Blown Away (Next Generation 8)

by Cheryl Douglas

  Ava was too stunned to speak. The penthouse was enormous. Windows stretched the length of one wall and provided an incredible view of the city skyline. “My God, this place is huge!”

  Brent laughed. “It’s actually three units. I wanted a lot of space, don’t ask me why.”

  She peeked into the gourmet kitchen, which was equally impressive. The finishings and furniture were sleek, contemporary, and obviously expensive. It was professionally decorated, but they’d failed to include any warmth. Ava couldn’t picture herself spending a lot of time there. “I guess you didn’t like the idea of having neighbors.”

  “When I was a kid, we had these upstairs neighbors who would always pound on the floor when the music or TV was turned up too loud. Maybe that’s why I hate the thought of people living around me.”

  “I guess you won’t have to worry about that in the house Tucker’s going to build for you,” she said, wandering into the open space. The sofas were stark white with clean lines. The walls were a soft gray that reflected the light in the room. “Is this what you have planned for your new house, something modern, contemporary?”

  “God, no!” He laughed at her surprised expression. “I hate this place.”

  “You do?”

  “Hell, yeah.” He led her into the living room and gestured to one of the sofas facing the window.

  “Then why’d you buy it?”

  He shrugged. “It was close to my office. That’s the only thing that mattered to me at the time. Let me grab us a glass of wine. Do you prefer red or white?”

  “Whatever you’re having is fine.”

  Ava glanced around. There was a digital panel controlling everything from the lights to the phone. She would have liked to listen to music, but she was afraid to touch it in case she accidentally called emergency response.

  Brent returned with two glasses of white wine and handed one to Ava before he claimed the seat next to her. He tucked one leg under the other. “You hate my home, don’t you?”

  Ava blushed. She’d never intended to give him that impression. She wouldn’t have chosen to live there, but she could appreciate the austere beauty. “Why would you say that?”

  “It’s written all over your face.” He grinned. “I imagine I had the same expression when I did the walk through with the interior designer. It’s my own damn fault for giving her free rein. I told her I didn’t have any preferences.”

  “Didn’t you want to personalize it at all?”

  “To be honest, I just told her I wanted the best of everything.” He looked around, his eyes devoid of any of the pride or arrogance that should have accompanied that statement. “I guess that’s what she gave me.”

  “Why didn’t you just ask her to create a space where you would feel at home?” She knew that issue was at the heart of what made Brent so driven, so she couldn’t let it go.

  “I’ve never really had a home.” He fixated on the wine swirling around in his glass. “When I was a kid, I used to have this vision of getting out of the slums and living in a mansion. I held on to that vision. It drove me. When things got tough and I wanted to give up, I knew I couldn’t or I’d end up right back where I started and so would my family.”

  Ava placed her hand on his thigh. “You must know there’s no risk of that happening now. You’re wealthy beyond most people’s wildest dreams.”

  “I know.” He spoke so quietly she barely heard him.

  “Yet that doesn’t make you happy.” It wasn’t a question. She saw in his eyes that, despite the wealth, he still felt empty.

  “No, I guess it doesn’t.” He sighed. “I thought it would.” He set his glass down on the side table and kicked his feet up on a table that wasn’t intended to bear scuff marks.

  Ava reached for his hand when he closed his eyes and tipped his head back. “You should be proud of your accomplishments.”

  “I’ve never really taken the time to appreciate it.” He rubbed his thumb over her wrist. “I was always so fixated on the next deal…”

  Ava knew what having a dream felt like, but she’d never let it take over her life. Her family and friends would never have allowed her to get so wrapped up in work that she forgot them. “Is Keith as driven as you are?” She’d always appreciated Brent’s younger brother’s sense of humor. He loved to laugh, and his mission was to convince everyone around him to share the joke. The Armstrong brothers seemed as different as two men could be.

  “Not even close.” Brent’s lips tipped up on one side. “That’s not to say he doesn’t work hard, he does, but he plays hard too.”

