“Now, Momma’s gotta get her biscuits. You sleep while I’m across the hall calling your name until I come and I pass out.”
As she pushed off my lap, my hand snaked around her waist, halting her sly escape. “Why go across the hall for that?”
“Uh, uh, uh…” She waved a finger. “It’s still my night. My rules. I decide when you get to touch me.”
“I’m too tired, anyway.” My grip fell away. I had a feeling she didn’t realize what she gave up tonight. “Tomorrow night’s our date.”
“I know.”
“I want you to sleep over.”
She stood. “We’ll see.”
“Avery.” I leveled her with a glare that said it wasn’t up for negotiation. “You took tonight, so that means tomorrow your ass is mine—literally, if I want it that way.”
Her lips pursed. “Fine. But I’m leaving early in the morning. You don’t get to hijack my day.”
“As long as I have you all night, you can do whatever you want with your morning. But expect to be tired.”
“I’m opening the door. Do you want to cover up?”
“Why bother? The neighbor already sampled the goods.”
She rolled her eyes. “I like you much better when you're sweet, but you seem to do annoying arrogance so effortlessly. Bye.”
She breezed into the hall, leaving the door to my apartment wide open. “Avery,” I yelled after her. “You forgot to shut the door!”
“Sorry,” she sang but never came back.
Shoving off the couch, I dragged my exhausted ass to the door and peeked into the hall. She was gone. I’d count down the hours until I’d get to spend time with her again. As much as I enjoyed this kinky quid pro quo thing we had going, I was equally, if not more excited to just take her out and have the chance to know her better.
Shutting the door, I locked it and grabbed a towel from the closet before heading to the shower. Things weren’t perfect, but I was having fun. She was having fun. Despite the rough start, this seemed to take a turn in the right direction, and I couldn’t be more pleased.
Avery was … sweet and complicated and so much more than I originally expected. Beneath the layers of sarcasm, there hid a gentle-hearted girl, who—if my instincts were right—had been overdue for some unconditional kindness. I honestly believed that if she realized she could be herself and still earn a guy’s attention, she’d stop pretending to be someone else for all those guys paying for her time.
I didn’t want to pay for the perfect woman. I wanted the real Avery, someone I wasn’t sure Avery even knew all that well. But I sensed her goodness as much as I sensed her wild side. I loved the fact that no one else realized how much she kept hidden under the surface, but every day I chipped away at her barriers, and I didn’t plan to stop until I found the real her.
30
Avery
I might have a boyfriend. Maybe.
Noah was such a versatile guy. Sometimes he was growly and demanding, other times he was romantic and sweet. And then there were times, like last night, when he was everything I ever dreamed of wanting.
It didn’t escape me on the way back to our building that he was going to shift the second we walked through the door. I could already feel the tension building as we stepped into the elevator. I wasn’t nervous, but I also wasn’t going to make this easy on him.
The elevator doors parted, and I stepped into the hall. “Well, tonight was fun. I really liked that toffee dessert thing. Goodnight—”
He caught my arm and pulled me back to him, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and tucking my body into his side. “Do you think I was born yesterday?”
“I’m pretty sure you’re older than me.”
“And I’m pretty sure we had a deal.” He held me close as he unlocked his door. “Go into the bedroom. I left a surprise for you.”
“A strap-on?”
“You wish.”
I took off my coat and hung it over the back of a chair. He slowly unbuttoned his coat and watched as I walked toward the bedroom. My hand reached for the switch and… Oh, my God.
Roses. Rose petals. Champagne on ice. Music kicked on, and I turned. He watched me from just outside the door. This was not what I was expecting.
I licked my lips and glanced back at the beautiful display. His bedroom looked like a honeymoon suite at an upscale resort. A bottle of Cristal rested in the silver ice bucket.
“I … don’t know what to say.”
“Don’t say anything.”
I nodded because silence wasn’t really a choice. I was literally speechless.
He could have done any number of perverted things to knock me off balance. I anticipated that, mentally prepared for it. But this… I had no pre-calculated response for this sort of … romance.