A Reason to Stay

by Melissa Ellen

  I relaxed, giggling inwardly at how professional he sounded, but was relieved he didn’t ask me anything too personal up front. “Architecture.”

  “Why architecture?”

  “Honestly?”

  “Of course.”

  “You’ll laugh.”

  “Maybe so,” he gave me a lopsided grin, “but I still want to know. Tell me, Ava…what made you choose architecture as a major?”

  “Okay… well… When I was a little girl, I watched this movie where the main character was a single mom and an architect. I thought it was so cool how she got to play with miniature dollhouses all day. Of course, at the time, I didn’t realize that wasn’t what an architect really did….but for some reason it stuck,” I shrugged my shoulders. “Overtime, I fell in love with design and the whole aspect of architecture.” I finished my answer, embarrassed at how mundane my life felt compared to his.

  He smiled fondly at me. “I don’t think that’s funny at all. It’s inspiring to hear about you following your dreams from childhood…. Not many people do… tell me more.”

  “What else do you want to know?”

  “Everything…,” he leaned in closer, my pulse increasing with his proximity. “I want to know everything there is to know about you, Ava… What makes you who you are…,” his hand brushed along my jawline. “What makes you smile…,” the pad of his thumb traced my bottom lip. “What makes you tick, Ms. Conner?” My last name fell from his mouth seductively.

  Trying to ignore the emotions and desires that were coursing through me, I pulled away from his touch, responding to only his first request. I rambled on about my family, friends and life as he watched me closely. The whole time I spoke, he seemed intrigued and genuinely interested, occasionally asking questions to prompt me to continue talking, his sexy smile rarely leaving his face.

  At some point in our conversation, we’d relocated to the living room for a more comfortable seat on the couch. I had slipped off my shoes, tucking my legs under my body, feeling completely relaxed in his presence and home. He sat close to me with one of his arms draped across the back of the couch beside me.

  As our conversation slowed, I could feel the familiar electricity crackle between us. His gaze fell to my shoulder, his thumb lightly stroking it as he pushed my dress strap down, completely revealing my bare skin. He leaned in, his warm lips delicately sprinkling kisses from my shoulder up my neck, lingering behind my ear. I lolled my head to the side, allowing him better access.

  His hands gripped my hips, lifting me effortlessly onto his lap before taking my face into his hands as I straddled him. He brushed my cheekbone lightly with his thumb. I forced myself not to move away. His touch unnerved me, but I wanted his lips on mine again.

  “Ava,” he whispered, asking for my permission. A chill moved through me, followed by heat between my legs. I nodded just before his lips pressed into mine. His kiss was gentler than earlier. His mouth caressed mine as if savoring the moment.

  I felt myself losing all my inhibitions and knew if I let this go on any longer, I would lose myself all together. I pulled away from his kiss, catching my breath. “It’s late,” I breathed. “I should get home.”

  “It’s too late to be driving. Stay here with me.”

  I looked away from his hypnotic face. “I can’t. I’m not ready for that.” I wanted him, but I was scared to have him.

  “Sleep here. That’s all I’m asking for. I just need you near. Give me that much.” Every part of my brain was saying no, yet every inch of my body was saying, yes. As if he could see my inner struggle, he added, “You can have my bed. I’ll sleep downstairs on the couch.”

  “I couldn’t do that. This is your home... I’ll stay, but I’ll sleep on the couch,” I negotiated.

  He was right, it was too late, and I didn’t feel right about making him drive me back to Wellesley. He didn’t seem pleased with my negotiation, yet he allowed me the compromise. He moved from the couch to get me something to sleep in, then left me alone to change while he built a fire in the fireplace.

  His t-shirt draped my small frame. It was long enough that it hit me mid-thigh, covering enough of me that was less revealing than the dress I had worn. Somehow, I still felt more exposed. I curled up onto the couch, leaning into him. He wrapped a blanket and his arm around me, holding me close until I fell asleep.

