He and Raf have been locked in an intense round of Call of Duty for the past half hour, while Ava and I have been posted up across from one another at the kitchen table, studying for our stats test later this week. And by ‘studying’, I mean I’ve been ignoring the hell out of my textbook, perpetually distracted by the pout and twist of her lips as she chews on the end of her pen.
Ava’s frown in response to Ford’s request is immediate, eyes flitting to me as if I’ll jump in and relieve her from servitude.Cute. I just shrug noncommittally, prompting her to push up from her chair with an annoyed huff and stomp dramatically to the fridge. Retrieving a cold bottle of beer from inside, she conveys her irritation with every heavy step as she marches into the living room to deliver it to Ford.
“Thanks, babe,” he drawls, a smug grin creasing his lips as he takes the bottle from her, then slaps her ass like he owns it.
She makes this little growling noise low in her throat, jumping away with a scowl. Ford chuckles to himself as Ava scrambles back to the kitchen, dropping into her chair at the table with an exaggerated sigh.
“All part of the gig,” I remind her, the corner of my mouth lifting in a smirk.
The glare she cuts me is glacial, fingers toying idly with the crown charm resting at the base of her throat.
“It’s pointless to keep fighting it, you know,” I murmur, leaning back in my chair and appraising her.
That comment earns me an even fiercer scowl, her jaw clenching stubbornly. She’s got a lot more fire in her than I initially thought. The more we push Ava, the harder she seems to fight back.
I like it.
It makes me want to keep poking at her, provoking that feisty little part of herself she tries to keep hidden. She’s so concerned with being perceived as a polite little good girl that she doesn’t even realize how fake she’s being when she stifles her true nature.
I, for one, prefer her vicious side. At least it’s real.
“You need to loosen up, babe,” I muse, cocking my head as I give her a slow once-over. Her shoulders are tense, posture stiff. “You’re wound way too tight.”
She tucks her hair behind her ears and scooches her chair in, pointedly ignoring my comment as her eyes drop to her textbook.
“Raf needs another beer, too!” Ford calls from the other room. The cruel bastard obviously waited for her to settle back in at the table before asking, just to fuck with her.
Ava’s face falls momentarily, but then she’s up out of her chair and on her way back to the fridge, the bottles in the door clanking as she pulls it open.Someone’s a quick learner.I watch as she takes out three beers, winding her fingers around the bottles. She carries them into the living room, placing her body right in front of the TV screen as she comes to a stop.
Ford and Raf loudly object to her blocking their view, mashing the buttons on their controllers frantically as they try to peer around her, but she doesn’t move. Her lips split into a bright smile as she leans forward and drops two of the beers onto the coffee table, rising back to her full height.
“Anything else?” she asks sweetly, really committing to this whole Susie sunshine routine.
Ford throws his controller down with a groan as his player takes a fatal hit, and I can’t help but chuckle to myself. Ava is downright diabolical– I’m not sure whether I’m more surprised or impressed by her right now.
She spins around with a satisfied grin, returning to the kitchen and setting the last beer down on the table in front of me. We make eye contact, and she lifts her brows like she’s waiting for me to thank her.
“Very thoughtful of you,” I remark, reaching out to pick up the beer and cracking it open. “See how much more pleasant things are when you just do as you’re told?”
Her smile falls, that defiant spark igniting in her eyes again. She marches back around to her side of the table and falls into her chair with a huff, cheeks flushed and chest heaving like it took every ounce of energy she possessednotto dump my beer over my head.
It’s a little bit of a rush knowing there’s no limit to how far I can push her. Knowing she has no choice but to keep her mouth shut and do as we say.
“What’s the point of all this, anyways?” she mutters after a long pause, eyes flickering up to lock with mine. “Do you guys get off on torture or something?”
She holds my gaze steady, but there’s a furious quiver in her lips that she can’t quite conceal, and my cock thickens at the sight of it.
“And here I thought we were actually having a nice little study session,” I scoff, giving her a wounded look as I clutch a hand to my chest.
I expect her to snap back with some snarky remark, but she remains silent, staring into my fucking soul like I’m a puzzle she’s desperate to solve.
“Thought you liked me,” I prod, tilting my head mockingly. “I distinctly remember you telling me I’m a nice guy.”
Ava snorts a wry laugh, rolling her eyes and returning her attention to her textbook. “Clearly, I was wrong,” she mumbles, chewing on the inside of her lip absently as she pretends to read the words on the page.
A silence descends over us, punctuated by the occasional shouts from Ford and Raf still playing their game in the next room. I watch Ava with rapt attention as she lets out a small sigh and her fingers start drumming along the edge of the book, faster and faster like they’re trying to keep up with her racing mind.
“C’mere,” I drawl.
