Avery: Sensual Desire: New Adult College Romance (Coral Gables Series Book 2) by Drucie Anne Taylor

much, except for the morel mushrooms, which feel all squishy and spongy in my mouth. We can’t eat it all, so the waitress puts the rest in a container to take home. Avery doesn’t suggest that I take the container, which I’m thankful for. He doesn’t treat me like a poor needy person that lives on alms. I find that reassuring.
    When we’re back in the car, he interrupts the awkward silence saying, “I don’t want to take you home just yet.”
    “ What do you want to do then?” I ask softly.
    “ We could drive to my house and talk a little longer,” Avery suggests.
    “ Delsin and Camille will be there.”
    “ So? I bet they’ll be in their room, occupied with each other, but I have the attic to myself, so we would be on our own.”
    “ Okay, then let’s go to your place.”
    He smiles at me before he starts the engine.
    ***
    The second time around, the house is just as breathtaking. There’s a second stairway at the other end of the house that we take to get to the attic, where Avery has an apartment of his own. There’s a kitchen, a bathroom, and two bedrooms up here. No wonder he likes living here, what a setup. His furniture looks expensive, and he obviously has a taste for decorating and arranging stuff to look neat and sensible. As far as bachelors’ dens go, this one is tidy and perfectly clean.
    “ Sit down,” he says, pointing to a tan couch.
    I follow his invitation and ask, “Do you happen to have anything to drink?”
    “ Of course. What would you like?”
    “ Just water.”
    Avery leaves and comes back with two glasses of water, and then he sits down next to me. “You want to watch a movie or just talk?”
    “ Let’s talk. I don’t watch TV,” I answer with a smile. This is only for tonight, and then you won’t see him again , I think. But I seem to have reached the point where I want to see him again. No matter. A deal is a deal.
    He leans his side against the back of the couch, braces his elbow on top of it, and looks at me. “You told me you were an orphan… What happened to your parents?”
    I mirror his position. “My mother died when I was thirteen, and I never knew my dad. Since then I’ve been living with my grandpa. I grew up in Orlando, which is a really nice place, but when I moved in with my grandpa, I came here to Liberty City, which has probably hardened me for life.”
    He shakes his head. “I didn’t want to ask you directly, but there’s no other way. What did your mother die of?”
    “ I don’t want to talk about it.”
    “ Oh.” He pauses. “It’s that bad?”
    I nod brusquely.
    He reaches out with his hand and tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear, but then he doesn’t take his hand away. “I’m sorry you’ve had such a hard life.”
    “ I still do, but I try to make the best of it. It can only go uphill from here,” I reply with a shrug.
    Avery tilts his head again. “It’s great that you’re so optimistic.”
    My heart beats faster because of the way he’s looking at me with his dark blue eyes. They’re just too beautiful. His gaze is making me insecure, so I lower my own eyes. “I have to be or else I would break down.”
    He takes a deep breath, before leaning close and raising my chin so I have to look at him again. “I’m convinced you’re one damn strong person,” he whispers.
    “ Are you going to … kiss me?” I breathe. I immediately press my lips together, because I spoke faster than I could think.
    One of his thumbs caresses my cheek, the other one brushes my lower lip, and he whispers, “Yes, I am,” before putting his lips on mine.
    I slowly close my eyes and return the kiss tentatively. His lips are soft, and I’m completely enveloped in his scent. It’s heavenly.
    I immediately forget that I intended to go straight home after dinner. One of his hands starts roaming around, while the other remains on my cheek. I utter a sigh when his fingers cup my breast. Avery seizes the opportunity and lets his tongue invade my