Before she signed off for the morning, she refreshed the screen one more time to see if she had anything else to answer. The troll comments had returned, coming in heavier than before, this time adding names she wouldn’t repeat out loud alone, never mind in public.
So bizarre. And annoying.
She groaned and called her web people, knowing she needed to have them lock things down before the ugliness spread. They had to shut down comments for the day. And the whole mess took up the better part of her morning, forcing her to reschedule a nail appointment with a new salon she had hoped to feature in one of her local postings. Finally, she finished with the web hosting company and hung up the phone, praying they’d fix the site before the end of the day.
She headed over to an outdoor café for lunch, to meet her sister, Olivia, her sister-in-law, Riley, and her soon-to-be sister-in-law, Meg. When she arrived, the others were already at a table beneath a large umbrella.
“I’m so sorry I’m late!” Avery said, pausing to give each woman a hug and a kiss before settling into the empty seat between Riley and Olivia.
“Relax,” Olivia said. “We are. It’s fine. Nobody has to rush back to work.”
“Yep, summer for a teacher means time off,” Meg, a pretty and very pregnant brunette, said with a relieved smile.
“I’ve been working less and less hours,” Riley admitted. “I really love being home with Rainey.” She shrugged at the admission.
Avery grinned. “Your little girl is a handful.”
Her sister-in-law pulled her long curls behind her and laughed. “Blame your brother for that part of her personality.”
“And you?” Avery glanced at Oliv
ia. “Don’t you have a job to do?”
“I can take time to be with my favorite people if I want.” She patted her large belly. “It’s amazing how the men in the office will tiptoe around a deliberately whiny pregnant woman and give in to anything she asks for.” Olivia grinned.
“You have no shame,” Avery muttered.
“Nope.”
“Can I get you a drink?” a waiter asked Avery.
She glanced around the table. The girls already had their beverages. “I’ll have an iced tea, please.”
“So how was everyone’s weekend?” Olivia asked.
They went around the table, taking turns with their stories. Avery was grateful for the time to get her head on straight and decide what, if anything, she’d tell the women closest to her about Grey. After so many years of wondering about him and missing him, actually being with him this past Saturday night had been surreal.
Her emotions had fluctuated all evening. She’d been wary at first, withdrawn during the influx of fans, then once they were truly alone, all her old feelings for him had swamped her full force. They meshed on a level she’d never experienced with anyone else. He understood the girl she was deep down inside, respecting what he knew of her insecurities. Any other guy would have responded to her blatant sexual overtures and taken advantage of the obvious chemistry and desire pulsing between them.
Not Grey. He wouldn’t let proximity and need dictate his actions. Instead of making use of the bed, instead of taking their kisses to the next level, instead of peeling off the tee shirt he’d lent her and sinking deep inside her willing body, he’d called a halt. Because he knew, even if she’d been well past caring, that if they’d had sex, she’d regret it the next day.
And she would have. Of course she regretted not sleeping with him too, but that was her needy body talking. She’d returned home from the boat on edge, her panties damp, her nipples hard and aching, wishing he’d at least taken the edge off with a nice climax. But instead, her rocker had played the good guy. And she hadn’t been able to use her vibrator to slake her need, because she’d known it wouldn’t have been as good as the real thing.
“Avery Dare, where the heck are you?” Riley asked, waving a hand in front of her face and bringing her back to the present.
“You’re flushed,” Meg noted with a grin.
“We live in Miami and it’s hot out,” Avery muttered, grasping for an excuse.
“No, that’s not a weather flush. It’s a guy blush,” Riley said, eyeing her with curiosity.
Olivia pursed her lips. “You’ve been in your own head ever since the concert with Grey, and I’ve let you stew because you seemed to need time. But you seem lighter now … and I want answers.” Her sister nailed her with a determined expression that had Avery shifting uncomfortably in her chair.
“Maybe she doesn’t want to discuss things in public,” the ever-diplomatic Meg said, taking a sip of her iced tea.
Avery realized her drink had been put down, and she took a long sip of the cool, sweet liquid. Olivia was right. She’d been sad and grumpy after her run-in with Grey and his groupie at the concert, and she hadn’t let her sister in. She didn’t want to hurt Meg’s or Riley’s feelings by blocking them out now, even if discussing her love life wasn’t something she did easily.
“I saw Grey this past weekend,” she admitted, then sat back and let the comments fly.