by Melody Anne
She had on the same sandals that laced up her calves.
Stupid-assed me couldn’t find my tongue to tell her how amazing she looked.
“You look amazing,” I finally managed to croak out.
A blush crawled up her cheeks, and her gaze dropped to somewhere around my nose. She got the same look whenever I told her that. As if she didn’t know it. Girls like her always did. And yet . . . her embarrassment seemed genuine.
“I’m not just saying that, you know. You really are beautiful. Inside and out.” Jesus, I sounded like some corner store discount card, but I meant it. I’d never met anyone like Avery before. She was good, and not just on the surface. It wasn’t an act either. I know because I’d been watching her for weeks while we were working, and no one can pull off acting nice all the time.
Eventually they slip up.
Davis was one of those assholes. He’d pretended to be a good guy at first. Hell, I even liked him, and he made my mom happy. It wasn’t long before his true colors came out, though. Then the drugs started, but Mom was too far gone on his lies. She trusted him and it killed her.
Davis was going to fucking pay for what he did to my family.
Soft fingers wrapped around my hand and brought me back to the present.
“Everything okay?” Avery asked.
I looked down and saw both my hands had clenched into tight fists. Tension sat on my shoulders, and I knew I was probably glaring. With a deep inhale, I shrugged it off as best I could.
I relaxed my fingers and threaded them with hers.
“Everything is perfect. Now I really have to go before I’m late.” I tugged her out of the bedroom and down the hall. She stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around my neck. I could get used to that.
All of it.
“You want to come over for dinner?” she asked. “There is still the eggplant that we didn’t get to eat last night.”
“Dessert first?” I bent down and pressed my lips against the pulse beating in her neck.
“Maybe.” Her grin turned coy, and she pushed me backward toward the door.
“I might be back in time for lunch, you know.”
Avery threw back her head and laughed. I fucking loved that sound. After one last kiss, I made myself leave her place and headed down the steps. My truck stuck out like a sore thumb among all the fancy imports.
I glanced up as the engine turned over slowly, and Avery smiled and gave me a small wave from her balcony. She looked gorgeous standing there. And she was looking at me.
Christ. I’d stepped out of a prison cell and into a freakin’ alternate reality. No other explanation. It took fifteen minutes to get to Jimmy’s, and I pulled into the half-empty parking lot. Even on a Saturday morning at eleven there were people drinking already.
I killed the engine and sat with my hands on the steering wheel. Everything was riding on this. Sara’s future was inside that bar. My hands shook as I pulled the keys out of the ignition. This had to work.
I headed inside. The clink of glasses and pool balls greeted me. Jim was behind the bar, and several guys sat in front of him, their hands wrapped around half-full glasses.
“Right on time,” Jim said when he saw me. “You’re already doing better than half my staff.” He chucked the towel under the bar and nodded his head to the guy at the other end of the bar. “Can I get you a drink before we talk?”
“Nah, I’m good.”
I followed Jim over to a quiet table in the corner of the room. “So, I think I got an offer for you. The missus has been on my ass to cut back here and spend some time with her. I need a manager, someone I can trust to keep everyone in line. I can’t imagine any of the locos having enough sense to do it right, but I know you and you’re a good kid and I think it’s about time someone gives you a break.”
The charity part of this didn’t sit well with me, but I really didn’t have a choice. I needed a job to earn enough money for that damned lawyer’s fee. If it meant getting Sara away from Davis, I’d shovel shit if I had to.
“What are you looking at? I still have a few weeks of CS left so I can’t do days.”
“I’m talking about nights. Six to one Wednesday through Saturday. One fifty a night.”
Numbers flew through my head, and my jaw almost hit the table. Six hundred dollars a week? Was he fucking for real?
“You’re shittin’ me, aren’t you?” This had to be a joke.
“Nope. It’s not gonna be easy money, though. Inventory and ordering and making sure no assholes leave the place so drunk our license is on the line. I got three night waitresses, and sometimes the customers get a little too friendly with them, but they’ll let you know if they need your help. They’re pretty good at handling themselves,” he said with a chuckle. “You might be filling in behind the bar if it gets busy, or delivering food, or whatever else needs to be done. Cleaning up after close is a team effort, so it don’t usually take too long. Walk the girls to their cars after shift. That’s just something I do and I expect you to do the same.”
I nodded in agreement.
Jim grinned broadly and smacked me between the shoulder blades. “Well, if you’re crazy enough to take it, let me get the paperwork. You can start Friday night, trial by fire and see what you think.”
Jim laughed and walked into the back, and I sat in the chair, trying to wrap my head around this. Not only did I have a job, but a fucking great-paying one that would get me the money I needed in two weeks. Two weeks and then I could start thinking about saving Sara from that asshole Davis.
My phone buzzed as I waited for Jim, and a glance told me I had a text from Avery.
I have a surprise for you. Meet me back at my place at two if you’re feeling adventurous. ;P
I couldn’t keep the grin off my face.
Nothing in my life had ever gone this good.
