they should.
Unfortunately, sitting around at breakfast with her brother and their friends wasn’t exactly the time to clarify. But there was something he could ease her mind over.
“About the Steven thing,” he started, winking at Georgia when she offered more coffee. “Figure I’ll lay low on the dating thing for the next few weeks.” A month. Maybe two. “Then if Steven’s path ‘coincidentally’ crosses with ours another time or two, it won’t be while I’ve got someone who’s not Ava sitting in my lap.”
Taking a sip of the fresh cup, he noticed the quiet around him. “What?”
Ford stared at him and then shifted his focus back to Ava, a different look in his eyes than Sam had seen since…
shit,
since the last time he’d been on the receiving end of what could only be described as a pissed-off brother’s overly protective glower.
“Just exactly how serious is the problem with this guy, Ava?”
Maggie was reaching for Ava’s hand. “Do we need to get the police involved?”
Jesus,
because he’d said he wasn’t going to date for a few weeks? What kind of man-whore did they think he was?
Only then Ava looked at him, and it was there in the softness of her eyes and gentle curve of her lips. She knew. And it didn’t matter what the rest of them thought.
Chapter 8
“Excuse me, Ava? Phillips is looking for you in Conference B,” her assistant, Reni, whispered from where she was leaning into the office, too timid to venture even a step inside. As if the beige carpet and neutral walls were somehow going to swallow her whole if she set so much as a single toe beyond that threshold.
On the average day, that kind of hesitance would have rubbed. After all, Ava had been doing everything short of cooking the mousy little thing breakfast trying to get her to loosen up just enough so Ava could at least hear the girl without straining.
But this week?
Not a problem.
She hadn’t been sleeping and when she did, she woke up tense and sweaty, her breath ragged. The feel of Sam so fresh and real on her body, it took minutes before she could accept the guy wasn’t actually there. Then minutes more to talk herself into putting the phone down instead of doing something crazy like texting him with a plea for one more night.
Eventually she’d end up taking a shower, getting a snack, and then tooling around her apartment, distracting herself as best she could until her mind calmed enough to where sleep became a possibility.
Last night had been the worst. She’d tried working on her Perfect Push-up program. She’d used the foot spa. She’d even gotten the Bacon Bowl maker out and made herself one that she’d then filled with ice cream…only every one of her favorite distractions had the same problem. They were all gifts from Sam. They all made her think of him. Of his enthusiastic explanation as to why she was going to love each one. How he’d watch like a kid on Christmas morning, only all that ramped-up enthusiasm was for
her
.
God,
he was the best guy.
He was her best friend.
And now she couldn’t close her eyes without thinking about all the more-than-friends ways she wished she could have him. The sexy ways. The heart-holding ways.
“Umm, Ava? Should I tell him you’ll be down?” Reni asked so quietly, Ava was surprised she’d even heard her with the downward spiral her mind had just taken.
Getting it together, she straightened and locked in her focus. Flipping over to her calendar program, she shook her head. “I haven’t got him on my schedule today. Any idea what it’s about?”
Reni swallowed, glancing away. “I believe they have the San Diego office on the line.”
Of course. They were about due for another call, now that she thought about it.
Waving Reni off with the promise she’d be right down, Ava shook her head. These guys just didn’t give up.
—
“But you told them no, right?” Maggie demanded, rounding the front desk—a red lacquer-topped expanse of curves
Unfortunately, sitting around at breakfast with her brother and their friends wasn’t exactly the time to clarify. But there was something he could ease her mind over.
“About the Steven thing,” he started, winking at Georgia when she offered more coffee. “Figure I’ll lay low on the dating thing for the next few weeks.” A month. Maybe two. “Then if Steven’s path ‘coincidentally’ crosses with ours another time or two, it won’t be while I’ve got someone who’s not Ava sitting in my lap.”
Taking a sip of the fresh cup, he noticed the quiet around him. “What?”
Ford stared at him and then shifted his focus back to Ava, a different look in his eyes than Sam had seen since…
shit,
since the last time he’d been on the receiving end of what could only be described as a pissed-off brother’s overly protective glower.
“Just exactly how serious is the problem with this guy, Ava?”
Maggie was reaching for Ava’s hand. “Do we need to get the police involved?”
Jesus,
because he’d said he wasn’t going to date for a few weeks? What kind of man-whore did they think he was?
Only then Ava looked at him, and it was there in the softness of her eyes and gentle curve of her lips. She knew. And it didn’t matter what the rest of them thought.
Chapter 8
“Excuse me, Ava? Phillips is looking for you in Conference B,” her assistant, Reni, whispered from where she was leaning into the office, too timid to venture even a step inside. As if the beige carpet and neutral walls were somehow going to swallow her whole if she set so much as a single toe beyond that threshold.
On the average day, that kind of hesitance would have rubbed. After all, Ava had been doing everything short of cooking the mousy little thing breakfast trying to get her to loosen up just enough so Ava could at least hear the girl without straining.
But this week?
Not a problem.
She hadn’t been sleeping and when she did, she woke up tense and sweaty, her breath ragged. The feel of Sam so fresh and real on her body, it took minutes before she could accept the guy wasn’t actually there. Then minutes more to talk herself into putting the phone down instead of doing something crazy like texting him with a plea for one more night.
Eventually she’d end up taking a shower, getting a snack, and then tooling around her apartment, distracting herself as best she could until her mind calmed enough to where sleep became a possibility.
Last night had been the worst. She’d tried working on her Perfect Push-up program. She’d used the foot spa. She’d even gotten the Bacon Bowl maker out and made herself one that she’d then filled with ice cream…only every one of her favorite distractions had the same problem. They were all gifts from Sam. They all made her think of him. Of his enthusiastic explanation as to why she was going to love each one. How he’d watch like a kid on Christmas morning, only all that ramped-up enthusiasm was for
her
.
God,
he was the best guy.
He was her best friend.
And now she couldn’t close her eyes without thinking about all the more-than-friends ways she wished she could have him. The sexy ways. The heart-holding ways.
“Umm, Ava? Should I tell him you’ll be down?” Reni asked so quietly, Ava was surprised she’d even heard her with the downward spiral her mind had just taken.
Getting it together, she straightened and locked in her focus. Flipping over to her calendar program, she shook her head. “I haven’t got him on my schedule today. Any idea what it’s about?”
Reni swallowed, glancing away. “I believe they have the San Diego office on the line.”
Of course. They were about due for another call, now that she thought about it.
Waving Reni off with the promise she’d be right down, Ava shook her head. These guys just didn’t give up.
—
“But you told them no, right?” Maggie demanded, rounding the front desk—a red lacquer-topped expanse of curves
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