I nod with a neutral smile, but Ava is looking at me like I'm an alien. Damn it. Is "interesting" not the right word? The first word that pops into my head when I hear "children" is "grubby." And "grubby" elicits "untouchable" and "to be avoided." I thought "interesting" would be better.
Thankfully, the awkward moment is broken when Doris announces it's time for something sweet. It's hard to be anything but happy when presented with a dessert as American as apple pie with huge double scoops of vanilla ice cream.
"Amazing," Ava says after a bite. "I feel a little disloyal for saying this, but it's better than Ray's."
"Is there anything he can't make?" I ask.
"Hamburgers." She snorts, then laughs. "It really drives him nuts that he can't master them for some reason, and Darcy can." She takes another big bite. "God, I could eat like this every day."
"Want to?" I turn to Doris. "Would it be a huge imposition if we asked you to cook us dinner for the rest of our stay? I'd be happy to pay extra, of course."
"Wouldn't mind at all." She pronounces it ah-tall. "I love cooking."
"Excellent. Thank you."
"Just so you know, I make a different pie every day," she says. "Hope that's all right."
"Variety makes life interesting," Ava says.
Doris smacks a thigh with a loud laugh. "Ain't that the truth!"
We return to our room, and while Ava texts Ray to let him know she won't be coming home for a few days, I run the bath for her. Doris has provisioned us with a bottle of some scented bubble concoction, and the bathroom soon smells like tropical flowers.
"Mmm," Ava says, looking at the thick layer of frothy bubbles in the tub. "A man after my own heart."
Wrapping an arm around her waist, I pull her close. "Never let it be said that I don't know how to take care of an abductee."
She's already shucked her shoes, so I help her out of her outfit, laying her clothes on the toilet seat cover. She sinks into the hot water.
"Ah, this feels sooo good."
"If only you had some wine," I say.
"What do you know about bubble baths and wine?"
"All women drink wine when they take one." I strip, dropping my stuff on the floor, and join her in the tub. "It's like a law."
The warm water sinks deep into my muscles. As I settle behind her and spoon her against my chest, she murmurs, "You're going to smell like flowers."
"I'd risk smelling worse if it meant being with you."
She snorts a laugh. "We're so sappy."
"Sappy's good. We deserve to be happy after two years." I take her hand and kiss it gently. "All I ask is that you give me a chance, Ava."
"I know."
But somehow, watching her cheeks flush with heat, I can't help but think that she's holding back something important, something without which I can never be truly close to her. Unease dips its chilly finger into my heart, and I will myself to be rational. Don't get clingy.
I fist my hand into her golden hair and pull her head back for a deep, lush kiss. She obliges, her mouth soft and eager. I take her with my mouth, my tongue, leaving nothing of her untouched. One of her hands digs into my hair while another finds the pierced nipple. My cock hardens, and she turns around and adjusts herself until she's cradling my dick between her slick folds. I curse under my breath, and she laughs breathlessly against my mouth.
"I love what I can do to your body." She wraps a hand around the shaft and squeezes.
I groan.
"What I can do for your body," she adds in a pant.
"Ava."
I brush my fingers over her sensitive beaded nipples, one after the other. She arches her back, pushing them toward me. My mouth clamps over one, pulling it in deep and hard. Her breasts aren't the largest I've ever seen, but they're the most sensitive … and sensitivity trumps size any day.
Her breath hitches, and she rocks harder and faster against me. I grip her ass to hold her still. She has no clue how amazing her bare flesh feels against my throbbing dick. Or maybe she does and doesn't care.
"Condom," she whispers. "Tell me you have a condom."
"In my pants pocket," I say.
She gets out of the tub and bends over to fish it out, treating me to a nice show along the way. I rise out of the water and grab a towel to dry the pertinent part, then help her sheathe me. Her fingers are shaky, but surprisingly dexterous.
"I'm going to be on top," she says, her voice low and husky.
I pull her in for a hot, open-mouthed kiss. "You can be anywhere as long as you get there soon."