Between Avery and this job, I actually felt like I might have a fucking chance at a future.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Avery
I sent the text to Seth, then threw on a pair of denim shorts and a T-shirt, grabbed my purse, and ran out the door. I already knew exactly what I needed and where we were going.
I missed him as soon as he left, a feeling I never had with Grant, and had been racking my brain for an excuse to spend the day with him when it hit me.
There was someplace I wanted him to see. A place I’d never taken anyone to before.
The corner grocery a few blocks from my place was small, but it had an excellent selection of food and wine.
I grabbed a basket and started looking for everything I’d need for the impromptu picnic I had planned. I grabbed some apples and a bunch of grapes, then went to the back of the store where I knew I could find a gorgeous selection of cheeses and fresh loaves of crusty bread.
I knew I was grinning like an idiot, but I couldn’t help it. I felt . . . amazing. Not just from all the orgasms, although that had been better than I could have ever imagined.
I liked Seth. A lot. Liked spending time with him, liked cooking with him, and I loved falling asleep in his arms. I shook my head and picked through the cheese. Brie was my favorite, but that needed to be warm and melted. With the apples and bread, an aged sharp cheddar would be perfect.
A couple of bars of dark chocolate and, on a whim, some fresh strawberries, and I was done. It was going to be perfect.
Was this all happening too fast? Four years with Grant was a long time. Single for only a few months and I was getting hooked on another guy?
If any of my sorority little sisters came to me with this scenario, I’d tell her to slow down. But damned if I wanted to. Seth wasn’t like anyone else I’d known. He didn’t have an agenda. He wasn’t with me for what I could give him careerwise. I was just . . . Avery to him. And I liked it.
Because honestly, I wasn’t really sure who I was anymore.
Finally I had started taking control and making my own choices, and I liked the feeling. For the first time in my l
ife, I didn’t have classes or schedules or obligations. Aside from CS, my planner was open and I had mentally written Seth in on every day.
I grabbed a six-pack of local beer and a couple of bottles of water and headed to the checkout, eager to see him again.
The hours before Seth showed up felt like years. I rearranged the picnic basket three times trying to get it just right.
By the time he knocked on my door, I’d even changed my clothes a half dozen times. The light blue sundress I’d settled on whispered against my thighs as I tried not to run to open the door.
“Hi,” I said with a smile.
He’d changed his clothes—jeans and a charcoal T-shirt that made his eyes look amazing. His hair was still damp, and I could smell the fresh scent of soap.
“Hey.” The way his gaze ran down over me and then back up made me glad I’d chosen this dress. His eyes were dark and full of want when he finally met my stare. “You look beautiful.”
I swallowed and pointed at the basket when he took a determined step toward me. “There. Please. Grab that?” Words tumbled from my lips, but I needed him to take the basket before I pushed the door shut and we had our picnic on my bed.
Seth grabbed the basket in one hand and wrapped the other around my waist, pulling me against his body. He buried his mouth in my neck and my knees went weak. “God, you always smell so good.”
Maybe lunch in bed wasn’t such a bad idea?
“So I’m guessing we’re having a picnic?” he asked when he pulled away.
He left his arm around my waist and I leaned into him to grab my purse.
We took my car for the AC, and after a short twenty-minute drive, I pulled onto the gravel road that led to the parking lot in front of Lake Johnson.
“This is it,” I said. A sudden case of nerves got me. What if Seth thought it was stupid that a small bit of secluded lakefront was the place I went when I needed to think? To dream a little?
“Cool. Never been here before.”
We got out and Seth grabbed the picnic basket. We walked hand in hand down the mulch-covered pathway, but instead of going straight to the public beach, I veered him off onto a barely discernible trail.
“Is this where you dispose of the bodies, counselor?” Seth asked.
“Of course,” I said over my shoulder. The path was so narrow that we had to walk single file now. Finally, I could see the water sparkling between the thick bushes and led Seth down a short embankment.
The lake opened up in front of us, brilliant blue water that was so clear you could see the pebbles underneath. Boats whizzed by, pulling laughing water-skiers, and a few sailing boats floated farther out.
Even though a hundred feet farther up there was a beach full of people, this spot was quiet.
“Wow.” Seth set the basket down and stepped to the edge of the water.
It should have been weird, being there with someone, because I never had the urge to share this with Grant. I never once wanted to bring him here. This place was all mine.
But I wanted Seth to see it.
Wanted it to be our place now.
God, this was happening too fast. The logical part of my brain wanted me to take a step back and analyze what was going on. Was I lonely? Was this a natural reaction to being cheated on and dumped? Would this excitement fade when my normal life started back up again?
That I had no answers should have made me turn and run, but it made my stomach flip and my skin tingle. This unknown. This taking-a-chance thing was seriously addictive already.
“Look for rocks, Avery. I want to show you how to skip them.”
Seth stood in the water with his pant legs rolled up. Sun glinted off the bits of blond in his hair, and every time he caught me staring, he would grin at me.
Something had shifted since I’d met him at O’Malley’s. He seemed lighter. Freer.
And he was entirely too good-looking for his own good.
