by Rachel Ryan
Over the next hour we discuss the list of possible questions we will be asked throughout these interviews and the best way to answer them.
After the meeting is over the four of us head over to the Red Tavern for a drink. We sit at one of the more private tables at the back and talk about the meeting. The conversation eventually turns to more personal news.
“So, Brody. How are things going with Ava?” Hunter asks the question we all wanted to ask.
Brody immediately grins.
“Good. We went on a date last week and I’ve seen her a few times since then. She’s such a cool girl. She’s smart, compassionate, strong and just…beautiful. I can see why I fell in love with her. She um…I think she actually triggered a couple of memories.”
“What? Why didn’t you tell me?” I can’t believe he has been holding out.
“I wasn’t sure if they were memories or if I was just making myself think they were.”
Luke leans forward resting his elbows on the table.
“What were the things you remembered?”
Brody shrugs his shoulders a little.
“I think I remember dancing with her before. She said there was one night at a bar when Jeremy was all over some chick and I danced with her to make her feel better.”
“Hey, I wasn’t all over that chick. She was all over me. She was the one that told me she wanted to suck my…Well, you get the picture.”
Luke and Hunter burst into laughter and I smile at Brody.
“What else did you remember?”
“Ava showed me her tattoo and I felt like I had seen it before. I remember running my fingers over it. Then…I saw an image of you, Jeremy with two girls all over you on a couch…and then…I think I hit you.”
He looks at me apologetically as the other two start laughing again.
“Yeah, that happened…and I admit it wasn’t one of my proudest moments. But, man, I’m just so glad you are starting to remember stuff. Maybe now it will all start coming back to you.”
Brody shrugs and takes a sip of his soda.
We sit and chat for a while longer and then I take Brody back to his place.
“Do you want to hang out for a bit? Watch some TV?”
I don’t have to think about it too long. Jo might be there and I haven’t seen her since the night of the party.
“Sure.”
I park in the visitor’s lot and walk with Brody up to his apartment. I know she’s there as soon as we get to the door and hear music blaring from inside. Jo loves punk rock and we can hear her screeching along to a Green Day song.
Brody opens the door and we stand and watch as Jo dances through the room, with a broom in her hand, totally oblivious to her audience. She really does sing like a screeching cat, but fuck can she move. Her hips are swaying, booty shaking and at one stage she even uses the broom as a microphone. She looks so hot in her little short shorts and tank top and my eyes are drawn once again to her long slender legs. My mind drifts back to the night of the party and how it felt to hold her in my arms and run my hands all over her gorgeous body. We haven’t spoken about what happened in my car, but I have thought of nothing but that since.
I can’t tear my eyes from her or wipe the grin off my face as she suddenly turns to see us standing in the doorway, watching her.
A blush creeps up her cheeks and she starts sweeping the floor.
“Uh, hi guys. How long have you been standing there?”
“Long enough.” I say with a cocky grin.
Brody winks at me and heads into his room; leaving me alone with Jo. I move further into the room as she switches off her music and goes back to sweeping the floor, occasionally glancing my way. She seems nervous; I’ve never seen her like that before.
“Are you okay, Jo?”
“I’m fine, why do you ask?” She doesn’t look at me as she says it.
“You just seem a little nervous.”
She leans the broom up against the wall and takes a couple of steps closer to me.
“I’m sorry about what happened at the party. I was a little drunk and I probably shouldn’t have done what I did. So…I’m sorry.”
Smiling, I ask. “What you did?”
“Yeah, you know… I shouldn’t have pushed myself on you like that.”
“Jo, do you regret doing it?”
She looks up at me again.
“What?”
I take another step closer to her.
“I said ‘do you regret it?”
She shakes her head gently, while nibbling on her bottom lip, my eyes drawn to her mouth.
“Well then, don’t worry about it. You didn’t push yourself on me. I wanted it to happen as much as you did.”
Her eyes soften.
“You did?”
I take another step and I am now standing a foot away from her. I stop myself from wrapping my arm around her waist and pulling her to me.
“For some reason every time I’m around you lately that’s all I can think about. You and me…”
She gasps and I can see her breasts rise and fall with the movement of her deep breaths.
“Why.” She whispers as she stares at me.
I step closer so that we are toe to toe and I can feel her sweet breath on my chin.
“I don’t know. But I really want to find out.”
She is staring at my mouth and I am just about to lean down and claim her lips when I hear a door opening. Turning around I see Brody walk out of his room and when he spots us standing there his steps halt.
“Sorry, am I interrupting something?”
Jo shakes her head.
“No, I was just telling Jeremy that we are planning another dinner party tomorrow night.”
I look back at Jo and she gives me a sweet smile.
Brody seems surprised.
“We are?”
“Yeah, we are. So make sure you invite Ava and I’ll call everyone else. Okay? Now I’m gonna go have a shower. I’m all hot and sweaty from all the cleaning.”
She winks at me and walks toward her room, my eyes on her round, firm butt as it sways down the hallway.
