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“Are you planning something?”
The slightest of smiles touched her mouth, and she took a moment to answer. “No.” She wrapped her hands around the mug, raising it until it covered the lower part of her face. “Just trying to take it all in. It’s a lot.”
As the conversation picked up again, Ava nodded in the right places, even managing a small smile when Tim cracked a joke, but her focus had left the room.
We’d agreed to meet Tim and Varesh downstairs at eight in the morning, then parted ways.
There’d been no sign of Dustin when we passed through the foyer to grab our things from the car, no sounds coming from inside his apartment.
Part of me wanted him to poke his head out so I could drag him all the way through and beat the shit out of him.
Ava must have had similar thoughts. Her attention had lingered a beat too long on the splintered door. When she caught me looking, she threw me a quick, insincere smile.
One night.
All we needed to do was stay out of trouble for one fucking night.
I followed her back up to the fourth floor, checking doorways and dark corners out of habit. In the short time we’d been gone, the shadows in the hallway had deepened, and the walls felt like they were closing in more tightly around us.
As soon as we were back inside Sadie’s apartment, Ava secured both locks, and we dumped our bags and weapons on the floor.
I went over to the kitchen and left the car keys on the bench, stretching out the ache in my back after sitting for too long.
“That was kind of nice,” she said from behind me, “drinking coffee together and talking like everything’s normal.”
She was smiling when I turned around, her eyes tracking me as I approached. “Lunch with the Wú family. Coffee with Tim and Varesh,” I said, stopping in front of her. “What’s next? A dinner party?”
With an amused breath, she slipped her arms around me as if it took no thought.
The contact wasn’t new. Her leg against mine in the booth, her hand cupping my knee. Small touches that felt like the beginning of something.
It didn’t feel so small anymore.
When I lowered my mouth to hers, I didn’t rush this time. I cradled her face, her warm skin beneath my fingers as our lips moved together, teasing and testing. Faint traces of coffee lingered, along with the smell of her lavender soap. I slid my thumb over the smooth curve of her jaw, and the softness of her mouth drew a sigh from me.
Ava was the one who deepened the kiss, and I groaned at the slide of her tongue against mine.
She sighed through her nose, pushing closer, hands coming up to sink into my hair as our mouths moved in a slow, easy rhythm.
She made me feel more alive than I had in months. Years.
When we finally separated, our foreheads stayed pressed together, and she let out a laughing breath. “Okay, I need to stop before I can’t stop.”
I clasped her hips, trying not to let on how fast my heart hammered.
She leaned back and ran her tongue over her lower lip. “I’m going to go through Sadie’s closet,” she said. “See if she left anything decent behind.”
My hands were still resting on her hips, and I reluctantly let them fall away. “I’ll take a shower while you’re busy with that.”
“It’ll be cold,” she said.
“That’s the point.”
Ava laughed and pressed another kiss on my mouth, then turned and headed for the bedroom.
I grabbed a change of clothes and toiletries from the bag I’d hastily packed in the car boot, shutting myself away in the white-tiled bathroom. Sadie had cleaned out the space, leaving only a pump bottle of soap and a hand towel hanging from the hook beside the sink. I found a fresh, full-sized towel in the cupboard underneath.
With a glance in the mirror, I blew out a loud breath. I needed a shave. Hot food and a warm bed. Instead, I settled for a freezing shower, holding back a shout as I stepped under the spray.
