An Unlikely Deal

by Nadia Lee

  Swinging her into my arms, I carry her to the bedroom and place her on the edge of the mattress.

  I unbutton and unzip her black slacks, pulling them down along with her magenta panties. Her legs are shapely and smooth, nothing marring their beauty. I place a long, open-mouthed kiss on her inner thigh.

  “Kick off your shoes.”

  Panting, she toes off her flats. Her feet are narrow and delicate, just as I remember. Pearlescent pink lacquer coats the small toenails.

  I pull her clothes all the way off and toss them over my shoulder. Then, very deliberately, I kiss her from one delicate ankle bone all the way to the knee, then along her inner thigh. She is warm and oh so soft.

  Her musky scent grows thicker as I get close. My heart knocks against my chest, my blood so hot that I feel like I’m boiling inside out. She is starting to tense in anticipation as well, but I break off to give worshipful attention to her other leg, since every inch of her deserves to be loved and adored.

  By the time I’m back up to mid-thigh, Ava is gripping the edge of the mattress, her knuckles white. Her breasts quiver with every shallow breath she takes.

  “Lucas…”

  “Relax, Ava. I’ll make it good for you.”

  This time, when I reach the slick heat between her legs, I close my lips over her heated flesh. Her sweet taste floods my mouth, and I growl against her. She cries out, widening her thighs shamelessly. Her wanton reaction drives me, enslaving me to the need to make her shatter.

  I suck on her swollen pink folds, tonguing the bundle of nerves, and push a finger into her quivering pussy. She’s so fucking tight, it’s almost like it’s her first time. In some ways I feel like it’s our first time. It’s been so long, and we’re both desperate for each other.

  Her muscles grip my finger, and my cock throbs almost painfully, the primitive need to thrust into her almost overwhelming. I control myself, sucking her clit hard while pushing another finger into her. I tunnel into her pussy over and over again, stretching her and bumping the sweet spot inside her every time.

  Her spine arches, and she screams piercingly as she comes. She’s clenching the edge of the mattress so hard that it’s vibrating under my chin.

  Heady satisfaction and triumph fill me. Instead of letting up, I intensify what I’m doing to her, determined to drive her to another climax. She screams again, this time louder. Her knees come up, angling her pelvis, pressing her pussy even more tightly against my greedy mouth.

  I feel drunk with her heat, her taste. Her platinum hair sticks to her glistening cheeks and neck. She’s breathing like she’s run a thousand miles.

  I raise myself up, placing my hands on each side of her, and lower my head to take her lips. Warm and soft, they part instantly. She pulls my tongue into her mouth and strokes it with her own, while her fingers reach around my waist and tug at the knot keeping the towel together. It pools at my feet.

  I gather her up and place her in the center of the bed. My dick is so hard and so hungry for her, my cockhead is dripping with precum. She reaches between our bodies and wraps her hand around my aching shaft.

  “Ava…”

  “I love the way you feel, I love the way you’re so ravenous for me.” She licks my mouth. “Let me make you feel good just the way you did me.”

  She pushes against my shoulders, and I give way. I can’t deny her anything at the moment. I would carve out my heart if that’s what she wanted.

  The sudden gasp of horror slashes through my lust, like someone threw me into the Arctic Ocean. She doesn’t have to say a word. I know what’s wrong.

  My scars.

  If the scar on my cheek looks bad, the ones on my leg are something from a horror movie. Long, white and jagged, they mar so much of my leg there isn’t enough unscarred flesh left to cover a paperback book. I know I’m emotionally messed up, that something’s not right with me, but before I wrecked my bike I was at least outwardly perfect. Now the outside is a mess, too.

  I make fists resisting the urge to cover up. That would betray too much of myself.

  “The accident?” Ava asks in a low voice.

  “Yes.”

  “What happened?”

  I shrug, feigning a nonchalance I don’t feel. The accident was probably some kind of a divine sign that it was time my appearance reflected how flawed I am inside. “It was raining, and…I lost control of my Harley.”

  “That’s terrible.”

