“Since he’s standing right here and can see my cast, I’d say he’s aware of it.” Ava declined to tell her mother that Jake had spent the night in the private hospital room with her.
“Because you both need to know that a fracture, any fracture, can have serious consequences both short- and long-term. You shouldn’t be pushing yourself too hard, Ava. You might end up doing more harm.”
“I won’t push, okay?”
“I just want you to be healthy, dear.” Ava knew that was true, but it didn’t make her any less irritable. “You promise that you’ll take good care of yourself?”
“Yes.”
“And you won’t wear those high-heeled boots again if it’s icy?”
Ava didn’t know why she even tried. “I’ll be careful.” She listened for another minute, promised once more that she’d be careful and then finally hung up.
Jake was leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, grinning at her.
“What?” She scowled. She wouldn’t have laughed if his mother had been harassing him. Not very much, at least.
“The boots?” Jake pointed at the offending footwear.
Ava lifted her chin. “I like them. They stay.” He smiled, but didn’t laugh, which was good or Ava might have had to kick him.
They started down the hall. Most of the previously closed doors were now open; they were one of the last teams to leave. “Guess your mom was worried about you,” he said.
“One of the things she does best.” Ava tried not to be annoyed by it because she knew she was lucky. Her mother loved her and showed her that in every way, but sometimes it was hard to remember when she was being lectured—advised was the term her mother preferred—to death. About everything.
“I know the feeling.” Jake sighed. “Since I moved, I have a scheduled phone call every week.”
“Really?” Ava was intrigued. “And what happens if you miss it?”
“I’m afraid to find out.”
They both laughed. “I have a biweekly dinner with my mom,” Ava told him. “Every other Sunday.”
“At least you get fed.”
“I’m not sure it’s worth the trouble.” She smiled when Jake raised an eyebrow. “She likes to try to run my life. No matter how many times I tell her that I have it under control, she’s sure she can help.”
“Sounds familiar.”
“You, too?” Her heart thumped hard when he grinned and nodded. “And do you get the lecture about how you need to apply yourself to get ahead in your career?”
“Not lately.”
There was an uncomfortable tightening around his mouth. “Because you moved?” Ava ventured a guess.
“Partially.” He shook his head. “It’s really not that exciting a story.”
Ava would have liked to be the judge of that, but she didn’t push. “Well, it’s my mother’s favorite topic.”
“She doesn’t like what you do now?”
“She’s dissatisfied. After the whole doctor thing didn’t work out, she wanted me to be an accountant.”
“So you decided to major in drama at university?”
Ava laughed. “No, I majored in economics just as she wanted, but I didn’t like it much. And I liked the job I got after graduation even less.”
“So how did you get into reporting?”
“Luck and circumstance. I’ve always loved movies. Jilly was working at the station.” At the time, Jilly had been dating the best friend of Ava’s boyfriend, and while neither romantic relationship had worked out, their friendship had. Ava and Jilly had often joked that they’d kissed frogs to find each other. “I’d mentioned that I was looking to make a career move and she told me about the opening for a junior reporter at the station. Even though I didn’t have on-camera experience, she convinced me to apply. Harvey liked me and decided to give me a chance.” Ava left out the part about her mother’s massive disappointment, how’d she’d had to listen to a doomsday-scenario lecture for six months every time she had dinner with her mother before Barbara had finally accepted that she was happy.
“But your mother still wants you to be an accountant.”
Ava liked that he didn’t ask but made a statement. Who said that all men were bad listeners?
“She wouldn’t be upset if I went back to it, but it’s not happening.” It was one of the reasons she’d wanted the promotion so much. She’d thought it would somehow prove to her mother that she’d made the right choice.
“I’m glad you stayed,” Jake said, making Ava’s insides go all mushy.
They turned down the main hall, heading toward the front door. It was dark out now and Ava knew it would be freezing. She shivered in anticipation of the cold and not because Jake was walking so close to her that their arms kept accidentally brushing.
“Have you given any thought to dinner?” Jake asked.
“What about it?”
“Where? When? What you want?”
What she wanted was to get a handle on her hormones. But that wasn’t appropriate professional banter. She dropped back a half step, wondering if it was wrong that she was enjoying the view so much. “Why don’t you go out with Brandon tonight. I feel fine, so I can handle the movies on my own.”
“Ava.” The little curl that tugged at her every time he said her name was back. He stopped, waited for her to catch up to him. “Stop trying to brush me off.”
“I’m not.” She hitched her bag in front of her again. “I just thought you might want to go out tonight. Have some fun.” And she could go back to the austerity of a bland hotel room and pretend that she wasn’t attracted to Jake at all.
He leaned against the wall. There was no sign of anyone, save them. The hall lights had been turned down low to save energy and gave a decidedly romantic feel to the encounter.
