Always Loving You

  Ava was deeply touched by Emma’s words. Especially since she wasn’t used to having heart-to-heart talks with anyone, and she had to admit that it felt good. Maybe if she had had a sister to turn to after her attack, it would have helped her recovery. Emma was right about one thing, though—talking about your feelings to a guy just didn’t happen, or at least it hadn’t happened for her with her brothers. She’d caught both Declan and Brant looking at her thoughtfully on more than one occasion through the years, but they never gave voice to their thoughts. Having their sister break down in front of them was probably right up there as one of their worst fears. She couldn’t really fault them, though. She knew that they loved her and would be there in a minute if she asked. They were good boys who had grown into outstanding men. Blinking back the moisture in her eyes, she said, “Thanks, Em, for everything. For listening to me and putting up with my moods every day. No matter what I say to the contrary, I love working with you and having you in the family.”

  With a cocky grin, Emma said, “Yeah, I know. You Stones can’t resist me. I think it has something to do with my sex appeal.”

  “Oh God,” Ava moaned, “not again.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  When Mac called her just as she was leaving the office, she had been both surprised and delighted by his invitation out to dinner for that evening. He had been at a client site, so their conversation had been brief. He was picking her up at seven and taking her to Ivy, one of her favorite restaurants.

  As she stood in her closet, surveying the clothing hanging there, she turned her nose up in disgust until it hit her. The clothes that she had purchased with the girls at the mall were hanging in her spare bedroom. With a girlish squeal of happiness, she tore through her apartment and threw open the door to the closet. She went right to the sexy black cocktail dress that Emma had talked her into buying. It was deceptively simple in design, which only added to its appeal. The slinky material felt amazing against her skin, and the strapless bra that she was wearing pushed the creamy swells of her breasts up against the straight neckline of the dress. She loved the wraparound shoulder straps that flowed so easily into the back of the dress. The formfitting design was classy, but definitely sexy. She paired it with a pair of black Christian Louboutin peep-toe, heeled sandals that she had bought years ago in a moment of feminine weakness but had yet to wear.

  When she looked at herself in the mirror, she screamed for a different reason. In her haste to find something to wear, she had completely forgotten that she had just stepped from the shower. She only had ten minutes until Mac arrived, and she knew that he wouldn’t be late. She ran to the bathroom and dried her hair as quickly as possible. She had no time left to straighten it. She left it to hang down her back in a wild array of waves. Hopefully, Mac would think the carefree look was intentional. Next, she applied a light base makeup, along with blusher and eyeliner. She had just added a coat of gloss to her lips when her doorbell sounded. Yep, right on time.

  She teetered for a moment as she turned quickly on her heels but was able to right herself and continue on to the door. God, she hoped she didn’t land on her face tonight in the restaurant. Maybe flats would have been a better option, but these looked so good with the dress. She’d just walk slowly to compensate. Women did it all the time, right?

  When she opened the door, both she and Mac gawked at each other. He stood before her looking good enough to eat in a gray suit with a purple silk tie. “Oh, wow,” she gasped as her fingers itched to run across the fabric covering his broad shoulders. “You look so . . . awesome.” But she swallowed hard at the sight of the scratches still marring his otherwise perfect face.

  He stepped inside her entryway, still looking at her in a way that made her toes curl. “Baby, damn, look at you. You’re beautiful. I’m not going to be able to think about anything but fucking you tonight.” Running his finger down her cleavage, he said, “In fact, maybe we should . . .”

  Grabbing his wandering hand in her own, she smirked back at him. “Oh no, Mr. Powers, you promised me dinner.” Feeling her cheeks color, she added, “Then afterward, I hope you will . . . because I want you too.”

  With a growl, he drew her into his arms and locked his mouth on hers. When he pulled back, she had been thoroughly kissed and was completely rattled. She didn’t give a damn about dinner at that point and was ready to admit it, when Mac, seeming to know exactly what she was thinking, steered her toward the door with an evil smile.

  “Come on, then, let’s go get you that dinner that you wanted so much. Remember?”

