Stay (Healing Springs, Book 2)

by Amanda Torrey

  He had never seen anyone so beautiful.

  “I was counting down the seconds until you came back.”

  “You’re such a sap.” She smacked him lightly on the arm, then nestled in at his invitation. “Oh, the neighbors are wondering when you’ll be back to finish the lawn. I told them you were fixing my sink.”

  He didn’t have the heart to tell her that one look at her current state would have even the most blind elderly neighbor knowing exactly what he was doing in her house.

  Bear jumped onto the bed and settled in at their entwined feet. Cole had a list of things he had planned to accomplish today, but surprisingly, he felt no urge to do anything but hold Ava as she drifted off to sleep. A nap? He hadn’t had one since he was in preschool. Now, however, he was feeling relaxed and languid enough to consider drifting off along with her.

  The beeping of his cell phone interrupted the peace. Ava darted to an upright position, panic in her eyes at the sudden interruption.

  “It’s okay, babe. Just my cell. Go back to sleep.”

  Ava looked around the room, clearly confused. She brushed her hair out of her face and fell back against her pillow.

  “Answer it, dummy.” She smiled at him, then covered her head with the pillow, rolling over to face the other side.

  Cole ran his hand over the contour of her hip. The cell phone could wait.

  The beeping stopped only to restart a minute later. Ava sat up again, demanding that he answer his phone.

  “What if it’s your dad? There could be an emergency.”

  His heart pounding at the thought, Cole bent over the side of the bed where he had discarded his jeans earlier. Pulling his cell phone from the holster, he answered gruffly.

  His best friend and business partner, Ben, chastised him for not answering his phone.

  “I have no doubt that you can handle any problems that arise. Don’t bother me for the rest of the day.”

  Cole ended the call before Ben could continue.

  The phone beeped again as Cole tried to recapture the coziness he had been so wrapped up in.

  “What did I just tell you?” He snapped, trying to keep his voice to nothing louder than an irritated whisper.

  “You need to get your ass back to the office. I have something important for you to sign.”

  “I’ll get to it in the morning.”

  Stunned silence.

  “You don’t want to hang up on me again. A contract was just faxed over, and you need to sign it right away. What the hell are you doing, anyway? You left hours ago to close on that old people’s house.”

  Ava’s warm hand on his arm drew his attention away from whatever Ben was trying to say.

  “It’s okay,” she whispered. “They need you. Go.”

  He needed to be inside her. Again.

  He also needed to sign that contract. He had a feeling it was exactly the thing he hadn’t dared to hope for.

  “I’ll be there in fifteen.”

  Ava rolled away from him again, her body stiff. Was she upset with him? She had urged him to go.

  He kissed her bare shoulder, then stood up to pull his clothes on. Unable to find his shirt, he smiled when he realized he had left it with the lawn mower.

  He had a spare in his truck. He’d use that.

  “Ava, thank you for—”

  “Don’t you dare say it.”

  Cole thought there was nothing as adorable as an embarrassed Ava.

  He knelt beside the bed and kissed her forehead.

  “I’m sorry to leave so quickly. There’s a contractual issue.”

  “You don’t have to explain anything to me, Cole.” Her voice was curt when she replied. So different from the gentle lull she addressed him with before.

  He stiffened. “I know I don’t have to. I want you to understand. I’d rather be here with you.”

  “But duty calls. I get it.”

  She rolled over so her back was to him.

  He didn’t have time for a petty fight. Duty did call, and if she preferred to leave things this way, he’d oblige her.

  “See you tomorrow.”

  “Mmhmm.”

  He hesitated at the door. Her mumbling spoke volumes about how much she believed in him. He should stay—he should prove to her that she meant more to him than any contract in the world.

  But why give her false hope? If the contract was the one he assumed it was, he’d be leaving and would have to let her down, anyway.

  Chapter Nine

  Ava’s cell phone buzzed right when she was on the brink of finally falling asleep.

  Okay, so it was only ten-thirty. But hey, it had been an erotically-charged day, and that kind of activity took a lot out of her.

  She chastised her heart for quickening when she saw the incoming text was from Cole.

  Are you thinking of me?

  She blushed, thankful he couldn’t see her. What kind of greeting was that? Did his arrogance know no bounds?

  She started to type a negative retort, but stopped herself. Why lie when he knew darned well how she reacted around him?

  Maybe.

  Non-committal. That could work.

  Guess I need to come by to keep myself fresh in your thoughts.

  Heck, no. If he came by, she’d be nothing but a zombie tomorrow. Her big boss was coming to observe her classroom and she needed to be on top of her game.

  Already in bed.

  Perfect.

  Going to sleep.

  A few moments went by with no response. Did he tire of her already? She shrugged to herself and settled back against her pillow. She couldn’t afford to lose sleep over it. If only her body would calm down…

  I can think of so many better things to do.

  Such as?

  I’ll come over and show you.

  No!

  Are you still mad at me?

  What are you talking about? I wasn’t mad.

  Don’t lie to me, Ava.

