I watch him leave in open-mouthed surprise. He’s gotten in the habit of calling me Dale, but he’s never called me darling before. He disappears through a door underneath the stairs.
“You seem to have him wrapped around your finger,” the one with the black hair—Thally—states.
I nervously wring my hands because all three of them are looking at me. “I don’t know.” I shrug.
She smirks. “No need to be embarrassed. We’re happy for him. You can only be better than Pearl.”
“How did you end Avery meet?” Hailey wants to know.
“Through his grandmother. I worked for a senior care agency that sent me to her house, and that’s where I met him.”
Hailey and Thally both nod.
“We were in the middle of planning his party,” Cami says.
“Should I leave?” I ask, feeling insecure.
“No! You only have to keep silent about our ideas,” she reassures me.
“I will. Um … but … I do think he knows what you’re up to, because he asked me to make sure you don’t decorate everything in pink,” I confess.
“We’re not going to torture him again this year. The decorations will be blue and red,” Thally says.
Meanwhile, Hailey scrutinizes me in a strange way. “I think it’s unfair. Only a few weeks ago, I could have had him.”
“You could not!” Thally counters. “He was not even interested in you, and you have Logan now. So why don’t you leave Dale alone and focus on the party instead?”
Hailey makes a face at her.
“What about food? Which caterer should we get? Delsin told me he’ll pay for the food if it isn’t too expensive,” Cami takes over again. She has a notepad in her hand and obviously wants to focus.
“We could go with Tony’s,” Thally suggests. “It’s Avery’s favorite Italian restaurant, and I think their catering is really affordable.”
“Is everyone okay with Tony’s?” Cami asks.
“Sure,” Hailey says.
I don’t say anything because I don’t really want to be part of the planning. I don’t feel like part of the group.
“What do you think, Dale? Is Tony’s okay with you?” Cami asks.
I shrug. “Sure, why not? If it’s his favorite restaurant, then it’s probably a good idea.”
“All right, so Tony’s it is,” she states and scribbles a note.
“We already talked about decorations. Now all that’s missing is the drinks,” Thally says.
“I could make a strawberry punch and some Jell-O shots,” I offer. “I have a recipe for those.” I found them in a magazine years ago and kept the page to make when I organized Grandpa’s seventieth birthday party with Mr. Wilkers.
“That would be awesome! When I try to make Jell-O shots, they never turn out quite right,” Hailey sighs.
“Well, I seem to have a knack for things like that.” I smile.
“I just discovered she’s a worthy addition to our ranks,” Hailey announces. “She makes Jell-O shots.”
That makes me giggle in an embarrassed way.
“Okay, Dale, what do you need for that?” Cami asks.
“I’ll buy the ingredients, and the drinks will be my contribution to the party. After all, I did crash your preparations,” I point out, still smiling.
“Well thank you very much, Dale,” Cami says before turning to her friends. “Now, who’s in charge of the cocktails? Do we want to hire a waiter or are you satisfied with strawberry punch? And how many kegs do you think we should order?”
After that, the party preparations are actually fun. We talk a lot about Avery and Delsin and the time before Camille and Delsin were a couple. It’s a story full of heartbreak due to misunderstandings between the two of them. But I like the part where he rescued her from her awful ex-boyfriend like some knight in shining armor. Cami says she still sometimes worries that her ex, Kieran, might show up and try to make her life miserable, and I can understand her fear because he seems like a real asshole. The other girls are nice, although Hailey remains rather aloof. She seems to be overly fond of Avery, which is strange, considering the boyfriend of hers Thally mentioned.
“Are you and Ave an item?” Cami asks when Hailey has gone to the restroom.
“I don’t know,” I answer. “We kiss, have sex, and practically live together, but it still seems to be no more than friendship.”
“What would you like it to be?” Thally wants to know. I found out that her real name is Thalia.
I blush violently and stare at my hands. “I think I’m falling in love with him,” I confess.
“Oh my God, how cute!” Cami squeals.
