by Hadley Quinn
He only returned her partial smile. “Glad you noticed.”
“Hmm,” she said. “Well, I’m glad the two of you could make it. Ava, my brother was asking about you.”
Gabe followed Ava’s gaze until she stopped at some preppy rich kid standing amongst a large group of adoring peers. He was already looking their way and offered a stiff wave. Gabe smirked at the guy’s cultured image that seemed to falter when they briefly made eye contact. He looked like a fucking spoiled pretty boy that hadn’t spent a second of his life lifting a delicate finger for anyone.
Very unimpressive.
Ava turned to Chelsea and said, “We’ll go say hi, but just to give you the heads up…we’re probably not going to stay long.”
Chelsea nodded. “I figured as much, but I understand. Thanks for being here when I know it wasn’t your first choice.”
Ava shrugged it off. “I don’t mind being here. It’s for Chris, so it’s okay. I know he doesn’t expect any true Carmichael arrogance from me so that makes it bearable.”
Chelsea gave Ava a sympathetic smile and said, “Well, I’d better go see if my mom needs me.” She feigned shooting herself in the temple and then left for the other side of the room.
Ava turned to Gabe and slipped her arm through his again. “Well, let’s go say hi to the birthday boy, grab some food, and then you can dance with me once before we leave.”
She started to walk but he stopped her. “Whoa, you never said anything about dancing.”
“No I didn’t, Gabe, because it’s a given.”
He playfully shook his head at her audacity. “You’re testing my limits, little girl.”
She leaned very close to him and whispered, “You weren’t calling me little girl earlier.”
He suppressed a laugh but didn’t reply as they walked across the room. “Can I take a wild guess here and say that you’ve dated Chelsea’s brother?” he asked her quietly. He already assumed it was true, so it was more of a rhetorical question.
Ava cast him a side-glance. “And why would you say that?”
“Oh, just a hunch.”
Christian saw them approaching and he excused himself from his admirers. Just before he was in earshot Ava answered, “Yes, we dated in high school. But it wasn’t anything serious. We’ve been good friends for years.”
“Ava,” Christian arrived with a huge plastered smile on his face. “God, it’s good to see you!” He gave her a hug that tore her away from Gabe’s arm.
Unfuckingacceptable, he wanted to growl. Sneaky little prick.
“It’s good to see you too,” she replied, patting him on the back. “Happy birthday.”
“Thanks,” he grinned. He turned to Gabe and held out his hand with practiced bravado. “Christian Harper.”
“Gabe McIntyre.” He squeezed his hand a little firmer than he should have, but it was automatic. He could also break every little dainty finger on this guy’s hand if he’d wanted to.
“Nice to meet you,” Christian smiled cautiously, trying not to wince when he pulled his hand away. “Ahem, uh, so you’re the lucky guy, huh?” He looked at Ava and said, “You can’t pick a puny one that I can take down easily?”
She only smiled as she proudly slipped her arm back into Gabe’s, but Gabe had about ten different retorts he could have made right about then—one being that even Ava could kick this guy’s ass.
“Well Ava is a sweet girl,” Christian spoke to Gabe like he knew every damn thing about her. “And I know you could probably beat my ass in a matter of seconds, but I’m going to threaten you anyway, okay? She doesn’t have real brothers to look out for her so be good to her or I’ll, um…”
Gabe was amused. At least the guy acknowledged the obvious. He could snap this poser like a fucking twig.
Ava laughed and shook her head. “You’re right, Chris. I could probably do more damage to Gabe than you could.”
Haha, there’s my feisty smart-mouthed girl.
“Indeed,” Christian agreed with a nod.
Gabe couldn’t help but silently agree as well, and the only reason he was smiling at that moment was because he was actually picturing Ava make this guy cry.
“How’s it like running the branch in Vegas?” she asked him.
“Oh, I love it!” he exclaimed. “My dad loves Seattle, but I’d take Vegas any day. More incentive, you know?” he grinned. He smiled at Gabe like he’d agree with him, but Gabe was expressionless.
