Page 93 of Truth, Lies, and Second Dates
Nope. Just the dry heaves as she watched Pete sink to his knees, still pawing for the blade.
“Ava, my God, are you all right?” Tom had managed to climb to his feet and was swaying slightly.
“Comparatively speaking, yeah.” To Pete: “What, my best friend was slaughtered and you didn’t think I’d learn self-defense or carry a weapon? How could you be so diabolical and so dumb at the same time?”
Tom staggered, then steadied himself. “Well, that was illuminating.”
“Areyouokay? You were down for so long…”
“Because you put yourself at risk to buy time, so I waited for whatever opening you were going to give me. Christ, Ava, you are a lunatic. A formidable one, but nevertheless.”
She slung an arm around his waist. “What was it like?”
“Like a full-body muscle cramp magnified by a factor of five.” He looked down at Pete, who’d fallen silent save for the occasional wet gargle. A growing red stain was spreading beneath his head. “What about him?”
“Fuck him.”
And that was that.
Forty-Six
Two days later, they were having dinner in Ava’s minisuite at the Radisson Blu. They’d both been interviewed multiple times by the authorities, and Tom admitted he found it interesting to be on the other side of the desk, so to speak, as opposed to his usual role.
“That wears off,” Ava said dryly.
The Monahans had been amazed to finally discover who killed their Danielle, none more so than Dennis, who was alive and well and had checked himself into Twin Town, a mens’ live-in treatment center for alcohol abuse. He’d left a message for his mother, who preferred denial to acknowledgment and thus had said nothing. He then abandoned his phone, knowing he wouldn’t be able to use it in rehab, and went to see what parts of himself could be salvaged and what needed to be remade.
“Idiot! You had everyone worried sick! Except possibly your mom!”
“Iwas worried sick.” She’d been able to see him during visitors’ hours, though she wasn’t a family member. Apparentlywhen you had to tell an old friend that you killed his sister’s killer, exceptions are made. “I had to get the hell gone. I should’ve realized Mom would be too embarrassed to tell anybody where I went. I’m sorry you were worried, but I had to come. Who gets piss drunk the night of their twin’s memorial, sobers up, sneaks back in during the wee hours and trashes a funeral home, and then drinks more?”
“It’s a trick question, right?”
The police (and Tom) pieced together the sequence of events: Dennis had taken a cab (somehow), upended tables and broken dishes, failed to notice Pete’s presence, then staggered back to his cab and, ultimately, the hotel, where he regained consciousness hours later with only the vaguest memories of what he had done. Pete, meanwhile, had finished the job, taking special pleasure in not only using Danielle’s ashes but also knowing Dennis would get the blame.
The past two days had dragged and flown, something she hadn’t thought possible. Jan had been dismayed to hear Ava was involved in another murder, this one by her own hand (“Self-defense? But you’re okay? Yes? Promise? All right, that’s great.Jesus, what is it with you?”) and had referred her case for final review, one of the last steps before she was cleared to fly again.
“Ava? Are you in there?” Tom teased.
She gave herself a mental shake. “Yeah, sure. Are you still okay with spending the night?” Possibly a dumb question. He’d brought a small suitcase, a sizable toiletries bag, and a suit bag. And showed up at 4:00P.M.for their 8:00P.M. meal.He does know it’s just one night, right?
“I am delighted.”
“Good.” She was just grazing by now, nibbling at the last few fries simply because they were in front of her, so she putthe plates back on the cart and, with Tom’s assistance, pushed the thing out into the hall without accidentally locking herself out of her room.*
Once back inside, she went to him and looped her arms around his neck. “I hate that you were there,” she said, rubbing her nose back and forth just under his collarbone, which prompted the most adorable noises (ticklish!). “But I’m also really glad you were there.”
“My exact sentiments.” He cupped the back of her head, ran his fingers through her curls, tipped her head back for a long kiss.
By the time the kiss broke, concentration was getting tricky, but she managed. “And if you don’t want to… or you’d rather wait… or even just cuddle and sleep, or sleep and cuddle, that’s okay. I’m not going anywhere. Well. I am. But I’ll come back. For you, always.”
He smiled as he eased her shirt over her head. “I do want to. I don’t wish to wait. And I also want to cuddle and sleep, and then sleep and cuddle.”
“Okay. So. We’ve got that sorted.” Jeez, why wasshenervous? Simple: this mattered. It wasn’t a one-off. It wasn’t a “see you next time I’m in town maybe but if not, no biggie.” When they were done, she wouldn’t wish he’d take his leave. When they were done, she’d lie in his arms and think about the future and she wouldn’t be afraid of one thing.
And she’d never been anyone’s first before. Not even for her first.
They helped each other out of their clothes, stopping totrade kisses and murmurs until they were both nude, and then she toppled them both over onto the bed. She straddled his hips and swooped down for another kiss while his hands roamed over her hips and breasts and his back arched beneath her touch.
