Ignite: Book 2 (The Heat Series 1)

by MJ Masucci

  Felice was in the kitchen when she entered the house. She greeted her with a hug. Her father was still at the office and was not due home until after six. She told Felice that she was going to stay in the pool house and rolled her suitcase through the hall to the back door.

  The pool house was just as she remembered. David hadn’t done anything to it since she was last here. She peeked into his room to see if he was there but he was not. He probably was working and would be home later. She got herself settled in the other bedroom and texted Xander to let him know she had arrived safely.

  Are you staying in the main house like we discussed?

  Yes, I’m in my old room. Stop worrying.

  I need to make a phone call. I will call you tonight. I love you.

  I love you, too.

  Ava felt guilty lying to him, but there was nothing to be worried about. David wouldn’t try anything now that he knew that Xander was back in her life. She fell asleep on the couch and woke up to something touching her nose. She slapped at it and opened her eyes. David was hovering above her with his index finger poised inches from her face.

  “Hey, what are you doing?”

  “I’m waking you up. Now give me a hug.”

  She stood up and hugged him. He buried his nose in her hair and kissed her neck.

  “You smell great, and you look gorgeous.”

  “Thanks, I think,” she nervously laughed.

  “How did you do on the exam?”

  “I did well. And you?”

  “I did well. It was so long. I’m glad it’s over and hoping I don’t have to take it again. Are you staying all week?”

  “Yes. I need a break from everything. I was exhausted from all that studying, and I got sick the day before the test. My head was killing me at the end of the first day.”

  She went on to tell him what happened between her and Xander when she came home tipsy after the last day of the exam. David almost seemed hopeful when she said they had been at odds. Then she told him that everything was worked out with him. She saw a look of disappointment flicker across David’s face. She started thinking that Xander was right, she should have stayed in the main house. How was she going to move there without David knowing anything was wrong? She decided the best course of action would be just to stay put.

  They had dinner with their parents when her father came home. Natalia had prepared chicken and dumplings with homemade biscuits. It didn’t go with Ava’s healthy eating but how many times would she be eating this way? After dinner, she called Brooke and Michael to see if she could come to visit the next afternoon. It was too late for her to go over and disturb the children’s routine.

  She was back in the pool house by nine. David was getting ready for work the next day. She dialed Xander’s number, but it went straight to voicemail. She wanted to hear his voice. She wasn’t even twenty-four hours separated from him and missed him terribly.

  David came out of his room and asked her if she wanted a glass of wine. She needed one after the past few weeks even though she knew she wasn’t supposed to drink with her medication. He brought her a glass of red and then sat down next to her.

  “So how are things going with Xander?”

  “Well, we have some arguments over things here and there, but otherwise, we are doing great. Are you dating anyone?”

  “No, the woman I want to date is taken.”

  She raised her eyebrow at him but didn’t question.

  “There must be someone who interests you?”

  “Ava, you are the only woman I want to date. I keep comparing you to other women, and they just don’t...”

  Her stomach started to tighten, and her heart pounded.

  “Don’t what?”

  “Compare. Don’t be coy with me. You know what I’m talking about. You ruined me for other women. I think about you all the time.”

  She took a large gulp of her wine. She needed the courage to break his heart.

  “David, I like you very much, but we can never be. I’m in love with Xander, and we are pre-engaged.”

  “When did you get pre-engaged?”

  “Not long after we got back together. He asked me to marry him with a gorgeous ring, but I told him that we need to get to know each other again. I’m sorry. Maybe I should move to the main house. I know this is hard for you.”

  “No, I don’t want you to do that. If I can’t date you, then I at least want to hang out with you while you’re here. Please stay here. We can go out and do a few things through the week.”

  “Okay, I’ll stay.”

  She yawned and told him that she was going to bed. The next morning she got up around the same time as David so she could go to her brother’s house to see her niece and nephew off to nursery school. They ran to her, and she hugged and kissed them. They were growing so big. Jackson had also grown in the months since she saw him. He was had a thick tuft of blond hair on his head and a few adorable baby teeth. After Michael had left to take the twins to school, she had coffee with Alicia and then went to see Brooke.

  “Brooke, she is beautiful,” she said as she held baby Savannah. She kissed the baby’s blond haired head and breathed her sweet smell. She must have looked sad because Brooke came over to her and side hugged her.

  “Don’t be upset, Ava. There are lots of ways you can have a child of your own.”

  “I want a child so much.”

  “First you need to find yourself a husband. Have you been dating?”

  Ava weighed the options about telling her she was back with Xander. She decided not to do that. The fewer people that knew about them, the better. They had a lot of things to work out before they became a solid couple. Just about the only area, they were stable was the sex department. But that is not what made a relationship strong.

  “Not really. I have been so busy with studying, work and everything else that I didn’t want to get involved with that right now. Now that I am finished I will start to date.”

  “I heard you were working with Xander. Are you alright being around him?”

