Always Loving You (Danvers #6)(29)
Mark took the cue, giving her arm a brief squeeze before saying, “I have an early meeting with Jason. Ava, let’s have lunch one day this week, okay?” She nodded in agreement before he walked toward the elevators. The receptionist looked thrilled when he said hello as he passed. Mark was a handsome man and the expensive suit that he wore only added to his allure.
“If you’re finished staring, we can grab a coffee on the way up.” She turned to Mac in surprise, noting that he looked miffed. He pointed toward the cafeteria before asking, “Is he why you’re dressed up today?”
She stopped in her tracks and turned to face him. “Of course not. I didn’t even know he was back.”
He looked doubtful for a moment before saying, “For Dominic, then?”
Now he was just starting to annoy her. So maybe her sudden association with Dominic looked a little suspicious. Did he really think that she would profess to have feelings for him yesterday while chasing after every other man in sight? Somehow she had thought that after years of friendship, his opinion of her might be a little higher than that. She stepped right up in his face, with only a few inches separating them, and said through gritted teeth, “Did you maybe think, for even a minute, that I wore this dress today for you? So maybe you would think I look pretty?”
Suddenly, Gage appeared over Mac’s shoulder holding a steaming cup of coffee and a donut. He gave her a sexy grin before freezing in place. “Holy shit, Ava?”
Ava wanted to laugh at the look of shock on Gage’s face. Then she had a sobering thought. She must look rather bad every day in her usual attire for the men around her to be so amazed by her appearance today. “Good morning, Gage.”
The other man took a bite of his donut while continuing to look at her in fascination. “Honey, you look hot as the fires of—”
Before he could finish his sentence, Mac turned to glower at him. “Don’t you have somewhere else to be?”
Gage wiggled his eyebrows, saying, “No, actually I don’t, but you might want to consider it.” At Mac’s look of inquiry, Gage added, “Your girlfriend is in the cafeteria. Things look a little intense between you and your BFF here, so just a suggestion.” He took the last bite of his donut and wiped his hands down his thighs before stepping forward to extend his arm to Ava. “How would you like to make my day and let me escort you to your floor?”
Ava felt a stab to the heart as Mac’s mouth twisted when she reluctantly took Gage’s proffered arm, but he didn’t object. He stood there still as stone and let her walk away so that he could wait for Gwen. She tried to laugh at Gage’s jokes, but her heart just wasn’t in it. When they reached her floor, she turned to smile. “Thanks, Gage. I think I’ve got it from here.”
Instead of letting her walk off, his words stopped her. “What’re you doing, little one?”
“Er . . . going to my office?”
He gave her his usual lazy grin, but she could see a touch of seriousness that wasn’t usually present. “Big picture, sweetheart. You got my boy tied up in knots again.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she protested.
“Ah, come on, Ava. I like you, I always have. You’re smart, pretty as hell, and a real class act. If not for the fact that Mac would kill me, I’d have asked you out myself. But we all know how he feels about you, and none of us would ever disrespect that. Now, I don’t know what’s going on with Dom and you, but I damn sure know it’s not sexual. Our brotherhood always comes before women.”
Holding up a hand, Ava warned, “I swear if you say something like bros before hoes, I’ll hurt you!”
Gage sputtered, choking on his laughter. “I’m not that crazy, honey. That’s strictly a man-to-man quote there. Sounds damn funny coming from your lips, though. What I’m trying to say is whatever you’ve got going on, it had better be for real. Don’t be trying to go after Mac just because you’re jealous of Gwen.”
Finding Gage’s honesty oddly touching, she felt the need to be straight with him as well. “So I should just let him go with Gwen and give up. Is that what you’re saying?”
Shaking his head, he said, “Well, hell no, that’s not what I’m saying. If you really love Mac, then go after him. Just make sure it’s for all the right reasons. No retreat, little one. Balls to the wall all the way.” At her look of disgust, he added quickly, “Boobs to the wall? That work better for you?”
She put her hand over her mouth, smothering a grin, as he turned to walk off.
She was still grinning when Emma walked up, saying, “Did that hot hunk of male studliness just say ‘boobs to the wall’?” At her nod, Emma moaned. “God, if your brother hadn’t already completely taken care of me this morning, I’d be following that man like a dog in heat right about now.”
Ava looked around quickly, relieved that no one else had witnessed either Gage’s audacious comment or Emma’s sexually charged response. Thankfully, the hallway was clear as she turned and walked to her office door, trailed closely by Emma. “Can you please not talk about Brant and sex? Didn’t we set boundaries about that?”
“I know, I know.” Emma mimicked her words. “I can mention sexual thoughts about your brother on every third Friday of the month. If Ella comes into the office, under no circumstances are we to talk about Declan or Brant naked in any way. That doesn’t cover Gage, though. So, what was that man talking about?”