Chapter 3
ALEX
Alex snapped the small velvet box closed before he stowed it in his suitcase, his mind replaying Ava’s hesitance over and over.
He couldn’t stop his mind from recalling those fleeting moments during their fake marriage when Ava’s smile turned loving, or when their late-night talks had felt a bit too real.
Each memory was a silent vow that he’d spend the rest of his life proving to her that their pretend past could be their real future.
The small item in the box was another silent promise to both her and himself that he’d make this relationship work.
He needed her by his side, and now that they’d spent nearly twenty-four hours as a real couple, it was even more important to him.
The hints of a real relationship that he’d seen during their fake marriage had been wonderful, but they’d been nothing compared to having Ava’s romantic attention on him.
Every smile, every wink, every soft brush of his lips sent his heart hammering and reminded him that he was the luckiest man in the world.
Gizmo scurried through the door, racing to Alex’s leg and issuing a sharp bark.
“Hey, buddy, where’s Ava?”
“Right here,” she answered as she strode through the door a moment later. “Are we really going to Paris after New Orleans?”
He quickly closed the suitcase, hiding the still-visible jewels box. “I told you…after New Orleans is a surprise.”
She offered him an unimpressed stare. “You can’t say that and expect me to pack, Alex.”
“I can so say that because I’ll just have the appropriate clothes sent to our room wherever I take you.”
She clicked her tongue, setting her hand on her hip and arching an eyebrow.
He glanced down at the pile of clothes that needed folded. “Don’t look at me like that.”
“I’m looking at you like that, Ace. I want answers.”
“And you’ll get them...” He shuffled toward her, sliding his arms around her waist. “When we get there.”
“I thought we agreed no more secrets?”
“Mmm, well, there should be exceptions to every rule. Besides, I thought you loved mysteries,” he teased, knowing her curiosity was piqued by the secret plans. “Trust me, the surprise will be worth the wait. It’s something that symbolizes the start of this new chapter for us.”
“I could make you tell me.”
Alex’s features squashed as he offered her a pleading glance. “Come on, Ava, I want to spoil you, and you won’t let me.”
“I’m already spoiled,” she said, her eyes falling to the tiny dog that sniffed at a leg of Alex’s jeans that brushed the floor.
“I want to spoil you more. I’m reminding you of how much you mean to me and how great our relationship will be.”
“This isn’t what I meant when I said I had concerns.”
He stroked a lock of her flaxen hair, smoothing it behind her ear. “I know. You’re concerned that somehow once we’re romantically involved, I’ll realize you’re a terrible person and stop loving you, but I promise that’s not going to happen. And spoiling you is one way I’m going to show you that.”
“You’re impossible,” she said with a shake of her head.
“So are you. Your concerns aren’t even close to reality. Never in a million years, Avs.” He pressed her hand against his chest. “This heart belongs to you, and it always will.”
She grinned at him before she planted a kiss on his lips. “Okay. I’ll just…let you have your fun spoiling me.”
“Good,” he answered before he returned her kiss. “So, pack for New Orleans, and then I’ll just buy you the wardrobe you need for my surprise.”
“I kind of feel like I should surprise you at some point because you’re doing all the hard work here.”
“It’s my job as your husband,” he answered with a wink before he let go of her to snatch a shoe Gizmo tried to chew. “Hey, no chewing shoes, Giz.”
Ava scooped the puppy into her arms. “Come on, baby, we need to go think of a surprise for Alex.”
He chewed his lower lip as she strolled toward the door with the puppy in her arm, his mind contemplating a question he wanted to ask but wasn’t certain he should.
“Hey, Avs?” he said just before she reached the hall.
She twisted back to face him. “Yeah?”
He rubbed the back of his neck, his features tugging into a wince. “Can I ask you something?”
She chuckled at him as she stroked Gizmo’s head. “You can ask me anything.”
He swallowed hard, wondering if the answer would bolster him or crush him. “Hey, umm, was the whole Miranda thing just…because you knew she was bad news? Like when you asked me if we were dating…was it just because you had this gut feeling that she was a bad guy?”