I hope he gets a severe case of hooker herpes.
“What about Lisalla?” Ava asked. “Does she like it there?”
He frowned slightly. “She lasted about two weeks there and then headed home. We’re done. So what about you two? How long has this little relationship been heating up? Chelsea only mentioned it this morning.”
They were interrupted when some more friends passed by and gave Christian rough pats on the back and birthday wishes. So he could socialize with them, Ava excused herself and Gabe with the promise that they’d catch him a little bit later. But there was no way in hell Gabe intended on putting himself through the misery again.
“I’m starving,” Ava said, just as a waiter brought by some crab puffs. She grabbed one off the tray but Gabe declined. “Not a fan?” she asked.
“Just not hungry,” he said.
Gabe casually let his eyes scan the room. This reminded him of the last wedding he’d been at—a rare occasion. But it was for Smitty, and Gabe had been his best man. Smitty lasted three months as a husband before their next mission had turned his new bride into a widow. Being in this hotel flashed images of how happy his buddy had been the day he married Karalee. And then the red splotches of color around the room quickly reminded him of Smitty’s guts being blown across their camp.
He realized he’d tensed up immensely when Ava lightly squeezed his arm. She smiled at him but didn’t ask him what the fuck his problem was. She led him to a table, pretending nothing was wrong, but he took a silent breath of air hoping it would relax him a little bit. Maybe if he could sit off to the side somewhere he wouldn’t feel so overwhelmed with all the social crap.
“Oh, no,” Ava sighed. “I forgot to give him his gift.”
That brought Gabe back to the here-and-now. “You brought him a gift? Where’d you manage to hide that,” he smiled, looking her up and down in her slim-fitting dress.
“Right here,” she said, patting her tiny silver clutch. “It’s nothing big, but just sentimental.”
“You give your ex sentimental gifts?” he tried to tease. But he was beginning to feel himself tense up again.
“Not sentimental between he and I,” she clarified. “And really, he’s just Chelsea’s brother to me, Gabe. Not really an ex. But my gift isn’t anything extravagant,” she added, taking out a piece of wrapping paper from her little purse. “He collects motorcycles. He’s also a book nerd. Years ago I did a watercolor of one of his vintage Harleys, but I did it on a 2x6 bookmark this time.” She shrugged as she unfolded the shiny paper to reveal a 1972 Shovelhead, painted in watercolor on frayed edge parchment paper and complete with a ribbon.
Gabe looked it over for several seconds. “Wow, that is incredible.”
“Thanks,” she smiled.
“So you definitely do more than just landscape paintings, huh?”
She chuckled. “Yeah, kind of. We still haven’t gotten around to my art room,” she reminded him with a sassy smile. He thought it was the sexiest damn thing he’d ever seen. Why was this sweet little drop of honey even in his presence? She was way too classy to be drawn to the likes of him.
“Ah, yes,” he nodded, trying to push doubt out of his head. “I’ll have to, uh, examine that room later.”
He tried to relax more after that. Chelsea came to eat with them, and Gabe did eat what Ava set in front of him. She had a glass of champagne after the toast to the birthday boy, but Gabe declined. He sometimes couldn’t help feeling like it was his job to remain on duty. It was ingrained in him. He’d trained himself
to be entirely dependent on his senses and didn’t want anything to affect that. He had a watchdog mentality and was fucking proud of it. He would never apologize for his protective nature.
His awareness of time was also impeccable, and after they’d been at the party for fifty-five minutes, he put his arm around Ava and asked, “Will you dance with me so I can get it over with and we can jet?”
She smiled at his honesty but gladly accepted, so Gabe led her to the dance floor. She slid her arms around his neck and he held her close.
“Damn it, why didn’t I give in to this earlier?” he whispered against her hair. “I get to hold you close and avoid conversation with other people.”
“See, if you hadn’t been such a boob we could have done this for the last half hour.”
“I’m a stupid ass,” he agreed.
“You have a sexy ass,” she corrected as she lightly patted it.