  “Um . . . yeah.” Giving him a hopeful look, she said, “We could just order a pizza, though.”

  He tweaked her nose, laughter rumbling from his broad chest. “I like the way you think, but there is no way I’m letting that dress go to waste. If we stay home, it’ll just end up on the floor in less than five minutes. And even though that sounds like heaven, I want to look at you across the table tonight and imagine what I’m going to do to you later. There is nothing like anticipation.”

  Daringly, Ava ran her hand over his ass, cupping him firmly before releasing him. “So, this is like a few hours of foreplay, right? I can’t wait. Let’s go!”

  She grinned as she heard Mac mutter, “Fuck,” under his breath before taking her hand and walking her out to his SUV.

  * * *

  Ava wasn’t sure what had come over her, but she was determined to make Mac regret his decision to skip pizza and go somewhere public. He thought anticipation made things better. Well, she intended to give him more than he could possibly handle. She’d never been the daring type, but something about the dress, the shoes, and the man was a heady mix. Tonight, she felt powerful and sexy and she wanted to spread her wings and fly.

  When they were seated in a quiet corner of the upscale restaurant, Ava waited until their server had left the table before scooting her chair closer to Mac’s. She had no intention of sitting so far away from him for the next hour. He raised an eyebrow at her but didn’t comment on her movement. Mac ordered a bottle of wine, and they both decided on seafood as their main course. He was just lifting his wineglass when she made her first move. She put her hand firmly on his hard thigh, only inches from his crotch. His wineglass tilted alarmingly before she quickly reached out to steady it. Leaning over, she whispered, “You better be careful. You wouldn’t want to stain the tablecloth.”

  When she started rubbing wide circles on his leg, he quickly set his glass back down. Looking adorably rattled, he asked, “Er—baby, what’re you doing?”

  “Hmm? What do you mean?”

  His hand dropped to cover hers, squeezing it lightly. “I mean, what’s going on with this hand?”

  Giving him a wicked smile, she said, “Ohhh, nothing much. You look so good tonight that I need to be touching some part of you so that I’ll know that you’re real.”

  She looked at him in fascination as he appeared to blush. Mac was a gorgeous, hot hunk of man, and she’d always assumed that he was well aware of that fact. Emma was right about one thing: the men at Danvers, Mac included, did have the cocky-walk thing going on. Was it possible that after all the years of her refusing to take their relationship past a friendship, he was insecure about her feelings toward him? Could he actually doubt that she thought he was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen? Had she ever told him that? God, she couldn’t remember now. She knew he’d caught her ogling his body on more than one occasion, but she should make sure that he knew, shouldn’t she?

  Clearing his throat, he said, “I think that should be my line, shouldn’t it?”

  Taking a deep breath, she locked her eyes with his as she began, “Mac, aside from my brothers, you’re the most incredible man I’ve ever known. I know it’s not cool to say, but you’re beautiful to me. Handsome just isn’t a good enough word to describe you. When you walk into a room, my heart skips a beat and then speeds up to double time. Even when I was scared of my own shadow, I wanted you. You were gorgeous as a t
eenager, and it’s only gotten better. I could sit and stare at you for hours and never grow tired of it. I’ve never desired anyone but you . . . always you.”

  She watched the emotions flicker in Mac’s expressive eyes as she talked—seeing first surprise, then happiness, followed by desire. “Avie—I,” he began just as their server returned with their plates. Ava wanted to turn around and roll her eyes at him for intruding on their intimate moment, but maybe it was for the best. Did she really want to have a heart-to-heart with Mac in the middle of a restaurant? They had all night for that. Right now they could return to their fun, easy flirting and enjoy their meal. This was her first real date, and she didn’t want to miss a single moment of it.

  Mac had ordered the lobster for himself and suggested she try the shrimp. She speared a juicy morsel on her fork and leaned over to offer it to him. With eyes smoldering, he opened his lips and allowed her to feed him. He closed his teeth on her fork, pulling it playfully before releasing it. When he offered her a bite of his lobster, she made a show of taking the morsel and then flicking her tongue against his fork before releasing it. His eyes were riveted on her mouth as she swallowed the bite. “I’m going to visit with Ella and the baby tomorrow night. Would you like to go with me?” she asked as he finally returned his attention back to his plate.

