Call to Engage

by Tawny Weber

He wanted her crazed with it. He wanted her desperate for it. He nibbled, sucked, teeth scraping over her nipples, fingers teasing, flicking and pinching her into a frenzy before moving on.

  His thumb moved over her belly button, his fingers tangled in the hair between her thighs. Then he found her.

  Wet and hot and so, so tempting.

  “No regrets,” he said, both as a reminder and to check her willingness to go on.

  Her response was to press her hips higher, to clamp her thighs around his hand. He dipped his fingers deeper, swirled, then pulled back, despite the grip of her legs. She’d gained some muscle, but she was still no match for him.

  “Elijah,” she begged.

  He dipped again, using his thumb this time to work the wet bud as his fingers danced inside. Ava moaned; her body shook.

  His own pleasure washed over him in an emotional wave as she came. God, he loved watching her come.

  “No regrets,” he repeated.

  Too focused on the orgasm still trembling through her body, Ava could only shake her head.

  “Ava,” Elijah insisted, the word a hoarse demand.

  “No,” she breathed, opening her eyes to meet his. Then she smiled. A wanton smile that pierced his heart. “No regrets. Not sorry. Not, not, not. Give me more, Elijah. Give me everything.”

  Damned if he didn’t want to.

  He knew the feel of her skin under his fingertips, the gentle field of goose bumps that shimmered along her chest as she arched high to offer her breasts to his mouth.

  He knew those nipples, ripe and rosy aureoles tipped with berry-size peaks, pouting in wait of his lips. He knew if he blew on them, they’d tighten. If he licked them, she’d moan. If he bit, she’d explode.

  He pressed his palms down her sides, tracing the indention of her waist, measuring the slender width of her hips. His thumb skimmed the birthmark just there along her bikini line, its size the exact fit to his fingerprint.

  He would have sworn that even though it had been four years, he still knew Ava’s body. But he would have been wrong. The woman was pure muscle. Her body a work of sculpted art.

  He’d worshipped her many times before. He’d dreamed of her. Once he’d known her body inside and out. He’d been so familiar with every lush curve, every soft bend of flesh, that he’d been able to draw her in his mind from memory each night they were separated.

  “You like?” she asked, her voice husky. Elijah met her eyes, noting the sultry passion of her heavy-lidded gaze.

  “I like. A lot.”

  “Show me.”

  In the past, she’d shyly seduced with teasing looks, timid touches and sweet suggestions.

  Now she demanded.

  He liked that, too.

  Ava’s hand skimmed between their bodies, her fingers sliding around the throbbing length of his erection before she wrapped her fingers tight and gave him a good squeeze.

  Oh yeah, Elijah thought as his breath jammed in his chest. He liked. A lot.

  And he wanted more.

  Following her lead, he shifted, reached between them to slide his fingers between her thighs. His knuckles skimmed the rigid muscles of her leg, reveling in the power there. He’d never realized how damned sexy strength was.

  Then, as his fingers dipped into her wet heat, he forgot about comparing present to past. He didn’t notice the changes. He simply felt. Her.

  And she felt fucking incredible.

  So wet.

  So hot.

  He slipped his forefinger along the silken folds, reveling in the way her body trembled, in the sound of her breath as it shook with small whimpers of pleasure.

  He took her up again, waiting until she came with a low moan before sliding into her trembling depths.

  Holy hell, she felt amazing.

  Ava’s body gripped his, her orgasm milking his erection. Squeezing. Condensing every drop of pleasure until his cock was full, throbbing with passion so intense it ached.

  Elijah plunged.

  Ava’s fingers dug into his hips, her short nails cutting into his skin.

  He drove deeper.

  She slammed her hips up, high and strong, meeting each thrust with a slap of flesh. With a moan of pleasure. Her breath came in pants, matching his as they climbed higher and higher together.