“Yeah, but he said earlier that he only loves me as a friend, and that there isn’t more to it. I don’t think I’m good enough for him.”
“That’s bullshit,” Thally says. “Haven’t you noticed the way he looks at you? I have never seen him this dreamy, not even with Pearl, and he was after her for a long time.”
“That’s true.” Cami nods. “Pearl did not only treat him badly, she also only wanted someone to have sex with and to drive her around. That woman is such an egotistical maniac.”
It’s obvious that they dislike Pearl, maybe always have disliked her. And I especially dislike her after she humiliated me in front of Trudy and Avery. “I’ll just wait and see how things develop between us. Who knows, maybe he’ll have his sights set on another girl by the time of the party. Anything is possible, so I don’t want to set my heart on him just yet.”
“Set your heart on who?” Hailey asks as she returns to the living room.
“Nobody,” I say.
She flops down on the couch and scrutinizes me again. “Are you a student? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you at The U.”
“No, I just applied there a few days ago,” I tell her.
“And what would you like to study?” She fixes her gaze on me, and it feels as if she wants to nail me to the couch.
“Teaching and law, I think.”
“I see. Well, hopefully they’ll accept your application.” She grins and takes a sip from her glass.
“Don’t be so bitchy, Hailey,” Thally chides her openly.
“I’m not bitchy—I really have my fingers crossed for her,” she defends herself angrily. “My God, yes, Ave is hot and totally my type, but he made it very clear that he’s not interested in me. I don’t begrudge them their happiness.”
I clear my throat and get up from the couch. “I think it’ll be better if I go wait for Avery upstairs. It was nice to meet you.” I address Thally and Hailey, but my eyes look at apologetically at Cami.
“Let me know if you need any help with the Jell-O shots,” she says. “And maybe you ought to prepare them in our kitchen, because Avery’s not supposed to know what’s cooking. It’s supposed to be a surprise.”
“Okay. I’ll come down here that day, and then we’ll fix up the drinks together.” With that, I turn around and walk up the stairs to Avery’s apartment.
When I close the door behind me, a heavy weight falls from my shoulders, which felt increasingly burdened under Hailey’s scrutiny. Maybe she just can’t deal with the fact that Avery told her he wasn’t interested and is now sleeping with me. With me. God, I’m no competition for Hailey. She’s gorgeous with her blond hair and brown eyes, her full, sensual lips, and her perfect physique. My body is okay, but my lips are far from sensual, my hair is long but dull, and I’m much too short.
I walk into the kitchen to prepare some dinner. We haven’t eaten anything yet, and I want to show Avery that I can be of use, too, that he doesn’t always have to take care of me. That I can contribute something, even if it’s only a little cooking.
I take some defrosted chicken breasts from the fridge and also bell peppers and a zucchini. I wash everything and cut it into cubes, which I’ll fry if I can find a frying pan.
I search three cabinets before I find the one where he stores the pots and pans. I take out a large pan, put oil in
it, and wait for it to get hot on the stove. Then, while I stir the meat and take care not to let it stick, I sing softly to myself. In the meantime, I’ve spied a few tomatoes, two of which I cut up to add some variety to the dish. I thought I would cook rice to go with the meat and vegetables, but I can’t find any, so I guess we’ll have it with bread.
I add the vegetables, pour in a cup of broth after a few minutes, and finally stir in tomato paste and spices. While the food in the pan continues to simmer, I cut open two baguettes, slather them with butter, sprinkle them with herbs and garlic, and finally add some dashes of lemon juice. I put them in the oven for only a few minutes. I hope Avery’s home soon, because it would be a lot of food for me to eat on my own. I wonder if I should try to keep it warm and wait for him.
Ten minutes later, dinner is ready. I set the table, light some candles, and put on the stereo. I found an Adele album among his CDs, which is playing at a low volume.
“Man, Delsin made me look like a rookie,” Avery complains as he enters the apartment. “And it smells damn good in here.”
I look at him and offer him a broad smile. “I fixed us some dinner. I thought you might be hungry when you came back from surfing.”
