Chapter 13
“How’s Daisy enjoying the hotel?” Ava asked Elias as they followed the crowd into the conference room. A sizable stage took up space at the far end of the room, adorned with a black and white banner with the words: OPTIMISE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE.
The room was bustling with business people in casual clothes, cradling tablets, notepads, and booklets handed to them by ushers at the door.
“She’s spending the entire day by the pool,” Elias replied. “With her fair skin, she’s going to cook under the sun.”
“It was very sweet of you to invite her.” Ava manoeuvred through a group of people congregating in the aisle. “I gather the girl doesn’t get out much.”
Elias followed her to their seats five rows from the stage. “She’s very excitable, that’s all.”
“I look forward to meeting her at dinner.”
“Are you serious? Or is it some ploy to suss out the competition?”
Ava turned to him, her luscious mouth opened in shock. “I am offended, Elias. You’ve told me so much about her that I wanted to meet Daisy in person. Is that a crime? I have no ulterior motive, I swear.”
“There you are.” Liam squeezed down the aisle and took the empty seat next to Ava. He leaned over her to shake Elias’s hand. “Good to see you again, mate. Did you find the hotel okay?”
“I had my trusty GPS.”
“We got lost, didn’t we, babe?” Liam patted Ava’s thigh, locking gazes with Elias. “My GPS is so old it didn’t recognise the new roads that were built four years ago.”
Biting at his lip to divert the jealousy, Elias drew his gaze to the floor-length windows. Thick, heavy clouds formed on the horizon. A thunderstorm was on its way. He wanted to have a swim before it started raining, but the seminar was already running ten minutes late. Elias pulled out his phone and texted Daisy. She didn’t respond straight away, replying when the lights dimmed.
Daisy: When do you break for lunch?
Elias: One o’clock. There’s a storm coming. Be safe
Daisy: I will. Have fun
He pocketed his phone and unpacked his notepad and pens, eager for the seminar to start so he could take advantage of the mini holiday. Music played from the speakers surrounding the room and the host stepped onto the stage, waving at the crowd. For the next two hours, Elias tried his hardest to concentrate, keeping one eye on the impending storm and the other on Liam’s wandering hands. His entire body grew rigid at the sight of Liam’s fingers caressing the soft skin on Ava’s thigh. He couldn’t justify how he felt for her, ashamed for his body’s reaction whenever she was near. Today, she wasn’t helping his resolve at all. Ava looked breathtaking in casual attire, dressed in a floral skirt that showed off her slim legs. Her hair was unrestrained, falling around her face in copper curls.
Her gaze slewed to the side, catching him staring, and she rewarded him with a ghost of a smile. “Why are you looking at me like that?” she whispered.
“I didn’t know I was staring.”
“Subtlety was never in your repertoire, Elias,” Ava said with a giggle. “Are you enjoying the seminar? I think it’s very informative.”
Elias glanced down at his blank notepad and frowned. “It’s a little repetitive. I studied social media at university but a lot has changed in the industry since then.”
A clap of thunder exploded above the ceiling, momentarily startling everyone in the room.
“We’ll stop here for lunch, folks,” the host declared. “There are sandwiches, tea, and coffee in the mess hall down the corridor. Please return to your seat by two o’clock.”
Elias couldn’t get out of the room quick enough, ignoring Ava’s calls above the hubbub. He marched to the entrance of the building and pushed the doors open. Heavy rain pelted the car park, creating small dams in the golf course opposite the conference hall.
Elias exhaled until his lungs were empty, disappointed his plans for a swim were thwarted. He pulled out his phone and called Daisy. It rang out. She was probably running back to the hotel room.
He was readying himself for a dash across the car park when Ava materialised next to him. “Are you making a break for it?” she asked.
“I’m heading back to Daisy. I cannot stand to sit for another minute in that seminar. I was getting claustrophobic.”
“We can leave if you want,” she offered. “To be honest, I only bought the tickets as an excuse to get away from the city. They won’t know we’re gone.”
“What about Liam?”
Ava’s eyebrows snapped together. “What about him? He can stay if he wants. He needs to be more fluent in social media anyway.”
They stood in silence for a few moments, watching the rain sweep across the plump wineries. A bolt of lightning erupted in the sky, making them both jump.
“Are you ready?” Ava took Elias’s hand and held it tightly. “I don’t think the rain will ease up any time soon. We must go now!”
“What direction is the hotel?” Elias asked, squinting into the deluge. It was so thick, he couldn’t see two feet in front of him.
