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Holly was ready for him. It was time to let him into her life. Every scary, rough, protective, gorgeous inch of him.

Chapter 22

The room smelt of warm caramel and melted chocolate.

Avel strode around, making sure everything was in place. The whipped cream in the can was still cold and would be deliciously cool on Holly’s skin. There was a trail of foil-wrapped chocolates leading from his door into the bedroom, and a small pot of melted dark chocolate sat by the side of his bed, just waiting to be drizzled on Holly’s curves and licked off until she moaned with pleasure.

He’d never been one for grand gestures. If Avel wanted something done, he got on and did it. If he got knocked back, he re-focused and looked elsewhere. But Holly was special. He’d gathered her favorite treats and made sure there was everything she desired. He hoped she also desired him. Avel needed to gain her forgiveness, so they could be together.

The thought of going all-in with Holly was thrilling. He’d never wanted someone so much, not just her body, although that was smoking hot, but her mind, her laugh, and her ambition. Everything about Holly screamed at him to grab hold and never let go. That was exactly what he intended to do.

Avel stopped by the table and frowned. His second baking effort was almost as bad as his first. He’d tried a basic sponge recipe, which was supposed to be simple according to the blog he’d read, hoping it would be easier than cupcakes.

He’d snuck into the kitchen in the early hours of the morning to bake it, creeping around and keeping the lights off, so no one discovered him. His measurements had been hit and miss, but he was certain it would work once everything was mixed.

He stared at the sunken, slightly burned cake and the wonky icing. This was his best, and final, attempt at baking. At least the word he’d iced on the sponge was legible.

It was a single word: sorry. And he was. Avel had worked hard to screw up everything between him and Holly. He’d tried to be the tough guy negotiator with her, and it had gone wrong. He knew now that he didn’t need to be like that with Holly. She’d never judged him or shied away from him.

She’d been interested in his life and had wanted to learn more about him. And she’d stood up to him when he’d negotiated a deal with her. Holly never backed down from what she truly believed in. She was chasing her dreams and fighting her own battles. She was one hell of a woman. He wasn’t letting her go. This was a deal he wasn’t failing at.

Avel checked the time, and his pulse raced with anticipation. If Eric hadn’t messed up his part in this plan, Holly was a few minutes away.

He hurried to his bedroom, removed his boots and jumpsuit, and climbed naked onto the bed. He lay on his back and carefully lifted the bowl of chocolate coated candies from the side. If there was one thing he knew Holly loved more than anything else, it was chocolate. When she walked into his room, that’s what she’d find, a trail of chocolate leading her into the bedroom. And he would be covered in chocolate. He wanted her to be so dizzy with desire for the chocolate that she’d jump on him and devour him too.

Avel tipped the entire bowl on his chest and placed them over his pecs and down his stomach. He arranged the candies over his thigh muscles before realizing he couldn’t get all the way down to his feet without all the candies on his chest falling off.

He went as far as he could before lining candies along one arm. Then he was stuck. He couldn’t do one arm without the candies falling off the other.

He growled to himself. Maybe this wasn’t a great idea. He threw a few candies over his chest in an attempt to cover his arm but failed, and they landed on the floor.

Avel nudged the empty bowl off the bed. This would have to do. If nothing else, it would keep Holly here long enough so he could explain everything and why he’d acted the way he had. Avel would make it up to her, no matter how long it took.

She’d better hurry. Several of the candies were melting and sliding off his chest. Avel shoved them back on and lay still.

His door alarm buzzed. It wasn’t locked, and he’d programed it to open in ten seconds.

Avel tensed as he heard the door slide open.

“Avel? Are you in here?” Holly’s voice sounded from the corridor. “Oh! What’s this?”

He grinned as he heard the door slide shut and Holly walk into his room. She was following his chocolates just as he’d planned.

He longed to look up and see if she was coming but didn’t want any more of the chocolates to slide off his body. He hadn’t anticipated that his body heat would melt the chocolate so fast, and they were sliding off in a sticky warm mess.

His bedroom door slid open, and Avel froze in place and shut his eyes. He forced himself not to smile as he heard Holly gasp.

Every second felt like a minute when she didn’t speak.

She was silent for so long that Avel opened his eyes, wondering if she’d left, appalled by seeing him naked and covered in chocolate.

Holly was staring at him, her cheeks flaming red. “Wow! That’s a lot of chocolate.” Her gaze skittered over his body before she looked away.

“They’re your favorite,” he said.

“And they’re all over you.” Holly stepped into the room. She placed the handful of wrapped chocolates she’d collected on the bedside cabinet and blinked at him. “What are you doing?”

“It’s a surprise. For you.” Avel shifted on the bed when Holly didn’t reply and felt a melting chocolate slide down and bash his cock. “I’m not great with words, as you might have figured out.”