“Define tempt?” Her grin was sexy and playful. He felt himself thickening. His heart beat double time. He could not force her hand. She had to do this on her own. If any part of her body touched the mattress she was his.
When he saw, those red, polished toes flex, foot off the ground, knee bent, body leaning forward moving toward the bed; his entire body tensed with anticipation.
The moment her knee made a slight indentation in the quilt Logan pulled her to him, partially covering her body with his larger frame.
“This is our second chance. I won’t fail you, again.” She wiggled in his arms until she rested across his chest. “I’ve been going out of my mind without you.” He placed a kiss to her forehead. “Will you put my heart back where it belongs?” He was speaking of more than the necklace, but that was a start.
“Yes, I’ll put your heart where it belongs.” She planted a firm kiss to his jaw.
“Don’t take it off again, sweetheart.” God help him, he was lost without her. He loved Ava.
“I won’t, Logan. I promise you.” He wanted to tell her that he loved her, but it was too soon. They had been back together for all of five minutes and his confession would have her running for the hills.
For the first time in two weeks, he felt peaceful. His was in control of his life once more.
“Logan, I have something to tell you.” She sounded hesitant. He noticed the pinched shoulders and the tension lines in her face. One giant slaying per day should be enough.
“Will it make either of us unhappy?” Not wanting to ruin the mood, it could wait until they had a chance to heal from what had been done. Logan had no illusions that the path ahead would be easier for them.
“Possibly.” She absently stroked his chest. He remembered she did that to comfort him. Always concerned about others. That was his Ava. It was high time someone took care of her.
“Can it wait until I return from the conference?”
“I think so.” Good. She was back in his arms. He’d be gone four weeks at the most, including prep time, negotiations, and travel days. They’d miss the holidays together, but he’d make it up to her ten-fold when he returned home.
“Rest, then.” Logan slept soundly with Ava in his arms. They had a lifetime to work out their issues. Neither of them was going anywhere.
Chapter 16
Ava sat in the break room eating her lunch with thoughts of Logan to keep her company. Kathryn and Spencer were on Randall patrol with Logan away, but their vigilance was unnecessary. She hadn’t seen Randall in weeks. Thank all the heavens something kept him occupied. With Logan gone she could not risk another encounter.
She shifted in the seat and the letter she’d carried with her every day for four weeks, poked out of her pocket. The United States Navy official seal called to her like a honey bun to a fat kid. To see the letter in her mailbox was beyond a shock. Kathryn promised to do what she could in getting the endorsement, but Ava had little hope when she’d walked out of the manager’s office. The night she and Logan reconciled, she wanted to tell him, but everything felt right after being messed up for weeks. She didn’t want to ruin the moment, either.
How fitting that fate would give her a way out, when she wanted nothing more than to stay. This was her dream. It was hers for the taking, but now she wasn’t so sure she wanted it with the same intensity.
Logan had taken up a space in her heart. She had waged a valiant fight. Her defense system was woefully inadequate against his magnetic pull. She would tell him about the direct appointment to the Navy Nurse corps when he returned. He wouldn’t be pleased, but they would find an option to keep them together. There had to be a way, even if she couldn’t see it.
She heard the doorknob turn. The break room door blew open and slammed into the wall. Ava’s attention flew in that direction.
“You will destroy everything he’s worked for.” Maribelle Masters stood in the open door way, an air of superiority swirled around her. Her distaste for Ava created a physical vortex that sucked the oxygen out of the room.
“My son has been groomed from birth for power and influence over others,” her voice supported with steel and grace as she entered the room.
“He needs the right kind of woman by his side. A woman, not like you.” Disdain dripped from every word.
Ava rallied her courage, “Logan chose me. The decision was his.” There she had said it. She was Logan’s choice. She was the woman he wanted.
“Do you think he would have chosen you if he knew how weak and pathetic you are?” This woman was vicious.
“What kind of woman let’s a man tie her up for kicks.” Ava’s eye widened and a thin layer of sweat broke on her skin. She could feel the icy breath enter and exit her body. Maribelle knew.
“I know all about your pitiful existence. It’s not surprising you ended up bloody, and discarded, on the floor.” Ava rose to her feet. She would not remain seated for another verbal lashing from this woman.
“Get out of here, Maribelle. Logan doesn’t care about my past.” Maribelle looked at her in smug satisfaction.
“That’s because he doesn’t know.” There was a promise in those words. He doesn’t know for now.
“How can he enter a room with his head held high, with another man’s whipping toy on his arm?”
“That’s not who I am.”
“Oh, really. Then why haven’t you told him? Afraid he will see who you really are? After discovering your secret, it occurred to me that Holton propositioned you because he saw that darkness you try to hide.”
“You can deny what you are, but I know.” Oh God, Ava’s head was spinning. She had to get away from here. She could feel her heart being ripped from her body. She couldn’t tell Logan. She couldn’t bear to have her past exposed. What could she say? The truth.
“Logan will never leave me.” That she knew to be true.