  CHAPTER 7

  The next morning, I awoke in his bedroom. Confused, I looked over to the other side of the bed that had been untouched. He took the couch. I couldn’t help the smile that crept onto my face, even though I was slightly irritated. I wondered if this was what it would be like to be in a relationship with him, always letting me think I was in control and that I won a negotiation, only to get his way in the end.

  I crawled out of bed, walking into his bathroom. There was an unopened toothbrush lying next to the sink with some toothpaste. Assuming they were for me, I brushed my teeth and freshened up the best I could. Walking down the stairs, I could smell fresh coffee and a sweet deliciousness coming from the kitchen. Rounding the kitchen corner, I found him bare-foot, dressed in jeans and a black t-shirt that hugged his muscular chest, exposing his strong arms while he cooked us breakfast. He was stunning. I stood in the doorframe admiring the view.

  “Good morning, Ava,” he smirked without looking up.

  Busted.

  “A gentleman and a cook,” I crooned, walking into the kitchen, trying to play down my embarrassment. His lips turned up into a smug smile. I poured myself a cup of coffee in the mug he had set out for me, adding my massive amount of cream and little bit of sugar.

  I sat at the bar across from the island stove, watching him flip French toast and sausage. It surprised me, how he seemed so at ease and natural in the kitchen. I guess I figured with his status in society, he would have a personal chef or something.

  He laid a plate of food in front of me and then walked around with his own to sit beside me. We chatted as we ate, learning more about each other. I told him I was leaving later in the day to head home for the Thanksgiving holiday. For some reason, this seemed to shift his light-hearted mood, tensing his body. I ignored it, changing the subject.

  “Thank you for breakfast. It was delicious.”

  He brought his fingers to my temple, brushing a piece of hair from my face, whispering, “Anytime.”

  I felt my heart skip a beat, understanding the word more as a promise than an offer. I abruptly stood, picking up our dirty plates to take them to the sink. As I reached for the faucet, his hand stopped mine, his body pressed against me from behind. My breath ceasing as I held it in.

  He dipped his head, placing a kiss on the side of my neck, speaking softly into my ear, “Leave them, they’ll be taken care of later.” Nudging my hips, he turned me around, then gripped the counter, pinning me in with a muscled arm on each side. “Right now, I want to take care of you.” He ran his lips along the shell of my ear as he spoke his low husky words. “I gave you control of the evening, now I need the morning.” His hand moved up my leg, lightly brushing my skin as it went, slowly lifting the hem of my t-shirt. They stopped at my bare waist, pulling me into him where I could feel his intentions. “You’ll be leaving soon, and I won’t be able to see you for at least a week. I want you, Ava... I need you.”

  My body was frozen in place. Warmth and desire spreading through every inch of it, stemming from where his hand was resting on my bare skin. It had been too long. My body was craving its release. I knew I would likely be shattered at the end of this. I didn’t care. I couldn’t fight the urge any longer.

  He whispered my name, once again asking for me to grant him permission. My chest grew tight with need and my mind went blank, forgetting the simplest of answers. “Ava,” he repeated with more of a growl this time.

  I drew in a shaky breath. “Yes,” I panted, giving him my consent.

  His eyes hooded over with heat as he lifted me from my feet, carrying me upstairs, effortlessly. He laid me on his bed, movi
ng slowly over me as his body parted my legs. He brushed his lips against mine once and then twice, teasing me, causing me to lose all control.

  I saw in his face an expression that was enough to tell me we felt the same way. I buried my hands into his hair, pulling him into meet my lips for good, kissing him with everything I had. I parted my lips as his tongue begged for entrance, letting our tongues tangle together. He tasted as delicious as he looked and smelled. Everything about him indulged all my senses.

  His hands skimmed my body, tugging at the hem of my panties. I lifted my hips, assisting him in removing them. He sat back, reaching his hand behind his back, pulling his shirt over his head, blessing me with the vision of his rippled abdomen. I drooled at the sight of him as he stripped himself of his jeans, revealing they were the only thing he had left on. I sat up, brazened by his confidence, removing my own shirt, leaving my body bare for his eyes.

