There was no way anyone would take care of her like I would.
“You…what?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
“I’ll help you check off every item on that list,” I said, stepping closer—close enough that I could smell her perfume. It was a soft mix of vanilla and cinnamon like the most mouth-watering cookie in the world, with just the faintest hint of strawberry underneath that had to be from the shampoo she used. “You know I have the skills to make it good for you.”
Her tongue darted out across her lower lip, and I traced the movement with my eyes, my pants growing tight at the sudden thought of other things she could do with that tongue.
I’d never allowed myself to think of her like this.
Okay, that wasn’t entirely true.
She was gorgeous and you’d have to be fucking blind not to notice.
And I definitely wasn’t blind.
I’d kept a respectful distance since her brother had been my best friend and I’d seen her through every awkward and adorable stage of her life.
But the pull to her was like a rubber band being pulled taut, and that list had been the thing to make me snap.
Her mouth opened and closed like she was trying to form words but couldn’t quite manage it. I watched emotions flicker across her face—surprise, desire, panic—and I could practically see the war happening behind her eyes.
“Liam,” she finally managed, shaking her head. “We can’t.”
“Why not?”
She stared at me like I’d well and truly lost my mind. “Well, for starters because you’re Drew’s best friend.”
I shrugged. “So? He wouldn’t need to know. This is just for your list. You want to check it off and I don’t want you doing it with some douchecanoe like Chris. You deserve to know how special you are and have a good time. Be honest—you really think you’d try half those things with someone you don’t trust?”
Her cheeks flared pink, but she didn’t break eye contact. “No.”
“Do you trust me, Ava?”
Her breath caught and for a minute she looked afraid to answer. My heart raced like I’d just done a round of suicidesas I waited for her answer.
“I trust you,” she finally said.
I moved my hand, unable to stop myself from tucking a strand of her brown hair behind her ear. Her skin was soft and warm, and the simple touch sent heat shooting through my veins.
“You deserve to know how amazing you are,” I said, my voice rougher than I intended. “And I want to be the one to show you. It doesn’t have to be anything more than that.”
For a moment, hunger flashed in her hazel eyes. Her lips parted even more, and her pulse jumped at the base of her throat. The air between us crackled with electricity.
Then she blinked, and the spell was broken.
“I have to go,” she said suddenly, jerking back from my touch like it burned her.
“Aves—”
But she was already moving, pushing through the crowd of students now filling the hall with a determination that made it clear the conversation was over.
At least for now.
There was no way we were done.
My conviction to do this for Ava only solidified on my walk back to the hockey house. I knew she’d dated a parade of douchebags who might as well have been dickless for all the satisfaction they could give a woman. And I knew Ava well enough to know she wasn’t the type of girl who could let her inhibitions loose unless she was with someone she trusted completely.
And there was no one she could trust more than me.
