by Marie Harte
“Okay.” He saw Claudia, today? Not pleased but now wanting to know more, Ava waited.
“He told me it was over. He told me before, but I didn’t believe him. He holds a lot back, emotionally. He saw things in the Marines. Oh, we never talked about it. But if I ever mentioned the news, he’d grow cold, distant. I tried to get him to share with me, but he never would. And when I tried to tell him how I felt about him, he broke it off.” She sniffed. “Then today, he told me about you.”
“Oh?”
“Not you, exactly. Just that he’d met someone. And I could see it in his eyes, so I was curious. I wanted to talk to you, to meet you. I heard from a few friends that he was into some woman at the gym.”
“Okay.” What the heck to say to that? What exactly did “into” mean, anyway? And why were people gossiping about her? That didn’t sit well. At all.
“I’m sorry. I know I’m imposing. I just… I don’t know what I want. I miss him, but I want him to be happy. I just wish it was with me.”
Ava stood and patted Claudia on the shoulder. “Breakups can be hard, especially when it feels one-sided. If time hasn’t helped you get over him, maybe think of seeing someone who can counsel you through it. I know therapy has helped a few friends of mine.” Elliot, years ago, had talked to her extensively about losing the love of his life. At the time, it had seemed as if he’d never move on.
Until months later, when he came out of his shell and accepted himself and the gay community. Now there was no stopping him. She thought about him juggling Mitchell and Tony. Hmm. Perhaps they should have another discussion about the merits of monogamy and deepening a relationship.
She smiled to herself, because Elliot would love this drama at the gym. Knowing she’d been involved in a my-man/your-man discussion in the locker room, of all places. And before her big date with said man? Priceless.
Even Ava could see the humor in the situation, though not in Claudia’s pain.
“Therapy. I might do that.” Claudia gave a wan smile through her tears. “Just know that if you and he don’t work out, I’ll be waiting.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” Ava might be a therapist, but she was also a blood-and-bones woman. Claudia was starting to seriously annoy her.
“No.” Claudia blew her nose. “I just wanted to be honest.”
“Do you feel better for having done so?” Ava asked. How about I be honest right back and tell you I want to punch you in the face? Ava breathed deeply. She felt much better imagining Claudia’s cute little nose askew and bleeding. Then she tucked the feeling away, having accepted her irritation as her due.
Claudia nodded. “I also feel stupid for bothering you.” That said, the woman bolted into a bathroom stall.
Ava sighed and grabbed her bag, then met Landon at the front desk.
“Well, well. You sure took your sweet time, Doc. Not that you don’t look like you put the time to excellent use”—a direct once-over that set her blood ablaze—“but man. You took an extra twenty minutes.” Landon ribbed her.
“I’m so sorry. I was speaking with Claudia about something.” She took great satisfaction in his shocked expression. “Let’s discuss it over dinner, shall we?”
* * *
Shit, shit, shit. Man, try to give a woman compassion, let her down easy, and she craps all over your dinner plans. Damn Claudia, anyway.
Landon kept watching Ava for any hint she meant to dump him during dinner. It was killing him, all this polite conversation about his work, his day, his fine fucking job teaching the self-defense class.
They sat in Toulouse Petite, his favorite restaurant for Cajun cuisine in Seattle. As usual on a Friday night, the place was packed. So looking on the bright side, if she just walked out on him, no one would notice.
“Do you like managing people?” she asked and munched on her salad. She had a healthy appetite, which he appreciated. Nothing worse than going out with a woman who picked at her food.
“Yeah. It’s like being in the Corps, except here people cry when you yell at them.” He shrugged. “But once I let Kyle know I wasn’t serious about ripping his throat out, he calmed right down. Set a good tone for the office though.”