  She couldn’t stop the chill that ran down her back. She had been annoyed, but she also admitted to herself that her expectations for him were far higher than they should have been.

  I’m not mad.

  Good. To make up for my terrible manners, I’m making dinner for you tomorrow night.

  Can’t. I have end-of-the-year conferences to prepare for.

  I’ll help you.

  No way. No distractions.

  Wednesday night, then.

  Sorry, I have a workshop/training thing to attend.

  Thursday.

  I’ll be busy all week.

  Fine, then Friday night it is. No arguments.

  Friday night? How do you know I don’t have plans?

  You do have plans. With me. Actually, you should probably plan to clear your calendar for the next few nights, at least after your work commitments. I’ll be keeping you very busy. If not in person, then definitely over the phone.

  Ava chewed her lip and held the phone against her chest.

  Did you get the gift I left for you?

  Yes, thank you. I love chocolates.

  No, the other one. The box on your porch.

  She bounced out of bed faster than a kid on Christmas morning, eager to be the first to see if Santa had come.

  She found the small, wrapped box and immediately tore into it. She burst into laughter.

  Really, Cole? She texted.

  What?

  She could almost hear his playful, phony innocence over the text. As if he didn’t know. But she’d play along to see where this went.

  Yin-yang thong. How clever.

  The phone buzzed against her chest. When she pulled it away, she saw it was Cole requesting a video call.

  Without thinking, she accepted the invitation.

  He was fully dressed in a button-down shirt. He appeared to be seated at a desk. Even though he was clearly a workaholic, he was too darned sexy for words.

  “Are you at work?”

  “I tried to be with you, but you turned
me down.”

  She smiled and tried to straighten her hair.

  “I look like hell.” She had been all tucked into bed—she hadn’t anticipated a late-night rendezvous.

  “You look perfect. Well, you’d be more perfect if that pesky pajama top was gone.”

  She couldn’t come up with a snappy response. Her brain turned to sludge around him.

  “Take it off, Ava.”

  “Are you crazy?” She tried to be stern, but her stupid lips wouldn’t turn downward.

  “Take it off. I want to see you.”

  “You can see me. I’m right here.”

  “All of you.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Okay, I’ll come there and take it off myself.”

  “You will not.”

  He stood from the desk, carrying the phone with him. She heard the jingle of his keys as he reached across the desk.

  “Don’t you dare.”

  “Take it off and I’ll spare you this one time.”

  She had never done anything so naughty before, but the idea of giving in to him on this command made her tremble, and not in fear.

  She placed the phone on the pillow beside her and slipped the pajama top over her head, then nestled back under the blanket so only her shoulders were showing. She picked the phone back up and teased him with the most evil smile she could muster.

  He sat back in his seat.

  “Now put me under the blanket with you.”

  “I think it’s your turn to take something off.”

  His devilish grin made her want to get in her car and track him down so he could put her out of her desire-induced misery.

  Instead, she spent the evening living out a fantasy she never even knew she had.

  ***

  Cole paced around his living room as the clock struck seven. Would she bail on him? After the heated video calls they had been enjoying every night this week, he doubted it. They had unfinished business, and his body had spent all day anticipating sealing the deal.

  Only one thought put a damper on his excitement.

  How would he tell her this brief affair was coming to an abrupt end?

  The situation wasn’t fair. After several years of craving her and regretting ending their summer fling, he finally had her back. And, like before, his business required a serious commitment. Thanks to the shitty economy, he was at a crossroads. He had managed to land a major consulting gig on the other side of the world. He couldn’t turn it down. He needed this. He had people counting on him.

  He answered the knock at the door, determined to live in the moment for all the moments they had left together.

  His eyes widened and his pulse quickened at the vision of Ava in his doorway. She was always beautiful, but she had a special glow tonight. Her green, strappy sundress matched her emerald eyes. A light shawl allowed her kissable shoulders to play an erotic game of peek-a-boo.

  After a speechless moment of checking her out, his eyes returned to her face. Her lips, moist and full, begged for his kiss.

  He was more than happy to oblige.

  She pulled away after a quick kiss, handing him a bowl of salad.

  “Come in. You look gorgeous.”

  Something about the way she shook her head and blushed made him wonder if anyone had ever pointed out the obvious to her.

  She stepped around him, and he watched with pride as she took in her surroundings.

  “This place is great. So fancy inside.”

  “You make it more beautiful.”

  She rolled her eyes at him.

  “Did you buy it like this?”

  “It was nothing like this when I bought it. I was a starving college student, desperate to have a place of my own to stay in during breaks. This place was a dump, but in my price range at the time. It took me years to renovate, but I have to say, I’m pretty proud of it.”

  “You should be. You do beautiful work.”

  He had always been confident in his abilities, but having Ava praise him made him want to stick his chest out and pound on it. She did strange and wonderful things to him.

  “But why did you never bring me here that summer?”

  “It was a dump. Not worthy of you.”

  “But the back of your dad’s company pick-up truck was?”

  “Trust me, that rusty old thing was an improvement over this place. I was so busy building my company that improvements here were very slow moving.”

