He could admit he was a little disappointed that Ava hadn’t asked him to take her, but Magnus had kept that to himself. When she said she asked Trey, there’d been a warring sense of hope and anguish. The latter because she hadn’t wanted him to be there, and the former because it meant that Magnus would be seeing Trey again. And maybe because it was a sign Trey and Ava were establishing a friendship.
Admittedly, Magnus had chickened out right before Trey was supposed to arrive and made an excuse to leave the property. Ava hadn’t asked any questions, and it was a good thing because he couldn’t have come up with a reason if she had.
Trey’s truck appeared around a turn in the driveway. Seeing it made Magnus’s chest tighten, but he ignored it. This wasn’t about him or his feelings for Trey. This was about Ava and how she’d fared after her first session. She’d texted him to let him know they were on their way back, but she hadn’t given any details about how it went.
Trey pulled the truck close to the house and got out. Seeing him had Magnus hesitating, watching as Trey came around to open Ava’s door for her. He admired them both for a second before his feet got with the program. He made it a few steps but paused again when he saw Ava turning toward Trey, smiling up at him as she placed her hand on his cheek and leaned in, pressing her lips to his.
If he hadn’t been standing still, he would’ve stumbled over his own two feet because what was likely meant to be a friendly peck …wasn’t.
He noticed the way Trey’s back tensed as his hand moved. Because the door was blocking his view, Magnus couldn’t see what he was doing, but he imagined Trey had put his hand on her. Maybe her back or her leg. Then Trey’s head tilted to the left while Ava’s went opposite, and they leaned into each other.
Magnus pinched his arm and winced.
So this wasn’t a dream? His ultimate fantasy was coming true?
No. Couldn’t be. Could it?
What the hell had happened during that session?
The kiss didn’t last long, and when Ava pulled back, she stared up at Trey in surprise. Then her gaze darted toward him, and Magnus saw when she realized he was standing there.
Before he could ask her how the session went, she hopped out of the truck and raced inside without a backward glance. Trey was slower to move, closing the door as he stared at the back door of Magnus’s house.
“What the hell was that?” Magnus asked, the words coming out harsher than he intended.
Trey turned to look at him, his eyes narrowed slightly. “I have no fuckin’ idea.”
“Did you kiss her? Or did she kiss you?”
“Yes?” Trey answered, staring blankly at him.
Magnus wasn’t sure what he was supposed to say. Yes, he’d fantasized about this happening, but that was before Trey had dumped his ass.NowTrey wanted to explore his straight side with his … with Ava? No fucking way.
He wanted to lay into Trey to tell him to get the fuck off his property, but he was too pissed to form the words. Instead, he spun around and marched up the stairs and into the house, slamming the door behind him.
“Ava!”
“I’m right here,” she said softly, her voice coming from his right.
Magnus looked over to see her leaning against the kitchen counter, a glass of water in her hand. The sun was shining perfectly through the picture window, highlighting her smooth skin and the gold in her hair. Just seeing her settled him.
“If you’re gonna grill Trey over that kiss, you can save it. It was my fault, not his.”
“I don’t give a fuck whose fault it was,” he snapped, then realized he actually did care. “What do you mean it was your fault?”
“I couldn’t help myself.” Her eyes lowered to the floor. “I can’t even explain why I did it. I mean, of all the men in the world, you’re the one I want to kiss, but then Trey was there, and I—”
“You want to kiss me?” Magnus interrupted, taking a step closer.
Ava peered up at him, her eyes widening. Was that fear? Or curiosity? He couldn’t tell, but he didn’t move any closer, not wanting to crowd her.
“Magnus, I’ve wanted to kiss you since I was ten years old,” she said softly, holding his gaze as a smile pulled at her mouth.
“So why didn’t you?”
Ava shrugged. “Because it would’ve been weird. You were too cool for me. Or you thought so, anyway. You would’ve yelled gross and called me names.” She laughed. “Plus, Tabby hated when I told her how cute you were.”
Magnus couldn’t help but smile at that. He believed it.
