hell gone. I should’ve realized Mom would be too embarrassed to tell anybody where I went. I’m sorry you were worried, but I had to come. Who gets piss drunk the night of their twin’s memorial, sobers up, sneaks back in during the wee hours and trashes a funeral home, and then drinks more?”
“It’s a trick question, right?”
The police (and Tom) pieced together the sequence of events: Dennis had taken a cab (somehow), upended tables and broken dishes, failed to notice Pete’s presence, then staggered back to his cab and, ultimately, the hotel, where he regained consciousness hours later with only the vaguest memories of what he had done. Pete, meanwhile, had finished the job, taking special pleasure in not only using Danielle’s ashes but also knowing Dennis would get the blame.
The past two days had dragged and flown, something she hadn’t thought possible. Jan had been dismayed to hear Ava was involved in another murder, this one by her own hand (“Self-defense? But you’re okay? Yes? Promise? All right, that’s great. Jesus, what is it with you?”) and had referred her case for final review, one of the last steps before she was cleared to fly again.
“Ava? Are you in there?” Tom teased.
She gave herself a mental shake. “Yeah, sure. Are you still okay with spending the night?” Possibly a dumb question. He’d brought a small suitcase, a sizable toiletries bag, and a suit bag. And showed up at 4:00 P.M. for their 8:00 P.M. meal. He does know it’s just one night, right?
“I am delighted.”
“Good.” She was just grazing by now, nibbling at the last few fries simply because they were in front of her, so she put the plates back on the cart and, with Tom’s assistance, pushed the thing out into the hall without accidentally locking herself out of her room.*
Once back inside, she went to him and looped her arms around his neck. “I hate that you were there,” she said, rubbing her nose back and forth just under his collarbone, which prompted the most adorable noises (ticklish!). “But I’m also really glad you were there.”
“My exact sentiments.” He cupped the back of her head, ran his fingers through her curls, tipped her head back for a long kiss.
By the time the kiss broke, concentration was getting tricky, but she managed. “And if you don’t want to … or you’d rather wait … or even just cuddle and sleep, or sleep and cuddle, that’s okay. I’m not going anywhere. Well. I am. But I’ll come back. For you, always.”
He smiled as he eased her shirt over her head. “I do want to. I don’t wish to wait. And I also want to cuddle and sleep, and then sleep and cuddle.”
“Okay. So. We’ve got that sorted.” Jeez, why was she nervous? Simple: this mattered. It wasn’t a one-off. It wasn’t a “see you next time I’m in town maybe but if not, no biggie.” When they were done, she wouldn’t wish he’d take his leave. When they were done, she’d lie in his arms and think about the future and she wouldn’t be afraid of one thing.
And she’d never been anyone’s first before. Not even for her first.
They helped each other out of their clothes, stopping to trade kisses and murmurs until they were both nude, and then she toppled them both over onto the bed. She straddled his hips and swooped down for another kiss while his hands roamed over her hips and breasts and his back arched beneath her touch.
“Careful,” she teased. “Don’t want to go off too soon.”
“Ah—no,” he gasped. “I masturbated earlier to prevent just such an occurrence.”
“Romantic.”
“Anything for you,” he said, and then chuckled when she poked him.
“Anything you don’t want?” she asked gently. “Or don’t think you’ll like?”
“If you’re the one doing it, I won’t mind.”
“Wow. That’s a big blank check you just wrote.”
“Yes,” he said simply, and reached up to brush her cheekbones with his thumbs. “Have I mentioned my great relief that your ridiculous courage and chronic immaturity didn’t get you killed?”
“A few times. Tell me if you don’t like something, okay? And I’ll stop the second you say.”
“And so begin the threats.”
She snorted, then leaned down for another kiss and he flipped them, ducking down to nuzzle at her breasts. She sucked in a breath as he pressed kisses to her nipples, then tentatively licked one. She could feel herself stiffening in his mouth, which was pretty damned glorious, really. “Oh, that’s—that’s lovely. Keep doing that.”
“Your wish.”