An Unlikely Deal

by Nadia Lee

He is, however, deeply disappointed when the only store we find is a general merchandise place that sells all sorts of things, including some clothes. He looks at the blue plastic carts with horror. I bet he’s never set foot inside a store that requires him to push one around. Given the wealth and social position of his family, he’s probably never shopped for groceries either.

  “What the hell are those?” he whispers hoarsely when I dump a few packages of panties into the cart.

  “Underwear.”

  He picks one up and reads the label. “White,” he says sourly. “Cotton? C’mon!”

  I press my twitching lips together. “If you wanted something fancier, you should’ve warned me first. Then I could’ve packed.”

  “What kind of kidnapper warns his victim?”

  “The kind that doesn’t like plain white cotton underwear?” I grab a few men’s boxers and toss them into the cart. “There.”

  He sighs, but doesn’t comment further. I bite my lip so I don’t laugh out loud and grab a few clean shirts and pants while I’m at it. He gives me his size, and I dump stuff for him too.

  “Who does your travel planning for you?” I ask as we wait in line to pay.

  “My assistant. I tell her what I want and she does it.”

  “I guess she didn’t take part in your criminal activity today.”

  “No, I didn’t think to make her an accessory. Should’ve.”

  “Eh, not too bad for your first time on your own.” I smirk as the cashier scans our goods. “At least we’ve got acceptable dental floss.”

  “Thank the lord,” he says with mock sincerity, then pulls me into his arms and dips me dramatically like in a black-and-white romance flick and kisses me on the mouth. “Next time, I’m abducting you to Paris.”

  My eyes widen. “Paris?”

  “Uh-huh. Much better lingerie.” He grins as he straightens me and swipes his card.

  “You can abduct me anytime”—I kiss him back breathlessly—“even if you aren’t taking me to Paris.”

  * * *

  Lucas

  We’re fortunate that Doris provides us with dinner—a homey beef stew served in the dining room. Actually I’m feeling lucky since I was leery of finding a decent place to eat after our shopping experience. All the women I’ve dated before would’ve been horrified at the lack of five star establishments. Ava, on the other hand, seems amused and content to take what comes, for which I’m grateful.

  When I initially visited her at Ray and Darcy’s house, I didn’t mean to spirit her away like this, but I just couldn’t bring myself to give her up for another night. Given the way Ray and Darcy have been, I’m certain they would’ve objected if Ava spent the night at my place, and I’m not sure which way she would’ve jumped. She’s so damn loyal to them.

  If only I could be certain of her devotion.

  I’ll have to earn that of course, but I don’t know how. I’ve never successfully earned anyone’s love.

  You are marrying, right?

  You know it’s going to devastate Elizabeth.

  I shunt aside the memory of Blake’s cool words. Portraits or no, I would’ve gone after Ava. I’m not going to marry her for a damned painting, and if that decision costs my siblings, I’ll make it up to them somehow. But I can’t use Ava like that.

  “This is really good.” Ava soaks up her last bit of stew with a piece of bread and pops it into her mouth.

  “Glad you like it,” Doris says. “Sammy had to leave early to go to the hospital, and I hate eating alone.” She laughs. “Sammy’s the handyman, works himself up a pretty good appetite most days, but he’s gotta go see his grandson born.”

  “Wow. That’s awesome. Congrats to him,” Ava says.

  “Oh, he’s thrilled. Loves him some children.” Doris smiles, revealing the small gap between her front teeth. “Who doesn’t, though, right?”

  Ava’s gaze rests on me, and I look back at her. Her brow is furrowed as though she’s trying to weigh something that can’t be weighed.

  Apparently having noticed the odd vibe between us, Doris stares at me. I feel a dull flush rising from the base of my neck.

  “Children are interesting,” I mutter finally, re-experiencing the particular embarrassment I felt when I forgot my line in a school play.

  Doris beams. “’Course they are. Fascinating, when you come right down to it.”

  I nod with a neutral smile, but Ava is looking at me like I’m an alien. Damn it. Is “interesting” not the right word? The first word that pops into my head when I hear “children” is “grubby.” And “grubby” elicits “untouchable” and “to be avoided.” I thought “interesting” would be better.