  Her thighs tightened on his hips, heels of her feet digging into the small of his back as if she wanted more—needed more. Knowing exactly what she needed, Elijah balanced on one hand, his thrusts uninterrupted as he skimmed the other between their bodies.

  Down the flat delight of her belly, between her legs. He found the tiny bead of wet flesh, working it as he felt himself thrusting in, sliding out. Her body tightened around him. Her moans turned to keening cries of pleasure.

  Her eyes, misted and mysterious with pleasure, stared into his as Ava arched, her breasts high, hips grinding against him. She came in a fast, intense explosion of pleasure, gripping him tight, as if desperate to ensure he came with her.

  His pace didn’t slow as Elijah drove her up again. He dipped his head, taking one berry-fresh nipple into his mouth to suck. The taste of her was all he needed, everything he needed.

  He burst.

  Pleasure exploded like fireworks, shattering his control, blasting him to pieces. Ava went along for another ride, her cries of passion echoing through his head as he emptied himself in her.

  Incredible.

  That was the only word in his head as the aftershocks trembled through their bodies.

  Incredible.

  And then he came down.

  Not in a nice, slow, gentle descent, either.

  Nope, he crashed like a plane plummeting from the sky to ram into a mountainside.

  He’d just had sex.

  With Ava.

  His ex-wife. The only woman he’d ever loved. The only one he’d ever wanted to love. The one who’d broken his heart into tiny little pieces and tossed them aside.

  Shit.

  His body still slick with sweat, the scent of Ava wrapped around him like a second skin, Elijah wondered if she realized that while extracting her promise of no regrets, he hadn’t offered the same.

  After all, Elijah knew just how pointless promises could be. Especially the ones between him and Ava.

  His body spent, his mind worn, he couldn’t find anything left to offer up on the altar of past regrets, though. He wrapped his arm tighter around her shoulders. Ava responded by snuggling closer, her thigh nestled between his as she shifted her chin into the indention where his shoulder met his chest. Her breath fluttered over his throat, soft and easy in sleep.

  Regret?

  Oh yeah, he knew he’d regret this in the morning. Hell—he glanced out the window, gauging the time from the angle of the moon—it was nearing dawn and the regret was already winding through him. Shoving aside pleasure, easing out satisfaction.

  Closing his eyes against it, he drifted into sleep with her hand entwined with his, the twisted band of her ring rubbing gently between his fingers.

  And he knew it for the talisman it was, the hope that lifted him from his nightmares.

  If only for tonight.

  Because nobody knew better than Elijah that tonight was all they had.

  CHAPTER NINE

  “AVA?” CHLOE’S BROWS hit her hairline. “Wow, what’re you doing here? I didn’t think I’d see you at all today, let alone first thing in the morning.”

  Crap.

  Ava froze in the act of sneaking in through the gym’s side door. Looked like she’d used up all her stealth skills sneaking out of Elijah’s bed, out of Mack’s apartment and back to her place to shower and change.

  She’d wanted a nice, sweaty, mind-numbing bout with the weight machines before her fir
st class. No, actually she’d wanted a platter covered in country-fried steak, biscuits and gravy with a mountain of breakfast potatoes.

  But after a lecture on how far she’d come, she’d settled for the workout.

  What she hadn’t wanted was conversation. But she knew Chloe. So Ava took one second to put on the best version of a happy face as she could manage and turned to smile at her friend.

  “Hey. I’m on tap to teach in an hour, and figured I’d get in a workout ahead of time.” Hoping that’d be enough to release her from further conversation, Ava started toward the locker room.

  Dreadlocks flying behind her, Chloe hurried around the counter and grabbed Ava’s arm. “Wait, slow down.” Frowning, she gave Ava a thorough inspection. Then she wrapped Ava in surprisingly strong arms and hugged her tight.

  It took everything Ava had not to curl into the woman’s arms and bawl. Thankfully she kept it to a quick squeeze, then stepped back.

  “How’re you doing? You feeling okay?” Chloe asked quietly, her eyes drenched in sympathy.