She studied him for a moment, seeming to stare into his soul. Her eyes narrowed after a moment, and she grinned. “Are you asking if some of that was because I was jealous if you were dating her?”
Heat burned across his cheeks as he shifted his weight, shaking his head. “I mean…I’m just…”
She crossed back to him as he avoided her gaze, convinced his cheeks were bright red by now. She slipped a hand around his waist and rose to her tiptoes to kiss his cheek before she whispered in his ear. “Maybe a little.”
Alex’s eyebrows knitted, his heart skipping a beat, not expecting the answer. He’d fully anticipated her telling him she’d just disliked her because she knew something was off. He flicked his gaze to her, a mixture of surprise and confusion on his features. “Really?”
“I knew something was wrong with her, but…I didn’t like the idea of you with anyone else. Especially not her. It bugged me more than I wanted to admit.”
His features tugged into a slight smile, warmth coursing through him as hope for their relationship filled him. “I’m a little surprised.”
“Really?” she asked. “Part of me has always been a bit…protective, or maybe possessive. It’s complicated. I’m complicated. When I saw you with Miranda, I hated it. Not just because she was trouble, but because…it hurt.”
She met his gaze, vulnerability flickering in her eyes.
“You’re not that complicated, Sparky. You’re just…you.” He rubbed her cheek with his thumb. “I felt the same way every time Chris was around. I just wanted to…stake my claim. Ugh, wow, that sounds like a caveman when I say it out loud.”
Ava laughed as she squeezed his hand. “Well, we’re on the same page now. The truth is out.”
“And you are going to look back on those doubts you had about us and laugh.”
His phone rang, interrupting their conversation. He dug it from his pocket and answered. “Alex Stone.”
“Hi, Mr. Stone, just wanted to let you know we filed the flight plan. We’re fueling the jet now and will be ready for departure within the hour.”
“Great, perfect. We’ll be there soon.” He ended the call, sliding the phone into his pocket.
“Pilot?” Ava asked.
“Yep. We’re ready to roll within the hour. So, as soon as you’re ready, we’ll head out.”
“As soon as I’m ready?” She eyed the pile of clothes on his bed. “I think it should be as soon as you’re ready.”
“Ouch,” Alex said a playful wince. “Are you completely ready?”
“Outside of the surprise trip which you tell me I don’t need to pack for–”
“You don’t,” he assured her, grabbing a pair of jeans and folding them.
“Then, I’m ready.”
“Show-off,” he murmured. “Help me fold these.”
“Oh, do you think you can just demand that?” she asked with a giggle, setting the puppy down to race around the bed.
“I do. It’s your wifely duty. Besides, I’m not demanding, I’m pleading.”
She grabbed a hoodie, shook it and folded it, tossing it into the suitcase before she moved on to a sports coat.
“See how good you are at this.”
“Uh-huh,” she answered. “Why don’t you rub my shoulders and whisper in my ear that I’m the best?”
He grinned at her as he massages her back. Before he could whisper anything in her ear, her phone chimed.
She pulled it from her pocket. “I wonder if that’s Julia. Poor kid seemed so nervous about this.”
“She did. Is it her?” Alex asked, grabbing the pants of a tracksuit and folding them.
Ava’s features pinched as she stared down at the screen.
“Avs?” Alex asked as he tossed the pants into the suitcase.
“No, it’s Raven.”
“Oh? Demanding your report on the Bancrofts?”
She didn’t speak for another moment, her lips tugging into a frown. “No.”
He tugged his chin back, worry washing over him at her reaction to the text. “Avs? What is it?”
“Raven…” She scoffed, her head wagging. “It says ‘Going somewhere interesting? I didn’t realize the Bancrofts moved to New Orleans.’”
She snapped her gaze to him as her grip tightened on her phone.
“How?”
“Flight plan?” she suggested as she toggled on her display again, tapping on the screen.
Alex shifted his weight, rubbing his chin. “Maybe. So, Raven is monitoring our movements. What are you typing?”
“I’m telling Raven that’s none of their business, and that we don’t need to run our plans past them.”
