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“I gotta go. We’re about to playDragon Rock. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
She leaned against the stone vessel of a large potted plant, blinking, gripping her shirt to her chest, and seeing in her peripheral the wild disarray of her hair hanging over her shoulders.
Wesley crawled toward her, slower than her mad dash had been. “Are you okay? Is Jack okay?”
“Jack’s fine. Me, on the other hand…” She searched his gaze, cooled of desire, recognizing his deep concern and willingness to support her. “I’m in the trenches,” she confessed, having a feeling he knew exactly how she felt.
“Ava, what’s between us… I know you’re not focused on a romantic relationship right now—and I get it—I swear. But I’ve wanted you since the moment we met. I think we both want this.”
“I don’t know what I want.” In that moment, she didn’t. Of course, she wanted to find Mr. Right, someone to spend her life with, but Wesley Scott was a celebrity in the gaming world, a man who didn’t seem like the settling down type. Besides, battling her way through the second biggest transition in her life—leaving her infant and joining the military being the first—she couldn’t offer Wesley much in the way of stability herself.
A string of curses ran through her mind as she pressed her lips together. This job hadn’t been a mistake. She desperately needed the money.But fooling around with her boss…what was she thinking!
“This isn’t good timing for either of us. You have a lot going on. Your work. Eventually your premiere.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to share my life with someone. I’ve dated a lot and have been unable to find anyone remarkable—that is, until I met you,” he admitted, placing his big, warm palm on her knee. “Ava, I discovered something extra special about you since the night we spent together at the tattoo parlor.”
“Not my finest moment, Wes.”
“The day you put my brand on your lovely body… It was a significant moment to me.”
She bristled against his warm, inviting words, hating how much they meant to her.
“I have a crazy life,” he admitted, without making excuses. “But I’m done with drama brought by women who are obsessed with my game or my brand or my name.”
“Oh? Like theDragon Rockicon literally tattooed below my neck?” she sassed, reassuring him she had drama like the best of them. ’Cause her dumb and drunken actions were certainly something a fanatical fan would do.
The unwavering look he gave her didn’t falter; instead, it shone brighter with conviction. “I want a girl who gets me. Who’s down-to-earth.” He smirked. “Who’s a bit edgy.”
This romantic side of him surprised her. Though she’d seen the professional and friendly side most people saw, his amorousness gave her a new perspective. However, she didn’t think she fit his mold. Her outer shell may look decent enough, but inside, she was a hot mess, flawed.
Competing against Mister Perfection gave her angst. Wesley had his shit together, ran an empire of his creation and fruition. She scarcely used her calendar app.
Months ago, the old Ava would have rolled in the sack with Wesley all summer without a care in the world. Pure and unadulterated bliss. She gleaned just how blissful by the way his mere touch inflamed her body, driving her mad with arousal. She held in a dry-eyed sob, mourning the loss of what could have been.
Her world had shifted the day she returned to her full-time mother status. Life wasn’t just about her base needs. Not that she blamed Jack or her mother for forcing her to retire. Rekindling her relationship with Jack meant the world to her; she’d never go back to how things were. But putting the brakes on a down and dirty roll in the hay with Wesley… Well, damn, that part sucked!
Also, she had to be extra cautious. If Jack saw something budding between them, it might give him hope, probably making him want Wesley for a dad. Too much pressure. She stared long and hard at the striking and surprising man before her, preparing to give up on the idea of ever kissing him again, rationalizing the risk was too great.
Wesley tightened his grip on her knee. “I feel so connected to you.”
The low voice filled with his utter wonder penetrated a place deep in her gut—the solar plexus chakra, she’d learned from him.
Ava nodded, agreeing she experienced a familiar feeling, unable to deny that much. Still, it seemed unrealistic that a millionaire would be invested in someone like her, love someone like her. Doubt and sadness from her heart chakra battled her solar plexus instincts that wanted to take Wesley in her arms. She had to shut this down, no matter how much her solar plexus protested with her brain, whatever chakra that was. She couldn’t remember.
It didn’t matter. Analyzing and rationalizing was the way of her programming, courtesy of her father, Master Sergeant Baxter, and the US Army. And though Jack would want this to happen…she had to protect her son from the heartache she currently felt.
Ava sat straighter, no longer needing the support of the heavy plant holder. “This shouldn’t have happened again. Our whole situation is temporary. Besides, Jack’s gotten too attached to you. I’ve gotten—” She cut off the rest of her confession, appalled how she almost gave him more reasons to refute her. “This won’t happen again.”
“It doesn’t have to be temporary.”
She held her breath, mulling over the thought of a future for them. But she couldn’t fathom it, no matter how much she wanted it. “Jack needs stability, order in his life. I owe it to him.”
“I understand.” He slid his other hand along her arm, cupping her elbow. “We can keep this quiet, just between us.”
“Sneak around?” This suggestion she could picture: stolen moments together, the titillating urgency of having only minutes to seek and give pleasure to each other. Pressure built between her thighs. She focused on his lips; the urge to kiss him overpowered her voice. “I, ah—” Next thing she knew, their mouths were locked in a steamy kiss. The shirt she held against her chest dropped into her lap as she reached for his broad shoulders. Whether from the coolness of the room or her unbridled flare of passion, her nipples painfully peaked. Only his thumbs tweaking them drew a savagely exquisite grunt from deep in her throat.
