She nodded, pushing past her inner fear. “Yes.”
“Awesome, let’s do it tomorrow,” Richard suggested.
Ava racked her brain for a bit. What did they have planned…but then it hit her. “We can’t,” she said. “It’s the twins’ birthday tomorrow. Maverick would kill us.”
“Hmm,” Richard said. “We’ll have to work our way up to Maverick for sure. We won’t tellhimtomorrow, but we could meet with everyone else before the party, tell them, and get their advice on the best way to break it to him.”
Ava nodded as she considered. “Yeah, that’s a good idea.”
“This day just keeps on getting better,” Richard said. He moved in, nibbled on her earlobe, and groaned. “And better…” He teased her delicate skin with his tongue, his teeth, and then his lips as he kissed her long and slow down the side of her neck. “And better…” At once he moved over her, shouldering his weight as he pressed his lips to hers.
Ava had never felt so free. Free to enjoy a passion so pure. One driven by love and connection. Not fear, control, or ownership. At one point Ava worried that she’d never enjoy a man’s kiss. But that was before Richard came along.
Now, she couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe she could have the life she’d always dreamed about.Slow down,an inner voice warned. There was more than one way for a person to get hurt. And who knew how the family would react to the news? If they insisted that their relationship was out of line, if it somehow caused contention among their family, would she really be able to stay? Or further still, would Richard even want her to?