Alex flicked his eyebrows up, an amused expression on his face. “Mm, nice to see Raven get the wrath of Ava.”
“Hey,” she protested as she sent the message, “I don’t have a wrath.”
“You kind of have a wrath. Like when you look at me with your one eyebrow up, and then put your hand on your hip, and then your eyes kind of get scary. It’s like I can’t lie to you after that.”
She did a double take at him as she waited for a response. “Seriously? You didn’t tell me you loved me for decades, Alex. I have zero influence over your truthfulness.”
“That’s different. Because in that case, I was more terrified of what would happen after than your wrath.”
She clicked her tongue, shaking her head playfully at him as her phone chimed again.
Alex leaned over her shoulder to read the next message. You’re in luck. I happen to have need of an operative in New Orleans. Stand by for assignment details.
He scoffed at the message. “Is this joker serious?”
“Apparently,” Ava murmured as another message came through coupled with a photograph.
Benjamin Preston. High-ranking board member. Staying at the Crescent Bay Hotel in Suite 432. I need a flash drive from his briefcase and spyware installed on his laptop. Program has been sent to your email.
“Okay, no,” Alex said with a shake of his head. “No, no, no, no, no.”
“Alex, I don’t think we get a say in this.”
“I’m insisting on a say in this. Absolutely not. I’m not going to let you get close enough to this guy to put something on his laptop or steal from his briefcase.”
She craned her neck, flicking her gaze from her phone screen to his face. “Is this a jealousy thing or a safety thing?”
“Both,” he insisted. “Ava, this is incredibly dangerous. Not to mention that you’ll likely need to gain entrance to his hotel room to pull this off. While he’s in there. No way.”
“I don’t think we have a choice. I can do this.” She lifted her phone, ready to type her response when he yanked it from her hands.
“No, you won’t,” he insisted. “Ava, I’m putting my foot down on this. You’re not doing this.”
“Ace,” she said, her voice calm and measured, “I can do it. You deal with Julia and Grant, I’ll deal with Ben Preston. I can do it.”
“I know you can. I don’t want you to. I don’t want you…using your feminine wiles to get into his room.”
“I’m not going to flirt my way in. I’ll go in as housekeeping or room service. It’s fine. I can do this.”
“Ava–”
“We need Raven right now. We need to play the game.”
Alex pressed his lips together in a thin line, shaking his head. “I…hate this, but…maybe we can use this to our advantage.”
She arched an eyebrow at him. “How?”
“Well, first, we’re going to make a copy of that flash drive for ourselves. And second…you’re going to give him the flash drive from Mr. Preston’s briefcase…with a slight modification.”
Her lips curled at the corners.
“I’ll slip my own little discreet spyware onto that drive. Then maybe we’ll get some information on Raven.”
“Smart, Ace. And that’s why I need to do what Raven asks. We play the game…Raven gets played.”
He wagged a finger at her. “I’m still not happy about this, but…fine. We’ll split our efforts in New Orleans.”
“Sounds good. We can brainstorm on the plane?”
“Yep,” he said.
She glanced down at the clothes still on his bed. Gizmo had curled into a ball, fast asleep in the mess of hoodies and tangle of pants. “If we ever get on the plane.”
“Haha, Ava,” he answered. “I’ll be ready in ten minutes.”
With her help, he managed to finish his packing and within thirty minutes, they were boarding the plane and settling onto the supple leather couch with Gizmo curled on Ava’s lap in his new sweatsuit.
Alex slid an arm around her as she snuggled closer to him. “The last time I was on this plane, I was coming back to the Hamptons.”
“And I was anxiously trying to figure out a way to win your heart.”
“The game night,” she said with a nod as she threaded her fingers through his.
“Yep,” he answered. “I just…wanted you to remember how great the time we spent together really was.”
“I could never forget that. You are the most important person in my life.”
“Same,” he answered, kissing her forehead.
As the plane taxied to the runway for the flight to New Orleans, Alex settled his cheek against her hair. He’d managed to take their relationship to the next level, but now he had a new worry.
With Raven’s request, would he be able to keep her safe long enough for them to enjoy it?