Page 39 of Aussie
“I’m afraid that I’ll have to decline. But thank you,” she told Ezekeil, giving him a big smile.
“Raincheck then?” he pressed.
Oh, damn. This guy is not going to take no for an answer. It was time to pull out the big guns.
“Actually,” she said with a small laugh, “I’m seeing someone.”
“What? Since when?” Jarod questioned, looking completely shocked, which almost made her laugh.
She smirked. “It’s new,” she replied with a slight shrug.
Jarod pressed his lips together firmly. She knew he was pissed and wanted to press her on the issue.
Not wanting to stick around any longer, she smiled at the group.
“Well, gentlemen, it was very nice meeting with you all,” she said as she took a step back, creating more space between them.
Ezekiel tilted his head, his eyes not leaving hers. “Until we meet again, Ava,” he said. His tone carried an unsettling undertone.
With a small smile and a nod, she turned on her heel and moved quickly across the ballroom. Her heart was racing. She needed to get out of there before anybody else stopped her.
Just as she reached the door, she was stopped dead in her tracks. Her feet were literally frozen to the floor. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw Aussie step inside. His tall frame was unmistakable even in the crowd. Relief surged through her. How had he known that she was there? But that relief quickly evaporated when she noticed the woman on his arm.
The woman was stunning, her silver gown shimmering under the chandeliers as she leaned in close to Aussie, laughing at something he said. The sight hit Ava like a punch to the gut. Betrayal and confusion swirled in her mind. Hadn’t he said hewas working tonight? And yet here he was, looking every bit the perfect date for someone else.
She felt like a vice was squeezing her heart. She turned abruptly, desperate to leave, before he noticed her. But it was too late, as their eyes locked with each other.
Ava’s stomach twisted into a ball of knots. The shock on Aussie’s face when he saw her was unmistakable, and there was something else—guilt, maybe regret. She looked him straight in the eyes, barely keeping her emotions in check. She willed herself not to cry. There is no way in hell that she would give him the privilege of knowing that he broke her.
“Ava…,” he said. Her name rolled off his tongue in a whisper but loud enough that she had heard him.
She looked up at him. “So, this was the ‘work thing,’ huh?” Her voice was quiet. The hurt veiled beneath a calm exterior.
“Ava, wait—” he started, reaching for her, but she pulled back, swallowing the ache that threatened to break her voice.
“No need to explain, Aussie. I get it.” She took a breath, her tone turning colder. “Have a good night.”
She turned and walked away, her heart pounding as she waited outside for the valet to bring her car. Her mind raced, hurt morphing into resolve. It wasn’t the disappointment she couldn’t handle. It was the thought of Christian, and how attached he’d already grown to Aussie. How could she explain this to him? This relationship, just like other relationships in her life, was destined to let her down. She’d taken the chance and had hoped this time might be different. Boy, was she wrong.
The valet brought her car around, and she slid into the driver’s seat, exhaling shakily. Then, with a final sigh, she pulled out of the parking lot, ready to put distance between herself and what she’d left behind.
???
Aussie felt the weight of guilt the moment he stepped into the Annual Snowball on the arm of Agent Elyssa Price.
He knew the job demanded certain things, even bending the line of loyalty if it meant catching the right targets. But tonight felt different. Standing beside Elyssa, dressed to the nines and looking every bit, the part of her date felt wrong. It felt like a betrayal.
“That group is our target for the night,” Elyssa murmured softly, nodding in the direction of a cluster of men near the back. Aussie recognized most of the faces from the sheet that the FBI had provided so he could familiarize himself with the ones they were supposed to be observing.
“Got it,” Aussie replied, barely keeping his focus on their targets as Elyssa guided him further into the room.
Suddenly, he heard a gasp, and when he turned in the other direction, he saw her.Ava.She was standing only a few feet away, looking like something out of a dream.
Aussie felt like the air had been punched out of his lungs. She wasn’t just beautiful; she was breathtaking and utterly captivating in a way that made his chest tighten and his pulse quicken. He had always thought she was stunning, even in the simplest of outfits, but seeing her like this was something else entirely.
The floor-length gown she wore was a deep navy blue that shimmered softly under the light. The fabric seemed to flow like liquid as she moved. It draped over one shoulder, leaving the other bare, the asymmetry adding a touch of bold sophistication that was uniquely Ava.
Aussie’s gaze traveled down to the train that followed her, subtle yet dramatic, trailing behind her like a whisper. The gown wasn’t flashy or overdone—it didn’t need to be. It was simple but refined, and it suited Ava perfectly.