  Thankfully, the awkward moment is broken when Doris announces it’s time for something sweet. It’s hard to be anything but happy when presented with a dessert as American as apple pie with huge double scoops of vanilla ice cream.

  “Amazing,” Ava says after a bite. “I feel a little disloyal for saying this, but it’s better than Ray’s.”

  “Is there anything he can’t make?” I ask.

  “Hamburgers.” She snorts, then laughs. “It really drives him nuts that he can’t master them for some reason, and Darcy can.” She takes another big bite. “God, I could eat like this every day.”

  “Want to?” I turn to Doris. “Would it be a huge imposition if we asked you to cook us dinner for the rest of our stay? I’d be happy to pay extra, of course.”

  “Wouldn’t mind at all.” She pronounces it ah-tall. “I love cooking.”

  “Excellent. Thank you.”

  “Just so you know, I make a different pie every day,” she says. “Hope that’s all right.”

  “Variety makes life interesting,” Ava says.

  Doris smacks a thigh with a loud laugh. “Ain’t that the truth!”

  We return to our room, and while Ava texts Ray to let him know she won’t be coming home for a few days, I run the bath for her. Doris has provisioned us with a bottle of some scented bubble concoction, and the bathroom soon smells like tropical flowers.

  “Mmm,” Ava says, looking at the thick layer of frothy bubbles in the tub. “A man after my own heart.”

  Wrapping an arm around her waist, I pull her close. “Never let it be said that I don’t know how to take care of an abductee.”

  She’s already shucked her shoes, so I help her out of her outfit, laying her clothes on the toilet seat cover. She sinks into the hot water.

  “Ah, this feels sooo good.”

  “If only you had some wine,” I say.

  “What do you know about bubble baths and wine?”

  “All women drink wine when they take one.” I strip, dropping my stuff on the floor, and join her in the tub. “It’s like a law.”

  The warm water sinks deep into my muscles. As I settle behind her and spoon her against my chest, she murmurs, “You’re going to smell like flowers.”

  “I’d risk smelling worse if it meant being with you.”

  She snorts a laugh. “We’re so sappy.”

  “Sappy’s good. We deserve to be happy after two years.” I take her hand and kiss it gently. “All I ask is that you give me a chance, Ava.”

  “I know.”

  But somehow, watching her cheeks flush with heat, I can’t help but think that she’s holding back something important, something without which I can never be truly close to her. Unease dips its chilly finger into my heart, and I will myself to be rational. Don’t get clingy.

  I fist my hand into her golden hair and pull her head back for a deep, lush kiss. She obliges, her mouth soft and eager. I take her with my mouth, my tongue, leaving nothing of her untouched. One of her hands digs into my hair while another finds the pierced nipple. My cock hardens, and she turns around and adjusts herself until she’s cradling my dick between her slick folds. I curse under my breath, and she laughs breathlessly against my mouth.

  “I love what I can do to your body.” She wraps a hand around the shaft and squeezes.


  I groan.

  “What I can do for your body,” she adds in a pant.

  “Ava.”

  I brush my fingers over her sensitive beaded nipples, one after the other. She arches her back, pushing them toward me. My mouth clamps over one, pulling it in deep and hard. Her breasts aren’t the largest I’ve ever seen, but they’re the most sensitive…and sensitivity trumps size any day.

  Her breath hitches, and she rocks harder and faster against me. I grip her ass to hold her still. She has no clue how amazing her bare flesh feels against my throbbing dick. Or maybe she does and doesn’t care.

  “Condom,” she whispers. “Tell me you have a condom.”

  “In my pants pocket,” I say.

  She gets out of the tub and bends over to fish it out, treating me to a nice show along the way. I rise out of the water and grab a towel to dry the pertinent part, then help her sheathe me. Her fingers are shaky, but surprisingly dexterous.

  “I’m going to be on top,” she says, her voice low and husky.