She just looked at him, and he could totally imagine her in a pair of sexy glasses, peering down her nose at him. He mentally added a super prim skirt suit with garters and crotchless panties underneath. Then she’d ask him to lie back on her couch and confess his fantasies while she slowly stripped down…
“I’m kidding,” he confessed, and she looked relieved. He actually had made Kyle cry, but not from threatening the guy bodily harm. More like, if the idiot didn’t improve his efficiency, stop taking two-hour lunch breaks, and get his head out of his ass, Landon would openly fire the dumb shit in front of his fiancée and the entire office. Kyle had been a model employee since.
“You said you were a business major in college, and you’re used to managing people. Sounds like you’re a perfect fit for your job. So what’s your office environment like?”
He responded, trying to sound interested. But good Christ. This polite chitchat was driving him insane. What the hell had Claudia said to her in the locker room? He kept waiting for Ava to bring it up. But for some reason she wasn’t.
“Do you think it might snow this weekend?”
He couldn’t take any more. “Are you going to tell me what Claudia said or what?”
She paused in the act of sipping her water, then set it down. The waiter chose that moment to bring them more water and to inquire about refills on their drinks. So Landon waited through excessive inquiries from an overly smiley guy about to get a fist in his face if he didn’t hurry the hell up. Once Smiley finally left, Ava took a few bites of her salad, prolonging the agony.
In a calm voice, she mused, “You seem a little bothered, Landon.”
“You think?” he snapped. He’d lost control of the situation, and it aggravated him. He couldn’t do damage control if he had no idea what needed to be fixed. She hid a smile, but not fast enough.
He scowled. “You think this is funny?”
“Actually, I do.” She laughed and finished the wine he planned on paying for, even though she’d lost their earlier bet. Delayed by his ex. Talk about a bad way to start the night.
He tried to hold onto his irritation when the waiter returned—friggin’ guy—and dropped off their drinks and entrées. Ava wore a devilish grin, her full lips utterly kissable. Her hair looked silky under the soft light overhead, and he wondered what it would feel like brushing his belly while she kissed her way down his body.
He was dying to get his hands on her. She made it worse, because every time she smiled, his heart threatened to race out of his chest. Snarky, intelligent, sexy. She had it all, the trifecta of just-his-type, and he wanted a real kiss this time. So badly he could taste it.
With a loud sigh, he rested his elbow on the table and sank his head into his hand. “Okay, I give up. What the hell did she tell you? It’s eating me alive not to know.”
Ava’s laugh warmed him. “Relax, Landon. She had nothing but lovely things to say about you.”
He straightened in his seat and waited for the ax to fall.
Her compassion, and mirth, unnerved him. “In fact, I think she’s in—”
“Don’t say it.”
“—love with you. Or maybe she just thinks she is. Because even after two months, she still misses you. Oh, and according to her, you don’t emotionally share like you should. But then, your relationship with her was just physical, so maybe that’s all you were invested in to begin with.”
He groaned. “She told you that?”
“Yes. You should also know she’s waiting with her arms wide open whenever you decide to go back to her.”
Did Ava have to take such joy in the telling? Her eyes sparkled, and her cheeks looked so pink a
nd pretty. Her lips were a glossy red, a deep, rich color that invited him to lean closer and take a sip. Would she taste like her wine? Or like the spicy dish she’d ordered, a saucy gumbo that smelled like heaven?
At that moment, his stomach rumbled. “You can keep talking, but I’ve got to eat. My stomach’s about to collapse on itself.” He swallowed a moan along with a healthy bite of his sandwich while she dug into her food. He finally relaxed, realizing she had no intention of ditching him. At least, not until after dinner. “I’m, uh, glad you’re enjoying tonight.”
“Oh, I am. It’s not every night I see the great Landon Donnigan out of sorts with a woman.” Ava’s smile widened. “And being that woman, why, I never want the experience to end.”
Neither did he, oddly enough. Wanting to sex her up made sense. Wanting to sit and talk and make her laugh? That went deeper than the physical. It was something to think about.
They ate in silence for a few bites, and he felt it safe to change the subject. “Ah, so all that talk about the self-defense class. Did you like it?”