Where Grant was tall and thin, built more like a long-distance runner, Seth looked like he could step into a fighter’s cage and come out the winner. Lean muscles and broad shoulders, and indents in all the right places on his stomach.
Dips and valleys that I traced with my fingers for almost an hour after the third go-around last night. My fingers tingled from the memory. Absently I bent down and grabbed the first rock I touched.
“Like this one?” I held up a sort of round one the size of a grape.
Seth splashed over and examined my find. “Nope, try again. Look in the water.” He was determined I’d get it. It took another five minutes of looking before I found one he deemed acceptable.
“Perfect. Now turn your hips.” He put his hands on my hips to guide me into the correct position. Cool water splashed over my calves. “Pull your arm back and hold the rock loose, palm up. Then pull back and flick your wrist.”
I waited for him to step back, but he didn’t. Heat radiated from him, and an ache started in the spots where he touched. When he brushed his lips over my neck, I dropped the rock.
He chuckled in my ear, a confident, satisfied sound. When I bent over to pick it up, his grip tightened, keeping my hips pressed against his. “Now just drop it again about ten more times.”
I stood up and laughed, then swayed my ass back and forth across the front of his jeans. He wanted to play that game? His groan was the best revenge.
“Best teacher ever.” I sighed.
He laughed and kissed my shoulder. “It’s all in the wrist technique.” He slid his hand slowly down my arm until his fingers wrapped around my wrist. Then he tilted it at an angle and moved it as if I were throwing it. “Try again.”
This time when I let it loose, it actually skipped twice before plunking into the lake.
“I did it!” I laughed and spun around to face him. “You are officially the best teacher.” I stood on my toes and ran my lips over his neck. His hands tightened at my waist.
“You’re killing me,” he growled. “There are people everywhere, and all I want to do is get you naked and spread out on that blanket.”
Heat coursed through my body. I almost said to hell with the people.
Seth took my hand and led me to the blanket, and for one exciting second, I thought he was going to just do what he said he wanted to.
He must have seen the direction of my thoughts because he laughed. “Sit down, you exhibitionist. We are not fucking in public.”
I pouted, and he drew me down to sit beside him. His breath was hot as it washed over my bare shoulder. “When we get home, on the other hand . . .”
“When can we leave?” I asked, lost in the sensations spiraling from where he touched me.
“Not yet.” He fished through the picnic basket and pulled out some grapes, the crusty baguette, and the cheese. When he lifted out the chocolate, he raised his eyebrow at me. I swatted his arm.
“What? This is perfectly acceptable picnic fare.”
“Uh, no, it’s not. No fried chicken. No baked beans. No chips even. And where the hell is the pie?” He tipped the basket upside down and shook it. As if a pie would mysteriously fall out.
“Have you ever had a slice of baguette with cheese?” I asked, pulling the bread from the packet and ripping off a hunk.
Seth lifted an eyebrow with amusement. “Uh, nope. Unless you count grilled cheese. Then yes, yes I have.”
“This is not grilled cheese.” I chuckled and cut off a thick slice of the aged cheddar, then arranged it on a paper plate with sliced apples and grapes. Instead of handing the plate to him, though, I reached out and took the bread and cheese and lifted it to his mouth.
He opened and I fed him, never breaking my stare from him. Every nerve in my body was strung tight. I’d never fed anyone before. When his warm lips closed around one finger and he ran his tongue over it, I almost dropped the plate.
I think I was panting. Or maybe it was just in my head that I couldn’t catch my breath.
Seth nudged my hand with his chin. “More.”
/> After I fed him half the loaf of bread, the apple, and a handful of grapes, he lay back with his hands behind his head. It would have looked like the whole thing hadn’t affected him at all, except the bulge in his jeans said otherwise. I leaned over and ran my nails over the outside, and he grabbed my wrist.
“Nope.”
“Seriously? No one can even see us,” I groaned, flopping onto my back at his side. If this was his idea of foreplay, he was exceptionally good at it. Too good. I was pretty sure I was on the verge of imploding from suppressed need.
“This is the get-to-know-you portion of our date.”
I rolled onto my side and leaned my head against my hand. “I thought we did that already? Multiple times in fact.” When I wiggled my eyebrows at him, he laughed.
I could listen to that sound all day.
He rolled to face me. “I want to know what makes Avery Melrose tick.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Honestly, I’m just a boring, ordinary person.”
Seth leaned in and brushed his lips over mine. “You are anything but ordinary.” He lay back and pulled me with him so that I was tucked under his arm. “Why law? Tell me why you chose it.”
Why I chose it? I thought back to when I was younger, to when I used to sit in my dad’s office in our home and watch him shifting through papers, hundreds of sheets, while he worked a case. Back then he was a partner in a private practice, and I thought he was the most amazing man on earth for helping innocent people.
It was many more years before I realized that wasn’t always the case.
But by then, my father had already started to guide me along a similar path.
So no, I don’t think I ever chose to be a lawyer, it was just what was expected of me.
“I guess I never really chose it so much as let it happen,” I admitted. “I mean, I do love law and I love solving problems, but it was my father who wanted me to pursue it. I went along because . . . I guess because it was something I was good at?”