  I pull her in for a hot, open-mouthed kiss. “You can be anywhere as long as you get there soon.”

  She pushes me down and positions herself. Her fingers digging into my shoulders, she slips lower…lower…finally taking me deeper inside. The hot muscles contract around my dick, and I thrust, wanting the connection to be deeper, hotter. She throws her head back; the water slaps the edges of the tub around us. I take a rosy nipple into my mouth, and suck hard as she increases her tempo, taking me in, then pulling almost all the way back, determined to drive me out of my fucking mind.

  Who the fuck am I kidding? I’m already out of my mind. I lost it the second I met her.

  “Lucas…” Ava pants. “Oh my god…”

  Water drops cling to her flushed skin and spikes the dark lashes framing her lust-darkened eyes. She looks fucking amazing as she climbs higher and higher, ready for a blinding climax. I slip a hand between our bodies, find the swollen clit. She cries out, and her fingers dig even harder into my muscles. From the way her pussy contracts around my shaft, I know she’s close.

  “Come for me, babe,” I grate out between clenched teeth. “Let me feel you come.”

  “Not alone. Together.” Her gorgeous glazed eyes meet mine, and I feel like I’m being sucked into her. “Come with me.”

  She could tell me to follow her to hell and I’d say okay. Her body tightens as the orgasm rips through her, her spine arched, her mouth parted in a scream. Nothing could be more beautiful than Ava in climax, and that’s all it takes to push me over the edge.

  I spurt into her hotly, my entire body so tense it feels like I’m made of stone. My hands grasp her tiny waist, holding on as pleasure spirals through me, as sharp and uncontrollable as shrapnel.

  When I can breathe again, I pull her close and whisper into her damp hair, “Let’s stay here as long as we can.”

  She nods.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Ava

  It rains the rest of the weekend, but I don’t mind as we stay cocooned with each other. We turn off our phones and don’t let anything intrude on our time. When Monday rolls around, the rain has finally stopped but it’s still heavily overcast.

  My mood is as low as the clouds. I hate leaving the humble bed and breakfast. It’s been such a haven for us—to reconnect and spend time together. I still haven’t told Lucas about Mia. I’m not certain yet what I’ll tell him or how he’ll react, especially after that comment about children being “interesting.” I’m pretty sure he was thinking something other than interesting when he said it.

  If it were only me, I would’ve told him by now, but I worry about Darcy and Ray. She miscarried three times, and if anything were to happen to Mia…I don’t know what it would do to her.

  “Do you honestly intend to take these with you?” Lucas asks, hoisting up the plastic bags stuffed with the underwear and clothes we bought.

  “Yes. Why would you want to toss them?”

  “Because.” He kisses me behind my ear. “I’ll buy you something sexier.”

  “You mean you’re going to ask your assistant?”

  “She can send us the whole catalogue, and you can model for me and we can decide together.”

  I elbow him in the side. “We won’t be doing much picking then.”

  “If we can’t get through everything in thirty days, we’ll just keep all of them.”

  I laugh. “You’re terrible.”

  We settle our bill with Doris. I look around as she and Lucas go over the items to make sure everything’s right. I’m going to miss this place. Maybe we should come back, make our stay here an annual event. I’d like that.

  The drive home is quiet. Lucas maneuvers with his left hand, holding mine with his right for the hours it takes us to reach Charlottesville. I feel the weight of real life growing with every mile.

  I don’t understand why I’m so uneasy. We can’t live in that bed and breakfast forever. But for some bizarre reason, the real world feels like a wedge that’s coming between us.

  My hold on him tightens, and he looks at me questioningly.

  “Nothing,” I say. “I just wish the weekend were longer.”

  “Me, too.” He smiles. “But I meant what I said about abducting you to Paris.”

  “I look forward to it, but not over Thanksgiving. I definitely need to spend that with Darcy and Ray.” I hesitate. “Do you have any plans?”

  “For what?” He blinks. “Thanksgiving?”

  I nod.

  “No… No plans.”

  The slightly bemused tone speaks volumes. He doesn’t celebrate the holiday—or at least his family doesn’t. “You’re welcome to join us.”

