A Sure Thing

by Marie Harte

  They walked together through the gym to the back hallway and Mac’s office. Once inside, Landon closed and locked the door behind them. He waited for Ava to face him, horrified when he saw tears in her eyes.

  “Oh God, honey. Are you okay?” He tried to move closer, but she swore and stepped away.

  “I can’t believe this! I hit Claudia. I was in a scene with another woman, fighting over a man.” She said that with such disgust.

  “Hey. I’m that man.”

  She didn’t seem to care. “I don’t do drama. I don’t get into fights, and certainly not over men.”

  “Okay, that’s the second time you’ve mentioned me like I’m slime. What the hell? You’re not blaming me for this?”

  “I am.”

  “Well, fuck.” Now he was mad. “I broke up with that woman months ago. We were clear on the terms. Not my fault she’s nuts.”

  “It’s not mine either,” she snapped, and he saw another layer of Ava peeled away.

  He watched in anger and arousal as she paced around the office, muttering to herself and calling him all kinds of names. Not so fuckin’ calm now, is she?

  “I have a job that means the world to me.”

  “So what?”

  “So what?” She ran up to him and poked him in the chest. “So I looked like a complete idiot in there. No one will come to me for therapy if I can’t control myself. God.”

  “Hey. She attacked you. You defended yourself. Besides, mostly everyone was gone by that time. Gavin shoved them out the door.” Mostly being the key word. That one lady had seen. Hopefully she hadn’t told anyone but Mac about it.

  “It’s like I don’t know who I am with you.”

  “Like hell. You’re the same shrink who thinks everything through to the nth degree.”

  “But I wasn’t thinking in there. I wanted to rip her lips off,” Ava snarled. “And why? Because I was fighting her over you.”

  Finally. She showed some sense. “Good.”

  “Good?” She poked him again, and the warmth inside him centered between his legs and stayed there. “I don’t fight over boyfriends. It’s silly and dramatic. A useless waste of energy. If you want her that badly, go get her. We’re done.”

  “Hold on.” He grabbed that pointy finger before she drove it through his sternum. “I don’t want her. What I want is for you to be pissed about her coming after me.”

  “I was, but—”

  “And you should battle anyone who thinks they can take me away from you.”

  “That’s asinine. And obviously—”

  He kissed her to shut her up, and because he couldn’t help himself. Their first big fight and he’d resorted to physically overpowering her. Great job, Landon—you horse’s ass. But before he could apologize and back off, she bit his lip.

  He jerked back, stunned. “Shit.”

  She pounced. Instead of poking him again, she jabbed her hand down his shorts, gripped his dick, and dragged his head down for a fiery kiss.

  Totally committed to fucking the mad right out of her, he kissed her back. A hungry, angry dueling of mouths and tongues, and then he was bending her over a nearby table and yanking down her sweats and panties.

  “Wh-what—”

  “Shut up and bend over,” he growled.

  “Fuck you,” the no-longer-calm doctor spat, even as she thrust her ass out eagerly and spread her legs wider.

  He lowered his shorts and yanked aside his jock, then shoved hard into her, not surprised to find her wet. He plowed into her, reaming her as she panted and swore his name, calling him all sorts of awful things in a low, husky voice.

  The sex was fuckin’ hot. Wild and furious and fast. But before he could help her get where she needed to be, he came in a rush.

  She didn’t seem to care, because her busy little fingers got herself off while he released. She was grinding back against him before she stilled and clamped down, causing him to shiver uncontrollably.

  When he’d ceased and she’d finally stopped squirming, they remained locked tight together.

  He panted, stunned and not sure what to do. “Angry sex. Got it. Must do it again. Add that to your checklist.” Hell, he still sounded winded.

  Ava wriggled to be free, so he pulled away. Handing her a tissue, he waited while she cleaned herself up. She tossed the tissue into the trash and straightened her clothes. Then she glanced up at him.

  And he saw more damn tears.

  “I’m sorry, but not about that.” She sniffed. “I liked our angry sex. I think I’m losing it.”

  He pulled her into his arms and held her close until she stopped shaking. “You okay?”

  She nodded, and once again he noted how much smaller she was than him. “I shouldn’t have attacked you.”

  He swallowed a grin. “No problem.” But the reason for their initial fight still bothered him. “Ava, what the hell was that all about?”

  “I don’t know,” she groaned and moved from his arms. “I was angry that Claudia was all over you. And jealous, I guess. That jealousy bothered me a lot. It’s such a base, useless emotion.”

  “Yeah? Well, I kind of like my girlfriend getting jealous. Shows she cares.”

  “You do?”

  “You wouldn’t want me to get pissed off if some asshole was coming on to you?”

  “No. I wouldn’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because it’s unnecessary. Either I’m committed to you or I’m not, but getting jealous helps no one.”

  “Bullshit.” He didn’t like her standoffish attitude. “Look. Do you care about me or not?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  I do.

  He could see her wearing a white dress and taking the ring he’d slide over her finger…

  What the hell is that? Not the time for weird daydreams, hoss. Jesus, what is wrong with me?