  “You’ve made him a wealthy man.” When she’d run into Keith at a fundraiser, he spoke of Brent as though he owed him everything.

  “That was always my goal. I didn’t want the two people I loved most to have to struggle any more. I know what not being able to give us the things we needed growing up did to my dad. It damn near killed him. I vowed to do whatever it took to take care of the people I loved.”

  “And you have.”

  “I guess.”

  Ava’s eyes widened when she took a sip of her wine. Who knew a glass of crushed grapes could taste so good? She wasn’t a connoisseur, but even a layperson could tell the bottle must have cost thousands of dollars. “The wine is lovely. It must have cost a fortune.” She wasn’t usually so blunt, but wine like that deserved praise.

  He opened his eyes and rolled his head toward her. He lowered his gaze to her lips. “You’re worth every penny.” He closed his eyes for a fraction of a second and drew a deep breath. “Ever since I became successful, I could have my pick of women, but I knew they didn’t want me for me.”

  In Ava’s opinion, Brent’s money was the last on the list of a hundred reasons why a woman would want him.

  “The only woman I’ve ever wanted, I mean really wanted, doesn’t give a damn about my money. How’s that for irony?”

  Ava couldn’t breathe as she waited for him to continue. Was he telling her she was the only woman he’d ever really wanted? Was it even possible for a man who’d traveled the world, dated models, actresses, and socialites, to have carried a torch for a naïve girl he’d befriended a decade ago?

  “I’ll give you anything and everything you ever wanted,” he whispered. “More importantly, I’ll give you my heart… if you’ll have it?”

  Ava knew she couldn’t take his offer lightly. A man like Brent played for keeps. “Given everything that’s happened between us, I know what you’re like.” She smiled. “You had a private investigator follow me around Europe after a one-night stand, for God’s sake.”

  He shook his head. “That’s just it. It wasn’t a one-night stand to me. It was the beginning of something that could have changed my life.”

  Wow. Ava was stunned that she’d had that kind of impact without even realizing it.

  “I fell in love with you before we slept together.” He kissed the pulse point on the back of her wrist. “I fell for you during those chats in the hallway, at the café on campus… We had a hundred chance meetings because I’d go out of my way every day just to see your beautiful smile. It always made my day.”

  Ava could scarcely believe the boy who’d captured the attention of every girl in school secretly wanted her and she hadn’t realized it. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I wanted to. I was going to, but you were so damn young. You were just starting school, and I was getting ready to start a business I knew would require my full commitment.” He stared straight ahead, as though he was recalling that time in their lives. “When you propositioned me at the party, I knew I had to have you. I didn’t care what it cost or how hard making a relationship work with the other demands on our time would be. I knew you were the one.”

  Ava sucked in a breath. How could he have known that? How could she have denied it for so long? “That’s why you had me followed, because you wanted to tell me?”

  “I had to tell you. It was driving me crazy, not knowing where you were or whether you
were safe. I knew I crossed the line hiring that guy to follow you, but I couldn’t help myself. I’ve always been fiercely protective of the people I love.”

  “I never meant to hurt you.” She’d never had anyone go to those lengths to ensure her safety, and the fact that he’d been willing to should have given her some hint as to the depth of his feelings. But at the time, she was just intimated by his intensity, his single-minded purpose, his fierce possessiveness… which still, apparently, was a problem.

  “Why did you decide to stay in Germany?”

  “I guess I needed to get away for a while, to figure out who I was and what I wanted to do with my life.” She smiled. “I know how lucky I am to have such great family and friends, but they were a little suffocating too. They all had opinions about what I should do with my life, and I just wanted the freedom to decide for myself.”

  “I can respect that.” He sat upright and faced her. “The timing wasn’t right for us then, but it could be now. What do you say, Ava? Are you willing to give me a chance?”

  Chapter Nine

  Brent felt as though his future hung in the balance, his happiness contingent on Ava’s next words.

