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Ava swallowed hard. Oh, no--she was thinking again. She was wondering if she'd regret this. What price would she have to pay for it?
Nothing this good came free. Certainly, Luke would become the standard by which she measured every man in the future. Wouldn't that guarantee disappointment? When had she ever met anyone like him?
But then her underwear was gone and she was completely naked.
And that made her feel so damn vulnerable.
She gripped his arms. "Do you think this is a bad idea?"
He was too far gone to take her seriously. "I think you worry too much."
Right. No one else seemed to worry about taking what they wanted.
She was just being her typical neurotic self.
He threw her panties toward shore, and Ava watched them drop onto the bank. Should she swim off? Head to shore and retrieve them?
"Hey, look at me."
She glanced up at him. He kissed her again, and only seconds later she didn't care about her panties or anything else. Especially when his hand slipped between their bodies.
"Somehow you make it feel like the first time," he said, and gently tugged her lower lip into his mouth.
Ava thought she'd been doing everything wrong. But he obviously didn't mind. "That's it...that's...Oh!" She saw his face, fil ed with focus and intent, just before she closed her eyes and threw her head back in final and complete abandon. She was close...so close. But she wanted to feel him inside her.
Opening her eyes again, she stared up at him, too hungry to wait any longer. Wrapping her legs around him, she tried to take him inside her.
"Not yet." He stopped her. "The condoms are in the cabin. I'm sorry, I never dreamt we'd do it here."
Torn between practical concerns and a sheer, driving desire, she told herself to be satisfied with less, to enjoy what he could give her short of making love. But somehow, with the next kiss, he was pushing inside her without any protection. They'd stop in a minute, in plenty of time, she told herself.
"That's it," she moaned. "That's what I want."
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"It's what I want, too, but don't move," he warned.
She tightened her legs around his waist, driving him deeper.
"Ava, you're kil ing me," he gasped, his body tensing.
Feeling intoxicated, weightless, even
careless,
she raised her eyes to meet his. "Okay, I'm not moving," she said.
"At this point, you might not have to." He drew a ragged breath. "You feel so good. Too good. Let's go in so I can get serious," he said.
Ava didn't want to go in. She didn't want to be the woman who lived in that houseboat, not tonight. She didn't want to be Geoffrey's sort-of girlfriend, the woman who was too preoccupied and practical, the one who was always dependable, who worked too hard and too often. Here in the dark of night with the moon shining on the water, she could be impulsive--
someone who would actually do what she was doing. "Leave me here," she said, and pulled away.
He groaned at the loss as if he was once again tempted to overcome his better judgment. "You really know how to hurt a guy," he teased. Then he swam very purposefully for shore.
Ava was stil in the river when Luke returned to the edge of the water.
He could see her head, but he wanted to see the rest of her, wanted a glimpse of the breasts she'd shielded from his view when she took off her bra. He'd felt them with his hands, his chest, his mouth. But that wasn't enough. She'd surprised him again, making him feel like he'd felt in high school with Marissa. What was it about her?
He waved to her. "Come here."
"Why?" she called.
"I've got plans."
"We were doing fine out here."
"But I couldn't see what I was touching. I want to see you." He dropped the box of condoms so he could arrange the blanket he'd carried out. If he was going to make love to Ava, he preferred to have a comfortable place in which to do it. He wanted this to be special for her.
"You don't need to see me."
He beckoned to her again. "I can do a better job out here."
"A better
job?
" she echoed. "This isn't a performance, Luke. You're 238
not getting graded."
"You know what I mean. I want you to like it."
"I wil like it," she assured him, but he wasn't satisfied. This was Ava.
He wanted to give her more because she was somehow giving
him
more--
something she guarded closely, something she didn't share with just anyone.
"Come on."
"You've seen naked women before. What does it matter?"
Oh, brother. She was self-conscious about her body. That had to be the reason for her reluctance. That was just like her. But it was unnecessary. "I want to see
you,"
he said.
