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Ava stands up from the rocking chair and moves close to the dresser. She touches the stuffed bunny sitting on top, staring at it wistfully.
“It’s wrong…to have feelings for you,” she stammers, with her back toward me. “This was always meant to be platonic. But, I guess, the pregnancy is probably stirring things…”
“It may be the hormones,” I mention in a low voice, moving toward Ava until my body is flush with hers. With her back against my chest, my fingers move on their own accord, carefully moving her hair away from her shoulder to inhale her scent better.
“Ava, what if I told you I felt the same way?”
“Austin…” she murmurs.
Running my nose along her shoulder, her scent instantly heightens everything in my body. Of course, everything standing before me is what I shouldn’t be wanting and desiring, but fuck, she drives me insane.
My hands wrap around her stomach, desperate to bring us closer. Right now, it is just us, and I don’t give a fuck who has an opinion. Ava releases a sigh as her head falls onto my chest. If she turns around, there is no knowing what I will do, a part of me begging her to stay just as is.
“There’s no rule book here, Ava. We set the rules. We do what we want, not what other people think we should do.”
“I’m scared, okay?” I hear it in her voice, the quiet, shaky tone. “There’s just so much going on, and the last thing I want is to bring this baby into the world with confusion.”
Placing a kiss on her neck, I understand exactly how she feels. “There’s no rush. But for now, I need to take a step back.”
I do just that, distancing myself from her. Instantly, she turns around with a pained stare. The emerald orbs make it incredibly difficult to move a limb, but I force myself to gain control of the situation.
“If I leave now, I can’t be held accountable for my actions,” I say, struggling to control my urges. “I’ll see you tomorrow night, okay?”
Without even waiting for an answer, I leave the room to walk down the hall to exit her apartment.
Some things are best to walk away from, no matter how much it aches in the moment.
Today is my rostered day off, and I spent all day at the gym killing myself. I’ve done everything to take my mind off last night.
Yet continue to feel like I’m running in circles.
The usual trainer, Geoff, who did the rounds, complimented me on my dedication and persistence. He doesn’t know I’m trying to exert my frustrations because I’m starting to go fucking crazy.
Ava Edwards is all I can think about.
Everything I’m not supposed to think about in that way.
And we haven’t even reached the hard part yet.
“You know, for someone who is a doctor, you scrub up well outside the hospital.”
Ava is walking beside me, wearing a tight burgundy dress that sits a bit short for my liking. It’s fitted nicely, accentuating her curves, including her protruding stomach. Her hair is tied back into a ponytail, exposing her neck. What the hell is it about her neck which draws you in and makes you want to blow in your god damn pants?
I bite down, ignoring my weakness.
“Was that meant to be a pun? But you got too ex
cited, and it came off wrong?”
Ava knocks into my side. “I need to get better at that, huh?”
Once again, she breaks the tension between us. It will be a long night, but I need to relax and forget about what happened last night.
We enter the restaurant to find Julian, Adriana, and Nikki. We say hello to learn Rocky has some stomach flu.
“He says he’s not lactose intolerant, but then he spends all night on the toilet sounding like he’s having an exorcism,” Nikki complains.
Adriana cringes. “I’m not sure whether to feel sorry for him or be disgusted.”
