My Best Friend's Boyfriend

“And cut,” the cameraman said.

I shook the interviewer’s hand, and I could tell he wanted to know more. But I wasn’t willing to offer up anything else. I knew Ava would see it, just like I would see her interview before each was aired for the investors. And all I could hope was that I’d hear from her once she saw it.

What I didn’t expect, however, was for her to be standing at the door when I went to leave.

“Ava.”

She cleared her throat. “Did you mean it?” she asked.

I looked back at the camera before panning my gaze to her face. “How long have you been standing here?” I asked.

“For about five minutes. Answer my question, Logan. Did you mean it?”

My hand rose to cup her cheek while my eyes danced between hers.

“Every word,” I said.

In a flash, Ava’s arms were around me. In a flash, her lips pressed against mine. In a flash, my heart melted into a puddle at her feet. Our tongues collided and fireworks exploded in my mind. My entire body rose to the occasion as I pressed her against the doorway of the recording studio. I captured her lips, raked my tongue against the roof of her mouth, slid my leg between her sweet thighs and cloaked her with my arms.

I never thought I’d get to taste her again, much less right after she heard me proclaim my love for her.

“Ava Leary?”

She giggled against my lips as I reluctantly pulled away from her.

“Yes?” she asked.

“We’re ready for your interview whenever you are.”

“Wonderful. I’ll be right there.”

Then her eyes found mine again.

“Will you stay and watch?” she asked.

“I’m not going anywhere without you,” I said.

She sat down, and I watched her give her testimony. I listened as she talked about how fearful she had been about sex, how she thought it would bring pain more than anything else. I listened while she talked about her ex from college and how he tried to take what wasn’t his, and throughout all of it, I watched her. I watched her body language change. I watched her morph into a confident woman before my very eyes. Her back straightened and her shoulders rolled back. She didn’t speak in a timid voice, but one that was strong, intelligent. I remembered that meek little girl sitting on the bed in that hotel room, the one wearing pale pink who was nervous about the pain that might come with such an intimate decision. But that woman wasn’t the woman sitting in front of that camera.

Her confidence was sexy, and her womanly presence forced heat to creep up the back of my neck.

“So, would you say your experience with Save the Date was a success?” the interviewer asked.

Ava slide her gaze over to me, and her eyes sparkled.

“Yes, it was a success. I didn’t just find a man who taught me things no one else ever could, but I found someone to love.”

My heart slammed against my chest as her eyes turned back to the camera.

“I found a man who makes me feel beautiful without requiring sex. I found a man whose goals align with mine, a man whose future looks wondrous to me. I found a man who makes me feel safe and comfortable, sexy and confident. I found a man who fits me like a glove, a man I’d never give up, no matter what. I found my soulmate, my life partner, my best friend. Save the Date was more than a success for me. It was the beginning of the rest of my life.”

“And cut,” the cameraman said.

Ava stood up and removed her microphone, then strode toward me. She picked up her pace, practically running to me in her heels as I held my arms out for her. She launched herself into my grasp and wrapped her arms around me, burying her face into the crook of my neck. I picked her up and swung her around as the last piece of my life finally slid into place.

I’d found her. I’d found the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.

“Come home with me,” I said.

Her legs wrapped around me as her eyes leveled with mine.

“How can I refuse a request like that?” she asked.

“You could if you wanted to.”

Her lips touched mine, and I felt every cell in my body come alive at the sweetness of her tongue.

“I’ll never say no to you, Logan,” she whispered.

That was all the confirmation I needed.

Ava

His hands delicately slid my clothes off my body as we stood in his shower. The water battered against us, hot to the touch as steam swirled around our bodies. His muscles glistened as water trickled over his edges. I pressed kiss after kiss into his chest as my hands slid up and down his back. His hand twirled delicately in my hair and tilted my head back, bringing my lips up to match his. I closed my eyes and felt the hot water pour over us, coating our skin and warming our bodies as his lips touched mine.