“Why not?”
Ava closes her eyes for a second while giving a small shake of her head. Her hair slips over one shoulder and brushes my hand. “I just don’t.”
Her eyes are still brimming, and her bottom lip is pouty from a small frown. It’s practically begging for a kiss. I’m not going to change my mind about fucking her, but kissing is another story.
Giving her arms a slight pull, I step closer, closing the distance between us, and lower my mouth to hers. First, a little peck right on her bottom lip. Then another on the corner of her mouth. Then one at dead-center, and I linger there.
“Why are you kissing me?” Her lips and light breath tickle my skin.
“I like kissing people,” I murmur against her mouth, pecking it again. “And you’re still crying. If I kiss you, you’ll stop crying.”
“You really do think you’re God’s gift to the world, don’t you?”
A smile quirks my mouth, causing my lips to brush hers again. “Yeah, but that’s not why you’ll stop crying.” Parting my lips around her bottom lip, I kiss her again. A little deeper. A little longer. “Kissing makes your body produce oxytocin. Oxytocin is a calming hormone. It’sscience, Ava doll.”
She doesn’t protest or attempt to wriggle away from me. She just stands there, allowing us both this little, harmless indulgence. I like the feel of her lips against mine, and I switch between the chaste pecks and simply gliding my lips over hers. I’m still holding her close to me, her arms still at her sides, but after a few seconds, she relaxes a little. She lifts her hands to the level of my hips and clutches the sides of my suit jacket.
This slight engaging behavior nudges me to glide the tip of my tongue along her bottom lip, and just like a magic trick,open sesame.
Her lips part, and I sweep my tongue against hers. She angles her head slightly, allowing me to go deeper, and her hands slide around to my back so she can cling to me. I push her back against the rail and release her arms so I can hold the sides of her head. My fingers are buried in her hair, and it’s even softer and silkier at its roots. Her scent is something I can’t pin down. Something oriental. A combination of amber, sandalwood, and vanilla, with a hint of something heady and floral. Maybe gardenia or stargazer lilies.
The scent is so enticing that I release her lips to kiss her cheek, then her temple, pausing there to breathe her scent. Her light, warm breath paints the spot below my ear, like she’s resting her chin against my clavicle. I kiss her forehead, the spot between her brows, and then the side of her nose.
And then our gazes collide, and I’m immediately jerked back into reality.
There’s something undeniably sweet about her face, and despite all the secret kinks I know she has, she just looks wholesome.
Wholesome in a way that makes me really fucking nervous.
Like I don’t trust myself around her any more than she probably trusts me around her.
Mere minutes ago, she accused me of being so dangerous that I would potentially assault her in every imaginable way. But that’s not the real danger here.
The threat is that wholesomeness of hers swallowing me up and drowning me.
The idea of that happening causes the ache under the scar tissue on my torso to hum.
I offer her an easy half-smile that belies my subtle, secret anxiety. “See? You’re already calm again.”
Ava just stares at me, slipping her hands away.
Walking backward, I touch the corner of my brow in a flippant salute. “Try to get some rest, Ava.” I turn to stroll back inside but speak over my shoulder at the last second. “And quit skipping meals just to avoid everybody. You’re worrying people.”
I make it just over the threshold when she responds. “Lucky.”
I pause and turn toward her. “Yeah.”
“It’s not just about saving your career,” she says. She’s now hugging her arms around herself. “People are not in a good mental state right now. They need something to take their minds off this whole thing. They need an escape. You’ve always been good at giving people that. You did that for me when I needed it. All this stuff I’m helping Meyer with is for them as much as it is for you. So, maybe keep that in mind when you’re tempted to pick a fight with me over something stupid again.”
I clench my teeth because hearing her say something like that is as dicey as her irresistiblewholesomeness.
“I’m not gonna pick a fight with you.” I turn back around. “I’ll leave you alone.”
Twelve
Ava
Quarantine Day 15
