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“Well played, Flower.” I chuckle, shaking my head. “Well played.”
She giggles and scoots back over to the passenger side, fastening her seat belt as I start the engine.
I link my fingers with hers as we drive out onto the main road. We glance at each other for a moment, and she smiles. Bringing her hand up to my mouth, I kiss the back of it before turning my attention back to the road.
* * *
The Adviland two margaritas Ava had seemed to have taken care of that grapefruit between her legs as she cuts loose on the dance floor with her friends.
The band is actually really good and plays a lot of music my mother listened to when I was growing up. I’m sitting at the bar sipping my Coke, watching Ava sway her hips to the beat, her gaze finding mine every so often and flashing me that beautiful smile of hers.
She is sexy as fuck, and I’m not the only one who thinks so. Just about every asshole in this place has their eyes on her. I almost lost my shit at a couple of them who dared to approach her, but luckily she shot them down pretty quickly, or I would have been kicked out of here on my ass by now.
“She’s breathtaking, isn’t she?” Eric says, sitting down next to me and flagging the bartender. “Rum and Coke,” he gives his order then looks out onto the dance floor.
I stare him down as he watches Ava, and his face breaks into a knowing grin as he shoots me a sidelong glance. “You know I’m gay, right?” He takes a sip of the drink the bartender just set down, then lets out a sigh, leaning up against the bar and watching Ava again. “Then again, if anyone could turn me straight, it would definitely be her.”
My back stiffens, and he looks at me, shaking his head and letting out a lighthearted chuckle. “You have nothing to worry about with me, man. She is like a sister to me, and I must say I have never seen her this happy, so thank you for that, but if you hurt her—”
“Is this you giving me the wholeyou hurt her, and I will kick your assspeech?”
“Damn straight it is,” he fires back. “She is not only beautiful, but she is genuinely a good person. When I finally came out of the closet, my father didn’t take it very well…” He pauses for a moment in reflection, then takes another sip of his drink. “He couldn’t look at me for weeks, and it got to the point that being at home was unbearable. I couldn’t stand seeing that look of disappointment on his face every day, so Ava insisted I come over to her house to escape. She let me lean on her during that time even though she was going through shit of her own.” He gives me a knowing look, and I nod my head in acknowledgment of what shit he is referring to. “She has been through so much that you would think it would taint her in some way, but it hasn’t. She is strong, but everyone has their breaking point. So I will say this once and once only. If you break her, I will break you.”
My throat constricts as that unrelenting guilt wraps a tight band around my chest, and I take a sip of my Coke in an attempt to loosen the restraints. “I would rather cut off my own arm than hurt her.”
“You’re in love with her, aren’t you?” he asks; his expression softened, and I nod my head. “She loves you too, you know. I can see it. She never looked at Logan the way she looks at you.”
My heart swells as I take in his words. The band starts pounding out “Bennie and the Jets” by Elton John on the keyboard, and the girls jump up and down, squealing with excitement.
Ava runs over to me and grabs my hand. “Come on, Superman, you are dancing with me,” she declares, dragging me to the center of the dance floor. She faces me and starts to sway her hips, and feeling entirely out of my element, I shift back and forth uncomfortably on my feet.
Fuck, I can’t dance for shit.
What am I supposed to do here?
Noticing my awkwardness, she takes my hands and places them on her hips. “Spread your legs and bend your legs a little,” she instructs, and I follow her lead. She puts one of her legs between mine and presses up against me, swaying her hips back and forth. “Sway your hips with mine.”
I copy her movements, swaying my hips in time with hers, and once I have the hang of it, she smiles up at me and wraps her arms around my neck. We both let go and move to the beat, our eyes locked as we dance in sync. Someone rubs up against my backside, and I look over my shoulder to see Cadence grinding into me with her arms in the air. My head snaps back to Ava, and she lets out a laugh at my bewilderment.
“Just go with it.” She giggles.
It’s not long before Grayson intercepts, pulling Cadence away, and she throws her arms around him as they start grinding into each other. Once the band finishes the song, they immediately go into another, and the dance floor vibe changes. Everyone slows down and couples up as they start playing “I Want To Know What Love Is” by Foreigner.
Ava wraps her arms around my waist and rests her head against my chest as we slowly dance back and forth. When the band hits the chorus, the whole dance floor erupts, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up as the crowd belts out the lyrics along with the band, the acoustics so powerful I swear the vibration of their voices could raise the roof.
Ava lifts her head and lets out a joyous laugh, her eyes flitting around the dance floor for a moment before meeting mine. Her smile fades as emotion swirls within the depths of her sparkling blue eyes, the sight stealing my breath and holding me captive.
“I love you, Mason.”
My heart swells to the point of explosion and swallowing the thickness in my throat that has rendered me speechless, I cup her cheeks and press my lips to hers. Responding to her declaration of love by showing her mine and pouring everything that I am into the kiss.
We break apart, and I tighten my hold on her, pulling her into a snug embrace and burying my head into her neck, inhaling her sweet scent and locking up the memory of this moment deep within the recesses of my mind. I want to remember every single detail of every moment that she is mine.
Having her here with me in my arms looking at me the way she does is a dream come true, and I wish to God that I deserved it, but I honestly don’t.
The truth always comes out, one way or another.
It’s unmerciful.
