Best Friends Don't Kiss(71)

So much so, that my other gift proves that fact.

Although, I’ve yet to find the right moment to give it to her.

With Ava still in the bathroom, I head over to my suitcase and pull out the white envelope wrapped with a red bow. Her name scrawled across the top in my penmanship, this present signifies so many things.

That I believe in her.

That she should believe in herself.

Inside this envelope sits what could be the start of something big. But, damn, in order to get to this point, I had to show other people her art without her knowing about it.

Her family is one thing, but strangers? In the art world? I’m not normally the type of guy to second-guess anything, but it’s hard not to second-guess this.

Fuck. I want to give it to her. I’m dying to give it to her.

Yet, I have no idea what her reaction will be.

When it sounds like Ava is just about done in the bathroom, I make an impulsive decision and slide the envelope under her bed, sitting back down on the mattress.

Coward, my mind taunts me, but I shake it off and distract myself by watching her walk out of the bathroom.

Her face is scrubbed clean of makeup, her skin clear and natural. Her long blond hair flows down her back, and her ocean-blue eyes shine when they meet mine.

Goddamn, she’s beautiful.

“So…I have something for you…”

“What do you mean?” I ask, and Ava turns around to pull something out of her suitcase. Holding whatever it is behind her back, she walks over to the bed and sits down beside me.

“Here,” she says, setting down a small gift wrapped with a giant red bow.

“You got me something?” I stare down at the present in my hands.

“Well…don’t get too excited,” she answers, and I look up to meet her uncertain gaze. “I had no idea what to get you and—”

“It’s from you, Ace,” I cut her off with a grin. “So, whatever it is, I’m sure it’s perfect.” My fingers tear into the wrapping paper, and it doesn’t take long before the gift is bare, and the lid is off the top of the small box.

Inside sits a rectangular-shaped metal key chain with a leather strap.

The words To the Moon and Mars and back are engraved into the metal in a very familiar scrawl. And sitting right beside the words is the outline of a tiny astronaut. Hell, when I look closer, the little guy even has the words NASA and Luke inscribed in his uniform.

I look up, and she shrugs.

“You are a very hard person to buy for, but when I saw the little shop at the mall and the guy said he could easily engrave whatever I drew into metal, I just felt like maybe you’d like it.”

“This is your handiwork?” I ask, my heart warming over the thoughtfulness.

She nods, but then she frowns a little. “Do you like it?”

“Like it?” I repeat. “Ace, I love it.”

“Yeah?” she asks, the nerves sliding out of her voice. “It’s not a dumb gift?”

I shake my head. “Far from it. It’s perfect. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Her mouth curls up into a relieved smile, and I fixate on those lips of hers. Full, pink, perfect lips I’m starting to find drive me completely wild.

She notices my mind’s new focus, and she digs her teeth into her bottom lip, a mix of uncertainty and desire finding its way into her eyes.

Fuck.

“Luke,” she whispers my name.

“What do you want, Ava?”

Silence descends upon us, but I stay patient, letting her be the one to decide.

But eventually, she does.

“You,” she whispers, and she takes it upon herself to pluck the gift out of my hands and set it on the nightstand. She stands up in front of me, removing her tank top and pajama pants and underwear, and she doesn’t stop until she’s completely naked. Just miles upon miles of Ava’s perfect body standing in front of me.

“I want you,” she whispers again and closes the distance between us. Her hands rest on my shoulders, and her body gloriously invades my personal space.

Hands to her hips, I stare up at her. “I want you too.”

A shaky breath escapes her lungs, and I simply let the poignant silence guide our minds.

The moment my fingers ease down her hips and onto her thighs, goose bumps start to rise on her skin. I look up and watch her face as I continue to touch her, my fingers caressing her skin. Down her legs, back up her legs, and they don’t stop until they sit precariously at the apex of her thighs.

Her nipples harden.

Her eyes fall shut.

Her heart-shaped lips form a small O.

And her chest rises and falls with unsteady, near-panting breaths.

Fuck, I want to take her breath away. I want to kiss her and caress her and slide inside her.

Making Ava feel good has now become my only mission in life.

“Luke, please,” she begs, and it’s music to my ears.

It’s also the catalyst for action.

No more teasing.

No more waiting.

No. More. Holding. Back.

Deep down, I know I am already hers.

But tonight, I’ll make her mine.





Ava



Luke runs his hands up and down my bare legs, not slow, not fast, just…painfully steady. When soft lips follow his hands’ path, electricity jump-starts my heart, and a moan escapes my throat.