Smokey snorted. “I can’t believe you just said snuggle. All the guys are going to hear about it. You’re not living it down.”
“Damn it, Smokey, I’m not kidding.”
“And you think I am? I’m going to my woman. I haven’t seen her and I want to. Get the fuck off me. I mean it.” He glared at Ugly Beast, ready to beat the shit out of the guy if he continued to get in his way.
“I’m following behind you.”
Smokey rolled his eyes, but he didn’t give Ugly Beast a chance to catch up with him.
He rode all the way to her house, breaking every single speed limit. By the time he arrived, it was close to eight o’clock, and he was so fucking tired.
Rather than linger on his bike, he parked in her driveway.
Ugly Beast had caught up, and he wasn’t too far behind.
Ignoring him, he walked right up to Ava’s door and knocked.
She didn’t have to take him in.
He wouldn’t blame her for pushing his ass out.
Ava opened the door.
Her blonde locks were down. The shortness of them hit him in the gut.
“Smokey?” She looked, pale and he noticed perspiration on her brow.
“Is everything okay?”
“I … I had to see you. I’ve just come back from a run. Ugly Beast is following my ass, and I really want to beat the living crap out of him. Can I … crash here?”
“You want to sleep in my house?” she asked.
This was a big mistake. He should apologize for interrupting, but instead, he nodded. He should turn away.
“Sure. Of course.” Ava stepped back and she surprised him by letting him inside her house.
She’d changed the locks, and he had no choice but to destroy the key he’d taken weeks ago, or was it months ago now? No, it was months ago.
The time with Ava blended all together.
Ava closed and locked the door. He was tempted to give Ugly Beast the finger, but it wasn’t appropriate.
She rubbed at her temple. “Er, do you want to … I don’t know, go for a shower? Change?”
“I could use a shower.”
His stomach chose that moment to growl.
“If you go and shower. I’ll make you some food.”
“Ava, are you okay?” He noticed she swayed a bit, and then her hand went to her mouth.
She dashed past him and he followed her. She bent over the kitchen sink and threw up.
He wrapped her hair in his fist and he missed the length.
Your fault.
All of this is your fault.
Smokey held her hair out of the way as she continued to vomit.
“I’m so sorry about this,” she said, seconds later. She cleaned up the mess and he kept her hair pinned back. She washed her mouth out standing up, and he had no choice but to let her go.
“How long have you had to deal with that?” he asked.
“I’ve been enjoying the sickness for a few weeks now.” She shrugged. “The curse of being pregnant. I’ll do myself some dry toast and all will be fine. You go and shower. I’ll make you some breakfast.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Go, Smokey. I got this. I’ve been throwing up, feeding myself, and working at the bakery without any help. I can keep on doing it.”
“Just because you’ve been doing it doesn’t make it right.”
She folded her arms. “I’m happy to keep on doing it. Please, go and shower.”
He hesitated but her stance spoke volumes, and he had no choice but to do as she asked.
Smokey remembered where the shower was. He also found some of his clothes still in the drawer where he’d left them last time. Why hadn’t she thrown them out?
He took the fastest shower, rinsing off the days of grime and sweat from being out on the road. He was so fucking tired, but being in Ava’s house, he’d become wired.
She was in the kitchen making him some food.
Clean and refreshed, he changed into some clothes and made his way downstairs. He hung his jacket up beside her coat and held the smelly clothes in his fist.
Ava was frying him some breakfast as he entered. She finished putting the eggs into the pan and turned toward him. “I’ll take them.”
She grabbed the clothes and stepped back, disappearing to her laundry room. He’d forgotten how much he missed this place.
Ava came back. “Have a seat.”
She was no longer in her pajamas, having changed into a pair of sweatpants and a shirt with lots of holes in it. Her hair was tied up at the back of her neck.
To him, she still looked like the sexiest woman in the world. He wanted to tell her so but kept it to himself.
“I hope you enjoy breakfast.” She put out a plate full of tomatoes, sausage, bacon, eggs, and lots of toast.
He glanced over at her plate. She had a single slice of dried toast. She hadn’t even spread it with butter.