20. TATE

20

TATE

If it hadn't been the force with which the conference room door opened, it would have been the look on Ava's face that made it happen.

Never, not once in all the years that I'd been working, had Ava ever barged into a meeting. She'd never even entered my personal office that way. Truthfully, she rarely made visits to see me while I was here at work, but if she'd stopped at Westwood's for something—whether to see one of my sisters or otherwise—she'd always been composed.

Ava was the very opposite of composed now.

I could see the stress in her expression. Her eyes were wide, begging and pleading with me. And even from the distance, I could see her skin was flushed with a sheen of sweat as she struggled to catch her breath, which was quick and shallow.

She seemed to be panicked about something.

And considering I wasn't expecting to see her until the end of the week, at best, I was even more concerned at what I was witnessing now.

Fortunately, I was at the end of my meeting, so I didn't hesitate to act. "Okay, that's all for today. Everyone can get to work on what we discussed, and I'll touch base shortly to follow up. You're free to go."

Even if, like me, they had not a clue as to what was happening, my staff was easily aware of the severity of the issue, so they were swift about making their exit. I stood from my chair at the far end of the table and kept my eyes on Ava as, one by one, everyone else left the room.

She didn't move.

She hadn't even taken her eyes off me, not even when people were moving past her.

Though nobody lagged behind or took their time, it felt like every second was minutes long. I waited about ten seconds after the last individual walked out of the room before I asked, "Are you okay? What happened?"

Ava's hand still hadn't released the doorknob, but at my question, with her eyes never once leaving mine, she closed the door. The moment it was shut, I expected her to respond, to say something.

She remained silent, her chest heaving, and her eyes focused squarely on mine.

"Ava, please talk to me," I begged, stepping out from behind the conference room table.

"Did you have sex with her?"

Though I hadn't really had much time to consider the possible things Ava could have said to me, I was confident that I could have had days to come up with a list and there wouldn't have been a chance of that question popping into my head. It was so jarring, it brought me to a grinding halt.

"What?"

"Francesca. Did you have sex with her the night you walked with her to the cabin at the mountain?"

This had to be a joke. "Have you lost your mind?"

Ava was on the verge of tears. "Just answer me, Tate. Please, I need to hear you say it. Did you sleep with her?"

If I had to choose one word to describe the sound of Ava's voice, that word would have been agony. She sounded utterly tortured, like this was a matter of life and death.

So, even though I thought it was a ridiculous question that needed no answer, I didn't hesitate to respond. "No. No, I did not sleep with her."

Something that sounded like a choked sob escaped her, and in a move I didn't see coming, Ava practically flew across the room, launching herself at me. I wrapped my arms around her, catching her just as she circled her legs around my waist and kissed me.

How we'd gone from her asking me the most absurd question I'd heard in my life to this, I didn't know. As unexpected as it was, my body reacted accordingly. It was like no time had passed since I'd last had the privilege of kissing Ava. Or perhaps it was that too much time had passed.

Because while my hands and my mouth seemed to just know what to do immediately, it took my brain a little longer to catch up. It was as though it registered what was physically happening between us, but there was a disconnect somewhere.

I could only assume it had to do with the way things had been between us for the last couple of weeks and the question she'd just asked me.

If I was a smart man, I would have stopped this. I would have torn my mouth from hers and set her down on her feet so we could talk. Ava and I had been through far too much for me to not be absolutely certain that something wasn't wrong.

But either I wasn't that smart, or something else had taken over—something primal.

A year and three months of almost zero contact with her, followed by the single best night of my life, and three more months of complete despair.

There was nothing I could do to stop what was going to happen in this room. It had been too long. There had been far too much time and space and distance between us.

With just a single touch of her lips and one swipe of my tongue into her mouth, a guttural moan tore from Ava's throat. That sound mixed with the feel of her fingers in my hair and her body pressed tight to mine, even through her layers, had my cock swelling.

All the tension I'd been feeling from the moment she flung the door open and stood there with that look of panic and fear in her eyes had dissipated. The heaviness was gone, warmth and heat moving through my body.

And my heart.

My heart was pounding so wildly, I was sure Ava could feel it.

Ava gripped my hair firmly, tugged my head back slightly, and tore her mouth from mine, her breathing even more labored than it had been when she first burst into the room.

Her gorgeous lips were swollen, her eyes swirling with lust and desire.