  The eyebrow rises. “Are you sure?”

  “Of course.”

  “Well…okay. Thanks. Let me know if I need to bring anything.”

  “I will.”

  “And speaking of things—do you want your Lexus back?”

  My head swivels so fast I almost sprain my neck. “My what?”

  “Your Lexus. The car. You left it.”

  “I didn’t leave it. I gave it back to you.”

  “Well, I’ve got it in the garage.”

  “Why?” It’s not like he doesn’t have a car of his own.

  He shrugs, then clears his throat. “In case you changed your mind.”

  “Lucas.”

  I place my forehead against his shoulder. My gut clenches painfully as I realize maybe I should’ve stuck around and confronted him directly rather than have his hateful brother drive me away. Even though Google showed how different we were—his wealth, his family, his connections—I should’ve at least given him a chance to explain. Even if there was a possibility that it might add to my already painful humiliation.

  “I’m not a total idiot, Ava.” He lets out a rough laugh. “I knew you weren’t planning on coming back. But getting rid of it felt too…final.” The corners of his eyes crinkle as his lips twist self-deprecatingly. “I suppose it’s the reason some people keep their children’s rooms the same after they move away.”

  “You got me back.”

  “Yes, thank god.” He sighs. “So, the car…”

  I want to say no, but I can tell that accepting it matters a great deal to him. “I’ll…take it back. Thank you.” I squirm.

  “You’re uncomfortable,” he says.

  “Because it’s too extravagant! It’s a whole car.”

  “If we’re going to be together, you have to get used to extravagance.”

  I sigh and finally nod. “Okay. You’re right.” It wouldn’t be fair for me to ask him to drastically lower his living standards just to suit me. Besides, there’s no car he could’ve bought that would’ve made me feel comfortable taking it.

  When Lucas drives through the gates to the golf course community, he turns the opposite way from Ray and Darcy’s home and follows along the immaculately maintained winding road. At the end is a one-story house that sprawls unlike my foster p
arents’ home.

  He pulls into the driveway and cuts the engine. Another car is there. Glossy, black, expensive looking. Everything inside me freezes when I see a woman climb out of it. Inky black hair, alabaster skin, amber eyes and lush carmine lips paired with the fabulously voluptuous body of a pinup girl from the fifties. Incredibly, horrifyingly, Faye Belbin is even better in person than in her photos.

  The red dress she’s wearing looks painted on. It leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination and seems almost indecent, despite the fact that its hem reaches mid-shin. Her hips sway seductively as she walks toward us in red shoes with skinny high heels.

  “Ah, fuck.” Lucas yanks on the door and gets out.

  I climb out, too. I’m not going to sit inside the car when my man is about to interact with his ex or…something. I’m still not sure what to label Faye.

  “I am so going to fire Rachel,” Lucas says.

  “Now, now.” The woman has a purring husky contralto that belongs to a phone sex operator. She barely spares a glance my way. Suddenly I feel small and inconsequential in her presence. “Don’t be irritated. Come give me a hug.”

  She comes forward with arms spread, but he raises his hands, palms out.

  She stops. Her focus remains zeroed in on Lucas. “All right, so you’re upset with Rachel, but she didn’t do anything wrong. I told her I had to see you, especially in light of what’s going on with your family.”

  Lucas huffs out a breath. “Elliot or Ryder?”

  She laughs. “It’s Elliot, and you know how it is. Got tangled up in another juicy scandal.”

  “Marrying a damn stripper isn’t enough?”

  “Apparently not.”

  He curses viciously. “All right, so why are you here? What’s so damned important?”

  She looks mildly surprised. “Lucas, I know you want to beat your father at his little game. I wanted to offer my help, but couldn’t reach you by phone. So…”

  That reminds me that we turned off our phones while we were at the bed and breakfast. Apparently Lucas forgot too; we both fish our phones out and turn them on. As soon as mine finds reception, it starts vibrating with numerous alerts.

  Most of them are Facebook messages and emails from Bennie. I open the latest one on top of my inbox.