Brody
The next night we are all sitting around the table in my dining room enjoying a beautiful meal that Jo prepared. She really is good in the kitchen; if her fashion career fails she could go far in the culinary industry. Ava is sitting across the table from me and I have found myself watching her for most of the night.
I was speechless when she arrived and I opened the door to see her dressed in skintight black jeans that hug and highlight every curve and a low cut black halter top with a deep v that cuts down between her breasts. Her dark hair is pulled into a high ponytail and her makeup is flawless. But it’s the sparkle in her eye that holds my attention now. She just looks happy and carefree and it seems to be contagious as I can’t wipe the massive grin off of my face.
She takes a mouthful of her chocolate cheesecake and I watch her mouth devour the dessert. I am totally envious of the spoon.
“Mmm, this is delicious, Jo.”
I shift in my seat trying to hide the effect of her soft moan and her eyes meet mine across the table. She is driving me insane. I just want to grab her and throw her down on the table to devour her like she is the dessert.
She smiles sweetly at me as she takes another mouthful and I try to push the image of her spread out on the table to the back of my mind. I don’t know why these thoughts are starting to run through my mind. I went to the hospital yesterday for a follow up appointment with Doctor Graham and she gave me clearance to drink alcohol, so I’ve had a couple of beers with dinner tonight and they seem to have gone straight to my head. She also said that apart from my memory I seem to have made a complete recovery over the last few weeks. My ribs and collar bone are healing nicely and my brain function is normal.
Tearing my eyes away from Ava, I glance down to where Jeremy and Jo are sitting at the corner of the table; heads close and deeply engaged in their own private conversation. I’m so g
lad these two are finally getting their shit together and acting on their attraction to each other. It should have happened years ago, but I guess it may not have been the right time for them until now. I think it took Jo being open about her feelings with Jeremy for him to see his attraction to her. Scanning the others at the table I see Tori sitting in Hunter’s lap whispering in his ear, while he sits there with a massive grin on his face. Those two seem to be getting quite serious too. Luke and Emma are seated side by side and are looking at something in a magazine. It would seem logical that those two would end up together, but they seem to be just friends. My thoughts then turn to my relationship with Ava and my eyes slowly make their way back to her to see her watching me. I remember my life before her and the fact that I swore off relationships and the drama they create. I never let myself get too serious about a girl, as I didn’t feel that I could bring anything to a long term relationship. But, since meeting Ava after my accident, I feel like those thoughts and worries are far behind me. Obviously I was involved in a serious relationship with her and apparently it was going well. Not that I can remember any of it, apart from a couple of flashbacks and feelings of déjà vu.
Ava suddenly stands up to clear the plates from the table and I jump out of my seat to help her. We both reach for the glass in the middle of the table and our fingers touch lightly, sending a tingle up my arm and through my body. The slightest touch from her is enough to make my body react. It’s electric. I draw my hand back and let her pick up the glass while I grab a couple of plates and follow her into the kitchen.
She places the plates and glasses on the bench near the sink and starts rinsing them off and stacking them in the dishwasher. I walk up behind her and reach around her, gently brushing her arm as I place the plates on the bench. She tenses slightly at my touch and I lean in closer. I can smell her fruity perfume as I lean in, my mouth brushing her ear.
“You look beautiful tonight.” I move so that my chest is touching her back and I feel her shiver. I love the way she reacts to my touch, it’s such a turn on.
“Thanks.” She whispers.
Gently brushing her ponytail to the side, I place a series of soft kisses starting on her bare shoulder and moving up to her slender, delicate neck. Her breathing is labored as she sighs, softly leaning back into my chest.
“I want you to stay with me tonight, Ava.”
She sucks in a deep breath and I feel her body tremble. Wrapping my arms around her waist I lean down and rest my chin on her shoulder.
“I need to make a confession.”
She spins around in my arms and gazes up into my eyes waiting for me to finish my comment.
“The night you went out with Jo and stayed here, the next morning when I woke up and felt you in my arms, it felt so good. I didn’t want to let you go. I want to feel that again tonight. Will you stay with me, Baby? We don’t have to do anything; I just want to hold you in my arms again.”
She nods her head gently before placing a hand on the back of my head and pulling my mouth down to hers. The kiss starts out gentle but soon turns desperate and needy. I can’t get enough of her sweet taste and we stand this way for a long time just tasting; needing each other. I run my hands down over her hips and slide them further down over the soft curve of her ass. Unable to stop myself, I gently squeeze and she whimpers against my mouth. Fuck, she feels so good.
As I feel my hardness gently pushing into her hip, I realize we need to stop before I lift her up and ravish her body on the kitchen bench. If we didn’t have a house full of guests I probably would.
I gently pull away from her and my eyes take in every little detail of her face before I take her hand and lead her back out to the dining area. Her cheeks are flushed pink and her eyes are filled with so much desire, it’s going to be so obvious to everyone that we were just making out in the kitchen.
All eyes are on our hands as we go back to the table and I pull Ava’s chair up beside mine. She sits down beside me and I don’t let her hand go. I rest it on my leg and rub circles on the back of her hand with my thumb.