She didn't move.
"If you don't come out, I'l come in after you."
"You'd better not!" she warned, but he swam out there anyway.
She wrestled with him, trying to stop him from dragging her to shore, but he was determined to do it. She had to know that her body was beautiful, and he planned on making that clear.
By the time he carried her out, she was splashing and laughing and stil fighting. But she was no match for him. He was laughing, too--until he placed her on the blanket. Then they both sobered as he pressed her onto her back and held her wrists above her head so he could look his fil .
"Why would you be reluctant to show me this?" he breathed. He remembered when he'd met her, thinking she wasn't particularly attractive.
But now he thought he must've been blind. She wasn't big-busted or tanned to a coppery brown like so many of the women who vied for his attention, but there was so much more to Ava. She was...
real.
He liked her just the way she was.
"You have intelligent eyes and a sexy mouth," he told her. "And I love your ballerina body."
"I've never even taken ballet."
"Doesn't matter. Your body's built like a ballerina's."
When his gaze focused on her breasts, she struggled to break his grip on her hands, but he held her fast and bent to take her nipple in his mouth. "Perfect," he murmured as it peaked beneath the thrust of his tongue.
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And then everything began to move very fast. Luke wasn't sure he'd ever been in such a hurry before, but he was somehow hungrier for Ava than he'd ever been for anyone. It was probably because he enjoyed the rare spectacle of seeing such unguarded emotion on her face. She was being swept away, swept away despite her attempts to resist it.
When her fingers curled into his shoulders, he knew she was close.
The idea that he could get her to respond to him excited him so much he almost couldn't hold out.
"Look at me," he demanded.
Her eyelids lifted. Then her lips parted as her chest rose and fell. She was...there. Throwing back his head, he thrust twice--harder, deeper--and felt her body spasm around him as he let himself go.
240
L
uke's car wasn't in the lot, and he wasn't answering his door. So where was he at almost four in the morning?
Was he out with another woman? With
Ava?
Ava had been with him when they last talked on the phone, and it had been late, far later than any appointment Kalyna had ever had.
She stood outside Luke's door and glanced up and down the deserted hallway. It was dead quiet. Which made her even more curious about Luke's whereabouts.
Should she go in? Snoop around a bit? Try to figure out if he was seeing Ava?
She had to. This was the perfect opportunity. She might be tied up later. She knew the Arizona police wanted to speak to her. And judging by the messages she'd received from work, the police had already alerted her superior officer at the base. The gate guards had probably been notified to apprehend her if she showed up or tried to come in. Everyone was looking for her. And she already had half a dozen calls from Tati. She had let them all go to voice mail, but each message was more panicked than the one before.
Kalyna, why won't you pick up? What's going on? I need to talk to
you. Please call me.... The police want to ask you a few questions. You
should to contact them as soon as possible, tell them what you know about
that hitchhiker--before Mark has his say...This is getting so scary, Kalyna.
I'm beginning to fear the worst. Where the heck are you?
She was here, right where she wanted to be.
Crouching, she checked under the mat, but the key Luke usually kept there was gone. No doubt he'd removed it in an attempt to tighten security, but that didn't bother her. She didn't need that key because she'd made a copy of it weeks ago. It was in her coin purse.
Seconds later, she was standing in Luke's living room with his door closed behind her. Just in case he'd let a friend borrow his car, which he 241
was prone to do, and hadn't answered her knock because he was sleeping, she crept into his bedroom so she could check. But his bed was empty, perfectly made.
Where was he? He had no business being out this late. Even the bars were closed. Had he traveled to San Diego to visit his family? Or was he in Ava's bed?
What a whore! The mere thought of them together enraged Kalyna.
How could Ava turn her back on a victim just to spread her legs for Luke?
She came off like such a prude, too.
But of course Ava would do that if she could. Who wouldn't--for Luke?
