Exposé

18. Ava

18

Ava

G olden light illuminated the warm atmosphere of the Tuscan-styled Italian restaurant. Light chatter and clinking wine glasses lingered in the air as I sat at a white-clothed table across from Nate. My fingers pinched the soft cotton of my deep burgundy dress, smoothing the ruffled material over my thighs.

The point of the v-neck sat above my breasts, making my stomach twist in knots.

Am I overdressed?

Does it show too much?

I pulled on the long sleeves, offering a bit of modesty, soothing what little nerves I had.

"You look beautiful." Nate peered at me from across the table with a charming smile as though he'd read my mind and intrusive thoughts.

"Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself." My eyes roamed over his fitted sage-green dress shirt paired with a deep pine tie that had a subtle geometric pattern, adding a touch of texture.

Nate brushed his hand down his chest. "I mean, I've been known to clean up well."

Silence fell between us like a gavel at a death sentence, causing my skin to ripple, his gaze fixed on mine.

"Is this the part where we talk about the weather?" I grabbed my glass of Grati Chianti and sipped.

He chuckled and leaned forward, resting his elbow on the table. "I was going to ask your thoughts on tax reform, but sure, let's start small."

The light-bodied red wine trickled down the wrong tube. I coughed, clearing my airway as I laughed. "Good to know you've got the big topics ready to go."

Nate reached across the table, taking my hand in his. "Are you okay?" His smile widened.

"Never been better." I sipped the wine again and cleared my throat as the waiter stopped by our table, sliding my black truffle pasta in front of me. "Thank you." I glanced up at him with a curt nod, then sat straight in my chair.

The waiter placed Nate's plate in front of him. "Can I get you anything else?"

I shook my head and picked up my fork.

"Posso avere un altro bicchiere di vino, per favore?" Nate slid the wine glass toward the waiter with two fingers at the base.

"You speak Italian?"

"I took a class in high school."

The waiter filled his glass and left us.

"Jesus, I barely remember sitting through my French classes in college."

"So you wouldn't understand me if I said, j’ai envie de glisser entre tes jambes et te go?ter?"

" Umm..." I glanced at the noodles and sauce dripping from the fork. My brow raised as I wracked my brain for my basic French skills. "No, but why does that sound so provocative?"

He laughed as I placed my silverware onto my plate and swallowed a mouthful of wine.

Good looking and speaks multiple languages?

"Maybe a little."

"Did you take French in high school as well?"

"No. Duolingo has fun games, so I pick a couple of languages and play until I get bored."

"How many languages do you speak?"

He shrugged as he ate his food with a fork and spoon. "Five, including English."

I snagged my fork and bit into the truffle-laden noodles. "Jesus. Which ones?"

"Spanish, French, English, Italian, and Arabic."

Spinning the noodles for another bite, I raised a brow. "Arabic? Did you learn that for the military?"

"Something like that. How's work? You don't talk about it much." Nate rested his fork on the edge of his half-empty plate.

"Lately, there isn't much to talk about. One source is dead..." Nate perked up, his brow raising, "and another one fell through."

"Dead?"

I huffed, swallowing the last bite of my noodles. "Yeah. Now I have to figure out how that happened."

"Isn't that the ME's job?"

Placing my fork on my plate, I swigged a mouthful of wine and swallowed. "Yes, but his death set off warning bells. Especially after talking to me." I set my drink down and fiddled with the napkin. "You know? It seems so suspicious to me."

"Maybe that's a story you don't want to get involved in." He paused, his eyes roaming mine. "If someone did kill him, don't you think they'd be after you?"

"I don't have the enemies he did."

"What if you do now?"

I shrugged, and a nonchalant laugh spilled from my lips. "It wouldn't be the first time someone didn't like me enough to try something."

Nate cleared his throat, leaned forward, and rested his knuckles in front of his mouth. "Someone's tried to kill you before?"

" Eh, ” I wobbled my head. "Not exactly."