  Ava nodded and, hands clasped behind her back, strolled around the room. She paused to study his displayed artwork.

  “Who made you this lovely piece of art?”

  “That would be the budding artist, Hope. My precocious little niece.”

  He couldn’t wait to introduce Ava to his sweet nieces.

  His smile began to falter when he remembered he wouldn’t be here to include her in his life. He doubted she’d welcome him with open arms when he could finally come back, considering her reaction to his return this time.

  Luckily, Ava was too busy studying his condo to notice the dread he was sure marked his face.

  The need to touch her—even a little bit—had his blood boiling. He couldn’t be a casual observer in her life. Not with her so close.

  After setting the salad bowl on the coffee table, he stepped toward her and placed a hand on her shoulder. Her skin was warm on his palm. She smelled like flowers or something sweet, and if he didn’t kiss her soon, he’d be out of his mind.

  She leaned back against him. He kissed the top of her head, wrapping his arms around her waist as she grasped his arms.

  He could stay like this forever.

  Without warning, she jumped away, moving toward his collection of model houses.

  “What are these for?” Her smile made creases in her cheeks and happy lines next to her eyes. “Don’t tell me you play with dolls.”

  Her eyes lit up as she teased him.

  He clasped his hands behind his back and walked around the table, studying the mini-houses displayed there.

  “Which one would you want to live in? If you could pick a house to raise a family in.”

  He didn’t miss the wistful look in her eyes, the gentle sigh of a feminine fantasy. In a blink, the look disappeared. Her playful expression returned.

  “Hmm…” She placed a finger on her chin. “I guess that depends. Do I get a cleaning staff, or do I have to clean the whole thing myself?”

  He returned to stand behind her, leaning over her shoulder and holding her in his arms again. She leaned into his chest.

  “If I have to do all the cleaning, I’ll take an itty bitty house. But it could be fun to have a great big house with a huge backyard for dozens of kids to run around. Oh, and a big hill for rolling down in the summer and sledding in the winter.”

  “You want dozens of kids?”

  “Well, they’ll have friends over and stuff. I want to be ‘that’ house.”

  “I see.”

  “What about you?” She spun around, wrapping her arms around his neck. “What house will you raise your family in?”

  He wanted to say that whatever one she chose would be fine for him, but he knew he couldn’t play the fool forever. He most certainly didn’t want to hurt her with false promises.

  To avoid answering, he kissed her.

  The kiss was tender and slow, very unlike any other affection they had shared. He couldn’t deny the imminent threat of explosion, but there was something about this kiss that tried to make him into a family man. A committed lover. Someone to count on.

  He pulled away, shocked by the emotion punching him in the gut. He couldn’t let her see his eyes—she’d read his thoughts. Instead, he grabbed her hand and led her to the dining room.

  He couldn’t contain his grin as her eyes widened and her hands clapped over her mouth.

  “You did this?”

  He nodded. After a moment, he took her hand and led her across the rose-petal-scattered floor. She paused to smell the flowers in th
e baskets against the walls.

  “You even lit candles.” She closed her eyes and inhaled.

  For the first time, he sent a silent “thanks” to his mother for teaching him some elements of design. The candlelight bouncing around the room cast a sensual glow on Ava, making him want to sweep her off her feet and give her a happily-ever-after ending.

  His smile grew heavy. He knew he was only capable of a happily-for-now, but he vowed to make it the best damned “now” she had ever had.

  “It’s so beautiful, Cole. All of it.”

  Moisture glistened in her eyes. A knot tightened in his throat.

  He pulled her close to him, not trying to hide his rather obvious physical attraction to her.

  “Nothing in this room can compare to your beauty.”

  She hugged him. He knew he’d have to cut his heart out of his chest and leave it here with her. It was no good to him, anyway.

  He needed her.

  Dammit, he needed her.

  But he had to let her go. He just hoped she wouldn’t hate him as much as he hated himself.

  ***

  “Did you seriously make all of this?” Ava shoved another flavorful piece of chicken parmesan into her mouth. With all of his positive attributes, she never would have guessed he could also cook.

  “You doubt me?”

  “Come on. Where’d you order it from?”

  “Okay, I’ll confess. The bread came from the bakery downstairs. But the rest was all me.”

  “Was it frozen?”

  “I’m hurt by your insinuation.” He leaned back in his chair and slowly shook his head.

  He recovered quickly, leaning forward in a show of confidence.

  “I’ll have you know that I personally breaded each piece of chicken. I also boiled the ziti myself.”

  “You didn’t!”

  “That’s it.” He threw his napkin onto the table and pushed back in his seat. “You don’t believe I cooked this meal, maybe you’ll believe the next activity is all me.”

  She couldn’t speak as he pulled her from the table. All through dinner, he had been a perfect gentleman. He had served her, encouraged her to talk about her job, her family, her life. He had even shared snippets of his life. Every time he had come close, electricity jumped from him to her. She could tell he wasn’t unaffected, but he maintained an appropriate distance and insisted she eat.