The Match

“Good girl,” he says under his breath.

I open my eyes long enough to see him give me one of his signature smirks, reminding of me of how much I love this man.

Chapter Twenty

SLOAN

Three Years Later

“What are you doing, Sloan?” Ava gives me a pouty face as I take my tie from around my neck, cover her eyes with the silky fabric, and fasten it behind her head.

“It’s a surprise, my love. Be patient and don’t ruin the moment, okay?”

She smiles in response, stretching her hands out in front of her.

“Have I ever steered you wrong? Trust me.”

“Yes, Chief,” she deadpans.

Over the course of the last three years, Ava and I have built a life together. I made Chief of Surgery nine months after Ava chose cardio as her specialty. While I am technically still her boss at work, we keep our distance. But I’ll always be Ava’s Chief in the bedroom.

With my hands on her shoulders, I lead her out of our apartment and into the stairwell. She sucks in a deep breath, as though she’s nervous about where I

am taking her. If anyone should be terrified of what is to come next, it should be me. But my girl worries enough for both of us.

“Careful,” I say against the shell of her ear. “Take each step one at a time.”

“Now that I know where you are taking me, why don’t you remove the blindfold so I don’t fall on my face.”

“I would never let you fall, because I will always be here to catch you.”

“Why do you have to be so…you?” she asks with laughter in her voice.

“It’s part of my charm,” I spit back.

Moving my hands from her shoulders to her waist, I get a firm grip on her hips and help Ava climb the stairs to the roof. Once we get there, I push open the door and guide Ava to the table I set up at the center of the roof.

Her nose wrinkles, and then she licks her lips. “I smell food. Mmm…”

Running my hand up her stomach, I pull her against my chest and remove my tie from her eyes. She presses her back into me, digging her ass against my cock. I wasn’t hard before, but just the thought of sex with Ava has me wanting to bend her over the circular table.

Her eyes and mouth widen in shock once she takes in her surroundings. I had Del Frisco’s deliver steaks with all the side dishes Ava freaks over every time we go to the restaurant. It’s her father’s favorite restaurant and has been hers as well for as long as I have known her.

“Sloan, this is so sweet. I can’t believe you did all of this for me.”

“I would do anything for you, Ava. Anything.” I dip down to kiss her, threading my fingers through her hair. “You should know that by now.”

Once our lips separate, I stare into her eyes, a beat passing between us. She’s still the most gorgeous woman I have laid eyes on and is the love of my life.

“So, what’s the occasion?” she asks, surprised by what she assumes is a sudden gesture, when she is the one who doesn’t remember the importance of this day.

“It’s the same night we met.”

“Oh, right. But I didn’t think we were celebrating our one-night stand.”

“We wouldn’t be standing here right now if it was just a one-night stand, now would we?”

She rolls her eyes at me and smirks. “Well, Mr. Smarty Pants, I didn’t think we were celebrating the night we had sex. What does this make it? Our sex anniversary? Our sexiversary?”