“And if you ever call me a boob without allowing me to grab yours I’ll… I don’t know, but that’s just not fair. You’re a tease.”
“I never said you couldn’t grab ‘em.”
They looked each other in the eyes and he chuckled. “Just what this soiree needs, huh? A caveman to spice things up a bit.”
“What’s that make me? I just grabbed your ass.”
“You patted it. That’s not the same thing as grabbing it.”
She put both of her hands against his butt cheeks and gripped a handful of solid muscle in each.
“Now that’s ass grabbing,” he smiled, trying to hold back a laugh. He nuzzled his face against her cheek and then kissed her neck. He could feel her body react with an involuntary shiver. “What’s the matter?” he whispered, knowing full well what he’d done.
She nestled her face against his neck and murmured, “You turn me on.”
“Ahh,” he smiled. “I’ll add that to my résumé of special skills.”
She told him they could leave but, surprisingly, he really wanted to finish the dance with her, and when it was over, she asked if he’d humor her with another since it was also a slow song. He agreed and said he may be stubborn but he wasn’t a fool when it came to enjoying something new. He’d been humbled.
And he wanted to send a message to every stuck-up rich asshole that had been giving him a disapproving stare all night or looking at his girl too long.
The evening went well and Ava seemed pleased. Gabe was anxious at times, but he handled it well. Mainly Ava handled him well, and he wasn’t sure if he was ready to admit that yet. With her, he was able to move through the day a little easier. When he focused on her and the simpler things in life, the other stuff dissipated on its own. She’d been right about that.
But it still made him worry. He loved being with her that day but it made him uneasy. This amazing woman was in his life and he was happy, but what was it going to cost him? She’d yet to experience the real Gabe. When was she going to run the other way? The lake house had been a vacation for him, despite the little hindrances that kept threatening to expose him entirely. Ava was a dream to be with, but when would he lose her entirely because of the things in his life that he couldn’t control? She was sweet and compassionate now… But a person could only deal with so much.
They arrived at Ava’s house around eight-thirty. He wanted to see her art room but they didn’t even make it past the living room before their clothes were on the floor and they were tangled up in one another on the couch. Gabe carried her upstairs to the bathroom and they shared a shower. Her bathroom was tiny, but just fine for two people that only wanted to hold one another.
“So did you just want to stay here tonight?” he asked her in between kisses, the hot water sluicing all over their bodies.
Never in his life had he shared such mind-blowing kisses with someone. He worked slowly, caressing her mouth with his like their lips and tongues were making love in the most intimate of ways. It wasn’t even for the purpose of foreplay. It was an entirely different level. He was kissing her because he wanted to kiss her, not because it was going to get him laid.
“It doesn’t matter to me,” she answered. She moaned slightly, signifying that the kiss had been just as weakening for her as it was for him. She took a deep breath. “But if you’re not even going to fall asleep here, I don’t know what to choose. Maybe I’ll drive us back to the lake and you can sleep for a couple of hours?”
“I’ll lay with you. Maybe I’ll doze off a little.”
She was obviously surprised. “Are you sure?”
He shrugged with a smile. No he wasn’t sure, but he was going to try. For Ava. She was an angel. He’d never met anyone quite like her. She was gorgeous and sweet, but more to his liking she was fiery and feisty. Those qualities combined with her sincerity and compassionate nature damn near produced the perfect woman.
She was eager to climb into bed with him but she made some herbal tea first, and even though he turned his nose up at it, she insisted he drink it. He did, and then she gave him a relaxing massage before they cuddled up in the sheets together. The TV remained off, there was no music, and she did a hell of a job keeping the mood peaceful.
He held her in his arms and she was out within five minutes.
He’d been spoiled by this beautiful girl. Gabe was grateful for her efforts to help him sleep, but it wasn’t sleep that was hard to find. It was the time after he fell asleep that ripped him apart subconsciously. There was nothing that could battle the demons that plagued his memories—forcing them to be relived, remade, and repowered to crush his spirit while he lay helpless.
