Nobody's Obligation (Swimming Upstream #2)

by Rebecca Barber

  “Or…you could just dance with me.” Tyler grinned.

  And like that Ava’s shock was back. “I…I can’t.”

  “I can. Just try,” Tyler declared. As Ava moved back and forth, safe in Tyler’s embrace, she couldn’t help but notice the questioning glances being thrown in her direction. She knew that come Monday she would have some serious explaining to do, but it would be worth it.

  “Stop it!” Tyler commanded, snapping her out of her trance.

  “Stop what?”

  “Stop thinking what I know you’re thinking.”

  “Well then, Mr. Know It All, what am I thinking?” Ava challenged.

  When Tyler flashed his panty-dropping, crooked grin, it threw Ava completely off kilter. It may have been that her brain was only functioning on the minimum blood supply as her whole being was focused on the warmth radiating from Tyler’s large hand as it rested innocently at the base of her spine. Whatever it was, it was making Ava’s whole world spin.

  “You’re embarrassed and you’re convinced you can’t do this. But I’ll let you in on a little secret, Ms. Jacobs. You can. You are. And you’re beautiful,” he whispered into her ear. As the warmth of his breath tickled the soft hairs on her neck, Ava’s knees buckled.

  And then, just as she had managed to right herself, Ava surprised him yet again. As if it was the most natural thing in the world, Ava dropped her head onto Tyler’s shoulder. Breathing in his strong, masculine scent, she was overwhelmed, but when she heard Tyler swallow his deep gasp, she knew she wasn’t the only one affected.

  They danced in silence as Adele’s haunting melodies echoed through the room. They moved in their own private bubble, completely unaware of the other couples who had joined them on the dance floor. When the song ended, Ava’s trance was broken and she went to step away, causing Tyler to tighten his grip.

  “Ava,” his gravelly voice cooed into her ear.

  Ava wanted to melt into a puddle at his feet. She couldn’t feel the floor beneath her and she wasn’t exactly sure how she was still standing. If it wasn’t for Tyler’s arms wrapped around her waist, she would have toppled straight off her impossibly high heels. Ignoring the voice in her head screaming at her to walk away, Ava sank even further into Tyler’s warm, protective embrace.

  A few songs later an overheated and overwhelmed Ava made her escape, begging for the ladies’ room. The truth was she needed to put some distance between them so she could think straight. She didn’t know if it was his velvety voice, his bedroom eyes, the warmth of his skin, or the strong, masculine scent that radiated from his every pore that had Ava’s every nerve on edge. All she knew was she needed a moment. Maybe more than one.

  As she walked purposefully towards the lobby, Ava could feel Tyler’s gaze burning into her skin as he tracked her every move.

  By the time she reappeared, people were milling about trying to find their seats while Christopher stood proudly behind the microphone, politely prodding them to hurry up so the formalities could begin.

  For the past couple of days Ava had lived and breathed this event. She knew every detail. But as to what was about to happen, she was clueless. And with Tyler in the room Ava was unexpectedly on edge. Her plan had been to organise everything so that she could hide in the corner for the night, enjoy her wine and people-watch. But that wasn’t to be. Instead she sat on the edge of her seat, nervously drumming her fingers on the edge of the table until a perfectly manicured hand reached out and covered hers, stilling her twitching fingers.

  “Ava, breathe,” Amanda reminded her.

  For a few moments that’s exactly what Ava concentrated on. Sucking in deep breaths, one after the other, pushing all her fears aside.

  “Did you know?” Ava dared to enquire once she’d sufficiently pulled herself together.

  “Know what?” Amanda asked with a smirk.

  “Don’t be a bitch. Did you know?”

  Amanda didn’t have to answer. Her eyes gave it all away. She was in on it. Ava was not impressed.

  Snatching her hand from under Amanda’s grip, Ava shot her best friend a look that would terrify most, but Amanda knew her better than that.

  “Oh, come on, Ava. Don’t tell me you’re not happy to see him. You’ve been moping about for weeks. And as much as you won’t admit it, I saw you out there dancing and you were happy. And not the fake happy I know you have mastered. You know that I can see past that shit. You were genuinely, one hundred percent floating on a cloud, doing a stupid happy dance, happy,” Amanda said bluntly.

