Mr. Ward nods, standing. “Sure.” He looks at his daughter. “We’ll be in the kitchen.” His gaze turns to me, brimming with protectiveness. “Right next door.”
I hand Theo away reluctantly, then quickly stand and grab his lion toy. “Maybe see if he’ll sleep with this?”
Mrs. Ward smiles, but just like Ava’s dad, her expression is conflicted as she looks at me. It’s not like I can blame them. And that’s with them only knowing the partial truth. If they knew the whole thing…
I return to the couch, sitting close to Ava. Her hand is resting on her thigh. She’s wearing a skirt today, her hand on her blacktights. I try to tame the savage in me when I look at her tights, holding on for dear life against all that perfect curviness.
Taking a chance, I reach down and lay my hand over hers. She flips hers so that we can interlock fingers, looking at me with a flush creeping over her cheeks and down her neck.
“I think they like you,” she says quietly.
“More fool them,” I say with a smirk.
She rolls her eyes.
“I’m sorry. I was joking.”
“Ha, ha,” she says quietly.
“I’m glad,” I tell her. “That they’re here for you, for Theo. That you have people looking out for you. And yeah, that they’re willing to let me in. They seem like good people.”
“They are,” she says. “Between them and work, I’ve had a lot of support.”
“Work, meaning…”
“Cassie,” she says, then looks down. “And Adrian. They’ve both been very helpful.”
Adrian.
I still can’t figure out what his angle is, if there is one. I’ve been making quiet enquiries into the Hungarians, but so far, I’ve turned up nothing that proves they were behind the men last year.
“Is he a good boss?” I say.
“Yes, very good.”
“And he’s…”Safe. “Respectful?”
She bites her lip. If she knew how hungry I got when she did that, she might think twice about it, especially with her parents next door. Hell, the door to the hallway isn’t even fully closed.
“Yes, Rafe, he is. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you sounded jealous.”
“Has he…” I grit my teeth.
“What? No. Adrian is happily married.”
I let out a relieved sigh. “You’ll probably tell me I’ve got no right, and hell, it’s not like I can argue… but the truth is, Ava, yeah, I’d be jealous. Seeing you with any other man would snap something in me.”
“Something that has no right to be snapped,” she says, but her flush deepens, and her breath comes faster.
“Maybe so,” I agree.
I wrap my arm around her, pulling her close. In the reflection of the TV screen, we look right together, like we belong. She cuddles close, resting her head on my shoulder. I lean down and kiss her forehead.
“I’ve missed this,” I tell her.
“We only hadthisfor hours, Rafe.”
“Don’t downplay it,” I tell her. “I know you felt it too.”