  He cleared his throat. “Look, I’m sorry you had to go through all that. But I do hope you were bothered by it. Ava, I’d care if some guy thought he had rights to you. You’re mine.”

  “Yours?”

  He frowned. “Yeah, mine. What’s the problem?”

  “I’m an independent woman, that’s the problem.”

  “So?”

  “So I only belong to myself.”

  “You’re overthinking this. Look, the whole situation was weird. Let it go, and let’s get out of here. You’re coming over to my place this weekend, right?”

  “Maybe.” She frowned.

  “Get out of your head, Doc. My place. Now.”

  “You can’t boss me around all the time. Not if I don’t allow it.”

  “I know. So what’s your point?”

  She’d been the one to decide to hang out at his place for the weekend.

  She sighed. “Fine. We’ll go to your house. For now. But only because we’d already made plans.”

  He was about to suggest she just go home and figure out what she wanted, because he had no idea, but then he thought the better of it. She could stew just as easily by his side as she could at home alone.

  They left Mac’s office and gathered their things from the gym. He let Gavin know Ava would be staying over. And Ava talked to Sadie before she joined him in the parking lot.

  “You sure you’re good to come over?” he asked before he could stop himself. He didn’t want to give her a chance to say no, but then… I totally fucked her in Mac’s office. Bent her over the table and did her.

  He wanted that again, but this time face to face, so she could see him. Not just feel him, but watch him take her. Mine? Hell yeah. She needed to get that fact through her thick, stubborn skull.

  Because if she didn’t, they’d have a real problem on their hands.

  * * *

  Ava felt as if she was losing her identity. When she’d
heard gorgeous Claudia again coming on to Landon, she’d wanted to rip the woman’s ovaries out. But calm, resourceful, independent women didn’t fight over men. A woman sure of herself didn’t need to, because she had confidence in her relationship.

  And Ava did, to an extent. But seeing a beautiful redhead with double-D breasts crying over her boyfriend… It had been all she could do to act civil. Until she hadn’t. Oh God. I hit her. I rolled around on the floor then hit her.

  Not sure what had come over her, Ava reviewed her actions on the drive back to Landon’s house. She could only be glad none of her clients had witnessed such a public display of insanity. Her actions made her question what she thought she was doing with Landon in the first place.

  He’s missing half the qualifications you have on your list. The real one, not the modified one. She mulled that over, conscious her cheek throbbed. Crap. What if she had a bruise there? How would she explain that to her patients? To Dennis and the others?

  Mortified that she’d rolled around on the ground like a common street brawler, Ava wanted to crawl up inside a hole and hide away until she could figure out why she’d acted that way. It wasn’t as if Landon belonged to her. They were dating. Yes, she called him her boyfriend and they’d committed to exclusivity with each other. But to fight for him, that placed him into another realm of importance she wasn’t ready to commit to, not yet.

  The man had trouble communicating his feelings. He could do sex just fine. Joking, happiness, lust, anger. But love? Could he possibly feel that same emotion she fought every time she pictured his laughing brown eyes?

  “We’re here.” He pulled into his driveway and turned off the car, then faced her. “Ava, let’s forget about today, okay? It’s over. You’re good now.” He fingered her cheek and frowned. “Let’s ice you up, though, just to keep any potential bruises at bay.”

  They walked in together, and she let him get an ice pack for her face. Embarrassment took the place of confusion, until she had a difficult time looking him in the eye.

  “Hey, what’s this?”

  She teared up, baffled at her wacky emotions. “I still can’t believe I did that.”

  He nodded. “Never been in a fight before, huh?”

  “Of course not.”

  “You’ll be a little shaky ’til the adrenaline wears off. Hey, Ava, it happens. Not often with women, but we both know Claudia’s unstable.”

  That threw Ava into a panic. What if Claudia did worse? What if she got a gun, or made up stories about Landon to get him to come to her? Blackmailed threats that if he didn’t date her, she’d lie to the police about him? Ava’s imagination went into overdrive.

  “Ava?”

  “You should report her. What if she gets a gun?”

  He blinked. “Ah, honey, I think you’re making too much of this. Remember, other people saw what she did. We have witnesses. And frankly, she’s not the type. A scuffle with you, sure. A gun? Nah.”

  Ava didn’t know. She’d seen crazy before, and Claudia was verging there.

  “But if it’ll make you feel better, I’ll tell a friend of mine who’s in law enforcement, okay?”

  “Yes.” She felt better. And then she didn’t, because even the idea of Landon no longer in this world made her want to cry. “Oh, I’m a mess.”

  “You got that right. Come on.”

  He took care of her. Really took care. He ran her a bath, with bubbles, and made her sit while he fetched her a cup of cocoa with marshmallows, the mini ones she liked. Then he waited for her to soak away her troubles. Sometime later, after he’d dried her off and dressed her in one of his T-shirts, he settled her in bed with him, and they watched a movie on TV. And not just any movie, but a Hallmark movie about lost love and sappy, small-town happiness. The kind of movie a guy like Landon would hate.

  Ava fell asleep in his arms, felt his kiss on her brow, and knew a sense of peace that would bother her come the morning. She just knew it.

