Avery: Sensual Desire: New Adult College Romance (Coral Gables Series Book 2)

by Taylor, Drucie Anne

  I take a deep breath. “I’m keeping my heart to myself. At the moment, I couldn’t start another relationship.”

  “And what about an affair?”

  My eyes widen. “What?”

  Sky laughs. “That was a joke. I’m only interested in your friendship.”

  I shake my head with a smirk.

  “I only wanted to distract you a little more, and I think it worked.”

  “Yes, it did. Thanks, Sky.” Then I lean my head against his shoulder. “Do you think Avery was serious when he apologized earlier? I mean, he didn’t talk to me for three months, and he didn’t answer my calls, messages, anything, and now he suddenly apologizes. I don’t understand it.” I feel somewhat desperate.

  “Was he always honest with you?” he asks.

  “Yes, I think so.”

  “Then I’d assume he was being serious, even though he took a long time to let you know. And though the way he acted before was unforgivable.”

  With a deep sigh, I look out across the ocean again. “I’ll admit that it still hurts whenever I think of it. And I’m just confused about why he’s trying to make up now, of all times.”

  My cell phone rings, and I take it out of my pocket. It’s Thierry. “I have to take this.”

  Sky nods slowly. “Okay.”

  I answer with, “What’s up?”

  “Where are you, Dale? Avery’s looking for you, and I think you should be far away from your house, so he won’t find you.”

  “I’m out. Why is he looking for me?” I ask.

  “Because he’s determined to talk things over with you. He marched right out of the house and ran off.”

  I heave another sigh. “Well, I’m not at home, and it might be a while before I get back.”

  “It doesn’t sound like you’re at the club. Where are you?”

  “Out with a friend,” I answer.

  “I see. Well, I’ll just direct Avery to the club where the others are. I'll call you back once I’ve caught up with him.”

  “Okay. Bye.”

  I hang up and put my phone back into my pocket.

  “Is anything wrong?” Sky asks.

  “No, not really. Someone just warned me that my ex-boyfriend is on the lookout for me, after he got drunk again. He must’ve gone crazy.”

  “Why is he looking for you?”

  “He seems to want to talk, but I don’t want to listen anymore,” I explain.

  “Well, maybe you ought to talk things over with him,” Sky says. “Only then will it really be over. Then you can concentrate on more important things afterwards.”

  “Maybe, but not tonight.”

  He gives a brief nod. “Do you think he’s going to want you back, or is he just trying to make you feel bad about it all?”

  I shrug. “He can’t make me feel guilty, because I’m through with that. I spent enough time berating myself and moping. And I don’t care whether he wants me back or not. Avery really hurt me, and I’ll just refuse him again. He should think of a far better explanation if he wants me to accept his apology.”

  Sky gets up and offers me his hand. “Come on. I’m going to take you home.”

  “But your place is on the way to mine, so I guess I’ll be the one taking you home.” I giggle.

  “Then you’re going to be my first tonight.” He grins.

  My eyebrows shoot up.

  “It’s the first time a girl will walk me home.” He laughs. “Dear God, you get me wrong all the time.”

  “It’s your fault, with your constant innuendoes.” I smile, and Sky helps me up.

  “No, I think it’s your fault. You can be somewhat slow on the uptake,” he teases.

  I take his arm, and we march through the sand. Sky is nice enough, but totally not my type. Avery is the man who awakens my darkest desires whenever I see him. With a shake of my head I try to chase away that thought. “Do you want to take a taxi or are we walking?”

  “Let’s walk, but then I'll call you a taxi once we’ve reached my house, because it’s not the safest neighborhood,” Sky says. “You shouldn’t be out on your own at night around there.”

  “I grew up in a far more dangerous area, and I always carry Mace in my purse. I can take care of myself,” I assure him. “It takes forever for a taxi to arrive, because those guys don’t like driving short distances.”

  “You could also stay at my place. I don’t think Blake would mind.”

  “Who’s Blake?”

  “My roommate. He’s really nice, but also a little weird. Oh, come to think of it, he owns a car, so he could take you home if you preferred that.”