She shoved that idea away, determined to keep things professional. “Look, you’ve had a really long day and the festival is just going to get busier tomorrow. Having some downtime would be good for you. Plus, the movies probably won’t be that exciting. I can assure you there won’t be any helicopters.” She was rewarded with a broad smile that made her pulse jump. “Also, I don’t think I’ll be very good company. I’m tired. I might even fall asleep.” Was the editing suite having the same furnace problem as the hospital? What was it with this town?
He reached out to brush a lock of hair off her cheek. Her pulse jumped higher at the brief contact of skin on skin. Oh, no. This was bad.
“Then I’m definitely coming over.” He smiled at her. “You’ll need me around to poke you awake.”
Poking? There would be no poking. Ava yanked her mind out of the gutter. “Wouldn’t you rather have the night to yourself?”
He shrugged. “No.” He was good, but she saw the way his eyes flicked down her body and back up.
Her breath caught in her throat then and she had to look away before she did something crazy like lean forward and kiss him.
“Ava.”
Again with her name. She could smell the mint of his toothpaste. If she leaned back now, she would be sending a clear message. Hands off. No entrance. Keep your distance.
“You okay?”
No, she was not okay. So, so not okay. She let her purse fall to the floor and leaned forward.
CHAPTER EIGHT
JAKE KNEW HE HAD NO BUSINESS kissing Ava, but it didn’t stop him from burying his fingers in her hair and sinking into the heat of her mouth. He barely heard
the thunk of her bag as it hit the floor, wouldn’t have cared if she’d dropped it on his foot once their lips met.
She sighed into his mouth, sending a flash of need through his body. His hold on her tightened and he felt her soften, melt into him. Oh, yeah. Hell, yeah. He spun them so she was backed up against the wall, safe and sound where he could press his body into hers, anchoring them together. And he thought maybe he could stay just like this forever. Or at least an hour or two.
So, of course, she had other ideas.
“Wait.” She pulled her mouth away from his, breathing hard. Their bodies were still in full contact and her good arm remained wrapped around his waist. Jake wondered if she realized that even now her body was straining against his. “I can’t do this.”
He swallowed the growl that rose to his throat, but didn’t move. “What’s wrong?”
She stared up at him for a moment and bit at her soft lower lip. Jake wanted to suggest that he could do that biting for her, but held back.
She looked away, tilted her head down. Oh, no. He didn’t think so. He ran a finger down her cheek and under her chin, pressing until she was forced to look up at him. She blinked, her eyes wide and sky-blue, her lips pinker than usual. She looked so delicious that for a second he considered saying to hell with it and kissing her anyway.
Instead, he shored up the good-guy part of his personality and slapped his hands on the wall, knowing that if he kept touching her it was going to be impossible to stop. The plaster was cold against his palms, but did little to cool him down. He took a slow breath in and out. “You going to tell me what the problem is?”
“It’s just...” Ava trailed off and shrugged, her clear eyes watching him. For a moment, he had a sharp hope that maybe she’d say to hell with it and yank him back where he belonged, but then she blinked and the moment fluttered away. She smoothed a hand over her hair. “You know.”
Actually, he did know. But he also knew that she felt amazing against him and anything that felt that good couldn’t be wrong. It was a struggle to take a step back, give them both a little breathing room. But because he was pragmatic and not one to let opportunity slip away, Jake made sure that she was still within reach. Just in case she came to her senses and decided that she needed to touch him again.
She didn’t. Instead, she studied him with those wide blue eyes. He didn’t need to be a psychic to see the confusion swirling in them.
“Sorry.” He took another step back. “I shouldn’t have kissed you without asking.” He ground out the words, only because they seemed like the right thing to say. He didn’t mean them. Not even a little.
“No.” Her sigh whispered over him, made him think of long nights between cool sheets. “The kissing wasn’t the problem. Well, not the way you’re thinking. I liked the kissing just fine.”
The primal part of him reared its head. Jake punched it in the throat.
“It’s just that we work together, and as recently as yesterday, I hated your guts.” She shook her head, the blond strands waving around her face. “Well, maybe not hate, but I was mad at you about the promotion. And...” She squeezed her eyes shut. She was still breathing hard. He could see the way her chest rose and fell.
“And?”
When she looked at him this time, she seemed to have come to some sort of decision. “And I’m not mad anymore.” She looked up at him with that sweet, fresh-faced smile. Now it felt as if someone had punched him in the throat. “But we still work together.”
She was right. He could see that, reminded himself that this was exactly the sort of entanglement he’d sworn to avoid. And yeah, he wouldn’t be working with Ava for that much longer, but the fact remained that he didn’t really have time in his life to prioritize a relationship. No matter what Rachel might think.
