Chapter 12
Logan
After finishing dinner, the sun has set, and the streets are much darker than when we first arrived. Standing from the table, I look down the street to gauge the situation. My instinct is to call Rodrick, not willing to risk Ava’s safety. Reaching into my pocket, I feel her hand on my chest.
“No, don’t call him,” she says.
“What are you talking about?” I pretend not to know what she’s referencing.
“You were going to call Rodrick, but I want you to walk me home,” her eyes are low, laced with lust and her words are a challenge I’m not willing to back down from.
“You want me to take you home?” I smirk, saying anything to prolong this embrace, my blood racing just from feeling her hand on me.
“Yes,” she smiles.
Finally. She’s let her guard down and admitted how she feels about me. It’s a relief to know I wasn’t the only one filled with desire. She is ripe for the taking, and my body is reacting rapidly to her temptations.
“Come on,” I drape my arm over her shoulder, pulling her close to my side as we make our way up the cobblestone alley.
Taksim Square is even more lively, with street performers and vendors selling roasted hazelnuts, oysters and doners. Ava’s eyes roam from one point of attraction to another, gleaming with excitement. She really does love this city, and it means a lot because it’s one of my favorites in the world.
“Ooh, I want one of these!” She cries, leaving my side to race through the crowd to a woman selling circular flower arrangements.
Following her as closely as possible, I hand the woman a bill, and assure her I don’t need the change when she begins ruffling through her pouch. She smiles graciously, offering that Ava take two, which she does.
Setting one on top of her head, I realize they’re headbands, it crowning her long auburn waves. She is stunningly beautiful, and it’s completely effortless. Her smile makes me feel like the most accomplished man in the world, and I know I’ll do anything just to keep her happy.
It’s strange, because unlike every previous interaction I’ve had with a woman, Ava seems more impressed and appreciative of what we do and see together, as opposed to what I give her.
Most women would have been perfectly happy to spend their days shopping while I went off to meetings, but she didn’t like the allowance I gave her. For a second, I thought she was angry about it over dinner, but luckily, she seemed to let me off the hook.
As we make it back to the hotel, I’m pleased that I’ve maneuvered the city alone, something I’ve never actually done, depending on Rodrick or a driver instead. Of course, I don’t tell her this, but I’m happy she pushed me out of my comfort zone for the night.
The elevator ride seems longer than normal with just us two in the car. Moving slowly, Ava steps in front of me, her hand roaming down my chest, as she looks up to me with the sexiest stare I’ve ever seen. My cock is rock hard in seconds as she swallows slowly before lifting on her toes to offer me her mouth.
Leaning down, I kiss her, first softly, and then she runs the tip of her tongue across the length of my lips, and I can resist no longer.
Gripping the nape of her neck, I pull her to me, sliding my tongue past her soft lips to taste her. The raki is on her tongue as she stumbles backwards, her breasts pressed flush against me as she lifts her leg against my waist.
Sliding my hand along her thigh, a soft moan escapes her, and I swallow it, kissing her urgently with all the built-up desire I’ve been struggling to hold back.
“I want you,” she whispers, pulling away from our embrace.
The elevator doors ding open, and we rush to our presidential suite, Ava leading the way to her bedroom as she roughly pulls me along. I chuckle softly at how drastically the tables have turned, but I can’t ignore the impact of the alcohol.
“Stay the night with me,” she asks, her hands wrapped around my neck as she pulls my lips to hers, kissing me so seductively I almost give in.
“No, baby,” I pull away, burning up every ounce of willpower left in my body.
“I like when you call me that,” she whispers, sprinkling kisses on my neck, ignoring my rejection at first. She blinks and then says, “You don’t want me?”
“Are you crazy? I’ve wanted you since I first saw you,” I say, gripping her hip with one hand, and cradling the nape of her neck with the other.
“Then why aren’t you kissing me?”
“I can’t have you like this,” I begin, leaning down to kiss her nose before continuing. “We’ve been drinking too much.”
“Logan, don’t tease me like this.”
With my head nestled in her neck, and my hands dropping to her waist, I whisper in her ear, “I want you to remember every bite,” before tugging at her earlobe.
“You really are a tease,” she pulls away, her tone so disappointed I can’t stop the chuckle.
“Let me tuck you in,” I offer, and she nods, kicking off her sandals before climbing into bed.
Pulling the covers up to her chest, I lean down and kiss her forehead.
“Sleep tight,” I whisper, and she smiles as her eyes slowly close.
After watching her for a moment, I turn to leave and her hand reaches out for me. My mind races, hoping she won’t try again, because I don’t think I can turn her down twice in one night.
“Thank you, Logan,” she whispers.
“You’re welcome,” I whisper back, and she smiles so innocently, squirming beneath the covers before the muscles in her face relax as she drifts off.
On my way back to my room, I stop to have a drink at the bar, needing to kick the edge off in one way or another.
I’ve never felt so giddy in my life. What I thought would be a sightseeing tour was an actual date, and now that it’s over it makes me question if I’ve ever been on one before.
That was a night nothing like anything I’ve ever experienced. It was fun, seductive, adventurous and intimate. More intimate than sex, actually.
I can’t believe how satisfied I am without ending the night how every other one of my dates has concluded. Although I want her so bad it hurts, I know I made the right decision. The last thing I want is for Ava to regret giving herself to me, so I chug my drink with pride before leaving the hotel room.
After three knocks, Rodrick answers.
“Hey, boss. Did you need something?”
“Yeah, show me the pictures from earlier,” I instruct, and he leads me back to the dining room, which is still set up exactly how it was earlier.
His team has worked to identify every person at the party who wasn’t on the guest list, and created a list of more people than they anticipated. My events are always exclusive, but of course we allow for plus ones and late additions who don’t make the security list.
Since that strategy produced too many results, he decided to pick some of the most suspicious individuals, particularly those with criminal records. Rodrick used to be a Navy SEAL, and his second-in-command was a police officer with the NYPD for twenty years, so together they have access to a lot of information people think is private.
“So, all these people were in the east wing of the house?” I ask, looking over the pictures.
“Yes, sir. And from our research, it seems to be an inside job, a revenge theft or both. So, we were hoping you would recognize one of these guys,” he explains, pointing to the array of men scattered on the table.
“Maybe an ex-employee, or even a rival,” he adds when I study the photos in silence.
“No, they don’t look familiar.”
“Well, we’re moving to the women now. There are a lot more than the men, so we thought we’d run through these in case we could crack the case early,” he shrugs, gathering the photos into a pile.
“Scorned women? That will be a long list,” I sigh, knowing my track record is anything but favorable.
That was a fear of mine when Ava first began rejecting me. I assumed she must have heard of my checkered past and decided I wasn’t worth the trouble. I wouldn’t be able to blame her, and to be honest, when I first met her, I had no plan on treating her any different.
Her playing hard to get has changed everything, and now I’m sure there is no way we can be a quick fling like my previous rendezvouses. I want Ava, and I want all of her, to myself.
“Anything else?” Rodrick asks, disrupting my thoughts.
“Uh, yeah,” I run my fingers through my hair, struggling to form my thoughts into words.
“What is it, sir?”
“Ava. I want to take her out tomorrow. I need it to be perfect, and I know you can handle that.” Rodrick has a reputation for being the romantic of his squad. He’s been married for over a decade, and it seems he and his wife are the happiest couple I’ve ever met.
“Don’t worry, boss. I’ve got it covered.”