She snorts in an adorable way.“You should see the process with a kid.It’s one distraction after another, and I’m usually the one stuck finishing it off as soon as one of his friends happens to text that they’re playing Minecraft.Um, that’s a computer game.”
I chuckle.“I’ve heard of it.”
This time, it’s Ava who is looking at her watch.A hint of a frown touches her lips.“I shouldn’t have kept you up this late.”
“I shouldn’t have keptyouup this late,” I correct.“I can get by fine on a couple hours of sleep.I should probably walk you back to your place.”
“You don’t have to.”
“Of course I do.I’ve heard the neighborhood squirrels get particularly aggressive at this time of night,” I joke, remembering what she told me last night.I look at my tree.“Thanks again for the tree… and the ornaments.”
The words seem stale, almost overused, as I say them.For a guy who moves around constantly, this feeling that my apartment has right now—the warmth of it—is something unexpected and appreciated, especially at a time of year when I’d prefer to be able to visit my family.
But is it the tree that’s doing that?Or is it because Ava is here?
“No problem,” she answers.
We both stand still for a moment, our gazes locked on each other, as if neither one of us wants the evening to end.
Stay.Stay longer.Stay all night.I want to say any of the above to her, but looking at the uncertainty in her eyes, I remind myself that she needs more time.
And somehow, that doesn’t bother me in the slightest.I have time.Not much perhaps.But some.I’ll give her whatever I have.
“I’ll get your coat,” I tell her, heading toward my closet.I start to slide it over her arms and the action brings me too close to her, so close that I can smell the slightly flowered scent of her hair, and even a hint of soap that must be coming from her skin.
Her skin… that I desperately want to touch.
Her back is to me as I ease the sleeves over her arms.Then I slide my hands beneath the soft mane of her hair and in doing so, I dare to let my fingertips touch the nape of her warm neck.I sense her holding her breath as I do, then I free her hair from being trapped by her coat.
It takes all the control I have not to pull her close to me right now.But control is generally something I have in abundance.Generally.
“I had a great time tonight,” she tells me after I put on my own coat and open the door for her.
“Me too.”I can see my breath in the cold air as I say it.I take her hand in mine as we start to walk.I can’t even quite understand the feelings that well up in me as I do.
This is… different.
And while Mason would probably tell me it’s because of the colorful lights on the houses that make the night seem magical, or the snowman that still stands on my lawn,I’dargue that it has nothing to do with the season and everything to do with the company.
I look upward as we step onto her driveway.“The stars are so clear in the winter here.”
Her gaze upward matches mine.“I know.We never see stars like this in the summer with all the humidity.”
She turns to me after we reach the welcoming wreath on her front door.“Thanks for the pizza… and the company.”
“Open invitation for both anytime.Just call.”I want to kiss her again, just like I did last night in the gazebo next to the Naval Academy chapel.But I wait for her to make the first move.
Then she tilts her head upward slightly, which is all the encouragement I need to dip my head lower to hers.
Her lips are as soft and warm as I remember, and when she leans into me completely, I can feel her breasts pressing against me.
An electric charge crackles through me, attraction building to desire.I weave my fingers into her hair.Her potent mouth yields to mine, and I slide my tongue into her for a taste.I memorize the saltiness of it.The moisture and warmth.The need for more is all-consuming, but I fight back my urges.
Not too much.
Not tonight.
Her arms encircle me, holding me close, and she slides her tongue along my teeth, emitting a purr, perhaps even unconsciously.But the sound of it unleashes a hunger in me that just doesn’t seem appropriate for the doorstep of a quaint and quiet little neighborhood like this.