Magnus waited for Trey to look at him, but he didn’t.
He knew now would be the time for him to throw himself on Trey’s mercy and beg him to reconsider. If he didn’t want to work here, so fucking what? Magnus didn’t care one way or the other. Just as long as Trey didn’t walk out of his life for good.
He just couldn’t bring himself to grovel at Trey’s feet. For one, when Trey Walker made up his mind about something, nothing short of a miracle was going to change it. And yes, Magnus was well aware that Trey quitting this job was a euphemism for their relationship. It allowed him to say goodbye without actually owning up to ending things.
Whatever.
For four months, with every step forward that Ava made, Trey had taken one step back. Although he didn’t want to admit it, Magnus knew Trey had been on his way out from the very beginning.
Trey still wasn’t looking at him when he said, “Anything else before I go?”
“No.”
“Well … later.”
Magnus watched Trey walk out the door and right out of his life.
Two hours later, after he had spent more time than was necessary cleaning the kennels, Magnus forced himself to go to the house. He hadn’t seen Ava in a few hours, and he figured she would be getting hungry by now. For the past couple of weeks, she’d been waiting for him to eat, and he’d enjoyed their time together.
Problem was, Magnus wasn’t hungry. His stomach was twisted in knots. Or maybe that was coming from his chest. He didn’t fucking know, and he damn sure didn’t want to psychoanalyze it. He knew the reason, but there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.
He started for the living room but stopped when he didn’t see Ava sitting on the couch. Her blanket was draped over the quilt rack she’d insisted he buy. He headed down the hall, wondering if she was in the shower. The bathroom door was open, but no one was inside. He stepped across the hall and leaned toward Ava’s door, listening for any sounds from inside. He figured if she was awake, he could check on her, but he didn’t want to wake her if she was taking a nap.
He heard nothing from inside, so he moved to his bedroom. He needed a shower to clear his head. After that—
Magnus came up short when he opened his bedroom door and found Ava in his bed. Her eyes were closed, her back arched as she worked her hand inside her shorts. She was gasping and moaning softly, but rather than pleasure, it sounded like she was in pain.
Back up! Retreat!
Those were damn good instructions, but Magnus ignored his inner angel. The devil sawing that fiddle of gold on his shoulder was louder. He remained where he was, admiring her as she writhed and moaned, clearly desperate for release. His cock thickened in his shorts, tenting the loose fabric. If Ava were to look over, there would be no way he could hide what seeing her did to him.
He swallowed, releasing the doorknob. When he did, the damn thing sprung back, making a sound that had Ava jerking her hand out of her shorts, her eyes flashing open and slamming into him.
“Oh my God. Magnus. I’m… I know what this looks— I’m sorry.”
He frowned, confused why she was gushing apologies. Rather than leave her with a bit of dignity, Magnus took a step forward. Then another and another until he was standing at the side of his bed.
She started to climb off on the other side, but he stopped her with a softly spoken, “Don’t go.”
Ava dropped back down to his pillow, her eyes imploring him, a plea in her gaze. He wasn’t sure what she wanted him to do—let her leave or make her stay—but he knew he couldn’t let her run and hide from him. If he did, they’d never get past the awkwardness of the moment.
Magnus put a knee on the bed and then crawled up beside her. He kept space between them, not moving against her the way he wanted to.
“I thought you were goin’ out tonight,” she muttered, clearing her throat.
“Nope.” He let his eyes roam over every inch of her beautiful face. “Do you do this often? Masturbate in my bed when I go out?”
The color in her cheeks rose until they were nearly as pink as her perfect lips. “No. I’ve never. I promise.”
“I’m not upset.” He added a smile to reinforce his words. “Just curious. Why my bed?”
She shrugged and jerked her gaze away, staring up at the ceiling. She exhaled on a huff. “I wanted to come.”
Magnus chuckled. “Clearly.”
Her head turned, her eyes slamming into his face. “Don’t laugh at me.”
He schooled his expression.