He couldn’t let those thoughts inside his head right now. He thought of Ava and her smile; he thought about the past twenty-four hours and how many times she’d made him laugh. She was a witty little thing, always keeping him on his toes. He could tell she was raised with certain eloquence and it was apparent by the way she carried herself. But the complimentary side of Ava’s personality was that she was so easy going; she was very tolerant and loved easily. She was good for him in so many ways.
And damn she was gorgeous with a hot, sexy body. What more could a guy ask for?
Gabe gently pushed a strand of hair from Ava’s face. He kissed her brow and carefully laid her on the pillow. He’d held her for thirty minutes until he was sure she was sleeping soundly. He was getting drowsy lying there in the dark with her and couldn’t afford to fall asleep.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
He could hear her at the top of the stairs at five a.m.
“You’re up early, gorgeous.”
“I’m up early?” she chuckled as she descended the stairs. She had a throw blanket wrapped around her but she sat right on his lap and cuddled up against him. “What smells good?” she asked.
“Cinnamon rolls. I found a bakery.”
“You drove to get breakfast? I’m sorry, Gabe. I really thought you could get a couple of hours of sleep. I just—”
“I did,” he smiled. “Right after you fell asleep, I closed my eyes and drifted off too.”
She raised her eyebrows. “For how many minutes?”
He smiled. Why did she have to put it that way? He’d only dozed off for a minute or two before he had to leave her alone. He couldn’t risk falling asleep all the way. “You don’t need to worry about me, sweetheart. Do you want me to take you back to bed? Let’s get a little more sleep before we—”
“You’re avoiding the question, Gabe. Why couldn’t you sleep? Did I disturb you or something? I’m sorry—”
“No, babe, you didn’t. You’re the reason I did sleep for a little bit.”
She seemed to consider that. “You actually did sleep?” she questioned.
“Yes.” Two minutes was two minutes, right?
“How long?”
He sighed. “Ava…” She was waiting for his answer and wasn’t going to let him off the hook. “I just slept off and on. I was afraid to bother you so I came down here a couple hours ago.”
“So how come you didn’t get more than that?
Was my room too cold? I know it is. I really need to find out why it’s so drafty.”
“I can do that for you,” he said, thankful for a change of subject. “I think it’s a combination of your windows and the location of your room. It might be the last space that the heat circulates into.”
“Great. I’m gonna die of frostbite come winter.”
He pressed his mouth to her temple. “No you won’t. I’ll do something about it. Along with your bathroom, the front porch, and the stair rail for starters.”
“You’re not going to take over all my home repairs.”
“Do you say that because…?”
“Because I feel obligated to.”
He laughed and placed kisses all over her cheek. “I like how honest you are. But yeah, I’d love to help you out.”
“Thanks, Gabe. And if you do, I’d love to see you work without a shirt on.”
“Not ‘if’ but ‘when.’ And request accepted.”
“Good. Now where are those cinnamon rolls…?”
Gabe was out on Ava’s porch at six a.m., fixing the broken step with the materials she already had for it. He was sure her neighbors didn’t appreciate the hammering, but he got it done as quickly as he could.
He also happened to have a hand planer in the toolbox of his truck and he used it to strip some layers off of the board that rose an inch above the others on the porch, making it level. Ava was ecstatic she wouldn’t have to worry about anyone tripping over it, but he had to tell her it was only a temporary fix because the entire twelve-by-six porch needed replaced.
“Little by little, I suppose,” she sighed. “One of these days it’ll get done.”
After finally showing him some of her art and packing up a few supplies to bring with them, they left Wallingford behind. Ava still seemed drowsy though, and after they hit the grocery store in Centralia before heading east, she dozed off for the last bit of the ride.
It was almost eighty degrees when they pulled in front of the cabin. After groceries and supplies were unloaded from the truck, Gabe suggested throwing down a blanket in the shade behind the house, right above the water. Ava claimed she had never really spent much time on that part of the property; it had always been Charlie’s domain.