  Ava snorted in a most unladylike fashion, refusing to meet Amanda’s gaze, but in her heart Ava knew she was right. She would never admit it to anyone, let alone herself, but she had been happy.

  “And just for the record, he looked pretty happy to see you too. Not lying. I promise,” Amanda confirmed with an exaggerated scout’s salute.

  As Amanda’s words settled in, Ava couldn’t wipe the glee from her face. Now she was only thankful that she’d had the forethought to seat herself in the darkened corner where no one could see her. As Christopher’s rich voice filled the room, Ava’s mind floated away, filled with happy thoughts. She wanted to disagree with Amanda. She wanted to call her out, but she couldn’t. Not really. Because as much as it pained her to admit it, Amanda was right. Ava had unknowingly been traipsing around the office with a heavy heart and it had confused even her as to why. But as soon as her eyes locked with Tyler’s, as soon as their fingertips touched and the electricity sparked, Ava knew without a doubt what it was that was causing her melancholy. She had a crush. A big one.

  Ava didn’t hear one word of Christopher’s speech but figured since she knew the order of events it didn’t really matter. The entree would be served momentarily and the noise would increase. Ava just hoped she was sufficiently hidden in her corner that people would wait till Monday to begin their questioning.

  As her nerves increased, Ava’s tapping resumed. Amanda leant over and whispered in her ear, “Ava, it’s okay. No one’s going to make a scene. Not tonight anyway,” Amanda assured her.

  Ava was wary of the resoluteness etched in Amanda’s face. She had a cocky confidence that Ava didn’t understand, but she wasn’t about to question it. All she could do was pray Amanda’s intuition was right.

  The night passed quickly and Ava was called away to tend to a minor crisis, but nothing that anyone would actually notice or even remember. It wasn’t like she’d forgotten to order someone dinner or the bar had run dry. But the fact that everything was running so smoothly was making Ava even more jumpy than normal. She’d even managed to eat a few bites of her own dinner.

  The minutes ticked over and Ava had no idea where Tyler had disappeared to. She hadn’t seen him since she’d left him standing alone in the middle of the dance floor. Guilt gnawed at her stomach but she quickly squashed it and forced her eyes to do another scan of the room. There was no sign. Maybe he wasn’t really there. Maybe he’d been an apparition. Something she’d conjured up with wishful thinking. Desperate thinking. After all, she was playing the role of Cinderella in her floor-length baby blue gown. And what was Cinderella without Prince Charming?

  As Ava let out a defeated sigh, Christopher appeared and once again took centre stage.

  “Quiet down!” He laughed. At the sound of his voice, people dropped into the nearest seat and ceased their conversations. It was an eerie quiet that engulfed the room and Ava was surprised by how quiet that many people could be.

  “So now that you all have full bellies, it’s time to empty your wallets,” Christopher began. Ava felt herself watching intently as Christopher spoke. He was a brilliant orator and when the topic was something near and dear to his heart, he had this uncanny ability to make others feel it. “As you know, the silent auction has been running for the past couple of hours and I now have the pleasure of announcing the winners. But firstly, thank you to all of you who took part and bid on one of these fabulous prizes which were all so generously donated.” A
round of applause broke out and Ava realised that she’d meant to go over and have a look at the prizes, but every time she headed in that direction she got sidetracked.

  “So firstly, the signed football jumper. The winning bid is Amber Jones.” Once again the applause broke out as a teeny tiny blonde scampered up on stage to collect the jersey. In its frame it stood nearly as tall as she was. Christopher’s voice interrupted the clapping and chattering and focused people’s attention once again. “The dinner for two at the amazing L’amour goes to Michael Popple. Congratulations.” And so it continued until Christopher had managed to give away boxes of rare wine, country getaways, cooking classes, behind-the-scenes zoo tours, and corporate seats at sporting events. After all the auction winners had been announced and prizes collected, Christopher once again called for calm. “So thanks to your generosity tonight, we have already raised over fifty thousand dollars.” Another round of applause broke out as people exchanged satisfied congratulations.

