I slide my fingers from her flesh and lick them while she watches on with wide eyes. My suit pants are strangling my cock, but he’ll have to wait until tomorrow. I don’t mind playing around, but I can’t take Ava to my bed. No matter how much I want to. I pull her dress down from around her waist and smooth it over her lap.
‘Cillian, I …’ She tugs at my belt, but I shake my head and drag myself into the seat next to her and pass her wine from the coffee table.
‘Tomorrow. Tonight was all about you.’
‘It’s a shame you don’t believe in marriage because after that, I’d be tempted to propose this instant.’ She accepts the glass of wine with a snigger.
Thank God we’ve both been crystal clear from the start. There’s no awkwardness. No reading into this. Her wondering if it’s going anywhere. Me knowing it’s not, because nothing ever could for me.
Could it?
Imagine doing this whenever we wanted. For as long as we wanted. With no end date. No labels.
But she wants a label. She wants the fairy tale and the forever.
If she didn't, maybe we could reach some sort of compromise where we could carry this thing on between us. Because I’ve never experienced attraction like it, and the more time we spend together, the more I realise the month of December isn't going to be anywhere near long enough to get it out of my system.
And realistically, it won’t be the month of December. Her brother’s wedding is the nineteenth. She could finish with me before Christmas, find herself a man whowillgive her the fairy tale, now I’ve got her ‘back in the saddle’.
The prospect sickens my stomach.
‘Are you okay?’ She takes my hands and squeezes it.
‘Fine.’ Why did I use the one word that translates to ‘anything but’?
‘You know I was joking about the proposal.’ Those honey-flecked eyes colour with concern.
‘I know.’Worse luck.
‘I’m just going to get cleaned up. Which way is the toilet?’ Ava wobbles to a standing position. I point her out to the hallway, grateful for a minute alone.
What has gotten into me? This woman and her long legs and luscious smiling lips has seeped well and truly under my skin.
When Ava returns smelling of the floral soap Matilda stocks the downstairs bathroom with, I broach a safer topic. ‘It’s my work Christmas party tomorrow. Every year, I hire Huxley Castle for an office blow-out. I need you to play the role of adoring fake girlfriend, if that’s okay. Teagan has eyes and ears everywhere, and I need to make sure she thinks you and I are the real deal. She’s already hanging round way longer than I thought she would. If she’s staying, I need her to respect that we’re never getting back together, and therefore establish a proper routine with Phoebe.’
‘Adoring girlfriend with no panties on?’ Ava draws a big tick in the air with her finger. ‘Check.’
‘Well, don’t feel you have to show my staff the lingerie situation. If my friend Alex gets even a hint of the lingerie situation, he’ll dry hump your leg like a Doberman with two dicks. Speaking of which, so will my father. I’m not sure how my parents started wangling an annual invite, I blame Teagan from years ago, but they like to tag along and play the proud parent card. They don’t dine with us, but they do take the opportunity to stay in the castle.’
Ava cocks her head to the side like she’s waiting for further explanation.
‘My mother is a dote. My father is a dog. He humps anything that moves, while Lillian Callaghan turns a blind eye and plays the well-behaved wife.’
‘I’m so sorry you’ve had to live through all that.’ Enlightenment dawns in Ava’s eyes. ‘Your sign-up form hinted your father was a bit of a man about town.’
‘That’s the understatement of the century. He’s the sole reason I specialised in family law, primarily divorce, so I could free my mother from him. Sadly, she’s in it for the long haul. Unless he does something exceptionally unforgiveable, because apparently being unfaithful for the past thirty years isn't it.’
Ava pats my leg and opens her mouth like she’s about to say something, but she’s interrupted by a voice from the doorway.
‘I knew it was you!’ Phoebe charges into the sitting room and straight onto Ava’s lap, which thankfully, is now covered and clean. This is the exact reason I couldn't chance taking Ava to bed, despite having painfully blue balls.
Phoebe’s smile could be spotted from space. ‘I knew you’d come to visit! I just knew it!’
‘Hi, pumpkin.’ Ava glances at me with wide eyes and mouths the word ‘sorry’ over Phoebe’s head, which she cradles against her chest.
‘Phoebe Callaghan, what are you doing up again?’ She was out for the count an hour ago. I blame the Celebrations. Too much sugar before bed.
‘I don’t know. I just woke up and heard voices, so I came down.’ Sparkling eyes peep from under her long, light lashes. I know I am biased, every dad probably is, but my kid is beautiful. And curled into Ava like that, the two of them are an absolute vision.