  I don’t want her fucking pity. But what an idiot I’ve been. I should have anticipated this and planned accordingly, rather than smashing her life to pieces in my blind need to have her back again.

  She places a hand on my left thigh, between the scars, and brushes her cheek against them one by one. “I’m so sorry, Lucas.”

  Somehow I don’t detect any pity in her voice, just simple empathy and sorrow.

  Her soft breath and hair fan along the jagged lines. She kisses every inch of them as though they’re something precious.

  My eyes are suddenly hot, and I realize that they are prickling with unshed tears. Tremors run through me. I can’t think of anyone who’s ever loved me, not like this, not enough to embrace my…obvious imperfections. My heart pounds, so full of emotion. And at this moment I would die for Ava.

  “I know you don’t like them,” she says, “but they’re perfect to me because they’re part of you.” She reaches up and lightly tweaks my pierced nipple.

  Her gentle words shatter my control. I can’t wait a second longer.

  “Are you on the pill?”

  She flushes. “No. You can’t get them in Japan.”

  “I don’t have any condoms.” Dammit. I should be better prepared, but sex hasn’t been on my radar for a while.

  Ava gives me an impish smile. “Mmm. A challenge, but there’s no way I’m letting this”—she runs her hand lovingly along my thick, hard shaft—“go to waste.” She licks her lips.

  She pulls my dick deep inside her mouth, hollowing her cheeks. My eyes roll up as knife-sharp pleasure runs through me. Digging my hands into her hair, I place my feet flat on the bed and start thrusting…shallowly, careful not to gag her.

  But what I’m doing only seems to excite her more. She bobs her head, pulling me all the way down her throat. A soft purr vibrates through her.

  “I’m about to come, Ava,” I say.

  She only increases the suction on my cock.

  Holy shit. If this is a hallucination, I never want to be sane again.

  With a guttural cry, I come. She drinks me down, eager, as I explode inside her mouth.

  After a little time, she raises her eyes and meets my gaze. They’re full of soft emotion, and I suddenly realize what I’ve been trying to deny to myself all this time.

  I love her.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Ava

  I step out of the shower, wrapped in a fluffy white robe. While I was washing, Lucas ordered some late brunch items from room service. Apparently, a butler has taken my clothes to unwrinkle and freshen them up. I would normally feel a bit shy in a situation like this—the butler undoubtedly knows what we were doing—but right now I’m basking in the afterglow of hot orgasms.

  Standing at the table, Lucas pulls out a chair with a gallant grace I find irresistible. The grim tension that hung around him like dark clouds is gone, replaced by an air of replete satisfaction. He’s put on a shirt and slacks, and looks delicious, smelling slightly of soap and the musk from our time in bed together. I feel my body quicken again, and it’s all I can do to not squirm.

  “I wasn’t sure what you wanted, so I ordered a little bit of everything,” he says with a boyish smile that makes me melt.

  As I sit down, he reveals food on multiple plates covered in steel domes. I gasp at a full platter of lox with all the trimmings, caviar, egg omelets with bacon and sausages and potatoes, a bowl of fresh berries, a plate of thinly sliced roast beef and a bowl of salad lightly tossed with what smells like a vinaigrette dressing. There is also
a large basket of warm, freshly baked bread.

  “Are you trying to feed the entire city?” I tease as I place a stiff white napkin on my lap.

  “I think the Osaka metropolitan area would need a bit more than this.” He considers, taking his seat. “Or maybe not. Japanese people don’t eat much.”

  “I see you’ve become acquainted with the portion sizes here.”

  “Reacquainted. But yeah.”

  That makes me pause. “You’ve spent time in Japan?”

  “Only about a semester. It was an exchange program I did.” He shrugs. “Eat. Please. I feel like it’s my fault that you’ve lost weight in the last two years.”

  “It has nothing to do with you. I’ve just been really busy.”

  Busy hiding things from him, my subconscious whispers.

  Not wanting to ruin the moment with my secrets, I smack the thought aside and take a big forkful of the egg omelet. It’s fluffy, with lots of cheese, and cooked to perfection.

