As the water poured into the large, round tub, Ava added bubble bath and quickly stripped. Naked, she stared at herself in the mirror, as she waited for the water to rise a little more. A good long, soak was exactly what she needed. She couldn’t believe how Angelo had acted. In that caveman mind of his, he seemed to really believe that he had some kind of claim on her. And Dominic was really no better.
She grabbed a washcloth and drying towel from under the sink. Putting the drying towel on the counter, she held onto the washcloth and climbed into the tub. The water felt fantastic. Ava eased herself down into the water and turned off the nozzles. She lay back against the tub, the water almost up to her shoulders. Closing her eyes, she sighed in contentment. Maybe a few moments alone was just what she needed. The tenseness of the day seemed to drain away as the water caressed her muscles.
A touch along her neck startled her. Eyes opening, she realized what it was. Dominic’s lips. He pressed soft kisses down her neck. She couldn’t help enjoying it. His lips trailed lower down, to her collarbone. She pushed away from the tub to look at him.
“Is that all you think about?” she asked.
“No, but I figured you might need a little stress relief.”
“Stress relief involves a massage and a foot rub,” Ava said.
“It also involves making love and we haven’t done that today,” Dominic said twirling a strand of her hair.
“Then what was that in the elevator?”
“A quickie.”
“What if I said I was too tired for anything else?” Ava asked. A smile curved the corner of her lips.
“I’d say you were lying.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I’m sure as soon as I climb into that tub with you, you’ll be all over me.”
“You act like I have no will power. I can do just fine without sex.”
“You probably could before you met me, but now your body knows what it’s missing.”
“I’m sure you could get in this tub right now and I wouldn’t be tempted,” Ava said.
Dominic rose. “Challenge accepted.”
He began to remove his clothes and Ava watched, wondering if she had made a mistake. When he was naked and standing beside the tub, she couldn’t keep her eyes off his cock. It jutted out proud, impressive and obviously ready for another round. Dominic climbed into the tub and sat next to her.
“Feels great. Doesn’t it?”
“Sure does,” he said.
Determined to beat him at his own game, she closed her eyes and tried to ignore that he was right next to her. Ava knew she’d lost when she felt his hand caress her breast. Defeated, she turned to him and waited for his kiss. There was no point in fighting a battle she couldn’t win.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Ava, please talk to me. Say something.”
Ava shook her head. They’d picked Maia up from school and returned home, the picture of quiet domesticity. After two days they were settling into a comfortable schedule. Just like the first day they’d met, Maia had monopolized Dominic’s attention until her bedtime, leaving Ava alone with her thoughts. But now, Dominic stood next to her bed, waiting. She knew he wanted to know why she’d been so silent all afternoon, but she didn’t want to share her feelings. She didn’t want to share anything, but him staring at her with soft, puppy-dog eyes wasn’t helping things either.
He sat down on the bed beside her. He reached for her and she leaned away from him. He swore softly under his breath.
“I understand you’re on edge. You have a lot going on right now.
“Like someone trying to kill you and I both. I need to go see Smitty again. Maybe he has some info.”
“Who’s Smitty?” Dominic asked.
“Nobody for you to worry about. Let’s talk about you.”
“What about me?”
“This isn’t weird for you? I’m your stepmother, maybe. I was married to your father.”
“I stopped seeing you as Joseph’s the night I came to the house.”
“Really? And how do you see me now?”
“As mine.”
“Yours?”
“Yes. Some things are just meant to be.”
Ava laughed. “I can’t deal with you getting all mushy on me. Some of the things you say are definite no-no’s for a man.”
“Would you rather I not told you how I felt and just used you for sex like most men do?”
“No.”
“Alright then. You don’t have to fight me so hard, Ava. I’m not the enemy.”
“When you’ve had a life like I have, you look at everyone that way. It’s safer than allowing yourself to trust anyone.”
“I want you to trust me, Ava.”
Dominic pressed a kiss to her forehead.
“And what about the lawsuit? Hard to believe you’re serious when you’re still taking me to court.”
“The suit is over.”
Ava leaned back to look at Dominic. Her eyes stretched. “What do you mean, the suit is over?”
“I called my attorney when we got back to the house. I told him I was dropping the lawsuit. Naturally he tried to talk me out of it, but I told him to file the paperwork in the morning and send me the bill.”
He’d dropped the suit. Holy Mary, Mother of God. This was almost too good to be true. She was going to have to see the papers with her own eyes.
There was nothing she could hide behind now. No reason to keep pushing him away. No reason to keep denying what was obvious. Somehow, somewhere along the way, he’d seemed to have developed real feelings for her. Clue the Twilight Zone horror music. She wiped her hand across her face.
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why did you do that?” Ava asked.
Dominic laughed. “Do you really have to ask?”
“Yes I do. A chance to one-up me?”
Dominic turned her so that she was facing him. There was something behind his eyes she hadn’t seen before. Something that suddenly made her very, very afraid.
“Because I think I just might love you.”
The air seemed to whoosh from Ava’s lungs. Love? Love? The word was like a foreign concept to her. No grown person had ever loved her before. Not her parents. Not Joseph. What was love anyway? An emotion people used to gain the upper hand over someone else. A flowery word that was supposed to make everything all right.
“Love.” She laughed. “You fling that word around like it means nothing. I’ve never met a man that would cop to loving a woman so quickly and with such ease.”
His dark eyebrows dipped down. “Would it please you, if I acted like every other man?”
“You know that’s not what I mean, Dominic. I just find it hard to believe that you could be in love with me, considering who I am to you.”
He shrugged. “I think I’ve known for awhile.”
“A while? How long have we known each other? A little over three weeks and now you’re throwing the word love around? It’s absurd.”
Dominic’s jaw tightened. His green turned dark. “I’m not throwing it around. Telling a woman that I love her is not something that I take lightly, Ava. My mother is the only woman I’ve ever said that to,” he said. He pulled away from her and got out of bed, going to stand in front of the window.
Way to go Ava. You just don’t know when to quit, do you?
She swallowed. “I wasn’t trying to make light of what you said. I just…this is all just happening so fast. I don’t even know how to process it all.”
“Everything in life doesn’t have to be thought through and overanalyzed, Ava. If I tell you I love you, then damn it, I mean it.”