“You’re right. He’s loyal to a fault, but he’ll never be happy with a woman like you. You can’t meet Logan’s need for power and control. Even now, his board position hangs in the balance.” Ava wouldn’t believe anything this woman said.
“Logan is the best candidate for the position. The board wouldn’t overlook his qualifications because of me.” Maribelle looked at her like she was the biggest idiot.
“The board considers the complete package. His future was secure until he met you. His life’s work is hanging by a thread. He left to go beg strangers for money because the foundation pulled his funding. That little girl with the broken arm is not getting better because of you.” Maribelle’s word dripped with contempt.
Logan would lose everything if she stayed. And Monique would suffer. Ava’s heart sank. Logan wanted everything, and there in lied the problem. She knew it. But with her by his side, he would forfeit everything he wanted. They’re being together saved and doomed them both, all at once.
“Let him go. He needs a woman that can navigate his world without being labeled a whore. Alliances make or break a career. Logan aligning himself with you leaves him with nothing. He can’t see it, but you will never be accepted in his world.” Ava knew what she had to do.
Not seeing Ava for four weeks had Logan sprinting out of business class down the jet way to baggage claim. Her phone calls had been scarce and when he called her it went to voicemail. He talked with her more than twenty-four hours ago prior to boarding the flight for home. She sounded tired, but there was something else in her voice that he did not recognize.
He powered on his phone and dialed her number. The sweet soprano of her voicemail greeting had his brow tweaking in surprise. Why wasn’t she answering his call? His plane landed thirty minutes ago.
“Where are you, sweetheart? I am on my way to you.” He ended the call.
He drove by her house first. What he saw made him want to leap from behind the wheel, fall to his knees and thank the heavens. The For Rent Sign mounted to an aluminum post displayed in the front yard had him smiling bigger than a third grader on picture da
y. She had taken the next step. Ava had moved into his home while he was away. He had everything he ever wanted. The grant was secure. His career was back on track. And the woman he loved by his side. He violated at least a dozen traffic laws to get to her. After placing the third call to her and not receiving an answer he drove in subdued jubilation. It could be she had gone for a run.
Unease had him gripping and releasing the wheel pushing the blood out of his fingertips. White knuckles tightened on the steering wheel as he maneuvered the sedan into the garage. He pulled the car to a stop in the empty garage. His mouth thinned into a flat line. The Jeep wasn’t where it was supposed to be. She wasn’t waiting for him. He needed to see her.
He swung open the side door entrance to his house. The fragrance of cinnamon and nutmeg assailed him. On the countertop sat Zari’s signature spiced pound cake. A smile spread across his face, Ava knew it was his favorite. Where was the woman that made his house a home?
The house smelled warm, inviting but it felt different to Logan. Everything appeared to be the same, but something was missing. He walked into the kitchen scanning the center island. Heat infused his groin remembering Ava offering herself to him on that very counter, his feast of choice.
The counter resembled a slumber party prep station. The spice cake took up center stage, but the counter brimmed with raw almonds packets, trail mix bags, and all his favorite snacks. Ava power shopped during his absence.
He opened the reefer to find the freezer stuffed to capacity with storage containers. She had cooked enough for a small army. His smiled slipped, a little.
“I guess she’s taking a break from cooking.” Intrigued. What had she been doing? He pulled out his phone dialing her cell.
“Sweetheart, where are you? Come home soon or I’ll have eaten all the sugar on the counter and have enough stamina to keep Cricket hopping into next week.” He frowned as he ended the call.
He climbed the stairs to the master suite eager to shed his travel attire, shower and dress in something comfortable. He had taken the first flight available from Australia to home. The Melbourne conference and follow on negotiations were worth the forty hours in flight.
Tyson Advantis, a professional wound care company, based in Ireland had agreed to fund his research for an additional two years. With the final agreement in the drafting stages Logan had donned his suit coat, bid farewell to the legal team and hailed a taxi to the airport.
Pulling his head free of the shirt, the glint of metal on the bedside stand caught his eye. A key. A single sheet of monogramed paper rested underneath. He read the words:
Logan,
I accepted a commission in the Navy Nurse Corps. I will miss you while I’m in Newport, Rhode Island. Please don’t be upset. I’ll explain everything.
Always yours, Ava
His breath froze. His heart stopped, then fractured into a thousand pieces. “No.” Rage bellowed through the depths of his soul. She had chosen a career that took her from him. Love doesn’t do that. But Ava had never said she loved him.
“She left me.” The words struck with the force of a brick against his head.
“Gone.” The weight of reality crushed him. The phone case creaked as he ripped it from the waist holster. The ache in his chest intensified as he dialed her number again. Betrayed. Just like Brooke.
Betrayed at the hands of another woman. The control he fought to maintain in their relationship hadn’t prevented Ava from leaving. It had only served to blind him to her leaving. He dialed her number. This time, she answered. He did not give her the opportunity to speak. Pain consumed in him and he unleashed it on her.
“Go get in the Jeep and come home right now. Better yet, go to the airport, there will be a ticket waiting for you. I’ll buy you another car.” He shook with anger and fury.
“I left class to answer your call. You know I can’t leave. But, I left for you. For us.”