  “I want to make this official. Move back to the States with me. Ava, I might be the most infuriating man you’ve ever met, but I’m open to reform. Just give me a chance.”

  I hesitate. I want to say yes. But it’s not that easy, not anymore. I half shrug. “You aren’t the most infuriating man I’ve ever met in my life…”

  “I swear I’ll take care of you. I’ll do everything I can to make up for the job you lost. I’ll help you get a new job, introduce you to people.”

  The intensity of his gaze sears me. He isn’t just saying this to have me as a regular bedmate again. He really wants me back, and he really wants to make this work. I wish I knew why, but I’m afraid to ask. If he doesn’t say, “Because I love you,” what will I do?

  However, staying in Japan is no longer an option regardless of what he says. I wouldn’t stay even if I got another job offer here in the next ten minutes.

  “If it’s about the hassle of a trans-Pacific move, I can send a moving crew immediately to your apartment and have them pack everything,” Lucas offers. “We can probably leave by tonight. The plane’s ready.”

  My mouth parts. This is all much too fast and too sudden. “Lucas, I can’t just drop everything and go.”

  “Why not? You don’t need to give the school any notice.”

  “I have friends here.”

  “Like that guy in the bar?”

  “For your information, he’s Bennie’s boyfriend,” I say dryly. “As in, there is no way he wants me in his bed.”

  He gives me a semi-baleful look. “Why didn’t you say that before?”

  “Was there any point?” I take a sip of the freshly squeezed grapefruit juice that came with our meal. “Look, Lucas. I need to figure out what I’m going to tell Bennie. I can’t just leave him. He’s been my best friend since we were kids, and he’s basically been the sole constant in my life.”

  Lucas stares at me for a moment, assessing and weighing my words. Finally he says, “I feel like what you’re doing is withdrawing from me.”

  From the way he immediately flushes, I know he didn’t mean to reveal so much of himself. My heart aches. He’s been so vulnerable to me in this room. And I don’t want to hurt him by being evasive or dishonest. “No other man has been able to occupy my thoughts the way you do.”

  “Well…good. But Ava, that’s not enough. I want more.”

  He’s making it clear that he wants everything from me. But no matter how open he’s been in the last few hours, I’m not sure if I’m ready to leave myself completely defenseless. The idea is simply too scary.

  “We’ve just reconnected after two years,” I say with care. “And the way we parted wasn’t…ideal. We need to give ourselves some room—some time—and take this relationship slowly. Rushing…well, rushing might doom it.”

  “Don’t even think that,” Lucas says harshly. “It is not doomed. I am going to make this work.”

  I don’t know if he can, but I know he’s determined to try. So I turn the conversation to something that’s been bothering me for a long, long time. “If I ask you to stop seeing Faye Belbin, will you?”

  He pulls back in surprise. “Ava… She’s my friend.”

  “But every time I see her, I feel like I wasn’t enough back then. I already told you all this on the flight.”

  His jaw firms. “All right. I won’t see her. She and I have certain mutual business interests, but she can deal with my assistant if she needs to communicate with me. There will be no direct contact.”

  “So this time, you and I will be one hundred percent exclusive, right? Not just sex. No more taking other people to functions and parties?”

  “Right.”

  That mollifies me. We finish our meal quietly. Mostly I’m thinking. This is a huge adjustment, going from expecting to take a job in Thailand to moving back home. I can’t believe it’s been only five days since we ran into each other again in Chiang Mai.

  “Do you know where you might want to live in the States?” Lucas asks suddenly.

  “I…haven’t thought that far. I mean, I guess I might go to Charlottesville for a little bit to see some people.” I want to say hello to Darcy and Ray and hold Mia in my arms.

  Lucas nods. “We can do that. I still have the place in Charlottesville.”

  “You do?”

  “Yup. Never got rid of it. I did all my surgeries and rehab at the UVA hospital.”

  Unease settles over me. I take a few bites of the berries and then push my plate away. “I should get going before the traffic gets really bad.”

