And a second later, when he saw her tear-ravaged face, he opened his door and got out, hurrying around to meet her in front of the truck.
“Hey,” he greeted softly. “You okay?”
She wiped her nose with a tissue and peered up at him. It was then he noticed her eyes were clear, and there was a slight smile on her face. The tears were gone; only the light trails remained. Before he knew what he was doing, he was wiping one away with his thumb.
The moment he touched her, he felt something move through him. Trey couldn’t explain it, didn’t know if he wanted to. Her hand curled around his briefly, holding his fingers to her face, and he was positive he had stopped breathing. Maybe she did, too, because a few seconds later, Ava took a deep breath and released him. Trey let his hand drop, but that didn’t eliminate the sensation that lingered inside him.
What the ever-lovin’ fuck was that?
Thankfully, those words remained firmly planted in his head, not tumbling out of his mouth.
When Ava didn’t say anything, Trey guided her to the passenger side and opened the door. He waited for her to get inside, but she turned to face him first.
He frowned, studying her face. “What’s wrong?”
“Would you…?” She swallowed. “Would you hug me for a second?”
“Gladly,” he said as he pulled her into him.
Trey was surprised by how well she fit in the circle of his arms. The top of her head didn’t quite reach his chin, but he didn’t mind. Her arms curved around his waist as she pressed her cheek to his chest and held on tight. Trey didn’t move, didn’t speak. He would gladly stand there for as long as she needed him to. Or until his legs gave out. Whichever came first.
Luckily, his legs weren’t weak when she finally pulled back.
She smiled up at him and touched his beard-covered jaw with her cool fingers. “Thank you.”
“Not sure I did anything, but you’re welcome.”
She laughed softly, then climbed into the passenger seat and gifted him with another smile.
Feeling strangely shaken by her, Trey closed the door and walked around to the driver’s side. He got in, put on his seat belt, tried to get his chaotic thoughts in some semblance of order. He fumbled with the radio, anything to stall for a moment.
When he’d calmed down enough to focus, he put the truck in reverse and glanced over at Ava. “Do you need to stop anywhere before we head back?”
“I think I’m good for now. But I might take you up on that next time.”
“So there’s gonna be a next time?”
“I made an appointment for Thursday. Same time. Would you mind taking me?”
Trey peered over at her. “I wouldn’t mind at all, but Ava, I think you should ask Magnus.”
She frowned. “Why?”
“Because he’s very protective of you, and I know he’s worried.”
“And how do you know this?”
Trey huffed a laugh. “Well, it could be the five text messages he’s sent me in the past hour.” He nodded in her direction. “You might wanna text him to tell him we’re headin’ that way.”
She pulled out her phone, and Trey focused on the road.
The trip back didn’t feel as long. Probably since there were no more conversations about sex. Trey had spent the better part of her hour with Piper thinking about what Ava had said. Not because he wanted to relive it but because he couldn’tstopthinking about it. For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out what was so intriguing about that conversation.
More importantly, he couldn’t figure out why he couldn’t stop thinking abouther.
***
As soon as Magnus received the notificationthat someone had come onto the property, a security measure he’d put in place to watch for clients, he headed from the main office and out into the parking lot. He’d been anticipating Ava’s return, and he wanted to be there when she got back.
