“Good,” I say roughly. “He’s out of your life for good.”
She nods. “I’m sorry, Harry. I panicked when I saw you holding your phone in the air.”
“Ava.” I kiss her hand again. “I will never do anything to you without your consent. All I want to do is protect you.”
“I know.” She moves forward to kiss my cheek. “I trust you. I think that’s why I fell asleep on your bed on my birthday. I let my guard down. I felt safe. I felt that way last night too.”
“I won’t let anything happen to you,” I promise her, even though she’ll walk out of my life in a few weeks.
“Since that night with Otis, I’ve been scared that after sex I’d fall asleep and the guy I’m with would take pictures.” She sighs. “You’ve helped me get past that, Harry. You’ve helped me see that it’s okay to have fun if you’re careful.”
If I can help her in any way, I’m grateful, but the last thing I want is for her to get into bed with another guy in London. I wish to hell I were the only man she fucked for the rest of her life, but that’s not my reality. That’s something I’ll never have.
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
Ava
“You should always wear eyeglasses,” I say. “You’re hot as hell right now.”
Harry barks out a laugh. “You think?”
“I know.” I smile. “Are they reading glasses?”
He yanks the dark-rimmed glasses from his face. “They are. My dad had the same issue. That’s just one of the things I inherited from him.”
Based on what Sean told me years ago, Harry’s dad died when he was just a kid. It was a brain bleed and happened suddenly. Since then, Harry’s mom has married two other men.
“What else did you inherit from him?” I ask playfully. “His dashing good looks?”
He sets his glasses down on the kitchen counter. I asked him to make me a strong cup of coffee after we talked. He added just the right amount of cream and presented the mug to me with a kiss on my forehead.
He’s made me feel cherished today in a way I never have before.
“Is that a thing? Dashing good looks?”
“It’s a thing.” I circle a finger in front of his face. “That’s the definition of it right there.”
His phone chimes again. It’s been going non-stop for the past hour. Harry finally put on his glasses and gave it the attention it demanded as the coffee brewed.
I took the opportunity to stare at him.
“I like that you think that.” He smiles. “Did you always think that, Ava?”
“You want to board a time machine and go back to when I was a teenager?” I wave a hand at him. “I’m not going there.”
“So, that’s a yes?” He smirks. “You liked me then.”
“I had my first orgasm when I was touching myself and thinking about you,” I admit.
His eyes widen. “Jesus, Ava. Are you serious?”
I laugh it off as I feel a rush of embarrassment flow through me, sending a pink blush over my cheeks.
Harry doesn’t let it go. Instead, he leans both elbows on the counter. “You’re serious.”
“You wore these tight T-shirts, and had muscles for days.” I tap his forearm. “You still do.”
He raises his chin. “I’m touched, Ava. I’m honored too.”
“That I masturbated while I imagined you naked?” I shake my head. “I can’t believe I just admitted that to you.”
“I pumped one out after I saw you in the elevator.”
My hand leaps to my mouth to stifle a laugh. “No! You did not!”
“That dress, London.” He exhales. “So tight, and your tits were right there, and as I followed you down the sidewalk, I kept thinking about bending you over.”
“That’s why you showed up at Dunfoy’s on my birthday.” I point an accusatory finger at him. “You came there to fuck me.”
He chuckles. “Not on top of the bar, Ava.”
I laugh too. It feels good after the heaviness of the past few hours. “You wanted me to come back here with you? You expected me to.”
“Yes,” he eagerly admits. “I thought about you every second between our encounter in the elevator and when I walked into that bar.”
“If I had told you in the elevator who I was, would you have come to the bar?”
He studies my face. “I don’t know. I probably wouldn’t have, but I felt drawn to you, Ava. I’ve never experienced that before, so I might have hung around outside hoping to see you.”
I wasn’t expecting that, so I let out a heavy breath. “I’m glad you came into the bar that night.”
“I am too.” He points at my coffee. “Drink up. I’ll take you home when you’re done.”
“Can I stay the night with you?” I ask tentatively. “If that’s not okay, I’ll understand.”
“It’s more than okay, Ava. It’s perfect. I’ll hold you while you sleep,” he offers. “While you dream about me.”
He follows that up with a wiggle of his eyebrows as if he’s kidding, but he has no idea that all I do is dream about him.
“I’m going to take off before Roxy comes back,” I say, pulling on my ponytail to tighten it. “I don’t want her to catch me here. That would be a lot to explain to her, wouldn’t it?”
Harry tugs the zipper of my sweater up a bit. “I’d tell her my friend stayed the night.”
I hold back a smile. “Is that what we are?”
He leans forward to take my lips in a slow, lush kiss. “Friends and lovers.”
“Lovers,” I whisper. “Making love this morning was incredible, Harry.”
I woke him at dawn by taking him in my mouth. His hands tangled in my hair, and just as he was about to come, he tore away from me, sheathed himself, and wrapped his body around me from behind. He fucked me slowly and tenderly, all while whispering in my ear how beautiful I am.
“It was phenomenal,” he whispers, his hands jumping up to cup my face. “Your trust in me means everything. I hope you know that.”
I search his eyes. “You know you can trust me too. If you have a secret you want to share, I promise I won’t tell a soul.”
I expect a smile from him, but his expression is stoic.
He closes his eyes. “Roxy will be home soon. Jos needs to work for a few hours today.”
Suddenly, feeling shut out, I take a step back. His hands fall to his sides.
“I ordered a car for you.” He looks toward the door of his home. “He should be parked outside now.”
Nodding, I reach for the door handle. “I’ll never forget last night.”
“Neither will I.” He moves closer to rest his hand over mine. “It will stay with me forever, London.”
CHAPTER FIFTY
Harrison
This is the last place in the world I want to be, but family is a chain I’ll never have the strength to break.