He comes to me and presses a salty kiss to my lips. I can taste the ocean. “I’m going to change real quick, okay?”
“All right. I’ll be waiting right here.”
He kisses me again, a more prolonged and tender kiss, before he goes to the bedroom. I hold on to the chair, because I feel as if my legs might buckle under me any moment. I stare after him and utter a sigh. I even sit down without taking my eyes off the hallway that leads to the bedroom.
The butterflies in my stomach are going crazy. Why does he spark these sensations in me? I hope I’m not falling head over heels for him. But I know I am. It’s just so crazy! Crazy, because the only thing that connects us is him helping me out. Granted, we do have amazing sex, but that’s not everything! Yes, he’s there for me and takes me in his arms, but is that enough to make me feel something much deeper than lust or gratefulness?
With another sigh, I force myself to focus on the food on the table.
“Oh hell, I need to practice more often,” Avery announces as he returns.
I look at him—he’s wearing only boxers. “Why?” I ask, transfixed by his body. Those abs are fantastic. It’s a real six-pack!
“Delsin took all the waves standing upright, while I kept falling off the board.” He grins.
“Could you teach me?”
“To surf?”
“Yeah.”
Avery sits down next to me and examines my face. “We can start tomorrow if you want.”
“Cool.” I smile, lean over, and plant a kiss on his stubbly cheek. He doesn’t seem to take shaving very seriously, because that stubble is almost always there, but I think it suits him exceptionally well.
“What’s for dinner?” he asks.
I take the lid off the pan. “Unfortunately, it’s only vegetables, and I made some garlic lemon bread.”
“Only?” he says. “What do you mean, only? That sounds great.”
“I wanted to cook some rice to go with it, but I couldn’t find any,” I explain.
“Doesn’t matter at all. I like that you just started cooking, and I look forward to eating.” He starts loading his plate.
There’s already a mountain of food on his plate and a large chunk of bread. “Hungry?” I ask.
Avery freezes and looks at me. “Oh.” He chuckles and blushes.
“What?” I ask, amused.
“I wasn’t paying attention, and I took way too much.” He grins.
“If you’re hungry, why not?”
“I don’t think I can eat all this,” he admits.
I scoot over to him. “Then let’s just both eat from that plate.”
“Good idea,” he says and kisses the corner of my mouth. He pushes his plate closer to me so I can eat from it as well. Then he digs in. I dip my piece of bread into the sauce and start to eat as well. I stab at the vegetables with my fork in between his mouthfuls. We just enjoy the food without talking.
“Oh, baby, you’re going to have to stay here forever,” he suddenly says.
I tilt my head and wonder why he said that. “Because of my cooking abilities?”
He nods with a meaningful smile on his lips and says, “Yeah, that, too.”
What is that supposed to mean? “And because of what else?” I prod.
“Isn’t that obvious?”
I shake my head. “Not at the moment.”
Avery sighs and slides his hand around the back of my neck. “Then let me show you.” I can’t say anything further, because he puts his lips to mine and kisses me like a drowning man. Surprised, I return the kiss. Avery pulls away before it becomes more passionate. I gasp for air.
“Is it obvious now?” he asks with a smile. He doesn’t look as if it took his breath away.
“You like kissing me?” I answer, perplexed.
He laughs. “Yes, but there’s more. I think I’m starting to develop deeper feelings for you.” Avery caresses the back of my neck. “And that’s why I don’t want you to leave again.”
“I wouldn’t be far away, Ave,” I breathe, “only in my own apartment.”
“But you could also just stay here with me,” he murmurs.
“And when things get rough, then you just throw me out? I don’t want to risk that. And neither Delsin nor Cami could hear us if I had my own apartment,” I add with a smile.
He chuckles. “So we are going to try to be together?”
Ground control to Dahlia, ground control to Dahlia, the butterflies are moon-bound! Heat infuses my face and makes me blush violently. “If you want,” I whisper.