  “You still scare me,” she said, looking down at their joined hands. “Everything has to be your way, and I don’t think I can live like that.”

  Her concerns were justified. He was over-bearing, opinionated, and controlling. That could cost him the one thing he finally realized had been missing from his life: Ava. “Tell me what I need to do. I’ll do anything.” A year ago, he couldn’t have imagined making concessions to please a woman, but she wasn’t just any woman. She was the one his heart had been leading him to for years.

  “You can’t change who you are any more than I can change who I am.”

  “I can try.” Or die trying. He refused to consider the possibility that his chance at happiness was slipping away. “Ten years. I’ve loved you for ten years. I didn’t even realize it. I’ll be honest, I didn’t think of you every day or even every week, but there was an emptiness I couldn’t shake. No matter what I did, where I went, who I dated, how much money I earned, I still felt empty.”

  “It seems you still do.”

  “Since you walked back into my life, I’ve felt more unfulfilled than ever.”

  She laughed through her tears. “And that’s a good thing?”

  He smirked. “No, it’s not. It sucks.” He returned her smile. “That’s what made me realize I can’t go on like this, Ava. I don’t want to keep working just to make money. I don’t want to harbor this grudge that’s been eating me up inside anymore. I just want to find some happiness and peace… with you.”

  “Trust is the foundation of every solid relationship, Brent. Are you telling me you could learn to trust me?”

  Trust. Brent knew Ava was nothing like his mother or Jamie. She would never betray him the way his mother had betrayed his father. Family meant everything to Ava. She would never abandon him and their children the way that woman left him and his brother. “Yes.”

  She looked uncertain. “Are you sure about that?”

  “Sweetheart, I won’t pretend I know anything about making a relationship work. I don’t, but I’m willing to try.” He’d do anything for her, sacrifice anything to make it work.

  She narrowed her eyes as though trying to gauge his sincerity. “Are you telling me you won’t lose it when we’re out and some guy looks at me a little too long?”

  “I’m not going to lie, baby…” Exposing his fears was the hardest thing he’d ever had to do, but if he didn’t, it would be the end of the road for them, and his sanity wouldn’t let him risk that. “The thought of losing you to someone else scares the hell out of me. Maybe it always will, but I’m willing to do everything I can to make you happy, so you’ll never want to leave me.”

  A wary look clouded her eyes. “Brent, I’m not ready to start thinking about forever. We have to get to know each other all over again.”

  He didn’t want to rush their relationship, but he refused to downplay his feelings. “You take all the time you need to figure out what I already know, sweetheart. Fate brought us back together for a reason.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Fate?”

  He grinned. “Okay, maybe it was Keith who brought us back together. Same difference.”

  She laughed as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I know there’s a story there. You’ll have to tell me someday.”

  Brent surrounded her face with his hands. “Someday.” Their kiss lasted long enough to remind him, all over again, why he needed her. Every day without Ava had been a missed opportunity, and he didn’t want to go on pretending he was fine without her.

  “Wow,” she whispered. Her cheeks were flushed and her blue eyes glazed with passion that simmered like a live wire between them. “I could get used to that.”

  “You’ll have to.” He grinned as he pulled her to her feet.

  She leaned into his chest. “Where are you taking me?”

  “Like you have to ask.” That night could only end in one place, and every second they wasted talking was another added to those they’d already wasted.

  He walked backward and led her down the hall, his mouth never leaving hers. “I know how lucky I am,” he whispered between kisses. “Having you back… getting another chance to get it right…”

  She lifted his shirt over his head and tossed it on the floor behind them. “Maybe the third time will be the charm.”

  It took him a minute to follow her train of thought. They were about to make love for the third time. A baseball analogy popped into his head, but he forced it away. He wouldn’t be striking out with her. It was a new beginning for them, a chance for him to make up for all the mistakes he’d made, all the women he’d wronged, by finally getting it right with her.