  Nodding in agreement, he said, “Yeah, I’d like that. Declan says that they haven’t slept in days. Maybe you and I could manage to hold the fort down while they take a nap. Do you know anything about babies?”

  Alarmed, Ava shook her head frantically. “The only thing I know is that you’re supposed to give them back immediately if they start crying or smelling funny.”

  Mac chuckled. “Yeah, that’s been my experience too. Aren’t they supposed to mostly sleep at first, though?”

  “I have no idea,” Ava admitted. “Maybe we should Google it.”

  Taking a sip of his wine, Mac said, “Here’s what we’ll do. If the baby is asleep, and I mean really out of it, we offer to give them an hour to sleep. If she’s awake or sleeping, but restless, then we keep our mouths shut. I feel bad about it, but they’d probably rather lose some sleep than have us mess the kid up.”

  Beaming her approval at Mac’s logic, Ava agreed with him. “That’s a good idea. We also need to find out how much mileage she has on the diaper she’s wearing first. If the time’s almost up and she’s due for a change, then she might suddenly wake up freaking out.”

  “And the milk thing,” Mac added, “don’t forget that. They suddenly start raising holy hell when it’s time to eat again. Shit, there’s a lot to consider here, isn’t there?”

  “Maybe I could make a checklist before we go in?” Ava suggested. “That way we don’t forget anything. We could get in there, get scared, and forget to ask some important questions.”

  Mac lifted a hand, clicking his finger at her. “Good idea, baby. We’re likely to freeze up under pressure. Let’s go through the whole list in the car right before we go in. That way we’ll at least remember to cover the important points. And there’s no shame in just backing down if we’re not sure, agreed?”

  Ava raised her glass and clicked it against his. “Absolutely. Sounds like a plan.” Having finished her meal, she let her hand return to his thigh. She knew she shouldn’t, as she’d never done anything like it before, but she couldn’t resist. In a way, this was like a sexual milestone, and she wanted to reach it. Her hand moved upward and covered the bulge in his pants. His eyes widened and his leg jerked, causing the china on the table to shake. Oops, had she grabbed him a little too hard? Had he flinched in pain or pleasure? Biting her lip, she looked at him in concern, wondering if she had messed up her foray into public groping. Crap, according to Cosmopolitan, there was no such thing as a wrong touch where a man’s penis was concerned. She was still a little unsure of the whole ball-tugging thing, though, and she didn’t think that was possible to do while he was wearing pants anyway. She had planned to save that move for later on. “Um . . . did I hurt you?” she asked, feeling embarrassed.

  Mac coughed, looking as if someone were squeezing his windpipe. “Avie . . . you know you’re holding my cock, right?” he wheezed out.

  She flexed her hand, marveling in the fact that he felt much bigger than he had just a minute ago. “Yes, I know. Is it okay? Am I holding Mr. Wood too tight or not tight enough?” Oh God, she was doing something wrong. His eyes looked ready to pop out of his head and his face was almost purple.

  As she started to pull her hand away, he clamped down on it, holding it in place. “Mr. Wood?” he asked, sounding strained.

  Ava sagged in her seat, completely disappointed. She’d done everything that the magazine suggested to seduce her man during dinner. She had flirted, touched his penis, and even given it one of the manly names that they had suggested. Nothing seemed to be working, though. Instead of looking madly aroused and ready to throw her across the table, he looked as if he was just seconds away from passing out. As tears of disappointment threatened, she whispered, “I’m a complete failure at this, aren’t I? I guess you can’t be taught how to be fun and sexy, because it’s not working for me. I’m more like the antidote to all that. I’m sorry, Mac. I tried.”