“I did.”
“Don’t sound so surprised. We know what we’re doing.”
“What surprised me most was that you two never talked down to us. You never tried to act tough and manly, as if you know better. You explained, you broke things down, and you put the power to act in our hands.” She considered him, and her intensity stripped him bare. “You’re doing the class for your sister.”
“I mentioned that.” Not in so many words, but Ava was smart. She’d put the clues together.
“Not in so many words.”
Like she read my mind. He cleared his throat and pushed his po’boy aside. “Hope is my little sister. Lately she’s been dating some real bozos. I don’t want to see her get hurt, so we’re teaching her how to physically stand up for herself. I mean, hell, she’s smaller than you.”
“I’m not small.”
Ava was perfectly proportioned, to his way of thinking. “You’re about average in height, right? Five-six? Five-five?”
She frowned. “Five-six and three quarters. I like to round up to an even five-seven.”
“You’re so cute pretending to be taller.” He laughed at her, pleased at her blush. “Yeah, so, Gavin and I talked Hope into taking the class. And I realized it would help a lot of people, not just her.” He gave her long look. “Like you. I mean, who knows what the next yahoo you date will be like?”
“There is that.” She gave him a disdainful once-over. “Who knows what I’ll be dealing with?”
He chuckled. “That’s what I like about you.” Besides that mouthwatering body. “Your sense of humor.”
“And wit.”
“Yeah, brainy babes do it for me.” He deliberately laid on the macho attitude. The thicker the better.
Except she smiled at him again. “I know you’re putting me on. I can tell when you try to get a rise out of me.”
“Are you shrinking me, Doc?”
“Shrinking is not a verb, Landon.”
He liked her saying his name with that combination of vexation and amusement.
“Technically it is.”
She frowned, then sighed. “So it is. My point is I don’t ‘shrink’ people. I talk to them. I observe. I offer therapeutic advice and counsel to my patients.” She drank more wine. Moderate but consistent. Ava remained fully in control of herself. He liked that about her too. “I try not to beleaguer my dates with armchair diagnoses.”
“Tell me about your dates.” Finally a place he felt on even keel. “You told me you’re looking for a baby-maker and future husband.”
“I knew you’d bring that up again.” Her eyes narrowed. Hot topic, apparently. “Why? Are you auditioning for the role?” she snapped.
“For baby-maker? I’m sure game to try.” He smiled. “Though I’m surprised you’re so casual about your future baby-daddy.”
“I am so sorry I mentioned that to you.” She finished what remained of her merlot. “To be honest, I only added the baby part to throw you. I’m dating because I’d like to find someone to share myself with. To be intimate with, yes, but for much more than mere sex.”
Mere? “Sex is an important part of any relationship. Anyone can have friends. But sex is something you only have with someone special.”
“Like Claudia?”
He saw her flush the moment the words left her lips. “Jealous?”
“I’m as jealous of her as you are of Charles.” Her smug retort made his erection return full force, and just when he’d relaxed enough to be able to stand up without embarrassing himself.
He took a long drag of his beer. “Well then. I’d say you’re pretty green, Doc.”
She blinked. “What?”
“’Cause I didn’t like the dickhead sitting anywhere near you. He’s not in your league, and we both know it.”
“But you are?”
“Hell yeah. I’m starting quarterback. You’re easily a wide receiver.” He pursed his lips and gave her a deliberate once-over. “Well, not wide so much as built. Sexy. Hmm, what’s a complimentary word for ‘killer rack’?”
Her pretty pink cheeks made it impossible not to reach for her. He stroked the back of her hand on the table, taken with her softness. So delicate, and so tense. He needed to do something about that.
They finished eating and waited for the bill.
“I’ll pay my own way.” Ava pulled her purse in front of her.
“I asked you out. I pay. Besides, you had to deal with Claudia.” Her name felt bitter on his tongue.