  “I am. He is part of my past.”

  “How does he feel about that?”

  “I don’t know. I never asked him.”

  William pulled at her shirt wanting her to pick him up. She relinquished the baby to Brooke who put her in her crib. Ava took William into her arms and kissed his chubby cheeks. He clung to her neck as she carried him to his room. He wanted to show her his toy cars. She spent several hours at Brooke’s house and when Alicia picked up the twins she went there to spend time with them.

  When she arrived back at the pool house, it was early evening. She had eaten dinner with her brother’s family. David was watching TV in his running attire.

  “Did you go running this evening?”

  “I was going to, but my ankle is hurting. I rolled it a few weeks ago.” Talking about it apparently made it hurt because he started to rub the area.

  “Are you icing it?”

  “I don’t think I need it. Can you look?”

  She slid his sock down, and the outer ankle looked swollen.

  “You need ice. I’ll get it for you. Take your sock off.”

  He removed his sock, and she came back with a bag of ice that she placed on his ankle. He put his foot on her lap, and she held the bag on it for him. It probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do. He took her kindness for attraction. Minutes later when she removed his foot from her lap, he pulled her to him and kissed her. Ava pushed against him, but he held her fast to him waiting for her to respond. She finally pulled his waistband open and dropped the ice bag down his pants. He jumped while yelping how cold it was.

  “Good, you idiot. How dare you do that to me. I told you that I’m with Xander. I love him, and this is not going to happen between us.”

  She rose from the couch and went into her room, slamming the door as she passed through. She searched for her phone. Xander hadn’t communicated with her. Nothing, not a text, call, or email. What was his problem? Sh
e could not locate her phone and thought she might have left it at either Brooke or Michael’s house.

  She went up to the main house to use her parent’s phone. She met Felice in the hallway who told her that Xander Wilder had called. Her heart leaped into her throat. What did he tell her? Felice told her that he had a question about a file she had worked on the week before and to call him when she got the chance. She breathed a sigh of relief until Felice told him he could call her direct at the pool house. Fuck, fuck, fuck, he is going to be so pissed now that he knew she was in the pool house.

  She needed to find her phone and quick. The last thing she wanted to do was have an ugly conversation with Xander on the phone in her father’s house. She called Michael first. He said her phone was on the table in the dining room, but they were going to bed in a half hour. She begged him to let her come by and get it. He relented and told her to come.

  In her car, after she picked up her phone she found several angry texts and three missed calls from Xander. He didn’t leave any voicemails. She knew that meant he must be fuming at her. Now he knew. Why was it such a big deal? But it was because, number one, she had lied to him and number two, he was right. David was in love with her, and he seemed hell bent on getting her to love him back.

  She dialed his number hoping he would answer, and she could explain.

  “What?” The rage in his voice was apparent.

  “Let me explain.”

  “Ava, how the fuck are you going to explain lying to me? Did you tell me you weren’t going to sleep in the pool house just to shut me up? Then you go and do it anyway.”

  “I didn’t tell you because I knew you would give me an argument. I didn’t want our last night together before I came down here to be like that.”

  “So you prefer to lie to me? You were so right. I don’t know you, you have changed so much since we were last together. The Ava I knew back then wouldn’t have lied to me. You seem to do it without any consideration for my feelings. The things you told me you did while we were apart are making me realize that I’m not sure I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

  “What? You can’t mean that. This is a small thing, and you’re blowing it out of proportion.”

  “Don’t you accuse me of blowing this out of proportion. I have a right to be angry. You aren’t honest. I’m to the point of being disgusted with you.”

  She had no clue what she could say to make it better. He had caught her in a lie, and she was only making it worse by trying to double talk him.

  He continued, “You know what, you picked the perfect profession. You know how to argue your way out of trouble. But I can’t believe anything you say. How can you do this to me? I loved you.”

  “Loved me? What does that mean?” She cried.

  “It means I’m not sure I can do this anymore. I’m not sure I want you for always. You have become morally bankrupt,” he said quietly.

  The tears silently rolled down her cheeks as she heard the click of his phone. He had disconnected the call without waiting for her to say anything further. What was she going to do? She couldn’t stay down here knowing her relationship hung in the balance. She was going to sleep on it and then decide if she should go home in the morning. She could always say that something came up and she needed to go home. Her family would understand as long as it was plausible.

  She carefully drove home because she was crying so hard she could barely see what was around the bend on the dark country roads. Fortunately, David was asleep when she got there, so she was able to go to her room without offering him an explanation for her tears.

  Sleep did not come the entire night even with exhaustion. Xander hated her now. His words stabbed into her core. She had put the seed into his head, and it grew. She was a different person than he knew five years ago. But had she changed that much?

  Chapter 32

  The next morning she dragged herself out of bed at ten. She needed to talk to someone. David was at work, and the last thing she needed was to add fuel to his fire. Sam would also be at work, and she would yell at her for being so stupid. She needed to talk to her sister. Their relationship was stronger now. Brooke wanted to see her happy. She would have to start from the beginning where she met Xander that past summer.