A clatter of dishes and the scent of garlic mingled in the air as Martin Keller's face came to mind.

"Care to elaborate?" Nate shifted his elbows on the table as he drank his wine, his shirt tightening around his biceps.

Shrugging, I sank into my seat, my crossed leg swinging back and forth. "There was a city council member who drove drunk and crashed into a home. The front of his truck hit the living room wall, causing it to partially collapse. Thankfully, no one was home at the time, but for some reason, he was never brought up on charges, and the homeowners had to use their own insurance to pay for the damages." My heart thrummed as Martin's smug smile played in my mind. "Long story short, he heard I was investigating it and sent people to intimidate me while I found out he'd bribed the previous sheriff to destroy the evidence."

Nate's brows rose as he nodded. "That's impressive. How did you get the evidence for all of that?"

I snorted. "Nothing happens in this town without someone seeing it. I had witness statements, the responding police officer's body cam footage, and internal emails. Secrets have a way of coming out." I drew in a breath through my nose and exhaled. "They never stay buried for long."

"How did you get into journalism?"

Needles punched my eyes in a blur of wounded tears. "That's a bit of a downer story. You don't want to hear that."

His features softened as he reached across the table and took my hand, brushing his thumb over my knuckles. "Of course I do. I want to know everything about you."

Heat crawled up my back like spiked nails rolling over the bumps and grooves along my vertebra as I stared at our connection. I gave him a tight-lipped smile. "Well..." I cleared my throat as I pulled my hand away, wiped my mouth with the cloth napkin, and then dropped it into my lap. "I was in the newspaper club in middle school, so I already had a propensity to dig into the meat of a story and write about it."

"Neat. I was knocking heads and getting into fights in middle school."

I snorted, the smile dropping from my face. "I was seventeen when my mom died, and her death spurred the desire to speak for those who felt like their voices weren't heard."

Snagging the wine glass, I downed the rest of the red liquid in two swallows and waved to the waiter for more.

Goddamn, that still hurts.

I rubbed my chest, the muscle inside aching with heartbreak.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up such a sore subject."

The waiter poured another glass, and I took my time with the next swallow when he walked away. "It's fine. It's been so long, you’d think I'd be able to speak about it already."

Nate shook his head. "I get it. Both of my parents died in an accident when I was little. And let's just say I've held onto it my entire life."

"Jesus."

"Yeah, I don't share that with many people."

I offered him a small smile as we commiserated together. "Thanks for sharing it with me."

"I feel like I can tell you anything..." He pointed his finger at me with a smirk. "So long as it's off the record."

I laughed as the space between us lightened, my fingers twisting the wine glass by its stem. "No worries there. All of my friends know it's off the record with them."

"Does that include your cop friend?"

"Liam?” I nodded. “Especially him."

"How long have you two been friends?"

I raised a brow. "You have nothing to worry about there."

Nate's chin, covered in a five o'clock shadow, scrunched as he shook his head. "I wasn't. But you guys seem close."

I let out a bitter laugh. "I'm not close with anyone anymore."

"Is there a story behind that?"

Bringing my glass to my lips, a shiver ran down my spine. "Not one I want to get into tonight."

"Hint taken."

"What about you?"

"Me?" Nate raised his hand, grabbing the waiter's attention. "Typical tragic story. Boy loses family, boy starts fights. Joins the military to work off his anger, ends up a maintenance man because the US government doesn't know how to take care, or transition, their military members."

" Goddamn . Sorry."

The waiter stopped at the side of our table. "Can I get you anything else? Dessert, perhaps?"

I glanced down at my plate as Nate sent me a side-eye. "I'm good. Thank you." The food sat heavy in my stomach, and if I were to drop another bite into the bubbling mixture, I'd burst.

"Me too. Can we get the check, please?"

"Right away, sir." He gave a slight bow and turned away.