As soon as it’s out, Ave pulls me close again and kisses me as if there was no tomorrow. I moan into his mouth when our tongues intertwine in a passionate dance. This time, I’m the one to initiate the next step. I hastily pull away and wiggle out of my shirt, which I throw aside. Then I slide over onto his lap. There are advantages to wearing a skirt. Avery pushes a finger between my thighs and into my panties. He gently rubs at my folds, pushes his finger between them, and then massages my clit.
Again, I moan into our kiss and close my eyes. His erection pushes against my core, which makes me want to sleep with him immediately. I finally break the kiss and get up, and then Ave pulls down my panties. “We need a condom,” he murmurs.
“Where are they?” I say in a whisper.
“In the nightstand drawer.”
“Don’t run away,” I say with another kiss, then I step out of my panties and rush into the bedroom.
“I wouldn’t even think of it,” he calls after me.
I jump onto the bed and look in the drawer of his nightstand. There aren’t any condoms in there, so I crawl over to the other side, where I find them. I grab one and run back to where Avery is still sitting on the chair, looking at me expectantly. I sit on his lap again.
He utters a soft laugh. “Someone is very impatient.”
“Shut up.” I giggle and kiss him again.
He slides a hand underneath my ass and lifts me up while pulling down his boxers with the other. I lift myself a little higher so he can put the condom where it belongs. He looks up at me, and I can see his eyes practically sparkle with desire for me. He really and truly wants me! Then he grabs my ass to pull me very close. I place my hands on his cheeks and kiss him again while slowly sinking down on him. We both moan when he enters me and his hard length stretches me wide. I start to move slowly, while he opens my bra and tosses it aside. He leans forward and takes my nipple between his lips. He nibbles softly, which makes me wiggle on top of him and moan louder.
With him, it’s so easy to let go. I feel complete. Nothing makes me sad or scares me. I can hardly believe how he’s changing me, changing the way I feel. He already means so much to me.
After he lets go of my breasts, our tongues fight a tender little duel.
He thrusts into me and nibbles at my lower lip and teases it with the tip of his tongue. Then he moans, “I want to look into your eyes when you come.”
His dark blue eyes look into my green ones, and the connection sends me over the edge of my consciousness. We rock harder, until we both find release, and we scream out each others’ names as we reach orgasm.
Ave still holds me with his gaze, breathing heavily, kissing the corners of my mouth. His large hands stroke my waist, and his fingers start drawing tiny circles on my skin.
I’m still holding his face in my hands. “I don’t know what to say to that.”
“To what?” he asks, perplexed.
“To the sheer amazingness of our sex, even when it’s just a quickie.” I smirk.
“Oh, that.” He grins und kisses my collarbone. “You do know that I consider you my girlfriend now, don’t you?”
“Okay,” I say with a smile.
“How does that feel to you?”
“I can’t complain,” I answer softly.
Ave trails little kisses up my neck, right up to that sensitive spot below my ear. “I feel like screaming it out loud, like telling the whole world that the most beautiful girl in town is my girlfriend.”
“I’m not the most beautiful girl in town,” I protest with a giggle.
“Oh, but you are to me, Dale,” he murmurs into my ear, gently tugging at my earlobe with his teeth.
“Well, this alleged beauty has the hottest and most desirable guy in town as her boyfriend now,” I whisper.
His lips brush my cheek and find my mouth. When he breaks the kiss, he grins at me. “As long as you keep saying that, I think we’re going to be fine.”
“I’ll believe that when I see it,” I say with a chuckle. “And I’ll keep looking for my own apartment.”
He makes a sad face. “And here I thought I’d convinced you to stay and cook for me,” he jokes.
My eyebrows shoot up. “Pardon me? You only wanted me to stay so you could have your own personal chef?” I ask, pretending to be serious, but I’m bad at it and erupt in giggles.
“Of course. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a girl who can cook?” he asks with mock gravity.
Avery: Sensual Desire: New Adult College Romance (Coral Gables Series Book 2) Page 10