Pointing to the grocery bag holding the box of tampons still on the kitchen island, I raise my brows at her. “Lady stuff?”
Her head knocks back against the soft couch as she laughs. “No, lady stuff tends to have the opposite effect,” she says with a smirk. “What I have is a cheating bastard of an ex-boyfriend…stuff.”
I really think she meant it as a joke, but her eyes immediately fill with tears. I’m getting a feeling she’s a smile-through-the-pain kind of girl. She nestles deeper into the couch and grabs a square throw pillow. Hugging it tightly to her chest, she draws her knees in, curling herself into a ball, like she’s trying to make herself as tiny as possible.
Her eyes are glued on one of Dex’s built-in aquariums, and I seem to lose her to her thoughts again. I break the silence and try bringing her back. “Do you want to talk about it?”
She answers with her eyes still fixed on the fish tank. “I just found out, the other night when you were over, so the wound is still pretty fresh. My best and only friend in the world landed a lead role on a big deal TV pilot. It could be her big break and I don’t want to distract her right now. My parents don’t know Mason and I broke up, and I moved out here for the summer. I literally have no one to talk to.” She turns her head, looking at me, and I finally pinpoint the color of her eyes. Hazy. Light. A little more green than blue. They are seafoam green. “So don’t offer unless you mean it.”
“Hmm,” I say, rising.
She looks immediately horrified, misinterpreting my actions and probably thinking I’m trying to excuse myself. I feel her eyes on me as I head to the kitchen and scour Dex’s fridge. Pulling out a bottle of white wine, I check the label. Pinot Gris? Not my favorite, but it’s not for me. After finding a clean wine glass, I pour a generous amount for Avery and join her back on the couch.
“Thank you?” she asks.
I plop down right beside her. “I’m all ears. Lay it on me.”
She takes a small sip and makes a face. “I’m more of a beer kind of girl.”
My kind of girl. I take the glass from her hand and set it on the coffee table.
“And I don’t know where to start.”
“How about with the fact that this Mason guy sounds like a little bitch.”
That earns me a little laugh. “He didn’t use to be. Up until about three weeks ago, he was actually a decent guy. I wanted to marry him.”
I reach out to pat her knee and then decide against it. Boundaries. This woman is hurting and the last thing she needs is to be led on. Even if Avery did live here, I sure as hell am not ready for another relationship at the moment. I still can’t see straight after Nora. I tried to date in every way possible after we broke up. I hooked up. I took women out to nice restaurants. When that led nowhere, I even dabbled in a couple of threesomes. One foursome. Everything felt chaotic. Things got so much better when I took a little break from it all. But I’d be lying if I said breaks weren’t lonely.
“What happened?” I ask.
“On my thirtieth birthday, he gave me a ring.” My eyes instinctually search for her left hand, but it’s hidden under the pillow. “Then, after seeing it on my finger, he panicked and told me there was no way he could commit to our unsatisfying sex life for the rest of his life.”
My jaw clenches. I have a growing urge to break her ex’s nose. “He said that to you?”
“More or less.”
“What a piece of—”
“I think I would’ve gotten through it. I mean, we were together for four years, so I know I needed time. We own a business together, so it’s not like we can completely sever ties. I think I was okay with eventually being amicable until—”
“The other night?” I ask.
She hugs her knees to her chest again. “He meant to text another woman but accidentally texted me. He let the cat out of the bag that he was screwing someone else…for a while, apparently.”
“Shit, Avery, I’m sorry.” Ah, screw it. I pat her knee tenderly and she smiles at me.
“Thanks.”
“Want me to send him a threatening text?” I ask and she giggles. “I’m completely serious,” I say with a laugh. “Am I bigger than he is?”
“Yes.” Her eyes immediately land on my crotch. She flushes and diverts her gaze when she notices me noticing and I can’t help but howl in laughter.
“I meant”—I gesture to my pecs—“muscles-wise.”
She smirks. “Also yes.”
Goddamn, she’s cute. And funny. She’s good at flirting and doesn’t even realize it. It’s so refreshing to talk to a woman without needing to be on guard. Shit, why not? Maybe we should just sleep together. Lennox is right. If I keep working out my feelings by logging miles on hard pavement, I really will break my knees. I remember Mrs. Mattley’s advice about connecting when I can. This feels like connecting. She’s hurting. I’m hurting. I have a feeling a night wrapped up in the sheets could be a good stress relief for both of us. The image of her full tits and thick, dark nipples fills my mind.
Oh, sue me. I can’t un-see them. Nor would I want to.
“You know what the shitty part is?” Avery asks, interrupting my thoughts about her topless. “It’s not like I was exactly satisfied myself, but I would’ve never considered cheating to be a solution. Have you ever been cheated on?”
I shrug. “Not exactly. But in a way. I can empathize, though.”
“How long have you been single?” she asks.
“Why do you assume I’m single?”
Avery clears her throat and turns toward me, her knee knocking against my thigh. “Because you just had dinner with me, and while I realize I’m not exactly a threat to another woman, no way your girlfriend would let you out of her sight on a Friday night. Not a man like you.”
Not a threat? What? “What kind of man am I?”
“Don’t make me say it out loud,” she mutters before she rises, leaving me behind on the couch. She grabs the quart of ice cream from the fridge and returns to me with two spoons. “You don’t exactly have a body that screams I love ice cream or anything, but I’m more than happy to share.” She gives me a sheepish smile before popping off the lid. She balances the container in her lap.
“You’re making a lot of assumptions about me, Avery,” I say as I take a spoon from her. I stab the cold dessert with the side of my spoon and scoop out a generous bite. “I don’t appreciate it.” I give her a knowing look before putting the spoon in my mouth.
“I’m sorry.” She shrivels in her seat.
I nudge her shoulder with mine, finding any excuse to touch her. “I’m just teasing you.”
I squeeze her knee again, and this time leave my hand there to see if she’ll take the bait. Maybe she knows that making me work for it is the best way to turn me on. I don’t even mind her raggedy shirt and faded cloth pajama shorts. I like her chirpy personality, even when she’s upset. How easy it is to talk to her. That she seems to say whatever is on her mind.
“I am indeed single, though.”
“I figured. You know, you made quite the impression on my friend Palmer.”