Something changed.
Ava slumped in her seat, like her happiness had been sucked away.
“What’s wrong?” Jason asked, realizing that Ava’s happy disposition had suddenly vanished.
“Nothing important,” she said, forcing a smile. “I do need to be going, though. I have some things I forgot about.”
Jason raised his eyebrow.
“It’s work,” she said, not quite meeting his gaze.
“What do you have to do this time of night?” Jason asked.
“Paperwork,” she replied. “A lot of it.”
He nodded, not believing her. “I see.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice softer. “But it’s something that I have to do.”
“Okay.”
“I mean, I’ve got a lot of it to work on. A new, uh, client. Gotta go over everything so I can find him his Happily Ever After.”
“Sure,” he said, taking a big sip of his drink.
“It is—it’s really important that I give this file my full attention. I have to get to work on him tomorrow.” She almost downed her whole drink.
“Do you need a ride home?”
She shook her head. “I’m fine.” She emptied the glass and stood up.
“Let me take you back to your car, then.”
She shook her head again, and that was when he noticed that her hand was trembling. “No, I got this. Really.”
This isn’t right. His instincts Klaxon blared in his head. She was obviously shaken up. And likely intoxicated. Cop Jason kicked in, and he knew he couldn’t just let her walk back to the bed and breakfast. It wasn’t far, but he couldn’t do it.
Jason stood, and as Ava tried to slide around the table—to escape—he stepped right in front of her, stopping her.
“You aren’t all right,” he said.
She met his gaze this time. “Fine. Take me back to the bed and breakfast.”
“Let’s go.” He led her out the door. He put his hand on the small of her back.
She jerked from his touch. And blushed. “Sorry. I don’t like people touching my back.”
“Why is that?”
“Just a thing.”
He nodded. Not that he understood, but Ava already seemed tense. No reason to push.
They made it to the van, and he held the door open for her.
She hesitated at the van’s door. “You know, I really could walk. It’s not that far.”
“It’s fine,” Jason said as she climbed in. He closed the door and walked around to his side.
The smells from the barbecue greeted him as he got in, and his stomach rumbled.
“Do you get to go home and eat the extras?” she asked as he started the vehicle.
“Yep.” He put the car in gear and started back toward the bed and breakfast.
She didn’t say anything at first, except he noticed that she fidgeted, her right hand moving near the door. He wished the van had auto locks because he wondered if she was going to try and jump out of the car.
He made himself focus on the drive. Very few streetlights illuminated the road, and the darkness pressed in on the van, making the dim light inside seem even darker. A flash of red caught his eye, but when he glanced toward her, he didn’t see anything.
“What?”
“Thought I saw something,” Jason said.
“Oh.”
Silence.
The trees curved over the road, effectively framing them in the quiet. Not even another car on the road. He couldn’t even make out the lights from the bed and breakfast ahead, the full foliage of the trees blocking everything.
Jason slowed the van to a crawl as he looked for the entrance to the place.
“Ever find yourself stuck in a position that you wished you weren’t in?” Ava finally said as he eased into the parking lot.
Jason brought the vehicle to a stop near the drive. A few cars littered the lot, most parked near the building’s entrance. He’d planned on taking her all the way to her car, but he couldn’t let her go yet.
His gut roiled and it wasn’t from hunger. “What’s going on, Ava?”
She sighed. “I can’t tell you.”
“Why not?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I did.”
“I was a cop for quite a few years.”
“I think that very reason is why you wouldn’t believe what is going on.”
“You might be surprised.”
“Oh, I have the winning hand there.” Her coy voice and smile didn’t hide the worry in her eyes. Even in the dim van, he could see it.
Very, very clearly.
Something had rattled her badly.
He put his hand on her arm. “Ava. Please. Tell me what’s going on.”
Her fingers laced through his. “I can’t. But let me say this, because this I want you to believe. It’s the truth, and it’s important that you hear me.”
“Okay.”
“You are an amazing man. Confident, sexy, intelligent. A hell of a cook. And I want nothing more than the very best for you. I really, really do.”
“But…”
She put her hand on his cheek, her thumb stroking the little bit of stubble that had come in over the day. “But that’s not going to be with me. I’m sorry.”
