“No more men.”
“I heard it.”
“That includes you.”
“Did you bring lotion with you?”
I shook my head at what I thought was his strange question, tried to pull away and didn’t get anywhere. So, I narrowed my eyes. “Why do you want to know?”
“Rubdown.”
“Luke, you aren’t rubbing me down.”
His hands moved, one went up my back, his fingers sifting into my hair, one went down to rest on my bottom.
“We could go straight to the sex,” his mouth came to mine but his eyes were open and watching me. I saw the warmth there, but there was something else, something I couldn’t put a finger on, something assessing. Before I could figure it out, he continued. “That will work out the kinks.”
“I’m sleeping on the couch.”
“You’re sleeping beside me.”
“I’m sleeping on the couch.”
“Then we’ll sleep here. And, if you want, we’ll f**k here too.”
“Luke!” I yanked my body backward, found nothing but the very solid couch hampering any retreat and realized too late I was in a very dangerous position.
“Ava, this is what’s gonna happen,” Luke said in a firm voice.
Uh-oh.
I can’t WAIT to see what he says next, Bad Ava was nearly drooling.
Mm, Good Ava mumbled dreamily.
“You’re gonna get your lotion and I’m gonna work out the stress in your back. Then together, were gonna work out the tension of the last couple of days. Tomorrow, or however long it takes, I’m gonna deal with Vincetti and Dexter. You want a shot at Dexter when I find him, your call. We’ll have him in a safe place where you can say, or do, whatever you want to him and I’ll be there if you need me when you do it. After that, you and I are gonna ride this out, see where it takes us. If you’re even close to the promise you gave me this morning or what you showed on the dance floor tonight, that’s gonna take awhile. We’ll see how it goes. Got that?”
He had it all figured out and apparently he didn’t think I had a choice.
Fuck that.
I didn’t even try to count to ten I just pushed against him. “No, I do not have that. You can’t just pick up Noah and…” I stopped and glared at him. “What are you going to do when you pick up Noah?”
“I’m gonna tell him who I am and what I am to you and then I’m gonna beat the shit out of him.”
I quit pushing and stared. I would have said it was impossible for him to shock me further but there it was.
“You can’t do that,” I whispered.
“I can.”
“You can’t.”
“Ava, this isn’t up for discussion.”
“I don’t even want you to do that.”
“It isn’t for you to say. He took somethin’ that was mine, I’m gettin’ it back.”