Page 45 of Along Came Amor
“Yes,” she said, thinking of the child he’d been, and the man he was now. “You do.”
He put his hands on her hips and leaned in. The kiss was short and sweet, and still managed to take her breath away.
“Come on,” he said, stepping back and taking her hand. “Let’s eat.”
Her heart pounded, but she couldn’t have said why.
Chapter 12
After dinner, they took their wine glasses out to the balcony. Roman turned on the heat lamp, but it was still chilly, so he used the cold as an excuse to put his arms around Ava while she gazed at the view of the city and the Hudson River.
They knew why they were there, and while he adored getting her naked, he also liked these companionable moments. He wasn’t working an event, Ava wasn’t one of Nigella’s clients, and there were no expectations other than enjoying each other’s company for the time they were together. Whether that looked like sex or a quiet interlude like this, he was happy to indulge in either.
He was happy to indulgeher.
Receiving her text after weeks of radio silence had been a balm to his soul after an extremely difficult day at the office. Yes, it had required some finagling to free up his schedule, but after their night together the previous month, when he’d been so worried about taking time off, everything had been... fine. Not a single thing had exploded in his absence.
Which made him wonder if all the calls and meetings and business dinners were really as necessary as he thought they were.
So this time, when Ava had reached out, he’d replied immediately, ready to drop everything to see her. It was killing him to stick to her edict of “no communication” aside from what she initiated. He wanted more.
Starting with the reason for her missive tonight.
“Ava?” He waited until she looked at him. “What happened this time?”
Her face scrunched. “What do you mean?”
He raised his brows meaningfully. “You only text me when something’s happened.”
He saw the moment when she realized what he meant. Biting her lip, she looked away. There was a long pause before she spoke.
“My anniversary.”
The blast of sympathy was like a kick to the solar plexus, flooding him with compassion for this woman. Did she have no one else to turn to in these moments?
It didn’t matter. He was honored that she was here. Maybe he was just a coping mechanism for her, but he could also understand that she’d want some area of her life where she had control.
“Ava,” he began, tenderness in his voice, but she held up a hand.
“Don’t,” she said, not meeting his gaze. “Don’t pity me. I’m fine.”
So she said. Still, he set their glasses aside on the low table and folded her into his arms.
She clutched him around the waist and let out a long sigh, deflating against his chest.
“Thank you for being here,” she whispered. “I didn’t want to be alone.”
“You don’t have to be.”
She rested her head on his shoulder and tucked her face into his collar, then jolted suddenly and pulled back.
“Shoot, I’m probably getting lipstick on your shirt—which is such a cliché, I can’t even stand it. I’ll pay for dry—”
He cupped the nape of her neck and yanked her back into his embrace. His chest shook as he chuckled softly.
“I’m proud to have your lipstick on my collar,” he said solemnly, making her smile.
“Hush,” she said. “Don’t tease me.”
