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“Yes,” she said, biting her lip. She seemed nervous.
“Do you like sushi?” I asked, unlocking the front door.
“I do.”
“Great. Make yourself comfortable.”
She removed her sandals and walked barefoot on the blue porcelain floors. With her long hair flowing halfway down her back and the sexy sway of her hips, she reminded me of some ocean goddess sent here to tempt me.
I removed a tray of sushi from the fridge. My staff always stocked the fridge and sushi was one of my staples. Grabbing the spicy mayo and wasabi, I carried the tray to the dining room. Ava joined me.
“I love the view from here,” she said, standing in front of the double French doors.
“It’s incredible.” My voice dropped as I admired her silhouette against the backdrop of the sunset. “Why don’t we eat outside?”
Her brilliant smile suggested the idea appealed to her. As I opened the French doors, the smell of the salty ocean surrounded me. I set the tray down on a small white coffee table next to the gray and white daybed. I arranged the pillows so we could sit up comfortably.
“After you,” I said, pointing to the pillows.
She slid onto the daybed and stretched out her legs. I sat next to her and reached for her hand as we both stared out at the soothing scenery. The backyard faced west. There were no obstructions; nothing between us and the sunset. It was perfect.
“This seems unreal,” she said, snuggling into my side. I followed her gaze as she watched the path of a bird in flight. Turning my head to stare at her, I agreed. “It sure does.” I couldn’t stop staring at her full mouth. “But it’s better than anything I could have imagined.”
She turned to look at me and smiled, her cheeks rounding into tempting peaches. I wanted to know if they were as soft as they looked, so I ran my thumb across her face. Her smooth skin felt like velvet across my rough hands.
“Shall we dig in?” she asked, looking down at the tray with one shoulder raised and wet her lips.
Catching a glimpse of her tongue, I groaned inwardly. Needing a distraction, I picked up the tray on the table by the daybed, hoping the food would take my mind off of her sweet mouth. “Ladies first.”
She picked up a vegetable roll with a pair of chopsticks and took a bite. “Mmm. This is really good.”
I popped a dynamite roll in my mouth and savored the taste of crab, avocado, shrimp, and cucumber. “It’s not bad. Not as good as the place down the street from the office.”
“Really? I’ve never been there.” She took another piece.
“I’ll have to take you when we get back,” I said, realizing I was making plans with her for the future.
“Sushi is definitely a treat. My grandmother won’t eat it so we never order it at home.”
“Has she ever tried it?”
“Nope,” she said with a smile. “Marco says she doesn’t trust anything that isn’t overcooked,” she chuckled this time. “But he’s always competing with her as the chef in the family.”
Her happiness was palatable. “You’re close to your family.”
“I am,” she said, taking a piece of the ginger and placing it on top of her next piece. “How about you? I’ve seen your brother Ryan a few times. Do you have any other siblings?”
“Yes. I have another brother named Luke. He’s the baby, but no one better tell him that.” I couldn’t stop my grin. I loved talking about my brothers.
“What about your parents? Do they live in the area?” she asked.
I never spoke of my parents. Ever. It wasn’t anyone’s business what happened in the past and my chest tightened every time I thought of them. But this time, I was tempted to tell Ava more and share a piece of them with her. But I couldn’t get the words through my lips. My usual prepared lines won over. “My parents died when we were young. Lived with foster parents until I was eighteen and then I moved me and my brothers out. Been just the three of us ever since.”
“I’m sorry, Colton. I didn’t know.” Her eyes pierced mine and I felt them dive into my soul, searching for more.
“It was a long time ago. But it’s still difficult for me to talk about.”
“I understand,” she said, nodding. Her eyes still held mine. “Sometimes there are things in our past that are too difficult to express into words.”