Ava laughed and pulled at his arm. “Elias, we don’t have time to navigate. Let’s go!” She dragged him into the onslaught, squealing like a child when the cold rain drenched her. Elias followed her closely, keeping their fingers entwined, enjoying how her shirt moulded to her wet body. Thunder rolled above their heads, violent and angry. Lightning split the sky, sparking in the air seemingly metres away.
“Ava, it’s not safe out here,” Elias shouted. “We have to go back to the conference hall.”
She slowed to a jog and frantically searched her surroundings. They had run in the opposite direction of the hotel, ending up at the far end of the car park near a maintenance shed.
“In here!” Elias hauled Ava to the front door of the building and jiggled the handle. It swung open. He pushed her inside and latched the door closed. The small windows let enough fractured light in to search for blankets stored on the shelves.
“Here, this should warm you up until the storm clears.” He wrapped a blanket around Ava’s trembling shoulders, ushering her to an old garden bench pressed against the wall.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“A little wet but I’ll survive.”
“What have we learned from this experience?”
“Never to go swimming in a downpour again?”
“That’s right.” He joined her on the bench, shoulder to shoulder, swaddling himself in the dank, smelly blanket. The rain tapped melodically on the tin roof, drowning out the chorus of frogs and crickets.
“I didn’t bring Liam here to spite you,” Ava said quietly, kicking off her drenched high heels.
“Why did you?”
She diverted her gaze to the ground, kneading her fingers into a ball. “As a distraction, I guess. I couldn’t bear looking at you and Daisy together.”
“You were the one who suggested we bring our partners.”
“I’m not dating Liam,” Ava announced, “just sleeping with him.”
Elias let out a frustrated growl and stood up, pushing the blanket off his shoulders. He paced the garden shed, keeping his eyes off Ava’s diminutive form. “Why did you tell me that? I don’t want to know about you and him.” He brushed his wet hair off his forehead in one sweep. “Look, Ava. I can’t explain what’s going on between us. Ever since we since slept together, I can’t get you out of my head. You’re like a poison that has taken over my body. I can’t function when you’re around.”
She stood up to join him, snaking her arms around his waist, pressing her chest against his. “You’re bad for me, Elias. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before, not even my ex-husband.” She leaned in until their lips almost brushed. “I want your body, Elias.”
“You had me once and I swore that would be the last time. I’m with Daisy now, Ava. I can’t betray her again.”
“Do you love her?”
“We’re going to get married one day.”
“That’s not the same thing. Do you love her?”
All Elias could hear was Ava’s rapid breathing when he grazed her bottom lip with the pad of his thumb. Then, he tasted his finger, the saltiness of her skin igniting the fire in his belly. “You drive me fucking crazy.”
He smashed his lips against hers, burying his tongue into the sweet depths of her mouth. Ava moaned deep in her throat, her body weakening at his touch. Elias grew mad with hunger, stripping the blanket off Ava’s shoulders, yearning to touch her body underneath. Looping one arm around her waist, he feathered kisses along her jawline, kneading her breast through the thin material of her shirt.
The pounding of the rain intensified when he stripped the garment off Ava’s body, revealing her full breasts in a red lace bra. She shivered at her near nakedness, watching Elias remove his shirt and tossing it aside. He explored the planes of her back, the curves of her buttocks with greedy hands, reaching underneath her skirt to slip off her underwear. He stilled when a noise of protest left her lips.
“Do you want me to stop?” he whispered. “We don’t have to do this.”
“No, keep going.”
He unfolded the blankets onto the floor and lowered her gently onto the makeshift mattress. With trembling fingers, Ava unhooked his belt buckle and unzipped his fly, wrapping her cold hand around his member. Elias gasped at her touch and pulled down his pants to his knees. He hovered over her, admiring the shivering, beautiful creature underneath him. Her emerald eyes were round and wild, two beacons leading him into the storm.
He entered her body slowly, filling her until her screams were muted by the thunder. She felt silky and warm. Ava closed her eyes and wrapped her legs around his hips, forcing him to go deeper. Elias swept her hair back from her cheeks, affectionately kissing her temple. There were a hundred things he wanted to say to her at that moment. The word love lingered on his tongue. He wasn’t sure where this was taking him or what would happen when they returned to their partners. But Elias knew in his heart that he couldn’t bear to be without her.
Stabilising both hands on the concrete, Elias thrusted harder and deeper, driving into Ava as she clawed her fingers down his back. Above them, the rain eased, the storm dissipating. Beams of sunlight streamed through the windows.