“Jake?” She looked at him, her eyes soft and liquid. He forced himself not to get caught up in them, clenched his hands so he didn’t drag his fingers through her hair and pull her back against him.
“You’re right,” he said and widened the space between them even more. He willed his muscles to relax, to give up this harsh need to kiss her until she stopped talking and started feeling.
She was still breathing hard and a part of him liked to see it. Proof that she’d been affected as much as he had. She straightened her coat, brushed a finger across her lips. “I’m supposed to be showing you what a good reporter I am.” Jake wondered if she realized she was stroking her thumb back and forth across the delicate skin. “Not this.”
“Oh, yeah?” Some of the tension in his bones eased.
She nodded and a furrow appeared between her eyebrows. “You aren’t going to think less of me for this, are you?”
Jake wasn’t sure he was going to be able to think at all if she kept touching her lip like that. He managed a shake of his head.
“I mean, professionally.” The furrow deepened. “I’m a good reporter. Really good.”
“I know.” He wanted to soothe the wrinkle away. With his words, his finger, his mouth.
“But that wasn’t professional.” She closed her eyes for a moment, those long thick lashes standing out against her rosy cheeks. When she looked at him again, they were full of worry. “I don’t want you to think I’m that kind of person. I’ve never kissed a colleague before.”
It pleased Jake to think that he was the first. She was so unlike Claudia. His ex would have been trying to claw his clothes off right now. Though Jake could honestly say that Ava doing the same would rate high on his list of fantasies, he appreciated her concerns. And that, also unlike Claudia, she wasn’t looking to use him to get ahead. “How about we just pretend it never happened?” he suggested.
The frown she shot him was unexpected, proving that his sister was right when she said he really didn’t understand women. “Are you... Seriously? You can forget about it just like that?” She snapped her fingers.
Now he was confused. Isn’t that what she wanted? To return to their friendly professionalism? What the...? “I thought—”
“Thought that I’m a terrible kisser.” She tossed her hair with a sniff.
The fact that he was ready to pin her against the wall and kiss her until her lips were bruised and she was gasping for breath spoke to just how wrong she was. “No, it’s not that.”
“Are you sure?” She had her hand on her hip now. “Because telling me that you can so easily pretend it didn’t happen isn’t exactly good for my ego.”
“And telling me that you hate me is good for mine?”
“But I don’t hate you anymore,” she pointed out.
It was the kind of logic that Jake knew he had no chance of refuting, and trying to do so would only give him a headache. Not to mention if they kept talking about it, he was going to feel obligated to prove just how much he did want to kiss her. “Ava.”
“No.” She held up a hand. “I don’t even know why I’m arguing with you about this. I don’t want to kiss you, either. Bad for my career and all that.”
He waited, watching as she took a deep breath and then seemed to let it fizzle out of her.
“And maybe not officially, but it is possible that I might be overreacting just a smidge. I blame the medication. But—” her gaze locked on his “—for the record, I am an amazing kisser.”
It took all Jake’s willpower not to ask her to prove it.
* * *
BY THE TIME THEY CLIMBED into the cab he’d called, all their talk had turned to normal festival-type thin
gs. The setup for tomorrow’s circuit, who was scheduled to attend, other events booked for later in the week, but Jake’s mind wasn’t really focused on any of that. Instead, he kept noticing that her hair smelled like coconut, her skin like sunshine.
Ava was like a tiny hit of summer in this snow-covered landscape. He wanted to breathe her in deep, wrap his hands in that hair, stroke every inch of that skin, but settled for letting it brush against him whenever the cab took a tight corner.
It was for the best, letting things swing safely back into the Colleague Zone. Better for him to spend his free time focusing on work; with the pilot and the station he certainly had enough of it. But try telling that to his body, which kept nudging its way across the backseat of the cab to get closer to Ava.
Ava didn’t say anything as he escorted her to her hotel room. But Jake could sense her stealing looks at him when she thought he wasn’t looking. It made him think she wasn’t as sure about this “no nooky with the colleagues” thing as she wanted to be.
Neither was he.
She tried to talk him out of watching the movies with her again, but he cut off her suggestion. Even if they hadn’t just shared a kiss that would make any grown man weep, he still intended to spend the rest of the evening with her.
He told himself he was just looking after her. She was a valuable commodity and one he needed to keep healthy until the festival was over, but that wasn’t the entire truth. He enjoyed her company. Despite the ache still nagging the back of his neck, last night had been the most fun he’d had in ages.
How sad was that anyway? A night spent in the hospital was considered hot times in the city. Maybe Rachel was right about him needing to get out more.
* * *
HE WAS ON HIS WAY BACK from a nearby convenience store, his bags filled with candy, popcorn and soda—all required goodies for a long night of movie watching—when his phone rang. He fumbled for it, juggling the bags in the frosty air.
That Weekend... Page 10