“When she’s been on her best behavior. Or needs to be tormented beyond reason,” Torrance said with a chuckle.
It was too easy to picture Avi tied to his bed, desperate pleas pouring from her while he ran the mitt over her quivering skin. He could practically feel the hard little nubs of her nipples pebbling under his tongue, the muscles of her belly tensing the closer the silky fur drifted toward her weeping center. One stroke over her slippery clit and her back would bow, the desperation in her eyes begging him to take her. Claim her.
Fingers tightening on the mitt, he dragged in a labored breath. Although he suspected it’d be the death of him, he stashed the kinky item with his growing pile of purchases and followed Torrance to the checkout.
For the millionth time in the past hour, Avily peered at the compu-clock on the wall opposite the checkout counter. She was doing a piss-poor job holding firm to her resolve to not dwell on Jerrick and his damnable promise of stopping by tonight.
It was already half past seven. Clearly he’d found something more important to do than begin their training.
Fine by her. No, fantastic, to be precise. He was doing her a huge favor not showing up. Saved her the trouble of having to endure even a second stuck with the one individual who drove her mad with lust and just plain mad, period. Although it would have been nice to yell his ear off for being such a rude ass for stiffing her without a token apology thrown in for good measure.
If she really had been forced to cancel a date because of him, there’d be no place on Aurion he could safely hide from her wrath. Grumping beneath her breath, she trekked to the entrance of the shop and flipped the sign to Closed. A couple paused in front of the window, their eyes only for each other while they held hands. The man cupped the female’s cheek before leaning forward and kissing her sweetly.
A sharp, wistful tug cinched Avily’s heart. Feeling like a loveless loser and a peeping Tom, she tore her attention from the adoring pair and jerked away from the glass pane. Yeah, she’d never felt more alone in her life, but was she going to curl into a pathetic ball and sob over it?
Probably. Though not until she was upstairs later and out of sight of prying eyes. There was also a better-than-decent chance she’d polish off the remaining bottles of Larry’s.
Aw, damn it. She already did that last night. Hence the pounding headache that’d refused to grant her a moment’s peace all day. Another disturbing but not entirely unpleasant side effect from the alcohol was the dream she’d had about Jerrick. Recalling it, she frowned and leaned her hip against the display of handcrafted bath salts.
Odd that she’d dreamed of Jerrick the night before he crashed back into her life. Then again, she had spotted him at the Twisted Thorn. No doubt it’d played a huge part in her spinning nocturnal fantasies about him. Not that she didn’t already do that on an aggravating basis. But this dream had been particularly vivid, though not overtly sexual like the others. Despite that, her lips tingled at the memory of his phantom kiss.
For the second time that day, she pressed shaky fingers to her mouth. A loud tap rattled the door behind her, and she jumped. Pulse revving, she ground her teeth. So the bastard had decided to make an appearance after all. Sucking in a deep, steadying breath, she pivoted.
As predicted, a familiar face waited on the other side of the front door, but it wasn’t the one she’d expected. Blinking, she stared at Thane Pearce. He raised his hand and waggled his fingers in greeting.
Oh crap, was their date for tonight? She racked her brain, trying to remember. Damn Larry the Fairy and his intoxicating wiliness. Biting the bullet, she hurried to the entrance and slid the bolt free. “Uh, hello.”
“I was passing by and noticed your light on. I’m not interrupting your work, I hope?”
Apparently their date wasn’t this evening. She fizzled a silent breath of relief. “No, not at all.” Imagine that, a guy who actually gave a rat’s ass about her plans. How quaint and refreshing. “Come in.”
He stepped past the threshold, and their arms brushed. She waited for the shivers of excitement to leap across her skin the way they always did at Jerrick’s smallest touch.
Nothing.
It was ridiculous and unfair. Thane was an exceptionally handsome man. There should be a spark there, damn it.
His gaze unabashedly curious, Thane surveyed his surroundings. It dawned on her then that she hadn’t invited him in last night. Apparently Jerrick wasn’t the only insufferably rude jerk in the equation. “Would you like a tour?”
“Only if you have time.”
That she had plenty of. Refusing to mope over the pathetic reality, she guided him through the store, attempting to keep her enthusiasm to a minimum when he questioned her on the various stock artfully arranged throughout the shop. If given full rein, she could ramble on obnoxiously about her business, particularly if some poor, unsuspecting soul started her on a roll.
She risked a peek at Thane and noted that his eyes hadn’t turned glassy. Yet. “Any luck with the storefront search?”
“My real estate broker showed me a couple promising leads today. Nothing I’m prone to jump at and make an immediate offer on though.”
“You’re better to take your time. It took four months for this place to land on the market. I’m glad I didn’t settle for less than what I wanted.”
“True. I’m a firm believer in going after what you truly want.”
Did she imagine it, or did his eyes glow a tad more intensely after that statement? Swallowing against the uncomfortable lump lodged in her throat, she broke their locked gazes.
“I’m really happy you invited me to dinner, Avily.”
She rubbed the nape of her neck and resisted the urge to squirm. “Speaking of that—”
“I’m looking forward to getting to know you better.”
“There isn’t much more to discover about me. I’m an open book.” I’m a filthy liar.
“I highly doubt that. In fact, I find you extremely intriguing.”
“You don’t get around much, do you?”
He chuckled. “Why do you find it unbelievable that I could be immensely attracted to you?”
“Whoa. You didn’t mention anything about immense attraction.”
“I did.”
She tossed up her arms. “Yeah, a second ago.”
His mouth quirked at one corner. “But I’ve been thinking it since the moment I met you.”
I should be swooning right now. What the hell is wrong with me? If it had been Jerrick telling her this heady, heart-pounding stuff, she’d be putty at his feet.
Furious at that knowledge, she rubbed her arms and restlessly paced in front of the end rack of sachets. The lavender and chamomile bundles were doing a crappy job of soothing her stress.
“Did I say something wrong?”
She glanced in Thane’s direction and took in the worried uncertainty pinching his brow. A heavy blanket of guilt and weariness settled over her. He’d been nothing but charming and attentive in the short span she’d known him. For gods’ sake, he’d tackled a thief in order to get her coin purse for her. He was the nicest man on the planet, and he professed to be attracted to her? She was the queen of idiots for not jumping his bones before he regained his senses.