Chapter 27
27
brAM
“ I s this an opportunity to make me suffer?” I ask as we get out of my car.
“Have you done something you believe deserves punishment?” Ava smirks.
I step up beside her on the sidewalk in front of Sing a Spell, a small dive bar that has karaoke on Tuesday nights.
“Many things. But karaoke might be the most severe form of torture I’ve ever had to endure.”
“Stop. I promise you will enjoy this.” She laughs, the sound bright and effervescent. She’s practically glowing with vibrancy tonight. Even though she’s wearing jeans and her puffy coat, she looks delectable.
“No one has ever enjoyed karaoke, except for the people singing badly. That’s only because they don’t realize how horrible they are.”
Our friends have a booth to the left of the stage. Stellan lifts his hands over his head and cheers when he sees Ava.
I throw Ava a suspicious look. “Why is he so excited?”
“You’ll see.” Ava grins at me over her shoulder. She takes off her coat and slings it in the booth next to her brother. Someone is currently on the stage singing a rendition of Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You”. My ears are bleeding.
Ava gets the dirtiest look I can muster. “What was it you were saying before we came in here?”
“You just wait.” Stellan slaps me on the shoulder when I sit down next to him. Ava heads straight for the DJ to put in her request. He winks at her, and whatever he says has her staying there instead of sitting back down.
I turn my head and find Stellan staring at me, a shit-eating grin on his face. “Interesting that the two of you came together.” Somehow, he uses his eyebrows to point toward Ava.
“We were at the resort working on the masquerade. It didn’t make sense to take two cars,” I lie through my teeth. It’s not that I’m ashamed to be with Ava; we’re just keeping things low key. No one needs to know about our friends with benefits arrangement. I don’t need a lecture from my brother, or Ava’s, for that matter.
“A lot of late nights too.” Stellan takes a long, slow drink of his beer. Odie’s watching with too much interest, but so far, she’s keeping her thoughts to herself.
“There are a lot of details to finalize.”
“Sure.” Stellan chuckles and leans into my space. “I won’t give you the totally stereotypical hurt-my-sister speech, because she’s a grown-ass woman who can take care of herself, but don’t be a dick.”
I glare at him, while secretly wondering how obvious the two of us have been.
The person singing finishes on a warbly high note, and I cringe. Ava smiles over at me as she gets up on stage.
The opening guitar riff of “Sweet Child of Mine” plays, and Ava holds the mic up to her mouth. Something magical happens. I’m not just talking about Ava’s voice, which is completely out of left field. How has no one mentioned that she has the sultry sound of a rock star?
That’s not the only thing going on, though. Her singing is literally magic. With every note, it’s as if my skin is being bathed in joy.
The darkness of my curse, that never fully dissipates, calms to a level that I feel nothing but happiness. Ava dances around the stage, one arm over her head and lots of hair flinging. It’s not pretty, but everyone is mesmerized. As they should be. Watching and hearing Ava sing is near spiritual.
“What’s going on?” I murmur, unable to look away.
“It’s her empath magic. When we were kids, we figured out she could imbue her song with emotion and anyone within a listening distance would get a boost of those feelings. Do not let her sing a ballad to you. You’ll end up in the fetal position, weeping for hours.”
“Wow.” It’s the only word I can think of to describe Ava. The way her happiness is pouring out to everyone in the bar.
When she finishes singing, every person gets to their feet to cheer and whoop. She waves as though embarrassed and darts back to our table. She flops down on the bench next to me and presses her hands to her cheeks.
“That was incredible,” I whisper.
“Thanks. It’s been a while. It’s been so hectic with work and the party planning. I just wanted to do something that made everyone feel good.”
“You succeeded. Does that help you relax at all? Do you get a boost?”
“Not a magical one, but I love seeing everyone light up and how happy the music and magic make them.”
I frown. “But you don’t get the same result?”
“No, but it's a different sort of pleasure.”
An idea takes form in my head. She’s right in that things have been hectic lately. The party planning, work, and spending almost every free moment together haven’t left a lot of time to relax.
We stick around for a handful more singers, but I’m ready to go after a nausea inducing cover of “Blue” by Patsy Cline.
“Are you going to sing again?” If I have something to look forward to, then maybe I can stick out this torture.
“No, once is enough for me.” Ava slumps in her seat, blinking tiredly as our friends joke and go off on random tangents.
I lean down so no one else can hear. “I want to take you somewhere. Are you up for it?”
“Where to?” Interest sparks in her eyes.
“It’s a surprise.”
We leave to various protests, but Ava waves everyone off, telling them she’s tired. We’re nearly to our destination when Ava turns to me. “Um, Bram. I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but I’ve been to the resort before. Like earlier today, with you. I know my curse is to be forgotten, but that’s really fast buddy.”
We turn down one of the private drives that leads past the cabins on the resort’s property. “Just go with it. What’s the worst that can happen?”
“Kidnapping. Freezing to death. Chipping a tooth. Do you know how expensive dental work is?” Ava starts ticking things off on fingers that are covered by her mitten.