  “Really, I can walk, but I’d like to meet your roommate one day.”

  “You could come back tomorrow night, we could watch some movies and I’d introduce you to him,” he offers. His gray eyes beam at me when he looks into my face.

  “Maybe. I’d planned to go through the lecture notes you and Kelsey gave me,” I say. “I’m slightly worried about my triple load—my current classes, making up for what I missed, and working a job. If I don’t pass, I’ll have to start over next year,” I prattle. I feel uncomfortable because I don’t like the romantic vibe Sky has going on, so I don’t look at him while I tell him my worries.

  “You’ll manage just fine,” he says. “You are ambitious, aren’t you?”

  “I am, and that’s why I can’t get distracted.”

  “So you want to hole up and study for the entire semester?” he asks, sounding incredulous.

  “I think I have to, if I want to pass this semester.”

  “You’re crazy! You also have to enjoy your freedom, don’t you think? Being young is a once-only gig, Dahlia.”

  I laugh out loud. “I enjoy college. It’s everything I ever wished for. I wanted to get out of Liberty City. Now I’m here, and I need to pass my exams so I won’t ever have to go back.” I draw up my shoulders, because the breeze is getting chillier. “How can it be this cold suddenly?”

  “Winter is coming?” Sky answers, sounding amused. “Are you cold?”

  “Well, what do you think? I wouldn’t complain if I wasn’t.” I smile.

  He shrugs off his leather jacket and puts it around my shoulders. “Is that better?”

  “But now you don’t have a jacket anymore,” I protest.

  “How about, ‘Thank you, Sky. That is very considerate of you’?”

  The words he uses are so different than the ones the rest of my fellow students use. Avery sometimes spoke like this, too. It’s obvious they both come from an upper-class background where their parents took pains to keep them from swearing, maybe made them express themselves in a choice manner. That’s not to say Grandpa didn’t make me watch my language—whenever I used swear words or talked back, he would ground me. To avoid that, I took great care to follow his rules.

  “Thank you, Sky. That is very considerate of you,” I repeat his words with a grateful smile. Then I take his arm again. “I just hope you don’t catch a cold because of me.”

  “If I do, you can nurse me back to health.”

  “I could, yes, but then you’d keep me from studying for my exams, which is why I would appoint Blake as your designated nurse.” I giggle.

  He suddenly puts his arm around me and pulls me close. It’s difficult to walk like that. “I admit that it’s a little cold now, but you can warm me.”

  “Okay, I guess,” I concede.

  “Your generosity is staggering,” he teases.

  I grin, my gaze meeting his again.

  Sky is a really handsome guy, but he’s blonde, and I’m not into blond men at all. It’ll be hard to find a suitable partner after having been Avery Morrison’s girlfriend. I haven’t had a single date since we broke up, not counting dinners with Thierry, which were of a completely platonic nature. He just wanted to take my mind off moping about his brother, but he wasn’t very successful.

  Why do I keep thinking about him? I ask myself. Not a single day passes without me missing Av
ery. It’s really damned unfair. I want to be free of him so I can find someone else, someone new, and be happy. But I’m beginning to think he ruined men for me. Avery was … well, is a great lover, because he’s considerate and tender … Oh, I could list a thousand things in his favor and never be done. He impressed me that much.

  “I hope you can forget him someday,” Sky murmurs.

  “Forget who?”

  “This Avery guy. I can see that he’s always on your mind.”

  I sigh. “He helped me get through a really hard time. I’ll never forget that, you know? And he’s my ex-boyfriend, so I guess he’ll always have a special place in my heart.”

  “Your first love?” Sky asks.

  “He could have become so much more than that,” I answer in a suddenly hoarse voice. Once again, I’m transported back to that fateful night.

  Get lost, you crack whore. His words echo in my head and make me cringe.

  “What’s the matter?” Sky asks.

  “Just a shiver down my spine,” I say evasively.

  We keep walking.

  ***

  When we reach the dorm Sky lives in, I pull away and go to return his jacket.

  “Keep it ’til Monday,” he says.