  * * *

  The next morning, she woke to see Landon looking down at her. When he saw her eyes widen, he smiled. “You okay?”

  “Um, yeah.”

  “Your cheek looks fine. No bruising.” He gave it a soft kiss, and her heart melted.

  Just dropped there and shriveled at his feet. His for the taking.

  Panic unfurled.

  “You okay?”

  “Yes. Um, I’ll be right back.” She tore out of bed and locked herself in the bathroom. A quick glance around showed it neat and clean. And the seat is down. Just one more reason to love the guy—until he dumped her, the way he’d dumped Claudia. And she’d long for him and cry all the time, her dignity and reputation in shreds.

  She stopped herself from acting like a complete lunatic and scaled back the alarm. She wasn’t and never would be Claudia. So she had a crush on her boyfriend? That was a good thing. Landon seemed to like her as well. She could muddle through this odd happenstance and chalk up her affection to the result of an extreme outpouring of emotion, as well as endorphins from a physical altercation.

  With that explanation gratifying her need to understand her rash behavior, she used the facilities and did a quick brush of her teeth. Landon had been kind enough to take things from her overnight bag and put some of them out on the sink next to his toiletries.

  The sight struck her, because it felt as if they’d passed some point in their journey to coupledom that she hadn’t anticipated happening this soon. Only our ninth date, and now we’re practically living together?

  She left the bathroom, promising herself to stop making such a big deal out of everything. But when she saw him up on an elbow, his glorious body on top of the sheets, his erection thick and ready for her, she said to hell with keeping control and decided to take advantage of at least one aspect of her boyfriend she had no problem with.

  Pure, unadulterated sex.

  Chapter 18

  Landon loved the look on Ava’s face. Her long brown hair appeared velvety soft as it brushed her shoulders. Her green eyes were wide and witchy and hungry—just the way he felt.

  She joined him on the bed but wouldn’t let him shift over. Instead, she shoved him back, so that he lay flat, and straddled his waist. After she dropped the overlarge shirt he’d dressed her in, she rocked over him, her pussy growing wetter with each pass over his arousal.

  “I want you.” She stared into his eyes while she ground against him, and he couldn’t look away.

  She’d been acting so oddly, but their connection here, at least, hadn’t changed.

  He nodded and cupped her breasts while she moved, until she angled a hand under her to guide him inside. She took him all the way in, and he thrust up into her while gripping her breasts and pinching her nipples, causing her to squirm over him.

  She rode him hard, slamming down then lifting up, allowing him to watch himself slide into her each time. The most amazing fantasy, better because it was real, and it spurred his climax until he couldn’t stop himself from jetting into her.

  He rubbed her clit to help get her off, lost in a haze of pleasure, and she seized around him soon after he came.

  They remained locked, joined as one, and he knew he was done for.

  She was it.

  No matter how short a time they’d been together, he knew her. Well, he thought he knew her. Her behavior at the gym still puzzled him, but they’d get through it. He hoped.

  Because the more he remembered her saying “I do,” the more he wanted to hear it again. He wanted a home with her, sharing their thoughts and feelings, even. Having kids. He started at the thought and unconsciously rubbed her belly, wondering what it would feel like for her to carry his child.

  A wave of love for her rushed through him so hard, so fast, it left him breathless.

  “Landon?” she said, sounding groggy.

  He tugged her down to lie on top of
him and hugged her. He just held on.

  As if she felt the same crazy intensity, she hugged him back, not saying anything, just providing comfort. They stayed that way for some time, until she decided they needed to shower.

  But once under the hot spray, his insatiable girlfriend refused to leave him alone.

  “On your knees, really?” he teased and groaned when she took him in her mouth and slowly slid those red, ripe lips up his cock, swallowing him whole.

  He watched her, enthralled, and let her have her wicked way with him. “Next time, my office,” he rasped. “Because yeah, that’s a fantasy that’s been brewing for a while. Just me, sitting in my chair, while my hot secretary blows me. Right before I eat her out, then fuck her on my desk.” He pumped into her mouth and drew closer. “I’m close, baby.”

  She moaned and fondled his sac, then grazed his thighs with her nails. So fucking good.

  He gripped the back of her head to hold her steady and swore while he came.

  She wouldn’t let him return the favor though. Instead, she held him while they finished showering.

  He grinned. His dirty doc was a real expert when it came to cleanliness.

  * * *

  The next few days passed in a blur. Ava hadn’t been avoiding Landon on purpose, but her busy schedule didn’t allow for them to spend much time together. They had dinner Tuesday night at his place, where she’d been treated to a visit from a screaming, pink-haired Hope. Apparently the prank wars were well under way, because Gavin also made an appearance to yell at his immature, moronic brother. Something about disgusting Saran Wrap over the toilet. Ava had heard “toilet” and tuned the rest out.

  While she’d been amused, she’d also been trying to analyze her fears.

  For all that she’d loved spending her evenings with Landon, she was glad for their sudden time apart. The distance gave her leave to understand what Landon really meant to her.

  Or at least, she hoped she’d understand during her next break.

  Robert Hill had rescheduled his usual Monday appointment for late Friday afternoon.