  “Now, has anyone seen Ava Jacobs?” Christopher’s voice carried through the room.

  Ava heard her name and froze. She was in hell. If she thought wearing a dress and high heels made her uncomfortable, being called out in front of a crowd was even more torturous. Amanda dug her elbow into Ava’s ribs and Ava gasped.

  “Ava! Would you please come and join me?” Christopher invited in the only way he issued invitations. The type where he didn’t really give her any options.

  “Go on,” Amanda encouraged, pulling Ava’s chair back.

  Ava walked carefully towards the stage like a woman being sent to the gallows. With her dress bunched in her sweaty palms, Ava stepped through the crowd, aware of the hundreds of eyes watching her every move. When she reached the stairs, she looked up at Christopher, who had a wide, satisfied smirk plastered across his face. Clearly he was enjoying Ava’s resistance. Being the gentleman he was, Christopher stepped down beside Ava and led her up the stairs and to the centre of the stage.

  As Ava dropped her dress and folded her hands in front of her, she looked up for the first time. Relief was an understatement. With the way that the spotlight was positioned, she actually couldn’t see anyone’s face. Instead all she could see was light beaming directly into her eyes, and although it was making her eyes water, she had never been so happy to be blind.

  Christopher dropped his arm behind her back and nudged her forward so she was standing next to him while he spoke. “What you may or may not be aware of is that this whole event tonight would not have been possible without Ava. I know most of you know how hard Ava works and the miracles she pulls off, but that has never been more evident than tonight. A week ago this thing was nothing more than a few invitations, yet here we are having a great time. And if I’m right, Ava, you weren’t even planning on attending tonight, were you?”

  Ava jolted. She wanted to throw up. She’d just started to breathe again. She’d managed not to trip or throw up as she made her way to the stage but no one said anything about speaking. Her mouth was dry and as she tried to swallow, a meek whimper escaped her lips. Quickly Ava gave up, desperate not to embarrass herself further, so she simply nodded her agreement.

  “But here you are. And all this is because of you. So thank you, Ava,” Christopher added as he kissed her cheek and the clapping once again drowned out all other noises in the room. Well, all other noises except one.

  She knew he was there without seeing him. It was like the air was suddenly warmer. Like she was suddenly warmer. And when a large hand with fingers spread touched her back, goose bumps covered her entire body. “Good work, Shortstack,” he whispered into her ear as he placed a swift kiss on her cheek and dropped the largest bouquet of lilies into her arms that Ava had ever seen. Ava heard the whistles and the catcalls and knew Monday would be torture. But right now, with Tyler standing this close and her blood boiling in her veins, she didn’t care.

  Ava looked up and saw Tyler smiling as he towered beside her. In the harsh light he was still perfect.

  “Thanks, Ava,” Christopher said, just loud enough for her to hear. Ava recognised his tone of dismissal and as quickly as her cement-laden feet could carry her, she descended the stairs and wobbled her way back to her seat. Once again she felt Tyler’s eyes tracking her every move while the warmth from his lips lingered on her cheek.

  Ava slumped into her chair just as Christopher’s voice boomed through the room once more. An exhaustion that she didn’t recognise settled on her and she couldn’t move. She was done. Paralysed in the chair she sat in, all she could do was sit in silence and watch.

  “And now for the highlight of tonight, which I must admit I am pretty impressed with. Not only did we manage to orchestrate this, but what was even more impressive is that we managed to keep it a secret.” Christopher chuckled at his own accomplishment while the pride and awe in his eyes was undeniable. “Tyler Andrews, Olympic champion, world record holder, and all around nice guy has kindly donated his time to not only be here tonight to be part of this event to raise much needed funds for such a worthy cause, but he has also offered himself up as a prize.”

  Ava’s head shot up so fast her neck snapped loudly. All of a sudden all exhaustion was gone and replaced by intrigue.

  “So, tonight we have a one-time offer only. We are going to auction off a night with Tyler Andrews.” The snickering of the crowd caused Christopher to wave his arms as he attempted to regain control. “No, not like that. Calm down. Tyler will pick you up, take you to dinner, and then out before dropping you back home.”

