Isaac’s eyes drifted closed on a moan. His lashes were long and dark and water matted. His cheeks were shadowed with stubble. Dark hair dappled his wide chest. His generous cock stiffened in her hands even after hours of pleasing her. He was five-hundred-percent alpha male with a considerate side that twisted her heart into knots.
She liked the fact he didn’t have anything to accommodate a woman in his loft. Ava wouldn’t fool herself into thinking she was his only hookup, but she didn’t need to see evidence of the competition either.
He gripped her waist and turned her to face the shower. “If you don’t stop that, we’ll end up in bed again, and I’ll have to eat skewered Ava for dinner.”
She sighed and leaned against him while his hands stroked over her body, rinsing the soap. God, this was heavenly. She couldn’t remember when she’d taken a sweet shower like this with a man. Definitely not with Matthew. Maybe in college. But her mind didn’t care to dig up any memories. She had the makings of the perfect memory right here.
“There aren’t any five-star, highbrow restaurants around here.” With his arms around her waist, he pulled her back to rest against him. “You’ll have to slum it if you want to go out.”
“What makes you think I need a five-star restaurant?”
“Baby, you ooze money.”
“I work hard for what I have.” She tried not to sound defensive. She really just wanted Isaac to stop selling himself short. “Sure, I got a leg up with the family business, but I live off my own earnings. The big money is my family’s, and if you asked me right now, I’d gladly trade it for freedom or…” Unconditional love? Unwavering support? Staunch belief? “Or something…” She dropped her head back and smiled up at him. “And I happen to love hidden gems off the beaten path. Bet we could find some killer BBQ around here.”
“As a matter of fact, there’s a place about twenty minutes away called”—he added a heavy Southern twang to his voice—“BBQ and Brews in a Barn.”
Ava laughed. “There is not.”
“There is,” he insisted. “And it’s a perfect night for a ride through the country, don’t you think?”
Joy bubbled to the surface, a clean, bright, pure joy she’d never felt with Matthew. Just weeks after he’d humiliated her, Ava was thanking her lucky stars.
She kissed Isaac, turned off the water, and dragged a towel off the top of the shower door. “Absolutely.”
Fifteen minutes later, they were on Isaac’s bike, touring the gorgeous Connecticut backroads. The perfect evening weather made her smile. The feel of the cool breeze on her skin made her smile. The vibration of the bike made her smile. But the source underlying all those smiles came from the man she had her arms wrapped around.
While classic rock played over the headset in her helmet, Ava relaxed against Isaac and soaked in the moment. The freedom. The joy. And wished she could have more of this every day.
At the restaurant, Isaac held her hand while he was greeted warmly by the staff. He introduced Ava around, placed an order sure to feed a family for a week, and guided her to a quiet booth in the screened-in porch surrounded by a garden decked out in glittery white lights.
He slid i
nto the booth beside her and gathered her into his arms so she leaned against his chest and they both looked out onto the garden. “I asked Tim for the wine list,” he murmured against her hair, referencing the owner she’d just met. “Just a wild guess you prefer wine to beer.”
She lifted her chin to smile at him. “I do.”
When he didn’t pull away, she kissed him, finding even more joy in the way he owned their…their whatever-this-was in front of people he obviously knew well.
He let Ava choose the wine, then sat back and pulled her close with a sigh of pure contentment. “I haven’t had a day like this in…” He paused. Shook his head. “I don’t even know how long.”
“Me either.”
They both fell silent, but Ava could feel the weight of we should do this more often hanging in the air, waiting to be voiced by one of them. She wasn’t sure if she was more afraid of the phrase coming out of his mouth or hers. Either way, it was equally unfathomable. They lived in completely different worlds, which was, ironically, why she was still here.
“Tell me about your work,” Isaac said.
“Work…” Her mind turned toward a subject she couldn’t ignore much longer, but she purposely answered with ambiguity. “I’m a project manager for a corporation.”
He stroked his fingers over her forearm. “Do you like it?”
She hesitated. Thought about it. And ultimately sighed. “It’s complicated. And you make it difficult to think outside the moment.”
“I like that.”
“I like it too,” she agreed. Maybe a little too much.
“What about your family? Are you close?”