  A small appreciative smile, curved up his lips as he drank me in, slowly crawling back over me, forcing me to my back. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered. His words easing any remaining doubts from my mind. He kissed up my body, lingering in places. Savoring. Tasting. Laying claim to every inch of it before he pushed inside me.

  He took his time torturing me with his addictive touch, making love to me. At least, that’s what I called it. I knew if I thought of it as just sex, I would lose my courage. He was gentle, controlled and demanding all at the same time. It was obvious he knew his way around a woman’s body. I quivered with pleasure over and over, my body finding the release it had been so desperate for.

  I rested my head on his chest, coiled in his arms with contentment. We remained in silence as he stroked my arm lightly, neither one of us wanting to speak or move in fear of losing the moment forever.

  My phone chirped and vibrated with a slew of text messages in the distance. Knowing our time together was coming to an end, he shifted under me, rolling me to my back. Lying on his side, he brushed some hair from my face. “When can I see you again?”

  Still reeling from the last couple of hours, I hadn’t thought beyond the present. He studied my eyes, as if searching for the answer. An answer, I realized, I didn’t know. I honestly, didn’t think he would want more than a one night stand, and I had made myself come to terms with that.

  “I don’t know. We don’t have to do this. It’s fine… I’m okay with calling this what it is.”

  “And what is that?” He suddenly seemed agitated. His words coming clipped and fast.

  “You know what I’m saying. I don’t want you to feel obligated. This was…great. Let’s leave it at that.”

  “I didn’t ask out of obligation, and I have no plan on letting you leave until you answer my original question,” he stated pointedly.

  Confused and irritated at his mood swings, I huffed, “And what if I said never?”

  “We both know that’s not an option either of us want, so there is no point in saying it.”

  I turned my head away from him, frustrated. He allowed me a minute to calm before gently clasping my chin, rotating it back to face him. “Ava,” his voice softened, “If I haven’t made it abundantly clear, then let me be now. This is not a one night stand for me. I want to see you again.”

  I studied him, taking in every inch of his face. He was being sincere. “I’ll be home the Friday after Thanksgiving.”

  Pleased with my answer, he brushed the corner of my lips with his thumb before kissing me possessively.

  After slipping on my dress from the night before, I checked my phone while Rhett showered and dressed to take me home. I had multiple text messages from Stephen and Lizzie checking in on me. I texted Stephen first, assuring him I was fine, promising to meet up with him after Thanksgiving. As I was typing a text to Lizzie that I would be home soon and would give her more details then, Rhett came up behind me, stealing my phone from my hand.

  “Hey!” I squealed, lunging to retrieve it. “That’s personal!”

  “Calm down, Ava,” he grinned, moving it just out of my reach before typing away. “There. Now you have my number,” he handed it back to me. “And I’m glad to see you found sex with me…..how did you put it? Hot. And a toe-curling orgasm.” He smirked.

  My cheeks blushed with embarrassment, knowing he had read part of my conversation with Lizzie. Would I ever stop humiliating myself with this man?

  “Don’t let it go to your head, Ace,” I tried recovering some dignity.

  He laughed, pulling me in for a kiss before giving me a playful slap on my ass, “Let’s go, beautiful.”

  My heart melted.

  Lizzie and I had decided to carpool to Litchfield. She offered to drive this time, since I drove the last trip home. I think she also wanted to make sure she had a getaway car if her family started to get on her nerves. I was happy to let her. I was completely exhausted still from my time with Rhett. We weren’t five minutes into the drive before I received a text from Rhett.

  R: Thinking about you…

  A: What are you thinking exactly?

  R: How I can’t wait to see you again...and give you another one of those orgasms you were bragging about.

  I could picture the confident smirk on his face. I tucked my lips between my teeth, holding in a laugh and an eye roll.

  A: I’m surprised there’s room in that head of yours for you to think about me, considering how inflated your ego is.

  R: Don’t pretend you don’t like the size of my head , Ms. Conner. Talk to you soon, beautiful.

  I blushed, thinking of his voice and the way he could excite me with just his words. Lizzie glanced over, noticing my flushed cheeks.