  Ava wanted to laugh through the tears clogging her throat. Okay? Hell, no.

  She exercised for a living and specialized in relieving muscle pressure. Yet thanks to last night’s little bedtime bout, she was walking like a bowlegged cowboy fresh off the range.

  “I’m fine,” she lied. “Just a headache is all.”

  A six-foot-two-inch, finely muscled headache, as a matter of fact. Ava managed a smile. “I guess I’m really not a tequila shot kind of gal after all.”

  “Well, it takes a special type to handle that many shots and not feel the results.” Chloe’s gaze angled to the right, but Ava didn’t need to see the wide-eyed look to know who’d just walked into the gym. The scent of Mack’s cologne filled the air like a spring forest, but it was the shift in energy that tipped her off to Elijah’s presence.

  She steeled herself. Stomach tight, nerves quivering like a bowstring, she tried to keep her breath even. The last thing she wanted this morning was to pass out at Elijah’s feet.

  She waited for the confrontation. But instead of feeling his presence behind her, she saw Chloe’s eyes fill with concern. At the same time, the sound of voices raised in greeting sounded behind her.

  Chloe bit her lip and glanced at Ava. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  No. “I don’t want to see him right now.”

  “He’s been cornered by a few of Mack’s buddies,” Chloe said in a low whisper. “Go head for the back.”

  Ava knew that would be a total chicken move. A quick glance over her shoulder showed her that Elijah was surrounded by groupies in the form of men who probably thought SEALs were the epitome of manliness. Her thighs quivered at the sight of him, her body reacting instantly just knowing he was nearby.

  Chicken move or not, Ava started toward the back, automatically checking the class board on her way. At this point, she didn’t care if she sprouted pinfeathers. She needed the distance.

  Whoa. Wait a minute.

  The large whiteboard indicated the week’s class schedule, noting times, instructors and which classroom each event was held.

  “What happened to my kickboxing class?” Feathers forgotten, Ava shifted out of Elijah’s line of sight and scowled at the board. “Why did it get moved?”

  “I moved it.” Looming over her shoulder like a thick-necked bull, Con Barton tapped the board. “You had a group of eight booked in the biggest classroom.”

  After a quick look to be sure that Elijah was still surrounded by his groupies, Ava faced the other instructor.

  She knew he tried to intimidate, using his bulk and height to get into people’s personal space. So she lifted her chin, squared her shoulders and met his gaze head-on.

  “Because we need the room. The workout includes a lot of running and jumping.” Then she moved forward until he stepped back. “The larger room wasn’t booked, and it doesn’t look like it’s needed now. So why would you move my class?”

  “Rules are you book the room based on the class size,” Con said, his bulldog jaw jutting stubbornly. “Someone might’ve needed that space.”

  “Generic rules bend to specifics,” Ava shot back, all of that irritation that had been churning through her system focusing on the big man with his stupid rule book. “Do you need the space yourself?”

  “No.”

  “Has someone requested it?”

  “No?”

  “So what’s the problem?”

  “Your class size doesn’t justify that room.”

  “My workout does,” she said between her teeth. What was the guy’s problem? She exchanged looks with Chloe, who shook her head in disgust.

  Ava’s smile faded at Con’s next words.

  “Why don’t we take this up with Mack? He can decide.”

  “You want to bother him with something this trivial?”

  “I think we need a solid ruling. As long as Mack doesn’t play favorites, that is.”

  Seriously? Ava ground her teeth together to bite back the frustration. Con was one of the possibilities Mack was considering as a partner. If she couldn’t get the funds together, this Neanderthal could be her boss someday.

  That was nastier than a hangover, morning-after regrets and caffeine deprivation combined.

  “Maybe you should quit running to Mack when you don’t get your way,” Ava suggested.

  “Maybe you should quit playing diva,” Con snapped.

  “Maybe you should back off.”

  Now? Elijah was interfering now? Ava cringed, more than ready to lay her throbbing head on the desk and groan.