“How did you arrive at that conclusion? Leaving me is good for us,” he hissed. “Are you delusional?”
“No, and stop being cruel.” Her voice shook when she spoke.
“I will tell you what’s cruel. Coming home, expecting to find your woman waiting for you only to be confronted with a kitchen full of conciliatory gifts, a key, and a for rent sign.”
“Logan listen to me, please. I didn’t want to stress you while...” His roar halted her words.
“The only thing I want to hear is that you are on your way back to me. I don’t need to hear you. I understand you perfectly. You would rather traipse all over God’s green earth uprooting your life every three years for the Navy than be with me. You chose a job over me!” The truth nearly crumbled him.
“Calm down. Let me explain.” He could hear her sobs. But he would not allow himself to care.
“Your leaving me is explanation enough. I don’t have to tolerate this from another woman. You are a heartless, selfish coward. I don’t know who you are.”
“You don’t get to call me selfish. I sacrificed myself for you. I maybe a coward, but not for the reason you think. You are so busy dictating your wants you can’t hear me. You are the sole decision maker in our relationship. You’re not committed to me, Logan. You’re committed to keeping me. There’s a difference.”
Then the line went dead.
Logan’s cell phone buzzed signaling Darwin’s ringtone. Darwin’s face came into view as he pressed the release on his belt loop. Logan touched the talk icon.
“I know your plane only landed an hour ago, but how are you doing without Ava?”
“How did you know she was gone? I just discovered it.”
“What are you talking about? Ava’s been updating her Facebook page since she left two weeks ago.”
“Two weeks!” That explained the scarce phone calls. She had played him for a fool. “You knew she left me and you didn’t tell me.”
“When did that happen?” Logan growled into the phone. Frustrated with Darwin tranquil disposition at Ava’s blatant abandonment.
“You tell me.”
“I didn’t know she left you. Ava had to report for officer development school in Newport, Rhode Island. I knew she wanted to join the Navy, her entire Facebook page is a tribute to naval history and the Nurse Corps.”
“She left me, Darwin.”
“You got a Dear John letter. Man that’s ballsy considering everything Dad did.” Logan could not hear anything beyond the resounding gong of anger and betrayal playing in his head.
“I didn’t get anything.”
“How do you know she left you?”
“Are you listening to me? I came back and she’s not here.”
“Wait. I didn’t get the impression that Ava was leaving you. She updates her Facebook page to stay connected with everyone in Shell Cove.”
“She packed her clothes and left town without telling me. The keys to our house, I am looking at them.”
“I never saw that one coming.”
“That goes for the both of us,” Logan lamented. “I’ll call you back.” Disconnecting the call, Logan punched the Facebook icon on his smartphone. There was the answer to his question on social media for all to see.
The post read:
Hello all my Facebook family and friends!
Great news everybody, I survived the 1,000+ mile road trip from Shell Cove to Newport, RI with my car and sanity intact. It was the longest road trip in memory and one I wish not to repeat. I am so glad to be out of the car and into my rack. Yeah, I am already using military lingo. Beds are for civilians. I arrived last night and checked in at King Hall. Woke this morning to a frigid, but beautiful winter day. Snow flurries are expected later today. Go figure, this Florida girl marching in the snow.
Met my company division officer yesterday who informed me the days start at 0430. Early mornings are nothing new to a unit nurse.
I have an amazing view of the ocean from four decks up (no floors in the Navy). Love the location.
Everything is within walking distan
ce, which is a plus because we are not allowed to operate our cars during the first two weeks of officer training. The only bad thing is the fire station is located directly across the street from my quarters. I had to evacuate at least twice in the past three days for fire drills. That gets annoying, but that is the only downside so far.
All kidding aside, I’m really excited (and nervous) to start my Navy career. If I fall off the radar over the next five weeks I’ll resurface again after my graduation.
Love you and GO Navy,
Ensign Ava Walters
United States Navy
Chapter 17
Logan sat across from Graham at the bar staring into his Seven and Seven drink.
“You are the only doctor I know who cannot keep a woman,” Graham said jokingly.
Logan glared at his closest friend with a scowl in place.
“You are the only doctor I know that is surrounded by women all day, and can’t get one to stick around long enough to meet your friends.” Graham, unlike Logan was able to keep his private life just that. Outside of the mystery woman from weeks back, Graham never mentioned his love life to him. They were at O’Brien’s Pub, a dim drinking hole, with scuffed tables, scarred wood floors and limited conversation. The only women in sight were serving the drinks. Darwin had introduced them both to this mostly male sanctuary.
“I have a woman.” His thoughts refused to release Ava.
“Tell me more.”
“I have not lost Ava. This commission is a dream come true for her. The career she always wanted.” Logan repeated what he’d read on her Facebook page. He refused to call. His only connection to her the images on social media and the ones etched in his memories. Idiot. Wanting a woman that had run out on him. How many times could he chase her? Let go, his brain told him. But his heart would not accept the logical choice.
Chasing Ava: A Bachelor of Shell Cove Novel (The Bachelors of Shell Cove) Page 22