There was nothing to worry about. It wasn't as if Ava was pretty. If anything, Luke was using her. He'd probably taken her to bed to get her to help him, to flatter her so she'd pose no threat. Once he was out of trouble, he'd drop her like a hot potato.
And Kalyna could make that happen right away. Al she had to do was call Ogitani and act a little confused about what she'd already said. Tell her that maybe somebody else had entered her apartment after Luke left, that she was too confused to realize it at the time. She'd say she was remembering more now, and the size of the man was all wrong. Ogitani would drop the case and Luke would drop Ava. Done.
Standing at the window, Kalyna gazed down at the lot. The vehicles beneath the streetlamps were all parked. A moment later she saw headlights on the road and a car drove by, but it wasn't a BMW.
Kalyna told herself she should leave before Luke caught her. But she had good reason to be here. She'd explain that she drove all the way from Arizona, straight to his apartment, to tell him she'd decided to come forward with the truth. He'd want to know as soon as possible. And she'd say the door was open. Since he'd taken the key, he'd have to believe he'd forgotten to lock it.
That would work. And it meant she could stay.
Craving every detail she could glean about him, she searched his entire apartment and even stole a few things. Several pictures of him with his family made it into her purse, along with a T-shirt she planned to sleep in at night. And then she found his hamper. Excited that these clothes had so recently been next to his skin, she scooped out an armful and rubbed 242
her face in them, breathing deep. Short of having sex with him, it was the most private, intimate act she could think of. But the smell only made the longing worse. The desire to be with him grew so strong she was afraid she'd be crushed beneath the weight of it.
Desperate to get close to him again, she stripped off her clothes and climbed into his bed, wearing his boxers. This wasn't as good as being in his arms, but when she closed her eyes and began to touch herself, she could almost believe it was him.
Ava was physically and emotionally spent. Stil damp from their time in the water and their lovemaking, she lay on the bank of the river, gazing up at the stars. Luke was lying beside her. Their hearts were slowing, their breathing evening out. It was over. But she didn't mind. Languid, relaxed, content--completely satisfied for the first time in ages--she felt as if they were floating on top of the water that lapped so close to their bare feet.
"That
was the best," he told her.
She smiled lazily. It almost didn't seem possible that the person who'd just made love with Luke had been her. She hadn't held anything back. But she didn't regret it. Not yet, anyway. There were too many women in the world who never experienced lovemaking like this. It transcended the ordinary, the mechanical, the casual, to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
"How do you feel?" he murmured.
"Fine."
"The temperature's dropping. Maybe we should go in."
She angled her head so she could look at the houseboat. It sat there staring at her, its lights shining through the windows. But she could remain in the shadows, embrace the darkness a little longer. "In a bit."
"You're warm enough?"
"I'm just right. What about you?"
"I'm perfectly comfortable."
She didn't know how long he held her. Drifting in and out of sleep, she made no effort to keep track of time. At one point, she felt Luke shift positions and cover them with a blanket before curling around her again.
Soon afterward, she reluctantly opened her eyes to check the sky. They'd 243
been sleeping for some time. But it was stil dark. She could procrastinate for a few more minutes...She'd give herself another quarter of an hour.
But the next thing she knew, it was full daylight and she was blinking up at a third person, who was standing over them, blocking out the sun.
Kalyna was stil in Luke's bed. She'd been waiting for him, hoping he'd return so she could surprise him. She planned to offer him the good news about Ogitani and the apology she'd rehearsed. But despite attempting to reenact June 6, she was as unsatisfied as ever.
Why hadn't he come home? He hadn't spent the entire night with
her.
Why would he do that for Ava?
Because he thought Ava could hurt him if he didn't, that was why. He was only doing what was expedient.
Pushing off the covers, she got up to check the parking lot. Stil no BMW. She was just turning to get dressed when his phone rang.
She crossed to the nightstand where she could see caller ID.
Edward
Trussell.
His father. Or someone from his father's house. That meant Luke couldn't be with his parents. If he was with them, they wouldn't be calling his apartment.