“Always.”
“Three nights wasn’t enough for me either,” she said. “But my brothers can’t know, unless it ever gets serious because the moment one of us dates someone else, they’ll have their guns out. They’d really enjoy telling you how I’m flighty and unreliable and I’ll make a mess of you, and I’m pretty sure Max has a lecture in him about how you’ve just split up and I’m just a rebound.”
“He’s already warned me away.”
“When?”
“In Whisky Ginger before you stayed at mine.”
Ava smiled and looked away, as if she was trying to hold back laughter. “Fucking typical Max,” she said. “I hope you ignored him?”
I shrugged. “I nodded, gave him a smile and waited for him to be distracted by Victoria. Then I came over to you.”
“So you paid no attention whatsoever?”
“Your brothers don’t scare me.” But what I was feeling for her did. She was everything I’d always avoided: impulsive, stunning, slightly wild and impetuous and I was planned and careful and rarely carefree.
“Good,” she said. “They shouldn’t. They’ve been wrapped round my finger for twenty-seven years and they know to only bite when I tell them.”
“So I can take you out tomorrow?”
She smoothed her hands over the leather of her trousers. “You can. As long as you explore that secret room with me. We can be the Famous Two.”
“What time shall I meet you?”
“Say two? Are you running round a muddy field with my brothers in the morning?”
Her look was on the disgusted side.
“We have rugby practice, yeah. You could come watch?”
There was the shaking of blonde curls. “No. I’ll save myself the boredom. I’m going to breakfast with Claire and Eliza.” She hopped off the barstool. “See you at two.”
I stood up and put a hand on her arm, stopping her from slipping away quickly. “I want to take you back to mine.” I leaned over to whisper into her ear. “I want to fuck you again and see how many more times I can make you come. But I want to be more than just a fuck this time.”
Small hands landed on my chest and she moved her lips to within centimetres of mine. “Maybe.” Her words were a whisper. “I want to be more than just a fuck to you too.”
Then her lips met mine and I had no idea who moved closer first, just that I was oblivious to anything else that was happening around us because all that mattered was the woman in my arms and the taste of her. The kiss went deeper, cutting through any barriers I had and branding me.
Someone passing instructed us to get a fucking room and I landed back in the bar, reluctantly pulling away. “I won’t take you home tonight,” I said. “Because this isn’t just about sex, is it?”
She shook her head.
“But I will tomorrow night, so pack a bag and bring it with you at two.”
“I might not want you to take me home.” Her hands were underneath my shirt, resting on my stomach and I wanted to know what it would take to keep them there. “I might want you to take me somewhere else.”
“Like where?” I said, intrigued.
“In a secret room or in a taxi or maybe on your sofa or maybe by the river. But maybe we will use your bed. Or maybe all of them.” She looked down at her hands. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Don’t dress smart. It’s going to be dusty.”
There was one more kiss, a softer one, one that cut to something else other than my dick. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she whispered, softer too.
“You will.” And then I watched her leave and wondered what she was taking with her that used to belong to me.
“Fuck! I swear you’re made of steel!”
I picked myself up from the ground and laughed at Seph who was still there, looking as if he’d been run over twice.