  It’s a flimsy excuse. But I need some time alone to figure out exactly how my life with Lucas is going to be in the States.

  Thankfully, he doesn’t object. He calls the butler, asking her to bring my clothes back. He dismisses her once she’s completed the task, and helps me get dressed. We walk down to the lobby together, our hands linked. The physical connection helps settle my nerves.

  He puts me into a waiting taxi and hands the driver a five-thousand yen bill.

  “That’s too much,” I say. “I can take care of the fare.”

  He shakes his head. “You’re mine. Let me provide for you.”

  “But—”

  “Don’t fight me, Ava. I’ll send someone to help you pack and we’ll go out to dinner tonight.”

  He leans down and gives me a quick kiss on the mouth. When he pulls back, the taxi driver, mildly scandalized, closes the door. I turn and watch through the window as the cab carries me away from the only man I’ve ever loved.

  * * *

  Ava

  Less than an hour after I get back to the apartment, Bennie barges in. His black-socked feet stomp on the floor like a raging rhino’s. I stare, surprised that he’s already home. Normally he has after-school club activities that require his supervision.

  “Tell me where the son of a bitch is. I’m going to kill him!” Bennie yells, fists clenched and ready to throw.

  I think I have a pretty good idea of who the son of a bitch he’s referring to is, but I don’t want to talk about that right now, especially when he’s in this kind of mood. “What are you doing back so early?”

  “Melissa the Aussie, who has a friend at your school, said that you were called into the principal’s office and left with your things. And the rumor is apparently going around that you’re a slut who went to a hotel room with a guy late on Sunday while cohabiting with another guy.”

  I cringe. God. It hasn’t even been a full day. On the other hand, I’m certain Kouchou-sensei and Mishima-sensei wasted no time tarring and feathering me, most likely using elegantly passive-aggressive Japanese.

  Bennie continues, “There’s only one asshole who’d try to ruin your life this way.”

  “Do they know that you’re the guy I’m living with?” Melissa works alongside Bennie, is totally fluent in Japanese and integrated into society here. I don’t want his job to be affected by what’s going on in my personal life.

  “Not at the moment. But I wouldn’t be su
rprised if that fucker reveals the information just because. He’s out to win the Asshole of the Century award.”

  I sigh, my shoulders sagging. “You’re safe. Lucas isn’t going to tell anyone.”

  Bennie’s face flushes. “You think I care about that? I’m upset for you. Now he’s forcing you into taking that Thailand job.”

  Probably not the best time to mention the offer’s gone, and thanks to Lucas. “I thought you wanted me to.”

  “I did, but only because I thought it’d be good for you to work for someone who values your professional capabilities, not like your Kouchou, who’s a xenophobic bitch. But I wouldn’t have pushed you to take it if it wasn’t what you really wanted. Lucas isn’t doing this for you.”

  “I know. He wants another chance.” I give Bennie a quick summary of what happened between me and Lucas in the last few hours.

  Bennie listens, his jaw slack. When I’m finished, he shakes his head.

  “You slept with him?” He makes it sound like I’ve doused myself with gasoline and then juggled lit matches.

  “Well…yeah.”

  “After what he’s done to you?”

  “Yes.” Before my best friend can launch into a rant as to why what I’ve done is beyond the pale, I add, “It was the first time he made himself really vulnerable. I think he’s changed. The accident and the two years apart made him different. And—foolish as it sounds—I want to try again.”

  “He broke your heart!”

  “I know. And I’m scared that he’s going to do it again. But you know what scares me more?”

  Bennie’s face is tight. “What?”

  “That if I turn him down now, I may regret it for the rest of my life. You know, wondering what if? What if I’d been braver? What if I’d just let myself open up, just a little bit?”

  “Ava, you’re playing right into his fucked-up mind game. He wants you to feel all these things so he can control you. And despite his having been a contemptible fuckhead, you’re going to reward him anyway?”

  Placing a shaky hand on my forehead, I exhale long and hard. “You may be right. But I can’t help that my heart believes he’s sincere.”