Resting her phone beside the keys, she walked through the kitchen to the living area. “Devlin?” There was no answer. She searched the rustic but very elegant ranch house, and realized he was not inside. She grabbed her pants from where they were neatly folded in the laundry room and drew them on, but she could not bear to take of his shirt. Clenching a fistful of the material she brought it to her nose and inhaled. A soft groan slipped from her. His shirt smelled of him and she wanted his fragrance close. A faint sound tugged her toward the back porch. She went outside and leaned against the railing. He was chopping wood.
Past and present collided as a memory of him doing the same action rushed through her. Only it was at a different side of town, the house had been more dilapidated and in desperate need of a coat of paint on both the inside and outside. There had been little to no furniture and what had been there, had been threadbare and uncomfortable. But their home had been clean. That day Devlin had spread a blanket on the grass, and she had lazed reading while he chopped. And after…God after he had made love with her with sensual intensity. Ava linked her hands tightly together in an effort to conceal their unsteadiness.
“You want to head out to Lake Coonan?” He asked without pausing his movements.
At her silence he finally lowered the axe and turned to her. Sweat glistened over his chest and chiseled abdomen. An ache stirred deep inside of her.
Meet me at the lake tonight, Devlin.
She swallowed as the ghost whisper of her demand floated away. “It’s cold.”
A smile tugged at his lips. “We’ve dipped in the lake when it’s much colder. Naked.”
Ava laugh and strolled toward him, the wet grass beneath her bare toes centering her against the tearing emotions. “I…I would prefer to stay here.”
His expression was inscrutable as he looked toward the left. “There is another lake attached to this property. It’s not Lake Coonan but it’s clean.”
“I would like that.”
He took her hand and laced their fingers together. The simple touch ignited her nerves and had warmth fluttering in her belly. It then occurred to her this was the first time since she woke from the hospital she had felt such peace and contentment.
If only it could last, eventually she would have to face what such joy meant. Did she want to rekindle a relationship with Devlin? Would he want the same? Sure, they’d had sex last night, and even reminiscing now was great, but did he want more eventually.
“Are you embarrassed to be out here with me?”
She jerked to a stop. “No.”
He met her gaze with an inscrutable expression. “Then why are you still hiding that you are with me?”
She moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I was not hiding you. I…I just did not want an argument with my mother. She does not approve of you.”
His eyes shuttered even more. “Does this mean I can deduce this is just another fling for you?”
Pain pierced her and she allowed her arms to fall from him. “I do not know what this is Devlin. I am remembering you…us…in snatches. While its old for you, it’s very new for me, and…” she raked her fingers through her hair, frustration storming through her. “I…I know I would like to be friends.”
He regarded her for long seconds and her heart thumped in acute discomfort.
His lips finally tugged into a half smile. “Kissing friends?”
“Maybe.”
“I’ll take maybe for now.”
Ava smiled.
Maybe….definitely, her heart whispered. I really like him. And then she knew how possible it was she had fallen in love with him, for he was already rekindling the sweetest, hottest, emotions within her.
Chapter Six
“You chicken,” Devlin teased, wading deeper into the lake, silently urging Ava to be daring. During their short walk to the small lake behind his ranch, he’d acknowledged he had never stopped loving her, no matter how hard he’d tried to bury her loss in work and making a name for himself. He’d succeeded and in the several months he’d spent in New York, he’d made notable connections and drawn the attention of many wealthy patrons and socialites with his unique designs. But he had refused to allow his designs to be produced for bulk merchandising and sold in stores.
“Come on in,” he coaxed. “Or are you going to be a chicken for the rest of the day?”
Ava narrowed her eyes to threatening slits and pursed her lips. With a decisive nod, she peeled off the skin-tight jeans. His mouth watered and his blood roared. She was so damn gorgeous and brave. Several times he spied the wariness in her eyes when she looked at him, but there was also fascination and an awareness of him as a man. She touched him often, most times appearing startled when she realized what she had done.
She stood, still dressed in his shirt, and fisted a hand on her hip. “Isn’t the water cold? Though the sun is very warm, only just last night we had snow.”
“Cluck, cluck,” he said mockingly.