  Mac looked horrified as a lone tear slid down her cheek. Reaching out to brush it away, he cupped her face in his hand. “Oh, baby, I have no idea where all this is coming from, but you just surprised me, is all. You don’t have to try to be any of those things. To me you’re already all of them and more.” Lowering his voice, he moved the other hand that was holding hers against his cock and pushed firmly down. “I get hard just being near you. I panicked when you touched me because I knew I was dangerously close to coming in my pants for the first time in my life. You have no idea how your touch, your smell—everything about you affects me. I lose what little sophistication I’ve acquired through the years, and I’m back to being nothing but an out-of-control, horny teenager.”

  Feeling a flicker of hope, Ava asked, “Really? I do that to you—for you?”

  As he grew even bigger under her hand, he lifted an eyebrow, saying, “You don’t have to take my word for it, Avie. That’s all for you . . . that’s what you do to me.” She beamed at him, thrilled to feel the evidence of his attraction to her. Chuckling, he added, “One thing, though . . . where did you come up with the name Mr. Wood?”

  Ava started giggling, now seeing the humor in her hasty attempt at seduction. Maybe she should have left that step until later as well. “Since I don’t really have any experience—you know, with men—I’ve been reading a lot of magazines,” she admitted. “That was supposed to be something like a bedroom secret that was just between us. I guess some men call their . . . penises wood, like morning wood, and since you’re male, I added the Mr. part.” Grimacing, she asked, “Do you hate it? We don’t have to use a name if you don’t want to.”

  “Baby, you can call my cock anything you want to as long as it doesn’t have the words small, little, cute, or sweet in it.” He gently removed her hand from his lap and flagged down their server. Giving her a look that had her clenching her thighs together, he said, “I wanted to make this a great first date for you, but we’ve got to go home or we’ll be doing something in here that’ll probably get us locked up.”

  Mac grabbed the check from the server’s hand and hastily threw a stack of bills on the table. They left the restaurant in what was just shy of a run. He paced as they waited for his SUV to be brought around. Ava thought they both breathed an audible sigh of relief when the doors were closed behind them and they set off toward Mac’s house.

  As he drove with one hand on the wheel, he used his other arm to push the material of her dress up. Soon, she felt an embarrassing flood of wetness gather between her legs. “Mac . . . ,” she moaned, unable to hide the desire racing through her body.

  Never taking his eyes from the road, he shifted his hand to rest against the thin silk of her panties. She knew that he could feel the moisture soaking thro
ugh the material, but she was past caring. When he pushed harder, pressing against her throbbing clit, she threw her head back, needing a release from the pressure building inside her. She moved her hips restlessly, wanting more. “That’s right, baby,” he rasped, “ride my hand.”

  With those words, she lost her inhibitions. Moving her panties to the side, she pulled his hand into her damp folds and sighed in bliss when he immediately started stroking her there. “Touch me, Mac,” she pleaded, needing more of what he could give her.

  “I am touching you, baby,” he said as he flicked her sensitive nub.

  “More,” she begged.

  When he continued to circle her aching flesh, she planted her feet on the floor, groaning in frustration.

  “Still not what you want, Avie? Tell me . . . give me the words, and I’ll make it happen,” he prodded, giving her nothing but maddening strokes.

  Finally, she snapped, needing her release as she needed to breathe. “Put your finger inside me, Mac, now!” When he immediately thrust one of his large digits inside her wet heat, she almost wept with relief. It felt so good. “More . . . please more.” He pushed a second finger inside her, and that was it. She was free-falling, spasms racking her body as she screamed his name. She had no idea how Mac kept the car on the road as she yelled like a wild woman in the seat beside him.

  She had barely come back down to earth when the car stopped, her seat belt was suddenly popping open, and she was jerked from her seat and tossed over a hard shoulder. “Can’t be slow, baby,” Mac grunted as he took the steps two at a time, jostling her against his back. She gripped the ass that she admired so much and held on before finding herself lying half off Mac’s kitchen table with her ass in the air. Her panties were ripped from her body and in the next second all the air whooshed from her as Mac slammed home from behind. “Fucking hell!” he shouted as he pounded into her.