Inseparable

Relief flooded through me as I stood there looking at this beautiful woman, wondering if I would ever feel her embrace again. I didn’t want her to take a week. I wanted to be selfish and have her there across the hall from me. I wanted to keep her close, so she wouldn’t forget that I cared and that she had feelings for me. That would be selfish, though, and selfish behavior was what got us into that mess in the first place. I knew I had to give her space, let her work it out on her own, even if that meant she distanced herself from me. I cared enough about her that I wanted her to be happy, regardless of whether that included me or not.

I smiled back at her and stood there for a moment before backing out of the elevator. I waited and watched as the doors shut, my view of Ava completely gone. I felt like I had lost her in that moment, and it was almost too much to take. Leave it to me to completely screw up the first woman I had feelings for since my ex-wife. I was a complete and total mess in everything that I did. I turned and walked back to my office, telling my secretary that I didn’t want to be bothered, and shut the door behind me. I wanted to talk to Dean, try and help him realize how much Ava really loved him.

I picked up the phone and dialed his number, listening to it as it rang. After the third ring, he sent the call to voicemail and I hung up, frustrated that I couldn’t help in any way. Dean didn’t have to ever forgive me, but he needed to forgive his daughter before she set herself up for failure in her personal life and her career. If he knew what was going on, he would push back a bit and open up to the possibility of forgiving her. I knew he needed time, but it wasn’t something he had the luxury of at that moment.

I picked the phone back up and called him again, with no answer. However, this time I didn’t just hang up. I listened to the voicemail and at the sound of the beep I took in a deep breath.

“Dean, I know I am the last person you want to talk to, and that’s fine,” I said to the message. “But your daughter is hurting. She loves you so much, and I’m afraid that she is going to make rash decisions about her life because all she can think about is making things right with you. You don’t have to talk to me, but please consider letting Ava back in your life, before it’s too late.”

I hung up the phone and tapped my pen on the desk, feeling good that I left the message. At least he would hear the words, even if he refused to call me back. I knew he loved his daughter more than anything in the world, and for him, losing her was worse than losing his wife. I knew that once he calmed down, he would see that reconciling with Ava was vital. After that, though, I had a feeling I wouldn’t be in either one of their lives.

Chapter 22

Ava

Having time off

sounded like a great idea at first, but only a day later, I was sitting on my couch feeling absolutely miserable. I couldn’t get my father off my mind, and I had called him a dozen times, with no response. All I could do was sit there, wondering what he was thinking, replaying the whole scene over and over again in my mind. There was something that kept nagging me, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on but I knew it had to do with Tanner. He was still on my mind, even after everything, and I needed to stop thinking about him. It should be easy. I should be able to think about all the problems and trouble that we had been through and realize that having him in my life was not what was best for me. Instead, I felt an ache in my heart, a place I was not familiar with, a feeling that I hadn’t had before.

I took in a deep breath and sighed it out, realizing there was nothing I could do to change how I felt. Maybe time would help, maybe it wouldn’t, but either way, I needed to focus on getting my father back into my life, and my life back into a rhythm. I shook my head and stood up, walking toward the kitchen. As soon as I stepped foot inside, there was a knock at the door, scaring the hell out of me. I turned toward the door, my heart racing. I ran across the room and flung it open, hoping beyond hopes that it was my father. However, as the door creaked open, I stared out at Tanner, standing in the doorway holding a single white rose. I sighed and stepped back, trying not to look too let down. Besides, I had just been thinking about how much I wanted to see him, and there he was, as if he could read my mind.

“Don’t look too disappointed,” he chuckled.

“I’m sorry,” I sighed. “I thought you were going to be my father.”

“Still no word?”

“Not a peep,” I said looking down.

“I’m sure that will change soon,” he said in a caring voice.

I took in a deep breath and followed my eyes from his shoes, up his body and to his muscular chest. I hadn’t noticed when I opened the door that he looked freaking amazing in his suit and tie. Warmth flooded my chest, and I reached up, running my hand across my skin below my neck. It took me completely off guard, but there was no denying that I was lusting after this man extremely hard. He always looked so handsome, so charming, and my mind immediately ran back to the night we spent together at his house and how hot it was.

“What can I do for you?”

“I came by to make sure you were doing okay,” he said smiling. “And to be honest, I couldn’t let another day go by without seeing you.”

“Tanner.” I tried to act like I wasn’t moved by his words, but heat ran up into my cheeks.

“I know,” he said, interrupting my thought, “everything has been a mess. It really has. But I can’t get you off my mind. I just want to spend a little time with you.”

“I don’t know,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck. “I mean, every time we get together, something crazy happens.”

“Just for a little while,” he said, handing me the rose.

I looked at him and took in a deep breath, unsure if I would have the ability to keep myself under control if I were to let him in. He had come all this way just to spend time with me, something no other man had ever done for me. I mean, who was I kidding? There was no way I was going to turn this man away, no matter how much I hemmed and hawed at the decision. I stepped to the side and shrugged my shoulders, trying to keep a cool demeanor. I reached out and took the flower, bringing it close to my face and breathing in the sweet scent that reminded me of summer in my parent’s garden. I always loved the smell of roses, and it instantly started to put me at ease.

“Come on in,” I said with a small smile. “I need to break up my thoughts anyway.”

As he walked past me, I caught a whiff of his cologne, and the wanting in my chest turned to desire, causing me to stumble over my words. He turned back to me as I closed the door, and we stood there for several moments, just staring at each other. I didn’t want to admit it, but deep down inside, I knew he was exactly what I needed right then. I was incredibly upset with him, and utterly confused, but as I stepped toward him, I no longer had control of myself. I dropped the rose on the floor and reached for his arm, pulling him closer to me. Our eyes met and the view of his bedroom stare sent electricity through my chest.

There was nothing I could do to stop myself. I was already done for. Little did I know that the lust and desire between us would be so strong. I was not prepared, and I immediately fell captive to his large muscular arms and charming smile. He was familiar and light, and I needed him, even if I didn’t want to tell him that. He was someone who brought something positive into my life, even if the events surrounding us were hard to comprehend and were evolving slowly in my mind. He reached out and ran his hand down my cheek, leaning forward and pressing his lips against mine. As soon as our skin touched, it was like we disappeared from the chaos of the world around us, and our desire immediately took over.

Tanner lunged forward, grabbing me around the waist and lifting me into the air. He sat me down on the couch and pulled my shirt over my head, his face diving down into my breasts as his hands began to wander below the waist line of my pants. I leaned back against the couch and grabbed onto his hair as he flicked his tongue against my nipples. Electricity shot through my body and soft moans escaped my lips. He sat up with fire in his eyes and grabbed the seat of my pants, yanking them down and tossing them behind him before shedding his own shirt. He pulled my legs apart and grabbed my thighs, pulling my body down as he licked his lips.

He cracked a small smile as his hands moved up my thighs, and his fingers brushed against my pussy lips. I gasped as he reached forward and pulled my mound open, leaning his head in and running his tongue through my folds and up around my clit. My body stiffened and my hands roamed around my breasts, grabbing them and squeezing as he began to massage my nub with his warm, wet lips. I wanted him so badly, and I could feel myself preparing for the orgasm growing under my skin. His hands moved up further, and he pushed two fingers inside of me, going deep and turning as he pulled them back out.

“Yes,” I whispered, arching my back.