"Is working maintenance your final stage, or do you have other plans?" I swallowed the remnants of my wine, the buzz hitting my brain like a fuzzy towel wrapped around my eyes.

"I'd like to—"

My phone's ringtone blared like a church bell on a quiet Sunday morning, making me cringe as I bent over and dug inside.

Becca?

I glanced up above the table. "I'm sorry, I need to take this. Are we going dutch?" Sitting straight, I pressed the phone to my ear. "Give me a moment to find a private space." I lowered the phone, muted the microphone, and put it to my chest.

"No. I've got this. Meet me out by your car."

"Are you sure?" I winced as though I were bailing on him.

"Yes, go." He waved me off, and I spun away on my heel, thankful for his understanding.

The cool air caused a shiver as I wrapped my coat around my shoulders and leaned against the car, my eyes swiveling around me. I put the phone to my ear. "Okay, sorry about that. I was out to dinner."

"That's alright," Becca said, voice trembling.

"What's wrong?"

"It's been a long day. Do you remember yesterday when you called, I told you I'd call you back because there was someone in the clinic?"

I nodded despite her being on the phone. "Yeah, did they find anything?"

"I think I'm in trouble."

"What do you mean? What did they find?" Ice swam through my veins and into my thrumming heart. I pushed off the car and paced beside it. "You're worrying me."

"The autopsy came through last night before he came into the clinic. We weren't allowed to know the results until this morning, but... he had a heart attack."

"A heart attack?" I glanced around and lowered my voice. "But he was being monitored. Was he at risk for one?"

"No. That's it. He was completely stable." She breathed into the phone. "I mean, heart attacks can come out of nowhere, but we were watching his condition. He was stable ."

"What did they search the clinic for?"

"His medications."

"Okay, that seems pretty normal, right?" My heel scuffed against the ground as I turned, then stopped in my tracks.

Nate's broad chest took up my vision, his navy-blue slacks matching his jacket. My insides twirled like a ribbon flipping in the wind. I held up my finger and gave him a soft smile.

"What's not normal is the person who came to pick them up."

"Who picked it up?"

"A guy in a suit, Ava. He looked like a fed."

I arched a brow. "The feds came to pick up his medication?" Rolling my shoulders, I put some space between us, my hands itching to run down his chest—a stark contrast to the end of Sunday night.

"I'm being serious."

"Okay, okay. What did he look like?"

She huffed, and I dug my keys out of my pocket, tossing them towards him. He caught the jangling keys and opened the car door for me. I hesitated, and he rounded the vehicle, sinking into his seat.

"Older, salt-and-pepper hair..."

I sat down in my seat, pulled out my notepad from the glove box, and wrote it down. "Anything else?"

"Cops have a way about them. I've worked alongside them long enough to sniff them out. He wasn't a cop, Ava. He was something else."

"What if he was a lawyer? A doctor?"

"We have like five doctors contracted, and I know them all, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a lawyer doing dirty work."

Touché

"Anything else you can tell me?"

She hummed. "He was maybe in his fifties, thick build, not fat, super muscular with an uber-trimmed beard."

That sounds like a cop, but not a beat cop.

"Okay, he wasn't dumb enough to give you his name or card, was he?"

"No. But I heard him talking, and someone said his name but I only caught the beginning sound. 'K'."

"Alright, that's something, I guess." I sighed and gave Nate an apologetic smile, then circled the approximate age she described along with the letter 'K'. "Anything else you found suspicious?"

"That was it."

"I still don't see why you think you're in trouble."

She sighed. "Common procedure when a patient or inmate dies is to dispose of their medication."

I drew in a deep breath through my nose. "Let's see where the day takes us, Becca. I think there's a lot of energy going on. Take a few days off and breathe."

She sighed. "Maybe you're right. I don't know. This doesn't feel right to me. Not with him being so paranoid. You know?"

Nate's hand slipped over my thigh as he tipped his head back against the headrest, his eyes closed.

He was paranoid.