  Ava was stunned. Her mouth hung open. Amanda casually reached over, placed her fingers under Ava’s chin, and pushed her mouth closed. “You’ll catch flies.”

  “So, who wants to start me off?” Christopher asked as Tyler plastered the fakest smile he could manage. Even though it was a lie, it still made Ava’s heart skip a beat.

  Chapter 37

  Tyler

  Over three hundred pairs of eyes stared directly at him, but the only ones he cared about weren’t looking. Distracted, Tyler’s gaze never left Ava as she wound her way through the tables before vanishing into the darkness. Tyler could still smell her perfume lingering and it was driving him insane. Although Christopher’s voice was echoing through the room, Tyler found himself unable to concentrate.

  It was a rush of movement that brought Tyler crashing back down to reality.

  “So who will give me an opening bid?” Christopher asked.

  “Fifty dollars!” a high-pitched voice squealed, causing Tyler’s eyes to scan the room. She was a fiery redhead, with her boobs almost falling out of the top of her dress.

  Tyler held back the sigh of disappointment as bidding continued. He knew this would happen and that it was for a good cause but that knowledge didn’t do anything to make him feel better. He managed to withhold his heavy sigh, but he couldn’t control his eyes. He was searching for Ava. Unashamedly, he kept scanning the room, but he couldn’t find her.

  “Five thousand!” a deep voice offered, pulling Tyler back to reality.

  Pushing aside his disappointment, Tyler forced himself to embellish his antics as he tried to keep driving the price up. If he was going to participate in this meat market, he might as well go for a good price. Surveying the crowd once again, he was surprised to see a circle of men standing at the side of the stage, each with a drink in one hand and the other buried in their pocket as they watched curiously. This was not Tyler’s first time on this ride, and god knew it wouldn’t be his last. He knew they were probably getting some twisted amusement watching as their wives and girlfriends fought and squabbled over something they probably didn’t even really want. No, they just didn’t want someone else to get it. Tonight he was the prize.

  Gulping, Tyler squashed the butterflies in his stomach before leaning over and stealing Christopher’s microphone, earning him a confused look. “Come on. Surely you can do better than five thousand? I thought we were raising money for a good cause.” Tyler shook his head s
adly. “Sydney was much better,” he added under his breath as he handed the microphone back.

  After a moment’s silence, a strong steady voice called out, “Ten thousand!”

  Tyler’s head snapped up as he glanced around the room looking for the owner of the bid. When his eyes fell on an older woman in her mid-fifties, Tyler gulped. She stepped through the men with an authority Tyler had never seen before. She had cougar written all over her and a tremble of fear reverberated through his body.

  “Going once. Going twice…” Christopher’s voice reverberated through the room.

  At the last moment a chirp broke the quiet. “Twelve thousand.”

  Tyler watched as Jennifer stepped out from behind Jake, raising her glass in salute to Tyler, causing him to nod his appreciation. Jennifer may have just saved Tyler from the clutches of a man-eater.

  But the cougar wasn’t done yet. It became a battle between the two women as the bid steadily climbed. Jake offered Tyler a wink but remained silent at his wife’s side. Tyler wished he knew what was happening but instead he stood motionless beside Christopher, sweating under the scrutiny.

  The bidding paused at twenty thousand dollars before continuing at a much slower pace. Tyler gulped. He’d done this numerous times and the bids had always faded early in the teens, but tonight, thanks to Jennifer’s persistence, they had surpassed his highest price to date. Something he was sadly proud of.

  “Twenty-seven thousand eight hundred and fifty.” The cougar smiled as she seductively licked her lips.

  Using the pause in the bids, Tyler couldn’t help himself. Although he knew Ava didn’t have that sort of money, he wished he could find her. He just wanted to know that she was at least interested. But there was no sign of her.

  “Third and final call. Going once! Going twice—”

  “Round it up to thirty and call it,” a male voice sounded through the silent room.

  Movement happened from every direction. Women’s heads snapped back, searching for the mysterious bidder. Men shared quizzical looks as they tried to figure out who had made the call. Never one to step away, Jake stepped forward and raised his hand in mock salute. “Thirty thousand dollars,” he repeated firmly.