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“There are some positives to you turning up, though.”
I follow his gaze and my entire body stiffens.
“My wife’s enjoying getting to know your girlfriend. She’s an interesting girl.”
Ava’s strolling along the shore in a blue bikini top and shorts, her head turned toward the water as she gazes out, lost in her own world.
“I recall the plane crash that killed her father. The press reported on it for weeks… Such a tragic story.”
I jump forward in my seat, knocking our table and almost causing our glasses to crash to the floor. “She’s got nothing to do with this. So let’s keep it to business.”
Callaghan pulls his eyes away from Ava, and I pin him with a glare, which he returns with a cold smile.
“You know what I want. Think about it,” he says.
He stands and walks away. I force my ass to stay in the chair so I don’t knock him out. My gaze tracks back to Ava, walking along with a serene smile. I inhale slowly, some tension leaving my shoulders as she stops and bends to retrieve something from the sand.
I pick up my brandy, a frisson of victory rumbling in my gut. Callaghan’s negotiating. Which means I’m getting closer. He might think he’s in control. But if he’s already offering half, he’ll give me the rest. He just doesn’t know it yet.
I drink, warmth enveloping my throat as Ava studies the large shell she’s picked up. Her eyes lift and she looks straight at me as if she can sense me. She waves, before holding the shell up.
I tip my chin in acknowledgment, and a smile lights up her face. My shoulders relax as she walks in my direction.
I’ll get everything I need from Callaghan, even if it wrecks me to do it.
“This is incredible.” Ava spins in the water, her eyes wide in wonder as she looks at the glow surrounding us. “Have you been here before?”
“No.”
“How did you even know about this place?”
I swim through the chest-height water to get closer to her. The light from the bio-luminescent plankton surrounds us as I pull her into my arms.
“It’s famous for it. Well, Ton Sai is. But this place…” I look around at the deserted area of the beach. “A friend told me about it.”
“I can’t believe it.” She smiles as she wraps her arms around my neck and looks at the effervescent glow lighting up the water around us. “It’s so bright. So beautiful.”
She looks at me when I don’t respond. The hint of vulnerability in her eyes has me pulling her lips to mine. “It is.So fucking beautiful.”
I kiss her, relishing the way she whimpers around my tongue and pushes her body into mine like she can’t get close enough.
“You’re glowing. Just like in New York.”
Her eyes shine as she lifts her shoulders, then drops them with a grin.
“It’s flying to new places and getting bitten by the adventure bug. I’m not Ava-stuck-in-England-Roberts anymore. You should call me—”
“Firefly.”
“What?”
I stroke a strand of red hair back from her eyes. “You’re a bright light. Radiant and captivating… and distracting me constantly.”
She frowns, wrinkling her nose. “I thought you said Callaghan was opening up to agreeing on something. That you’re getting somewhere?”
“I am.”
She places her palm over my chest and eases back to study my face. “But if I’m distracting you, I shouldn’t have come. This deal is huge.”
