He still had that hungry look but it had intensified. Chicken Montana slid off the spoon and plopped on the white paper as my belly did a plunge.
“Do you understand what I just said to you?” he asked softly.
“I’m in my pretend happy place,” I told him.
He leaned back and smiled and I had to admit it was hot.
It was also predatory.
I was so screwed.
* * * * *
For some reason when Ren and I left the restaurant and I told him he had to take me to Luke’s, Ren found this amusing.
Then discovering that Ren found this amusing, I found I needed cookies. Therefore I asked Ren to detour to King Soopers so we could buy cookies.
Ren found this even more amusing.
While we were at King Soopers, I bought a whole bunch of other stuff, probably because I was stalling about going back to Luke’s. Ren seemed not to care even a little bit that we were grocery shopping at ten o’clock at night with our end destination being Luke’s.
This made me uncomfortable. Seeing as I was a dork, I again didn’t read the warning signs. When Ren parked outside of Luke’s and I got out and went for the bags, Ren came around to help me.
Not good.
“I’ve got it,” I said, struggling with five bags, two of which contained cookies.
“I’ll carry them.”
Oh no. No, no, no, no!
Ren was not walking into Luke’s loft with me.
He took the bags away from me firmly and started to walk into Luke’s building.
Crap!
Ren was walking into Luke’s loft with me.
Alert! Alert! Danger! Danger!
“Ren, really,” I said, catching up and beginning to sound desperate.
He turned to me and I stopped dead at the look in his eye. “I’m makin’ sure you’re safe in the building, Ava.”
And that, apparently, was that.
I couldn’t exactly get in a rip roarin’ on the sidewalk with him, not with Luke (maybe) upstairs. I had to be cool, calm and composed. I’d sworn off men. It was my decision and I was sticking to it.
So what? One hot guy who wanted to get in my pants was orchestrating a faceoff with another one. It didn’t touch me. I was immune. I was removed.
I’m a little scared, Good Ava was trembling, holding close to my neck.
I can’t WAIT to see what happens! Bad Ava was trembling with excitement.
I called the elevator and then used my key to the button to Luke’s floor. The whole time, even if I was immune and removed, I hoped that Luke was out doing scary shit (but not too scary) and not at home.
The elevator doors slid open and all hopes were dashed.