouse terrace, staring out. It was getting dark, and the skyline glowed with artificial lights. The distant music from a rooftop party floated on the breeze. The tranquil scene was lost on me. My mind was a mess—stuck on Ava.
Always Ava.
She haunted my thoughts even when she was long out of sight, but since she’d reappeared in my life, it wasconstant. Things between us weren’t as hostile as when she first got to LA. We were getting friendlier, one reluctant conversation at a time. Things shifted between us the night I helped her out. Her glares had become less severe. She even smiled at me yesterday.Twice.
Sweet progress.
I smiled slightly at that thought. But I wasn’t foolish enough to think we were anywhere near okay. There was still years of hurt between us. Years I had no idea how to make up for. She didn’t trust me, and maybe she never would.
How did I show her she could?
I leaned back in the lounge chair and tapped out a rhythm on the arm with my fingers.
Call her and invite her out for drinks or dinner?
I stared at my cell, sitting on the table.
No. That would make it too easy for her to turn me down. Besides, plying her with drinks and expensive dishes wouldn’t impress her. Then it hit me. She was hell-bent on making a name for herself in journalism. What better way to show her I cared than by being supportive?
It worried me that she might be going up against unscrupulous characters who wouldn’t hesitate to lash out. But I knew her well. She wouldn’t back down. I had to protect her. There was no way I’d sit back and allow her to go into the underbelly of this town alone. She’d probably hate the idea of me helping, but tough. In time, she would accept it—and realize how much she still meant to me.
I got up and left my apartment with determination. It took about an hour, with the evening traffic, to get to Ava’s hotel. I frowned as I parked and looked up at the building. I didn’t even like the idea of her being there. It wasn’t an absolute shithole, but it could be safer. Maybe I could talk her into staying at a more secure location, which I’d pay for…
After a beat, I snorted. “No, she’ll tell me where to shove my money.” That was Ava for you.
Getting out of the car, I made my way to her floor. Before I knocked, I braced myself for the resistance I knew she’d put up. Then I knocked. I heard the soft pad of her footsteps approaching the door.
I smiled because I knew she watched me through the peephole.
“What are you doing here, Lincoln?” she called.
I sighed softly. “I can't visit a friend?”
Her derisive snort made me raise my eyebrows, but at least she opened the door.
She was in a robe. I swallowed hard, willing myself not to think dirty thoughts about her possibly not having anythingunderneath. That wasn’t hard to do once I focused on her face. Her eyes were wide, and not in the usual annoyed-with-me kind of way. Her face was pale, and her lips were tight in a worried line. She looked spooked.
“Ava, what’s wrong?”
As if realizing what her expression showed, she blinked and shook her head. “Nothing, just got a phone call, that’s all.” I noticed the way her fingers tightened around the phone she held.
My eyes narrowed. “What kind of phone call?”
She took a step back before I could press further. “What are you doing here, Lincoln?”
I folded my arms. “Invite me in, and I’ll tell you.”
Her eyes narrowed to suspicious slits.