“Why not?” He covered her hand with his, pressing it against his cheek, loving how her skin felt against his. The words were so bold, but they were also completely true. The feelings he’d had all day as he looked for her at the wedding, they all boiled over in him.
Primal.
And true.
She opened her mouth to reply, and stopped. Shook her head, like she couldn’t decide what she wanted to do.
Jason, however, knew what he wanted to do. Overwhelming and strong as the need was, he didn’t hesitate.
He pulled Ava across the open space between the captain’s chairs of the van, wrapping his arms around her neck.
Ava fell into his embrace, and in a flash their lips pressed together.
Hard.
Wet.
Powerful.
Lips, tongues. Heads rocked from side to side. A kind of energy he’d never experienced before hit him hard, coursing through his entire body. He could practically feel his veins charge with this incredible surge.
Like all the worlds had come together.
She pressed her hands against his chest and cut off their kiss. “Uh…Jason…oh.” Her cheeks flushed, her eyes dilated and became darker than they’d been all night as she scooted back.
Evidently, she felt it too.
“Whoa,” he whispered.
“Yeah. I-I gotta go.” Ava popped the door lock and nearly fell out, trying to get away.
The stark yellow-white light blinded Jason for a second as he opened his own door and darted around the van to catch her.
Fortunately—or unfortunately for her—she’d stumbled and was pushing herself off the ground as he got to her.
He helped her up, but didn’t let go of her as she rose.
“Thank you,” she said, dusting herself off.
“Ava.”
She met his gaze. “I—”
He cut her off with another kiss. This one, he pressed her against the side of the van, and she melted into him. Her hips rubbed against his.
Their lips danced. Hell, they went to war. Jason hadn’t ever been so overwhelmed by any woman.
Ever.
He’d take her against this van if she’d let him.
He ran his hand down her side, and as he cupped her rear, her leg rose, wrapped around his hip. He very much wished she were still wearing the dress from earlier.
Ava pulled away and tipped her head to the side. Jason took the invitation to taste her throat.
She groaned. Her hips ground into his.
Holy hell.
His turn to make noises.
One of her hands went into his hair, the other down to cup his ass.
“Oh Jupiter,” she whispered.
He paused.
Yep, a mention of a planet gave him pause, even in this uber-hot moment.
He glanced at her. “Uh, excuse me?”
She blinked, and it brought her back to reality. Her face flushed again. “What?”
“I’m a science nerd too, but I’ve never heard anyone moan for Jupiter before.”
Her eyes went crazy wide. “Oh wow. I’m…I…uh…”
“Are you an astrologer or something? Does Jupiter have some influence over super-awesome, hot make-out sessions?”
“Not exactly. I, well, I worship the ancient gods and goddesses. The Roman ones. Jupiter is the leader, up on Olympus.”
“I thought that was Zeus,” Jason said.
“Jupiter is his Roman name.”
“Ahh. Well then, ‘Oh Jupiter’ is right.”
She smiled, a pretty one this time.
He ran his finger down her nose, and she glanced down, impishly, like a fairy in a kid’s movie. “I think your prediction may be wrong.”
She shook her head. “No. I’m right. I’m always right.”
“I would be willing to challenge that.” He leaned in closer to kiss her, but she pushed away.
“Listen, I—I have to go. I really do.” And she slipped away, twisting out of his grip.
Jason let her go, but he didn’t want to. “Where’s your car? I’ll walk you.”
“Over there,” she said, gesturing to the cluster of cars near the entrance.
He reached over to take her hand, but she increased her pace, almost speed walking toward the cars.
Past the cars.
To the—holy hell, this woman was going to kill him—the sexy motorcycle on the end.
“This is me,” Ava said, climbing on the bike like a pro. Her legs stretched over the chassis, and Jason got hard all over again.
Chick. Bike. Legs.
Check, check and check.
“Really?” Jason walked around the street bike and about choked when he saw the BMW logo on the side. “Wow.”
She hit the kickstand, hand on the grip, and started it. It rumbled and revved as she put on her helmet.
“I have to go,” she said.
“I want to see—”
She took off, dirt spraying as she tore out of the parking lot.
“Son of a bitch,” Jason muttered. He realized as she pulled away that not only did the bike not have a tag on it, but he didn’t even know her last name.
Fuck.