  “Okay, you’ve kept me in suspense long enough. Spill it!” she demanded with childlike giddiness.

  Part of me wanted to stall, just to torture her, but I was filled with so much happiness, I couldn’t hold it in. I told her all about my time with Rhett.

  Every.

  Amazing.

  Detail.

  “So, Cinderella found her prince charming and from the sounds of it, he’s even more charming in bed,” she grinned.

  “I wouldn’t go that far, just yet,” I laughed. “He does make me feel sexy and desired. I haven’t felt that in a while. I’m just worried that it’ll end as quickly as it started. I’m not even his type. Every girl he’s been pictured with is blonde, tall and super-model hot. I have no idea what he wants from me.”

  “Stop selling yourself short, Ava. You’re way more beautiful and sexy than those fake tit blondes. And his type is obviously you, or he wouldn’t be pursuing you. We both know tabloids are full of trash and misconceptions.”

  “I just don’t want to get hurt again. I wasn’t looking for this. For him.”

  She glanced sideways, giving me a sympathetic smile. “He’s not Chris. You can’t go around thinking every man is going to do what he did. I’m not saying guys aren’t idiots and won’t make mistakes, but not all of them will hurt you the way he did. Just take it slow and have a little fun!”

  Knowing she was right, I let her contagious enthusiasm fill me. I needed to live in the moment and enjoy the ride…and what a sexy ride Rhett Blackwood was.

  “Enough about Rhett and me… What about you? You and Mike seemed pretty cozy on the dance floor.” I looked at her expectantly. She started to blush. Something I rarely saw Lizzie do when it came to talking about guys. “Lizzie!! Did you and Mike-”

  “No!!” she interrupted before I could say it. I gave her a look, telling her I didn’t believe her. “Ava, seriously! We did not have sex. I promise you.” She paused, “We did however kiss and spend the night together. No sex, though! Just sleeping!”

  “That doesn’t sound like the Lizzie I know. And from the way he was looking at you that night, I find it hard to believe he could keep his hands off of you.”

  “Oh it was hard, believe me.” I looked at her laughing. “Not like that, you dirty slut! One night of mind-blowing sex and your thoughts go straight to the gutter!” she teas
ed me.

  “I’m sorry,” I apologized without being able to stop my laughter. “In all seriousness, what’s going on with you two?”

  She glanced over at me and then turned her eyes back to the road. “Promise me you won’t be mad.”

  “I promise.”

  “Well… we’ve been talking, kind of dating for a little while.”

  “What?! Since, when!? And why the hell are you just now telling me?!” I yelled. Of all the secrets to keep from me. Her best friend!

  “You promised,” she reminded me. “It pretty much started right after you guys got back from the Hamptons. I’ve had a thing for him for a while. He never seemed interested in me, though. You’re kind of responsible for this in a way.”

  “How is that?”

  “The night you skipped going to darts, when you and Stephen were fighting. You arranged for Mike to pick me up. We went and were having a great time. A guy started hitting on me and offered to buy me a drink at the bar. I was leaving to go with him when Mike went ape shit on me. He went off on how I needed to have more respect for myself that I was too beautiful and smart to let any guy treat me like a piece of ass. I had never seen him so angry and bossy. It was the sexiest thing. I already had feelings for him. That just intensified them.”

  “So, what? You guys kissed and have been dating since?”

  “Not exactly. I said it was sexy, not that it didn’t piss me off. I let him have it too and then left the bar. By myself. I was so angry with him, but mostly with myself. I knew he was right. That’s why I hadn’t been going out as much. While you guys were in the Hamptons, he called me that Friday night to apologize. We talked all night and admitted how we felt about each other. It turned out he was so angry, because it drove him nuts watching and hearing about me with other guys.”

  She got silent, looking thoughtful and momentarily remorseful. I knew she was probably wishing she could take back some of those one night stands and started things with Mike sooner. “Anyways, we’ve decided to take it slow. No sex, for now. Which is killing me! Especially, now that I have to hear about your steamy sex life.”