He stood straight, giving her a little space. “How long?”
Her eyes widened. “How long what?”
“How long ago did this relationship end?”
“Oh, I guess a little over a year ago.”
“That’s long enough,” he said arrogantly and crossed his arms over his chest.
She actually stomped her foot, bringing a smile to his face and disbelief to hers.
“You don’t decide that. I do. Now you need to get out of my way so I can help Nia.”
He looked intently at her and, after a bit, he smiled. “Okay, I’ll back off for now, but mark my words, you will be seeing me very soon.” He stepped aside, letting her go past him and out the back door.
Going to the slider door, he watched her talk with Nia and another woman. He smiled when he heard her laugh.
“Oh, man, you’ve got it bad, buddy.”
Sean turned and scowled at Travis coming up the outside steps toward the door where he stood. He stepped out on the top step, unable to take his eyes off Ava.
“Well, how’s it going?” Travis asked him.
“She says she’s not ready for a relationship.”
Travis scowled in puzzlement. “Then why are you smiling?”
He laughed at his friend’s confusion. “Well, I think she’s readier than she thinks, and I’m going to show her she’s prepared.”
Travis smirked and then turned so he could see the women. His face softened when he saw his little, Nia, and Sean loved seeing his friend in love.
Sean studied the look on Travis’s face. This was a man who loved his woman deeply.
“And how are you going to do that?” Travis asked.
“I don’t know yet. But I will have her if it’s the last thing I do.”
Travis slapped him on the back. “My money’s on you. Come on, let’s go get a beer.”
After his friend handed him a beer, he turned to look for Ava. He scanned the yard and couldn’t find her. He didn’t see Nia either and decided they must be in the house.
Never would he have thought he’d ever fall so hard, so quick. He didn’t believe in love at first sight until now. He was taking another drink when Nia came outside. Sean stilled, waiting for Ava to follow. When she didn’t, he started for the house. When he didn’t see Ava, he went to find Nia.
“Where is she?”
Nia turned.
From the look she was trying to hide, he knew what she was going to say.
Nia tensed. “She left, Sean. She said she was tired and just wanted to go home to bed.”
Damn. He hoped he hadn’t scared her off. He nodded, turned without a word, walked back to the men, and took a long drink of his beer. She’d left, and he should have actually have expected it. He knew he probably came on too strong. Hell, probably? Yeah, he knew he did. He tended to get what he wanted, and he wasn’t a patient man, but he felt that was what made him as successful as he was today.
He turned and walked to the fence, laying his arms on the top, and took another drink. He’d have to play this differently because he didn’t want to scare her away.
He smiled. She was intimidated by him, but she didn’t fear him. Her show of spirit in the kitchen made him harder than he’d ever been. He was surprised she hadn’t noticed that he was practically poking her in the stomach with his hard-on.
If she had shown no interest in him, he might have backed off, but he’d seen attraction and a hint of desire in her eyes, which told him she wasn’t uninterested. She was just afraid of relationships. He didn’t know anything about what happened to her, but they would work through it. Together.