The studio looked the same as it always had, although the paint looked a little more faded, and it was barely cooler inside than outside despite the AC unit running loudly.
The front area was empty when I walked in, but I could hear her voice drifting from the back office. I followed the sound until I found her behind the desk, phone pressed to her ear, her back to the door. She was still in her danceclothes—a white cropped tank top over a longer cami and dark bike shorts that made her legs look a mile long. Her hair was piled in a messy bun on top of her head, a few strands escaping to curl against the nape of her neck.
God, she was beautiful.
“I really appreciate you thinking of me, Deirdre. I know it’s a lot of responsibility.”
I stood in the doorway as she listened to whatever Deirdre was saying. It was probably Deirdre MacAfee who ran the historical committee for the Seeley Mansion, named after the family who founded Meadowbrook.
“No, I totally understand,” she continued, nodding even though the person on the other end couldn’t see her. “Two weeks. I’ve got it. Just send me the schedule, the keys, and the alarm codes?—”
I leaned against the doorframe, content to watch her for a moment. She hadn’t noticed me yet, too focused on whatever Deirdre was saying. But I wasn’t content to just watch for long. Not when I’d spent days starving for her.
I crossed the room silently and slid my hands onto her shoulders.
She jumped, spinning in the chair, eyes wide—then relaxing when she saw it was me. She held up one finger, mouthingone secondas she turned back to the phone.
“Yes, exactly. I totally understand what you’re talking about.”
I bent down and pressed my lips to the curve of her neck.
She stiffened, but her voice stayed steady. Mostly. “I-I can handle letting the caterers in.”
I smiled against her skin and let my hands slide down from her shoulders, tracing along her collarbone, dippingjust beneath the neckline of her top. Her breath hitched, but she kept talking.
“The dancers w-will need somewhere to store their stuff during the event.”
Her attempts to hold it together were impressive, but I was eager to taste more of her and had no intentions of waiting. I kissed along the column of her throat, while my fingers traced lazy patterns across her chest. When I reached that sensitive spot below her ear—the one that always made her shiver—she actually swatted at my hand.
I grinned and dropped to my knees behind her chair, spinning it so she faced me.
Her eyes went wide. She shook her head frantically, still holding the phone to her ear.
“Mm-hmm. That sounds great.”
Without breaking our gaze, I hooked my fingers under the waistband of her shorts and tugged. She grabbed my wrist, but there was no real strength behind it. Her pupils were already dilating, her chest rising faster.
I arched my brow, silently asking her if she was up for the challenge. She nibbled her lip and I could practically see her good girl tendencies battling with her desire.
But then she lifted her hips just enough for me to slide the shorts down her thighs, and I pulled them off her legs, leaving her in just a pair of pale pink underwear that were already damp in the center. The sight made my cock throb against my zipper.
“That sounds perfect, Deirdre. Don’t worry about a thing; just focus on helping your dad recover.”
I pressed a kiss to the inside of her knee, then higher, trailing up her inner thigh with open-mouthed kisses that had her squirming in the chair. Her free hand came down togrip my hair—not pushing me away, but holding on like she needed it to anchor her.
“Um, uh-huh. I’ve been there before.”
I nosed aside the fabric of her underwear and dragged my tongue through her folds.
Her whole body jerked. The hand in my hair tightened to the point of pain, but she didn’t make a sound. Just a sharp inhale, her thighs trembling on either side of my head.
“Okay. Yes. I’ll call if anything comes up.”
I licked again, slower this time, savoring the taste of her. Salt and musk and something sweet that was uniquely Ava. God, I’d missed this. Missed the way she responded to every touch, every lick, like her body was an instrument and I was the only one who knew how to play it.
I circled her clit with the tip of my tongue, light and teasing, and watched her bite down on her lower lip so hard it went white.
“Mm-hmm. Talk soon. Bye.”
