Mavis slid out of the car next, her blond hair twisted at the base of her neck, her outfit just as revealing as the one Ava wore, but she didn’t hold a candle to my girl. Ava held out the jacket for Mavis who waved it away. Her eyes met mine through the edge of the curtain and she smiled.

They were safe.

I stepped away from the window and ran a hand through my hair. It took a lot of will power to not open the door and go swoop Ava into my arms.

Ava used a key to open the front door, moving to the side and holding it open for Mavis. Her eyes darted around the room, looking for something. I stepped out of the shadows and drank in the smile that curved her mouth.

Mavis shut the door behind them and took the coat out of Ava’s hands. She said something I couldn’t hear before disappearing into the kitchen after a small nod in my direction.

I tucked my hands in the pockets of my pants. The need to hold Ava against me was so intense I was worried I’d hurt her. What if she had decided that everything between us had been a mistake? She’d been left with Mavis and her own thoughts for most of a day.

“Did you guys have any trouble?” She tucked some of her hair behind her ear and licked her lips.

“Other than Kenny eating as much as his body weight, we’re fine.” I let my eyes roam over her curves, the way her hands twisted together in front of her. “Did you?”

“Eat my weight in food?” She raised an eyebrow and a half smile pulled at her mouth.

“Trouble. Did you have any trouble?” I took a step toward her, caught in the gravitational pull of her eyes.

“No. It was actually really easy, which worried me more than anything. I kept expecting something to go wrong.” She took a step closer to me. She was wearing heels that almost brought her eye to eye with me. “No one even looked at us.”

“I guarantee that people looked at you.”

A blush rushed up her neck and I felt my own smile grow.

“The clothes were Mavis’s idea.” She looked down at the skirt and leaned over to look at her shoes, giving me a hearty glimpse of her cleavage. “I feel awkward.”

“You shouldn’t.” I took another step in her direction and took my hands out of my pockets. “You look like sex in heels.”

“I think that was her idea, but I’m not really the sexy type.” She bit her lip and I couldn’t help myself.

It took five large strides to close the distance between us. I tangled my fingers in her hair and enjoyed the way her lips, slick with lip gloss, moved against mine. That was new and unexpected. Her hands weren’t gentle either as she pulled at me. Her breathing was fast, her body fitting perfectly against mine, and I knew I was lost. Being away from her had been like holding my breath for hours on end.

“You are definitely the sexy type.” I pressed my mouth to the pressure point just below her ear. “Very, very sexy.”

“You like the clothes.” If I hadn’t already been standing at attention, her throaty laugh would have pushed me there.

“Yes.” I slid my hand to the nape of her neck so I could look deep into her eyes. “Very much. Now you should take them off.”

“Mavis said we could have the room downstairs. She was going upstairs to check on Kenny.” She threaded her fingers with mine and pulled me through a formal parlor to the back of the house.

I followed her, my eyes glued to the way her ass swayed as she walked in those mile high heels. She opened one door, but it was just a toilet. She closed it and opened the door next to it. There was a large four poster bed and other furnishings, but the only thing that really mattered was the bed. She tugged me into the room before leaning against the door and making sure it was locked.

I pressed behind her and let my hands roam up her body. I started to pull at her shirt but she turned and pushed my hands away.

“Nuhuh. You can’t tear these.” Instead she moved out of reach and slipped the black sweater off that she was wearing and laid it on a chair in the corner. When she began to unbutton her blouse, coherent thoughts fled my mind leaving behind nothing but anticipation and greed. Underneath that satin was a black lace bra that perfectly cupped her breasts. She let the shirt fall to the floor behind her before reaching to undo the zipper on her skirt. After it floated to the ground, she was standing there in nothing but the black lingerie and heels. It took a second for my mind to register just what my body saw.

She was a goddess and I felt totally inept. Which wasn’t something I had experienced since I’d been sixteen. This woman was a gift to be treasured and I was sweaty palms, unable to move.

She bit her lip, nerves showing in her eyes, and that was when it hit me. As she stood there, bare and willing, offering herself to me, an emotion I’d never fully appreciated smacked me in the chest.

This was what love felt like.

I loved Ava.

Nothing would ever be the same now. That thought seemed to align my brain and body. I walked toward her slowly, enjoying the way her pupils dilated as I neared. Tomorrow we would prepare for our trip. We’d have to make plans and I’d have to watch other men salivate over the sexy clothes. But not tonight.

Tonight was for us.

Trailing my fingers down her side I hooked them in her panties, sliding them down her legs, and helped her step out of them. As I stood back up I ran my hands along her skin, reveling in the goosebumps that erupted along her arms. With my thumbs I pushed the straps of her bra down her shoulders to press a kiss where each had just sat before wrapping my arms around her to undo the clasps in the back.