Tori gets up from Hunter’s lap and strolls toward us before pulling a chair over to sit beside Ava.
“Look at you two all sexy and smoldering. You look so good together and I just want to say it was tearing my fucking heart out to see you two go through all this shit and I’m so glad to finally see you both smiling again. Now, we’ve got to get out of here. My man has just promised me a night of pleasure and time’s a wasting.”
I laugh so hard my ribs ache as Tori kisses Ava goodnight and then waves to everyone else as she practically drags Hunter out the door.
“Thanks for dinner, Jo.” They both call out before swinging the door closed behind them.
Luke offers to share a cab with Emma and they both thank Jo and me for dinner before gathering their things and leaving.
Glancing down at Ava, I see her covering a yawn with her hand, so I stand and pull her up with me.
“Come on you, let’s go to bed.”
Jo and Jeremy’s eyes snap to us, both with looks of shock on their faces.
Ava walks over to Jo and places a kiss on her cheek and thanks her for a lovely dinner before coming back to me and placing her hand in mine.
We walk into my room and I go straight to my closet and pull out one of my Pink Floyd tanks for Ava to sleep in.
She takes it from me and turns around before kicking off her high heel boots and stripping off her halter top. Her back is gorgeous with smooth, golden skin, and I catch a glimpse of the roundness of one of her breasts as she lifts her arms over her head. She unbuttons her jeans and slides them down her legs, letting the shirt fall down around her hips, As she bends down to remove her feet from her jeans I can see her black lace panties and my dick responds. She stands up straight and the shirt rests just above her thighs. She turns to face me and raises her hands to remove the hair band from her hair revealing the front of her boy short panties. Her hair falls in soft waves, framing her gorgeous face as her arms fall back to her sides and her beauty takes my breath away.
“You are truly the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, Ava.”
She smiles and pulls back the covers on my bed before climbing in.
I pull my shirt over my head and remove my shoes and jeans before crawling onto the bed beside her, dressed in just my boxer briefs. I don’t know how I am going to sleep beside her and keep my hands to myself all night. It’s going to be torture.
I switch off the lamp beside my bed and settle down on my pillow, facing Ava. I can see her eyes, shining in the moonlight peeking through the blinds. She studies my face as I grin at her.
“Brody, I know you’re probably not ready for me to say this to you…and in no way do I expect you to say it back to me…but I just need to tell you this. I love you. I have never loved anyone so much in my life.”
I pull her into my arms and kiss her with every ounce of passion in my body, and then I tuck her under my arm, her head resting on my chest and have the best night’s sleep I’ve ever had.
Chapter 14
Ava
Ash is walking around on my lap, digging his claws in trying to get comfortable. Stroking down his back I think back over the last few weeks. Brody and I have been hanging out a lot. We have had coffee together almost every day and have gone out to dinner twice. I even talked him into taking me to the movies a couple of times. There haven't been any more overnight stays since the dinner party but we are trying to take it slow. Waking up to him that next morning was just amazing. It was so nice to just be held by him all night. That night went a little bit faster than I expected, I think the alcohol helped to make him feel a little more comfortable around me, but nothing happened. We haven’t even talked about being exclusive, not that I'm interested in other people, him I really couldn't say, but I know Brody and so I would say he isn't even looking at other girls. We are just taking things slowly and getting to know one another again and that’s it.
Bending down,
I place Ash in his bed before I stand up and brush his fur from my clothes.
"I have to go to work. I have an interview with Finn, they are an amazing band and I can't be late so you behave. Don't mess the house up while I'm gone, Brody is coming to dinner and he can't wait to see how big you have grown." Shaking my head I can't believe I'm talking to my cat. Walking out the door I wonder how Jo is going. It’s been a while since I spoke to her and as I remember how close she and Jeremy were at the dinner party, I can’t help but wonder if anything has developed between them yet. Brody did tell me that they have seen spending more time together over the last few weeks. I wonder if Jeremy has feelings for Jo. Now that I have gotten to know her I think they would be perfect for each other but I feel it will be a very slow process. They have been friends for so long it would be hard to get out of that routine. Holding my hand out to signal the taxi I wait for him to stop before climbing in.
“Where to, Miss?”
"Treble magazine thanks."
***
Making my way to the conference room I go over some notes I have prepared for Finn. Taking a seat at the round table I set up my tablet and wait for them to arrive. Voices in the corridor draw my attention to the door. I make my way to the door as a young, very tall guy enters the room and I hold my hand out in greeting. His dark hair is shaggy and his arms are covered in sleeve tattoos. He definitely fits the bands punk rock image.
"Hi I'm Ava. It's nice to meet you. Take a seat.”
A smooth deep voice greets me back.
"Hi Ava I'm Jake, the drummer."
Smiling up at him I move to greet the next person. A stunning red head saunters into the room. She too has that punk rock look, but in a totally sexy way.
"Hi, I’m Ava, thank you for coming today."
The girl smiles back at me and her sweet voice fills the room.
"Hey I'm Lara, lead singer and electric guitar."
Turning from her I greet another girl, the last band member.