“Aight, bruh. I’ll be down to visit you before the month is out.”
“Aight, bet. Just give me a heads up.”
We said our goodbyes and disconnected the call, then I took some time to develop new characters and outline. That grumpy/sunshine idea from earlier hadn’t left my mind yet, and I was able to get an outline done for it in a couple of hours. Now . . . if I could only write.
Instead of trying to force the words, I fed Gremlin and took him for a walk, which led to me getting in my car and driving to the spring festival. The drive was done completely on autopilot, because there was no way in hell I’d go if I was in my right mind. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d gone to the festival or been in a crowd of people for that matter. All it would take was for one person to recognize me and it would draw a crowd. And if they posted my location on social media with a picture, paparazzi would swarm. I took my privacy and peace too seriously to risk it, especially after that last almost lawsuit.
Still, here I was, sitting in my car like a damn fool. All I had to do was get out, breathe in the fresh air, and remind myself it was okay to be around people I didn’t know. People who didn’t have to earn my trust. But doing that felt as difficult as pulling Thor’s hammer. Gremlin made himself comfortable in my lap, and I rubbed him absently as I stared at the merry-go-round.
That’s why my mind brought me here.
Or maybe it was my heart.
Either way, it was that damn ride . . . that damn memory . . . that damnwoman.
I pulled my hat down as a group of people walked by. My windows on the car weren’t tinted because I hardly ever drove it. When I did go into town, I was in my pickup truck, and the tint on it made sure no one could look inside. I wasn’t sure how much time had passed of me staring at the carousel until I saw someone stop in front of my car and look inside. My eyes shifted slightly as I hoped it was someone who didn’t recognize me.
At the sight of Avery, I smiled. She had me doing that a lot these past two days. More than I had in a while, at least. Her shoulders hiked as she smiled and walked to my side of the car. I rolled the window down, waiting to feel annoyed by her presence, but that wasn’t the case. If I wasn’t careful, she’d be the only person I didn’t mind being around.
“Hi,” she spoke cheerfully, leaning down and against the window.
“Wassup?”
“What’re you doing here?”
I shrugged because I honestly didn’t know. Clearly it wasn’t to eat or play any games since all I was doing was sitting in my car. Then, I decided to be honest. My head motioned toward where the Ferris wheel and merry-go-round were as I said, “Thinking ’bout you.”
A light giggle escaped her as she looked toward the merry-go-round. “Same. You wanna ride?”
Before I could say no, Avery was opening my door and leaning across me to unbuckle my seat belt. She smelled so damn good, all thoughts left my brain. All rebuttals did too. All I could do was stare as she looked at me sweetly.
“Come on,” she urged, taking my hand and using it to tug me out of the car.
“I can’t,” I finally managed to say. Not letting go of her hand, I leaned against the car and pulled her against me. I saw when she pulled in a deep breath. I heard the subtle gasp. I didn’t care about none of that shit.
“Well . . .” She swallowed hard. “At l-least you came out. T-that’s a start,” she reasoned, avoiding my eyes, but that didn’t stop me from cupping her cheek and forcing her to look into my eyes.
“Why didn’t you just leave me alone?” I grumbled, looking at her juicy lips. “I was fine until you showed up at my door. Now I can’t get you out of my mind.”
Avery chuckled as she ran her slender hand down my chest. “Seems fair. I haven’t been able to get you out of my heart since high school.”
I wished I could say my hands had a mind of their own, but as I gripped her waist and tilted her chin, I was fully aware of what I was doing. And when her lips parted and eyes closed, that was all the confirmation I needed that she wanted this just as much as I did.
I claimed her lips, inhaling the breathy gasp she released in the process. She trembled in my arms before holding me close and clinging to me by gripping my shirt, as if the kiss was both her weaknessandher strength. I’d never felt passion or tenderness having my mouth, my lips, on a woman’s—until Avery. For the first time in my life, I experienced the kind of intimacy love stories were built on.
“Whoa,” she whispered, hands resting against my chest.
“I hope that was worth the wait.”
“Most definitely worth the wait, and far better than in my old dreams.” Her head shook as she took a step back. “But we can’t . . . I can’t . . . I want you to trust me. If things get physical between us, I don’t want you to question my intentions.”
That’s right.
The interview.
A long, hard exhale escaped me as she took another step back.
“I really want this interview, Ali,” she almost whispered.