Rolling waves of pleasure swelled inside Elias, controlling every breath, every heartbeat. He welcomed his release, filling Ava with his warmth. Her body shuddered underneath him as she climaxed soon after, her hips arched against his, her arms still wrapped around his waist.
Elias looked down at her face, seeing fragility and innocence in her eyes. As much as he tried to deny it, he was in love with Ava Wolfe.
~ ~ ~
The hotel room was empty when Ava made it back, half dressed and looking a complete mess. Her shirt was ruined, her makeup was smeared across her face, and she was certain her Jimmy Choo shoes were unrepairable.
She shared a private giggle with herself as she closed the door behind her and wandered into the bathroom. What a wild—and unexpected—afternoon. Making love in a dusty, dirty shed was at the bottom of her to-do list, but being with Elias released a kinky and uninhibited side to her.
She turned on the shower and made sure the water was scalding hot before dipping underneath the stream. Her back ached from lying on the hard ground and her most intimate part still tingled. She felt like a teenager coming home from a forbidden night out with the neighbourhood bad boy. Liam hadn’t bothered to call while she was out, probably sitting at the bar drinking away his troubles. She still couldn’t understand why she kept him hanging around. Maybe it was for validation. Either way, it was time to let him go.
Ava washed her hair, rinsed, and turned off the shower. She stepped into the walk-in wardrobe, naked, searching for a dress to wear for dinner tonight. She wanted to look good for Elias and even better for Daisy. There was nothing wrong with healthy competition.
The front door opened and footsteps ascended the hall towards her. “Ava, are you back yet?”
“I’m in the bedroom, Liam,” Ava called back, picking out her favourite Gucci dress. It cost a fortune, but it moulded to her body like a dream and gave the public a generous view of her breasts. She was zipping it up when Liam entered the room.
“Where have you been?” he demanded, his dark eyes frantic. “I had half the hotel staff looking for you. You disappeared into the storm and I thought the worst.”
“I was with Elias. We found shelter in a maintenance shed.” She turned her back on him as she slipped into her high heels. The heat of his stare burned into her neck. “We waited there until the storm passed. I’m sorry I didn’t call you.”
“What were you doing with Elias?” Accusation dripped from his lips.
Ava sidestepped him to get to the bathroom. “I don’t have to explain myself to you,” she said, digging around in her makeup case. “You’re not my husband anymore. Elias was heading back to Daisy and I needed to get something from our room. We just happened to leave at the same time.”
Liam lent a shoulder on the door frame, arms crossed over his chest. “You were gone for an hour. No one knew where you were.”
“Did people look for Elias as well?”
“We just assumed you were together.”
“We?”
“Daisy and me,” Liam said. “We got talking in the foyer earlier. You know, she’s a charming girl. Elias is lucky to have her.”
Ava applied her lipstick, watching Liam’s reflection in the mirror. He was dressed in a suit and tie, looking dapper as usual. His cheeks were flushed red so her theory about him drinking at the bar was right. “Did I miss anything important at the seminar?”
“Nah, it was stuff you already knew. Social media hasn’t really changed in the last two years. But I took notes so I’ll email them to you later.”
“Thanks.”
Silence hung heavy in the air as she finished her makeup. Now would be the perfect time to dump Liam. They were heading home tomorrow and she could take back her spare house key when he wasn’t looking. She could start Monday with a clean slate.
“Liam, I wanted to speak to you about—”
He pushed off the door frame, stepping into the bathroom. “Actually, I wanted to speak to you first.”
“About?”
He reached over and plucked her mascara from her fingers. Doubt settled like a rock in her chest and she hoped he wasn’t dumping her. They still had dinner to sit through.
“It’s about Elias,” Liam said.
Ava heaved a sigh and snapped back her mascara, the heaviness in her chest lifting. “Of course it is. What’s wrong now?”
Liam cleared his throat. “Look, I don’t know what you two have going on, but he won’t hang around for long.”
“What the fuck do you mean?”
“You break things, Ava. You treat men like toys. You pick them up, play with them, and put them back down again broken and scarred. That’s what you did to me. You break hearts and you will break his.”
“Since when do you care about Elias?”
“I cared the moment you fell in love with him. I see it on your face, Ava. The man has captivated you . . . like I once did.” Liam spun on his heels and left the bathroom, calling out from the other room. “I’ll meet you down in the restaurant. Take your time getting ready for him.”