Ava gave him a straight look and said, “You do realize buying my dinner does not entitle you to my body,” just as the waiter arrived with the check.
Landon grabbed it from him, ignored the guy’s wide eyes, and grinned at her. “Well then. How about if I let you leave the tip? My generosity should get me a kiss at least.” He looked up at their waiter. “What do you think? Your service was stellar. I’m thinking a big tip for you, my man.”
The guy turned on his heel and left. Landon glanced at Ava and saw her fighting not to laugh. “Something I said?”
She burst into laughter, and the sound of her amusement filled the empty spots inside him. Who knew making her feel good would make him feel twenty feet tall? Granted, he liked taking care of his dates, but seeing to Ava’s—what she’d call—emotional needs felt as vital as breathing.
“He was fine. Twenty percent. What do I owe?”
“I was kidding.” He tried to move the bill but she dragged it from him too fast.
She stuffed some cash in the card folder. “So our date…I have to tell you I wasn’t bored. Not at all.”
“Gee, Ava. Stroke my ego, why don’t you?” he muttered and handed off the bill to their waiter, who darted off with it like a deer chased by hungry hounds. “So.”
“So.” She sipped her water, looking completely composed.
He didn’t like that. He wanted her flustered, impassioned, her lips parted and begging for more. “What’s the verdict?”
“I’m sorry?”
“You should be. You said you weren’t bored. So did I charm you into another date or what?”
“I don’t know that I’d use the word charming. At all.” She snickered. “But you’re interesting to talk to.”
Interesting. Right up there with nice. The dating Kiss of Death. Might as well go for broke. “Well, let’s make this plain. I want to go out with you again. You intrigue me. Don’t think I didn’t see how you deflected most of my questions, either. Every time I asked you about you, you turned it around and made the question about me. You’d make a hell of an interrogator.”
“Thanks.” She seemed genuinely pleased.
And that. There. She was so damn adorable. How many women liked being praised for their devious inquisitive skills?
“Shall we go?” he asked after the waiter slipped the card folder back on the table. He’d pester her outside for their next date, which they would have.
“Yes, let’s.” They stood, and he rounded the table to help her with her coat. She looked startled, then gave him a warm smile and accepted his help.
“I’m not completely hopeless.”
“Not completely.”
“You’re a real smart-ass, you know that?”
She beamed.
Again, that attitude. He buttoned up his coat, glad it and his dark jeans masked his erection. They went outside, in the cold wind, and hurried to her car. She slipped on a patch of ice and would have fallen to the ground, like her purse, had he not grabbed her.
“Thanks,” she gasped. “Fast reflexes.”
He grunted, straightened her on her feet, and knelt to grab the stuff that had fallen out of her handbag. When he handed it to her, still on one knee, she put a hand on his cheek.
“My hero.” She leaned down to give him a kiss, and he froze.
The warmth of her mouth, the sweet taste of woman and wine, made it difficult to swallow a moan, but he did, not wanting to come off as easy. A simple kiss and he was ready to beg.
Fuck.
She lifted her head, and he saw she’d closed her eyes. Her dark lashes looked thick, a forest of intrigue hiding the light green eyes of a temptress. Good thing they were in public, or he for sure would have tried to get her naked. Stat.
She blinked her eyes open and stared into his, and he swore he felt something snap between them. Then she hurriedly pulled back and clutched her purse to her chest. “Uh, th-thank you.”
He rose and stared down at her. “You’re welcome.” He cupped her chin and returned the gentle kiss, still not sure how something so benign could make him feel as if he’d been hit by a two-by-four. He lifted his head and saw her looking starry-eyed. “So I’ll see you again. Tomorrow?”
“Yes. Tomorrow. Right.” She didn’t blink, her gaze honed in on his. “What’s tomorrow?”
He smiled. Good. The woman was scattered. It wasn’t just him. “Tomorrow’s Saturday, Doc. How do you feel about college basketball?”
