Tackling Tobias (Big Sky Universe)

I walk through the front door in time to smell something incredible coming from the kitchen. I take off my boots and outer gear, hanging up my hat before calling out, “I’m home.”

She comes out of the kitchen. “I’m almost done with the food.”

“Okay, I’ll go wash up. I’ll be right back down.”

“Okay.” I want to reach over and kiss her, but I know that would be out of place. Completely out of fucking place. One day, I hope it won’t be. Hustling up the stairs, I wash up and come back down five minutes later.

When I push open the kitchen door, she hands me a beer. “Damn, reading my mind.”

She shrugs and blushes. “I figured you could use one after a long day. You have a case of bottles in the fridge.”

“I’m not an alcoholic, Ava,” I inform her. I don’t want her thinking bad of me in any way imaginable.

“I didn’t say that.”

“I just don’t want you to be worried.” She nods, understanding what I mean. Alcohol can turn someone into a completely different person.

“Well, considering how far the grocery store is, picking up just a six pack seems a bit silly to me. So we’re having ribeye with baked potatoes and corn on the cob.” She changes the subject to one of my favorite topics—food. Ava’s truly proving to be something special.

“Dang, woman. You’re going to spoil me.” I lick my lips and she takes note, blushing again. Does she know what she’s doing to me?

“Just doing my job.”

“Yeah. I wanted to apologize earlier.”

“You’ve got nothing to apologize for.”

I itch to close the distance, but if I get closer, I might have to apologize again. “I do. You’re here running from someone, and I’m letting my attraction to you get the better of me.”

“Same here. How about we do our best to ignore it?”

“I don’t know if I can, but I will try. Do you still love this guy who did that to you?”

“I used to love him.”

“Not anymore?”

“I’m not sure.” I nod because that actually fucking hurts more than it should. I can’t just walk away.

“You can tell me about it when you’re ready.” I don’t want to hear about her and some other bastard, but I want her to feel safe here and with me.

“Thank you, Tobias. Now enough of the heavy. Let’s have our dinner.”

“Sounds good to me.” It doesn’t. I’ve suddenly lost my appetite. She serves our food, and we sit at the kitchen table to eat. It looks and smells great so even though I have a massive knot in my stomach, I take a bite. Fuck, it’s better than it smells and so perfectly tender that it falls apart in my mouth. This woman is driving me nuts.

“Dinner was delicious.” I stand and take my plate to the sink. “I need to handle some paperwork. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Have a good night.” I nod and leave the room. I completely forget about John’s edict to be honest because she’s in love with her fucking abuser. I’ve seen many shows. Women like that may take forever to move on from that emotional entanglement.

As soon as I close my office door, I call the one person I know who can help me and keep everything discreet. “Hey, Tobias, everything okay?”

I end the call and then get back to my actual work. My ranchers need to be paid and supplies ordered. I need an assistant for half this shit or hire more ranch hands to handle the day to day that I assist with. Although, I do love working with my hands.

I work well into the night. When I finally feel my eyes getting heavy, it’s already midnight. “Shit. I better get off to bed,” I sigh, standing up and stretching before turning the light off and head to bed.

I make sure all of the lights are off and the doors locked before I head upstairs. Her light is off, so I quietly enter my bedroom and prepare for bed. Tomorrow I’m going to do my best to fight my urge to kiss her and focus on why she’s here—making sure my stomach is full.

Chapter 6

Ava

“I need to go to the store today,” I remind him. It’s New Year’s Eve and the stores close early. I have a growing list of what he likes. So far everything I’ve made for him, he loves, although he’s been less talkative than the first two days.

“Okay. I’ll take you just before lunch, and we’ll eat at the local diner. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. It’s not as good as your cooking, but it does in a pinch,” he says with a wink.

“Oh…have you been sneaking out at lunch to avoid me?” I narrow my eyes at him while smiling playfully, although I don’t feel so playful. He’s missed lunch twice since I arrived and one dinner.