"Are you back, wild one?"

She tipped her chin down slightly. "My body might not have been here, but my heart never left."

Ava leaned in and kissed me again. Her hands left my hair and came to the front of my throat, where she started to work at the knot in my tie.

I stepped closer to the table, set her ass down on it, and whipped her sweatshirt and T-shirt over her head. As she tossed my tie aside and went for the buttons on my shirt, I forced my suit jacket down my arms.

Ava was still working at my shirt, pulling it out of my pants, when my body came over hers, urging her to her back on the table. She continued to fumble with the buttons while my mouth sought to kiss and lick and suck any of her exposed skin.

"Tate," she breathed, her back arching off the table, when I yanked down on the cup of her bra and sucked her perfectly round nipple into my mouth. "Oh, God. More."

My hand flew to the other side, squeezing and massaging the flesh before removing the fabric to expose her skin. I shifted my mouth to that side, switching hands and pinching and rubbing her nipple on the other side.

She was squirming, writhing, panting. I brought both hands to her tits and played as my mouth moved from one side to the other. But when I felt her rolling her hips, seeking that friction, I had to move. I had to give her what she needed.

Keeping one hand firmly on her breast, my mouth released it and shifted toward her mouth. Kissing her, my opposite hand drifted down her body and beneath the waistband of her jeans.

Ava worked at the button and zipper, granting me better access, and the second I slipped beneath her underwear and between her legs, she whimpered.

"Fuck, Ava, you're so wet." My fingers played with her, moving through her wetness, rubbing and circling her clit.

I tore my mouth from hers and watched as she tipped her chin higher. She was moaning and squirming, and a gorgeous flush had crept over her skin.

"Tate," she panted.

My fingers applied more pressure, giving her exactly what she wanted. Her lips parted, her breaths coming faster, growing more and more shallow. "Oh, God. Oh, God."

"Come for me, Ava," I growled my command.

"Tate."

I captured her mouth again, swallowing her cries of pleasure as my hand worked her through her orgasm. Ava's hands grabbed hold of me, her fingernails digging in as each wave of pleasure washed over her.

I barely gave her the chance to come down when I separated my mouth from hers, lifted my torso, and brought my hands to the waistband of her jeans. I dragged them down her legs along with her underwear until they were at her knees, lifted her off the table, and spun her around before bringing my hands to my own pants to free myself.

Once I'd done that and pulled off my shirt, I stepped close and felt the warmth of her naked body against my own. Bringing one hand to her hip, my other snaked around the front of her body, up over her breasts, and toward her throat. Keeping my hand there, I used my thumb and applied pressure to her jaw, urging it to the side.

I kissed along her jaw and up toward her ear, where I nibbled on the lobe and felt the shiver that ran along her spine. Releasing it, with a husky voice, I said, "Place your palms on the table and brace yourself, Ava. This isn't going to be gentle."

I watched her swallow, her lips parting. She did as I asked, not knowing this had been a fantasy of mine for a very long time.

Curling one hand around my cock, I positioned myself, just barely nudging her pussy lips apart. She squirmed, urging herself back a touch, and my fingers bit into her hip.

"Tate," she begged. "Please."

That was it.

That was all I needed.

I drove my hips forward harshly, slamming them into her body.

She let out a moan, and a feral groan tore up my throat. Fuck, it had been too long without her. I didn't think I'd forgotten how sweet her pussy was, but being inside her again, I felt as though I'd just entered a place I'd never been before.

Holding her hips in my hands, I did as I promised. I wasn't gentle.

This was about heat and want and desperation. This was about claiming this woman again, knowing I wasn't going to risk losing her—or this—ever again.

Over and over, one thrust after another, it built.

It built and built, the reality so much better than the fantasy. Her sounds, her skin, the utter need in the air. I missed it. I'd missed all of it.

But having her back, knowing she was mine again, something wild and uncontrollable came over me.

"Tilt your ass higher, Ava," I ordered.

She immediately complied.

I drove in harder. "Oh, Tate."

I went deeper, feeling like I wanted this to go on forever and hating that I was nearing that point of no return while also wanting it to end, so I could start all over again.

One hand slid around the front of her body and dipped down between her legs. I found her clit, applied pressure, and continued to thrust.