  I shake my head. “No, thank you. Remember, I already have to haul back your class notes on Monday. The jacket would only mean extra weight.”

  He reluctantly takes back his jacket. “Suit yourself. Um … regarding the people around here, please make sure to walk fast, don’t answer when someone addresses you, and maybe talk to someone on the phone. That should get you home safely.”

  “Don’t worry. I’m a grown-up that knows how to defend herself, but if you insist, you can call me when you get upstairs.”

  “I can’t. My cell is off. My parents refused to pay the last bill, so you’d have to call me,” Sky says sheepishly.

  I roll my eyes and smirk at him. “I’ll call you as soon as I get home, how’s that?”

  “All right, but don’t forget.”

  “I won’t.” I kiss him on the cheek. “Thank you for the nice evening. Much better than standing around at the Heat.”

  “I agree.”

  I start walking again. I can feel Sky’s stare on my back, but if I turn around now he’ll think I like him more than I actually do. At least that’s what the romantic movies I’ve seen taught me. Whenever a man or a woman turns around, it’s a sign of their deeper feelings, and I don’t feel more than friendship for Sky.

  The streetlamps burn brightly, so I’m not scared to be out on my own. There are no homeless people or junkies on the street corners, no usual suspects who want to beg or steal from me, no arrogant prostitutes. And also, no Quinn. Quinn was the first guy I slept with. It happened when I was only fifteen, and after that, he considered me one of his possessions. I refused and rejected him over and over again, but he was obstinate and kept coming back for gropes.

  “Hey, sweetheart!” someone yells.

  I ignore the caller and walk on. I don’t talk to strangers, especially strangers on a lonely street at night.

  “Hey, wait up,” the same voice yells again, and then I hear several male voices laugh boisterously.

  I keep the same pace, because I don’t want them to think I’m scared. Instead, I put my hand into my purse and take out the Mace.

  Steps that aren’t mine echo off the walls of the surrounding houses. They’re following me.

  Fear sends a cold shiver down my spine. The tingling sensation is deeply uncomfortable.

  Suddenly, there’s a hand on my shoulder. I scream, turn on my heel, and raise the Mace, ready to use it.

  “Hey, calm down, you dropped something,” a young man says, handing me my wallet.

  I take it from him and put it back into my purse. “Thank you,” I answer, perplexed.

  “Is there no reward for the gentleman who found it?” he asks.

  “I’m a college student, and I don’t have any money in there,” I answer and start to turn away. “But thank you for returning it to me. Most people wouldn’t have done that.” Then I start walking away.

  But he stops me again and moves in front of me. “Who said I want money?”

  “I … uh … ”

  “I would accept a kiss for my reward.” He grins.

  “No way,” I answer coolly and try to walk past him, but then his friends surround us, and one of them grabs me by the wrist. “Let me go,” I demand.

  “The kiss first,” he says.

  I realize I’m still holding the Mace in my free hand. I raise it with a confident expression and push down hard. The man in front of me throws his hands in front of his face and screams, “You crazy bitch!” He turns to his friends. “Beat her up!”

  I duck the swinging fists of the first pal and let him have a taste of the Mace, too, but the second one lands me a few blows in the face and shoulder, making me reel. At least now I see that it’s only the three of them. I stagger backward, and then I start running. I run as fast as I can, but the one who hit me seems to be faster than me, for he’s getting closer quickly. I’m not a very good runner, never have been, although my lean body may suggest an athleticism that simply isn’t there.

  “Wait ’til I get you, bitch!” he yells after me.

  The fear accelerates my steps, and I keep thinking that I just have to make it into the vicinity of my own apartment. There’s a twenty-four hour campus security shelter close by. I’m already getting a stitch in my side, but I can’t stop.

  Don’t stop Dahlia, just don’t stop, I keep telling myself frantically.

  “Jesus!” I scream as I run smack into someone.

  Strong arms immediately wrap around me. “What’s wrong, Dahlia?”

  “They’re following me,” I gasp without looking up, because I know it’s Avery.

  “There you are,” the voice of my pursuer reaches my ear.