  Clothing fell away, leaving a trail behind them, and they fell into the welcoming cushion of his luxury mattress. They were surrounded by darkness until he hit the light switch beside his bed. He dimmed it so he would have just enough light to witness her expression as she gave herself to him.

  Brent took his time exploring her body, treating his mouth to a journey his mind and body would never forget. Loving her after he’d allowed himself to admit that’s what it was was surreal. Love. It wasn’t infatuation or a guy who couldn’t stand to lose trying to recreate his past with the girl who got away. It was love. The kind he’d always been afraid to surrender to because it could leave him broken and alone.

  “I love the way you make me feel,” she whispered when they finally came together. “I forget everyone and everything else.” She closed her eyes on a moan when he shifted positions. “It’s just you and me.”

  He discovered a sensitive spot on her neck and took full advantage, licking and kissing the tender skin until her nails and teeth bit into his flesh. “That’s the only thing that matters, baby.” He looked into her eyes, committing that picture to memory. He didn’t ever want to forget how it felt to pleasure her when that was the only thing in the world that mattered. “You and me. The hell with everything else, it doesn’t matter.”

  Ava gave herself over completely, trust in her eyes when he brought her to the edge and back. She never pleaded with him to take her there. She knew he would because her satisfaction was and always would be his first priority.

  When he couldn’t stand the teasing and taunting any longer, he let go and let his body pilot the rest of the ride. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the slow, slick slide as she milked him, proving she could give as good as she got. He could barely breathe when she squeezed him mercilessly in the throes of her second orgasm.

  “Let go,” she whispered. “Just let go.”

  He realized he’d been trying to give her what he thought she needed without thinking about what he needed. He’d never put a lover’s needs before his own. He’d always wanted them to enjoy the experience, but with Ava it was different. Her pleasure came first.

  “Oh, God.” His whole bo
dy trembled and he collapsed on top of her. He was careful not to crush her, but it wasn’t easy. He was thankful he’d had the sense to reach for protection, but he wondered whether his legs would support him while he made his way to the bathroom to dispose of it.

  Ava giggled in his ear. “Are you okay?”

  “No, I think I’m gonna pass out.”

  She slapped his back. “I thought that was supposed to be my line. How do you keep getting better and better, Armstrong? Have you been practicing?”

  Her tone was light, but Brent knew the question was sincere. “No.”

  “Good to know.”

  He rolled onto his side, taking her with him. “I’m serious. I haven’t been with anyone else, baby.”

  “I believe you.”

  She trusted him without reservation, but he didn’t feel he’d earned it yet. He asked, “I have an event tomorrow night. Will you come with me?” If he could have bowed out, he would have. Armstrong’s was one of the homeless shelter’s largest benefactors, so he was expected to make an appearance on behalf of his company. He didn’t give back for praise. He gave back because people were still suffering the way he had been. It was his way of paying it forward.

  “I wish I could,” she said, gliding her hand down his stomach. “I have a meeting with a new client. The only time he could meet me was seven.”

  Brent didn’t know if he would ever get used to Ava meeting handsome, eligible men intent on finding a partner. He knew the first question in their minds would be about her marital status.

  “It would mean a lot to me if you could be there, sweetheart.” He wasn’t trying to interfere with her business. His mother and stepfather would be there, and he could really use Ava’s support. Besides, he wanted the world to know he was officially off the market.

  “Why is this so important to you?”

  The words “trust” and “honesty” echoed in his head. “My mother and stepfather will be there. I don’t want to deal with them alone right now.” He could handle them, but he hadn’t yet decided how to proceed with the deal. He could pull out of the acquisition or find a way to save their company, but he didn’t know if he was willing to extend an olive branch and he had no intention of being influenced by them one way or the other. When he saw them, he could just walk away or instruct them to stay out of his way, as he’d done a dozen times before, but he meant what he’d said to Ava. He wanted to let go of the animosity so he could move on. With her.