Ava was on the edge in no time, and just as I pushed her over, I held both hips in my hands, picked up my pace, and powered toward my own release. Just before I came, I pulled out, wrapped my hand around myself, and spilled my release over her ass.

When I finished, I tucked myself back into my pants, moved to the corner of the room, and pulled a few napkins off the small snack and drink table we had set up in there. The moment I looked back at where I'd left Ava, something squeezed in my chest.

She looked stunning. Her beautiful body was still bent over the table, her face flushed, and the evidence of what we'd just done glistening on her ass and lower back. "If only I had a camera."

Ava cocked a brow, silently questioning me.

I stayed put, taking her in. "You're so beautiful."

Something soft and warm stole over her expression, a sweet smile forming on her face. Fuck, I loved her.

Somehow, I became unstuck, moved toward her, and went about cleaning up the mess I'd left on her.

"So gentle," she teased.

"Is that a problem?" I asked.

Ava propped her head up in her hand and looked back at me with a twinkle in her eye. "Not at all. It's just a stark contrast from mere moments ago."

I shrugged, tossing the napkins into the trash while keeping one hand on Ava. "What did you expect me to do? I've gone months without access to your sweet body." My hand moved down and cupped her between her legs. "Do you know how good your pussy feels?"

She smiled and looked away. For a woman who was never shy, I thought it was adorable.

I dropped my hands to Ava's underwear, still wrapped around her legs, and slid them up her thighs and over her hips, my hands lingering there on her skin for longer than was necessary. A moment later, she righted herself and fixed her jeans before adjusting the cups of her bra.

She spun around, leaned her hips against the table, and placed her palms on my bare chest. I held her stare, neither of us saying a word.

There was something lingering in the air, though. I knew she could feel it, sense it the same as me.

"We have to talk," I said.

She nodded. "Yeah."

"There's a lot to discuss."

"I know."

"But I want us to have just a bit longer to enjoy this feeling, so can I take you out for lunch before I take you back to my place?"

Her face twisted with a hint of regret, and my stomach clenched at the sight of it. She told me she was back; she couldn't run again. I couldn't go through this.

"I'd love to go for lunch with you, Tate, but I have an appointment this afternoon with my realtor."

I wasn't feeling any more reassured. "For what? I thought you moved in."

"I did. In fact, I was just at the hotel, where I saw Ivy and turned in my room key."

"So, why are you meeting with your realtor?" I asked.

She swallowed hard. "I guess that's another thing we need to talk about. Can I tell you at lunch?"

My eyes roamed over her face. "Can you promise me you're not going to tell me that you're leaving again?"

"I promise I'm here to stay, Tate."

The coiling and twisting I'd felt in my gut slowly unfurled. At least I had that promise from her. Anything else, I was confident we'd be able to work through.

I lifted my hand to the side of her face and cupped her cheek, my thumb stroking along the skin there.

Just as I was about to speak, the door to the conference room opened and Wyatt stepped inside. "Oh, shit, I?—"

"Forgot how to knock," I said, cutting him off and wrapping my arms around Ava to spin the both of us around, shielding her body from view with mine. Ava nestled herself closer to me.

"I didn't realize I'd need to knock to come into the conference room that anyone else could have walked into," Wyatt goaded me, an edge of happiness in his tone. "You know, you should be grateful it was me and not Mom or Dad. Maybe you should be thanking me."

"Walk away, Wyatt," I warned him, twisting my neck to look in his direction.

"Fine, I'm going. I'll use the other conference room." He started to back out of the room but stopped and said, "Hi, Ava. It's good to see you're feeling better."

"Thanks," she called back, her lips smiling against my chest.

I growled, and Wyatt started laughing as he finally stepped out and closed the door behind him.

Without delay, I reached for Ava's T-shirt and held it out to her. "I don't think he was trying to see anything. He's married, and he adores Rhea."

"Yeah, but this is all mine, and I'm not interested in anyone knowing what you look like after two orgasms."

She cocked a brow. "What if you only give me one in the future? Would it be okay for someone to see me then?"

My eyes narrowed. "Don't insult me. I'd never just give you one."

Ava pressed her lips together to stifle a laugh. Then she pulled her shirt over her head while I tugged on my shirt.

Minutes later, I was escorting her out of the conference room and toward the parking lot for lunch.

I didn't think twice about any of the work that was on my plate for the rest of the week. Today, the only thing that mattered was her.