  “Fuck off, asshole, or I’ll tear you to pieces,” Avery growls.

  A clicking sound. I know it’s a switchblade. I know the sound only too well. “I think your girlfriend owes me and my friends something,” he sneers.

  “And what could that be?” Avery’s voice is cutting.

  “We returned her wallet to her. She dropped it, so we deserve a reward.”

  Avery barks out an angry laugh. Then he releases me and steps forward to loom over the much shorter guy. “I won’t say it again: fuck off.”

  My pursuer tries to stab at him with the knife, but Avery sidesteps him, grabs his arm, and twists it onto his back until there’s a snapping sound. “Listen to me, and you better listen good: if I ever see you or your friends go near her again, you’re going to wish you were never born. Is that clear?”

  The guy yelps in pain as Avery twists his arm even farther. “Yes, yes, yes, crystal clear. Let me go, man.”

  Avery let’s go of him, but the guy wheels around and tries to attack him again. Avery swings at him hard, and the punch to his chin knocks him off his feet. He falls to the ground and doesn’t stir.

  I watch it happen, rooted to the spot. How can a single punch have enough force to knock someone out cold?

  Avery puts an arm around me and leads me away from the scene. “He’s not going to bother you again.”

  I nod mechanically. “What are you doing here?”

  “I left the others at the Heat after Thierry dragged me there, and I was on the way to your house. Then I heard the screaming and turned around to see if I could help. Then I realized it was you. Come on, I'll walk you home.”

  “Thank you, Avery,” I answer in a low voice.

  “Did they hurt you?” he asks.

  “Yes, but not badly.”

  “What did they do?” he asks angrily.

  “Avery, it’s okay. Seriously,” I insist.

  He snorts, but doesn’t say anything else. We walk on in silence.

  ***

  When we reach the house, he looks at me questioningly. “Are you sure you don’t want me to take a look
at your injuries?”

  My shoulder still hurts badly, but I don’t know whether he has ulterior motives. “There’s nothing you can do about them anyway.”

  Then he sighs. “I don’t like the thought of leaving you on your own here now. What if those assholes were following us?”

  “I sprayed Mace into the eyes of two of them, and you just knocked the third one out,” I answer.

  “You’re one tough girl, you know that?”

  “Not that tough,” I reply and rummage for my key. When I find it, I unlock the door.

  I should offer him something to drink, at the very least, I think.

  Resigned, I say, “Would you like to come up for … you know, a cup of coffee or anything?”

  The corners of his mouth twitch. “Yes. That would be nice.”

  I hold the door open for him and then follow him inside. As we reach the stairs, he steps aside to let me go first. He would catch me if I fell, I can’t help thinking. It’s cute.

  When we’re inside the apartment, I quickly lock the door. After what just happened, it makes me feel safer to lock myself in.

  Avery turns on the light and takes a good look around. “You changed a few things,” he states.

  “Not too many. Okay, I painted the walls red, but the furniture is the same. I had to do something with my spare time,” I say. Then I walk into the kitchen. “What would you like to drink?”

  “Coke, if you have any, or just water.”

  I take a bottle of Coke out of the fridge and two glasses from the counter, then I walk back into the living room.

  Avery is already sitting on the couch, and he takes the Coke and glasses from me. He pours us a glass each while I sit down. “Where did they hit you?” he asks. When he looks at me closely, he nods. “Oh, I see.” He tilts his head to look at my cheek. “Where else, Dale?”

  “The shoulder,” I admit.

  “Can I have a look?”

  I nod reluctantly.

  “Could you take off your jacket and the top?”

  “Yes,” I breathe, but when I raise my hands to unbutton the jacket, I flinch.

  “Want me to help?” he asks softly.

  I look at him in pain and lower my hands helplessly.

  He cautiously unbuttons my jacket and pulls it slowly over my shoulders. And within a single moment, it all comes rushing back. Not the emotions, but all the memories that I had managed to successfully repress for the last few months. Next, he helps me out of my top and puts it aside. His eyes roam over my chest briefly, but with a shake of his head he focuses on my shoulders. “Left or right?” he asks.