  “Maybe you should mind your own business.” Con turned to glare at the interruption. His stance changed as soon as he got a look at Elijah, shifting from combative to conciliatory in a blink. “We’re just nailing down a few gym details here, man. Is there something you need?”

  Ava slid a sidelong look at Elijah. Noting that his eyes had turned to ice, she stepped between him and Con.

  “I need Ava.”

  Those words filled her with equal measures of delight and terror. Years ago she would have given anything to hear Elijah say he needed her. Now?

  No. A million times no.

  “Oh.” Con’s eyes slid from Elijah to her, then back again. He repeated, “Oooh.”

  Resisting the urge to give a quick uppercut to that smirking jaw, Ava made introductions. “Con, this is Mack’s cousin Elijah. The two of you probably have a lot in common.”

  Leaving it at that, she slid out from between the men with the same relief she figured she’d feel sliding out from between a pair of rabid dogs.

  “Sorry about that,” she heard Con apologize. She missed Elijah’s response, but caught Chloe’s little hand flutter, as if the air were getting too hot to handle.

  If only she knew.

  Ava quickened her steps in hopes of disappearing with the same ease she’d had sneaking out of his bed that morning. But no such luck.

  “Yo. Hang on,” Elijah called just as she rounded the cardio machines on her way to the back of the gym.

  “I didn’t need rescuing,” she snapped, pretending her stomach wasn’t swirling like a carnival ride.

  “Who said I was coming to the rescue? I just wanted to get rid of the guy so we could have a little privacy.”

  Privacy? Ava gulped, her nerves jangling like bowstrings. That’s when she noticed at least a dozen pair of eyes aimed their way, including Chloe, who appeared to be taking notes.

  “You growled at him like you were my guard dog and I was a juicy bone,” she said, tossed back in time to the multitude of instances when he’d done the same. “You always do that, Elijah. Act like I can’t take care of myself. I’m a big girl. Believe me, I’ve handled worse than a goon with a scheduling fetish.” />
  “Fine. We can add that to our list of things to discuss.”

  “Fine. We’ll talk about it later. I’m busy right now,” she claimed, pulling her arm free and heading for the locker room. Away from Elijah and, more important, away from prying eyes.

  As soon as she stepped through the door to privacy, he cornered her. “According to that handy-dandy chart you all were fighting over, you don’t have any classes booked or private training scheduled today. The bombshell said your massage schedule was clear. Which leaves fear.” Elijah’s smile turned wicked as he leaned closer, one arm blocking her exit while his body warmed hers with heated memories. “Are you afraid to talk to me, Ava?”

  “I’m not afraid of anything,” she lied.

  “No? Being alone with me doesn’t make you nervous?” He angled one leg between hers, his thigh riding high enough to send a tingling spiral of desire through her system. His breath was warm on her face, a delicious caress that made her desperate for more.

  “I’m not nervous,” she said, this time the lie coming out so breathless and shaky that she would have been better off keeping her mouth shut.

  “No?” he said again, those green eyes darkening when they locked on her lips. “My mistake. I figured it had to be fear or nerves that sent you sneaking out of my bed this morning. Why else would you slink away without a word?”

  He lowered his head so his mouth was just inches from hers. So close that if she lifted her chin, she’d taste him.

  “Why else wouldn’t you wake me for another round?”

  Why, indeed?

  Before Ava could think of a lie, any lie, her phone buzzed against her hip.

  “I have to take this,” she croaked, her eyes locked on his mouth. Oh, the pleasure that mouth offered. Her breath caught in her chest, heart pounding as she watched it coming closer and closer. Another few inches and she’d taste heaven.

  Oh man, she wanted to taste heaven.

  Using every bit of willpower she had left, she ripped her eyes off him to look at her phone. She had to blink a few times before she could manage to focus.

  Seeing the name, Ava automatically pressed a finger to her right eye to stop the automatic twitch. Could this morning get any worse?