“Where do you think I’m taking you? No trust. I swear.”
Ava laughs and relaxes back into her seat, making it clear she doesn’t care where we’re going. Her trust is a shock I’m not sure how to deal with.
The Grand Mystic Resort sprawls over a hundred acres of land. There’s a swimming pool in the main hotel, but there are also several rec buildings scattered throughout the property. The building farthest from the main lodge has been closed for the past month while a crack in the pool was fixed.
I received word earlier today that the work was done, and the building is ready to be opened to guests again. For now, it’s still closed.
“What’s this?” Ava asks when I park in front of the building. There’s a gym, sauna, pool and a hot tub inside. The section of the building with the pool and hot tub is completely encased in glass. There are only a few safety lights on inside, so it’s impossible to see through the windows.
“I know you like to go swimming in the frozen river with all your clothes on, but I thought we could try a climate-controlled pool this time.”
Ava glares at me, but that quickly morphs into a grin. “Is there a hot tub in there?”
“Yes.”
She squeals and jumps out of the car so fast, I’m left scrambling to catch up.
I use a code to open the door while she bounces back and forth on her toes. Ava darts inside first. Since she doesn’t know which way to go, she hovers just inside the door, waiting for me to lead the way.
I keep the lights off, grabbing her hand and guiding her through the hall that leads to the pool. The faint smell of chlorine hits my nose and the warmth from the heated pool instantly makes my coat too heavy.
“Is it warm? Can we turn on the hot tub?”
I fiddle with the switches on the wall. The hot tub is already heated, but with a press of a button, the bubbles thunder to life.
Ava kicks off her shoes and begins peeling off her layers of clothing.
“I imagined this being more seductive.” I can’t help but grin when her shirt gets stuck on her head. She squirms to free her arms, wiggling around while also trying to yank her socks off by stepping on the toes with one foot and pulling back with the other. She topples over, but I catch her before she falls into the pool.
“You really like swimming with your clothes on.” I tug her shirt, freeing her face and toss it on a nearby chair.
“Sorry, but the thought of sitting in the hot tub sounds so damn good.”
Now free of her shirt, Ava shucks the rest of her clothing in less than a minute. She’s down to her underwear before she finally pauses. “Are there cameras in here? Is some elderly couple staying at the resort going to come in for a late-night swim?
“It’s out of commission for another night. And no cameras. Feel free to keep your panties dry.”
“No hope of that around you.” Ava quips offhandedly and then freezes when she apparently realizes what she’s just said. She shrugs and then strips off her bra and underwear with no qualms.
I can’t take my eyes from her as she slowly dips a toe in the water, her groan echoing around the empty room. I love how she’s not covering herself or trying to deny me the view of her tempting as fuck body. There’s not a lot of light in here, but enough to see the shape of her sexy curves and her fucking perfect tits.
“Are you going to stay fully clothed and watch me like a creeper? Or are you coming in?”
“Yeah, I’m coming.” My clothes join hers on the chair and I slip into the water with a groan of my own. I reach out and grab her, pulling her onto my lap, her back to my chest. Her head falls back to rest on my shoulder as the water bubbles around us. My hands slide up her ribs and cup her breasts.
“Fuck, I want to devour you.” I nuzzle her neck and drop a kiss beneath her ear.
“Not bad for someone attractive enough.”
I freeze, wracking my brain. What is she talking about? “Did I say that?”
She angles her head to look at me, narrowing her eyes. “Maybe.”
I squeeze her breasts, pinching her nipples. I don’t doubt I said something that stupid. ”You’re beautiful. I was an idiot trying to hide how hard my dick was every time you walked by.”
“Romantic.” Ava shakes her head, but a low rumble of a laugh slips past her lips.
“I’m the worst. But at least I’m honest about it.” I slide a hand down her stomach, my mouth trailing a path of kisses down her neck. Goosebumps break out over her skin, and she sucks in a breath when I drag a finger between her folds.
“Romance is overrated.” Ava sighs as I circle her clit with slow movements.
“Are you sure you don’t want poetry and flowers? Someone to write you a song or stand outside your window blasting a song from a boombox.”
“That only works in the movies. In real life, it’s just annoying for everybody.” Ava pants, her hips shifting against my hand and grinding on my dick.
She spins around and straddles my thighs, her hands wrapping around my shoulders. I lower my face and press a kiss to one breast and then the next.
“You brought me food. Nothing is sexier than that.” Ava slides her hand down my stomach, moving down until she’s wrapping her fingers around my shaft. I throw my head back with a groan.
“I got you takeout. Even I’ll admit that is the weakest form of effort possible.”
“It was exactly what I was craving,” Ava says breathlessly as she lines me up and sinks her body down onto mine.
Nothing has ever felt as good as being buried deep inside her does. Ava’s mouth is parted, her eyes half closed. I slide my hand over her breast, plucking at her nipples before sliding my hands down her sides to her waist and around to grab her ass. I move her body so she rocks against me.
We kiss and take our time exploring each other's bodies. Until I can’t remember where I end and she begins.