  She slowly dressed hoping that Brooke was free to talk. When she arrived, Brooke was just placing Savannah in her crib for a nap. William was asleep on the carpet with his head on a pillow in the baby’s room. He often played there. Brooke chose not to disturb him, set the first baby monitor and took the second one with her.

  They went down to the living room, and before Brooke could sit down, Ava hugged her tightly not wanting to let go. Her sister sensed that something was wrong, very wrong. She asked, and the floodgates opened. This was the hardest she had seen Ava cry since their mother passed away years earlier. Even harder than when Xander had first left.

  It alarmed Brooke because Ava had become strong and independent over the past few years. She no longer needed the protection of her family and often stated such.

  “Ava, come on, sweetie, sit down.”

  Ava sat on the couch wiping at her tears with her hand until Brooke handed her a box of tissues. She sat down next to Ava and put her arm around her.

  “Tell me what has you so upset.”

  Ava launched into the entire story about her relationship with Xander that had started again when she met him in Saratoga in July. When she told her about what had occurred the night before, she started to cry again. Brooke pulled her against her waiting for the tears to stop.

  “What am I going to do? He said I was morally bankrupt.”

  “Why would he say such a thing?”

  “I’m not sure I should tell you. It’s bad, and I’m ashamed of myself.”

  “Ava after some of the things I have done, I’m not someone who can pass judgment.”

  Brooke had done some awful things, but she had changed over the last five years. She had turned out to be an exceptional mother, wife, and sister.

  Ava sighed deeply and told Brooke all the horrible details. She knew nothing about her relationships with Tim and Luca. She told her about what had happened with Jimmy at Ember. She left out the part about sleeping with David and his being in love with her. It would only create a bad situation for him. When she finished, she waited for her sister to say something.

  Brooke looked at her with pursed lips.

  “I am certainly surprised,” she sounded angry. “I would never expect behavior like that from you, especially the overindulgence in alcohol. My question is why?”

  “Brooke, seriously I don’t know. I just went a little crazy for awhile. Losing Xander a second time hurt me more than the first. I was numb and just wanted the pain to go away. At the time, it was the best way I knew how.”

  “There were other outlets you could have used. You could have told me back then. I’m always here for you,” her tone softened.

  “I know. Now it’s all fucked up again. Xander said he wasn’t sure that I was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He is the only one I want to spend my life with.”

  “You need to let him have some space. He’s upset with you now, and if you push him, he might break. Are you staying the rest of the week or going home?”

  “I can’t stay here. I need to go home and try to get my life back together. Everything has been so fucked up the past few months.”

  “I love seeing you and the rest of the family, but I think that is for the best.”

  “I’m sure Daddy will miss you, but he is busy. Just tell him you have to get back to take care of something, anything. He’ll understand.”

  Ava rose from the couch and hugged Brooke. They went to Savannah’s room so she could kiss the children goodbye. It was early afternoon, and her niece and nephew were home from school. She would stop by Michael’s house to say goodbye to everyone and reschedule her flight as soon as possible.

  Back at the pool house, she packed her clothing.
She had an 8:00 PM flight back to New York that arrived just after 11:00. Earlier she had called her father at work to let him know she had to leave to take care of something at home. She wanted to leave for the airport by five, and he didn’t get home until six. She sat down at the kitchen table to write David a note.

  David,

  I need to go back to New York. I have something there that needs my immediate attention. I’m sorry I can’t give you what you want or need, but I love Xander. I’m not angry with you, but you need to find someone that makes you happy. I’ll talk to you soon.

  Ava

  She folded the note and put it on his pillow. She lugged her bag to her rental car and placed it in the trunk. The traffic was heavy, but she made it to the airport shortly before six. She slept most of the flight due to exhaustion. Her stomach was in knots as she got closer to New York. She knew that the next few weeks would make or break her.

  It was warm in New York, almost sixty degrees when the plane landed at JFK. She was surprised because it was only early March. When she had left Atlanta, it was near seventy, so it was a welcomed surprise.

  She entered her apartment expecting to be greeted by the boys, then realized they were at Xander’s. He loved them and even though he was angry at her, he wouldn’t be vindictive by dropping them off before she was expected to come home. She barely had the energy to get undressed. She found one of his worn t-shirts in the closet, and she slipped it on. It smelled like him, his scent, his cologne. She climbed into bed and switched pillows. She needed to be near everything Xander.

  Her sleep was restless and only because of exhaustion. After three hours she was wide awake, staring up at the ceiling in the dark. It was barely midnight, and she had nothing to do. She got her phone to pull up some music and set “All I Want Is You’” by U2 to repeat. As Ava listened to the words she knew that Xander was all she wanted. She finally fell back to sleep, and when she awoke several hours later, the song was still playing.