I had to remind myself how to breathe. Feeling slowly came back to my fingers and toes.

Half of me couldn’t believe I’d been stupid enough to do it in the damn copy room of my father’s office. The other half planned to send a fruit basket to whoever had the foresight to put a lock on the door.

I turned my head to look at her. Her dark hair was fanned out on the table, her shirt hanging off a shoulder.

As if she felt my eyes, Ava turned toward me. Her face was still flushed, lips parted. She was as wrecked as I was. It was the most perfect I’d ever seen her and I wanted to do it all again.

This morning when I’d come in, I’d told Price I needed off the case. My dad wouldn’t be happy I’d gone behind his back. But I’d deal with it.

Now the only noise was our staggered, gasping breaths.

“Sounds like you need to work out, Townsend.”

“No. Again. Give me five minutes,” I groaned.

She made a satisfied sound low in her throat. “I wanted to find a decent guy in New York,” Ava said hazily as she stretched an arm over her head. “A do-right-by-a-girl, bring-home-to-Mom guy.”

The seriousness in her voice surprised me. “Moms like me.”

She shot me a look before sitting up and pushing herself off the table.

“What would I tell my mom, Nate? I’m having the hottest, dirtiest sex with some lawyer who’s suing me?” Ava tugged her skirt down around her waist and adjusted her shirt. Or tried.

Her description got me going again, but I didn’t like where this was headed.

“I’m not representing a client who’s suing you. As of—” I checked my watch “—three hours ago.”

This didn’t seem like a conversation to have half-naked in a file room. Particularly since she was almost dressed again.

My shirt seemed to be missing half the buttons down the front. I dropped the hopeless thing, leaving it open. When I tugged my pants back in place, I realized I’d just put myself out there all over again. “Why don’t you tell her we’re dating?”

I tried not to feel exposed as I waited for her response.

Her eyes were big and green on mine. “Nate, believe me, I appreciate the big gesture. It means more than I can say. But we’re from totally different worlds. Are you sure you want to try? You love this.” She gestured around us.

“I love photocopying,” I replied skeptically.

She snorted. “No. This office, this company. I can’t stand being in an office for more than five minutes. And that’s not all. Your dad wants me gone. Your mom thinks I’m hopeless. And,” she said like she was delivering the final blow, “I gag when I eat oysters.”

I had no idea what the last part meant, but I had been hoping for a better reaction.

I grabbed her wrists and tugged her against me. For once I asked my hormones to calm the hell down—at least for the next five minutes. “Hey. Here’s how I see it. I’ve been trying to stay away from you for weeks. Failing. I’ve been trying to reason through what’s between us. Failing. But when I’m around you, I’m happier than I can remember.

“I knew it after we got home yesterday. The thing is, I can fight with you, I can laugh with you, but I don’t want to hurt you, Ava. I’d do anything not to hurt you anymore. I just want to be with you.”

Her eyes were wide on mine. I didn’t know what she was thinking, but at least she was listening.

“Keep going,” she whispered.

Christ, I have to say more?

“Umm. And whatever this is,” I added hastily, “it’s … intense for me. I don’t know where it’s going to go. But I don’t want anything getting in the way anymore.”

“Damn, Suit. That’s a lot of words.” Her voice was unusually soft as she peered up at me

I wished I could see inside her head.

“Yeah. Now it’s your turn,” I prompted her.

“You and me?”

I nodded. I’d been afraid to hear the words, but when she finally said them, they sounded like heaven.

She watched me a long moment with serious eyes the color of emeralds.

“All right.”

The breath I didn’t know I’d been holding released and a shit-eating grin took its place.

“But I’m not sure how this is going to work,” she warned. “Even though the sex is—”

“Epic?” I offered.

She shot me a flirty look. “It’s so good I feel like shouting it from the top of the Empire State Building. But it feels like we still can’t spend more than ten minutes without an argument, and—”

“Ava.” My impatience kicked in. “For the love of God. Just fucking kiss me already.”

She did.

As much as I liked hearing her talk, I loved shutting her up.