Was he right to be?

"I'm going to look into this, Becca. In the meantime, rest. Take a breather, and try not to stress too much. You have nothing to hide or worry about. You didn't do anything wrong."

"You're right, but I can't help but wonder—"

"That'll get you nowhere. Trust me."

"Okay. Sorry for interrupting your night."

I rolled my lips as I flipped my notebook closed and then put it back in the glove box. "No problem. Bye, Becca." I hung up the phone and placed it in my center console. "I am so sorry about that."

"Don't be." He leaned over, cupped the back of my neck, and stamped his mouth on mine. "It's sexy watching you work."

I arched a brow. "Sexy? That isn't the word I'd use, but alright."

His lips touched mine, deliberate and gentle, and the rest of the world drifted away, leaving his warm touch.

I drew away, catching my breath. "What was that for?"

"I wish I could watch you work all the time."

He's officially lost his mind.

"Is that right?"

He smiled with a nod as he pulled me in closer, his tongue sliding against my parted lips, then dipped between.

Fire licked up my spine, the storm in my belly caused my core to throb.

I needed him.

Lifting out of my seat, his lips locked on mine, I crossed the console and settled in his lap, my knees on either side. His hands clamped around my hips, grinding me against his hardness.

"Are you sure you want to do this here?"

Our breaths filled the small area around us, his mouth tickling my neck. "Yes. I want you inside me."

"I thought you'd never ask." His teeth nipped my neck, and I yelped. He growled against me. "I've been wanting to tear you out of this dress all night."

"Don't ruin it. I still have to walk into my apartment." I pulled the dress up and over my hips, as he dipped his fingers into my panties and tugged them aside.

His warm knuckles brushed against my wet center, and I moaned, my head dropping to his shoulder, my hands making quick work of his belt and zipper.

"I hope you have good dry cleaners."

My lips pressed against his as I pulled his hard length out and rubbed it against me, replacing his hands with the soft hardness of his cock.

"I'll buy a new pair. Just let me get inside you."

"Do you have a condom?" I cupped his cheeks and ground against him, needing to feel the delicious stretch.

"Shit. No."

My shoulders dropped as I sucked in a hiss through my teeth. "Okay. Well, um... I'm on the pill."

God, I don't want him to stop.

"Are you sure?" His brows pulled down. "We could always go to your place."

"My place?"

His lips stamped over mine, his teeth biting into my lower lip as he pulled away. "I could take my time with you."

My stomach flipped, and the thought of his hands over my entire body had me grinding against his bare cock one more time before slinking back into the driver's seat.

"Good choice." He laughed as I stared up at the car ceiling, threw my seat belt over my shoulder and lap, and then drove like a bat out of hell.

Twenty minutes later, we crashed through my apartment door, his hands grabbing the back of my thighs, hoisting me up with ease.

"This was a much better idea." I threw my arms around his neck as he growled, my thighs tightening around his waist, my ankles locking at his lower back. Coaxed onward by the heat coursing through my body, I leaned forward and left a fluttering kiss on his neck.

Nate's jaw tensed as he carried me through my dark apartment, making a beeline to my bed.

"You better have an endless supply of condoms because I don't plan on leaving this bed for a while." He dropped me onto the mattress, and I crawled backward, reaching out and flicking on the small lamp in the center of my nightstand.

Soft light spread out across the quaint room. "It's been a long time since I brought someone home. We may have to make a run to the corner store."

Nerves crackled through me as a smirk settled on my lips. He crawled toward me, his brow quirked. "How long?"

"A very long time," I whispered.

My heart slammed against my breastbone, my chest rising and falling as he grabbed my calves with a devious grin and pulled me down the bed toward him. "I promise I'll make it worth the wait." He ran his hands up my legs, his fingertips teasing my thighs beneath my dress."I'm going to take you out of this now."

My core melted like liquid lava as I leaned back on my elbows. "Yes, please."

Nate tightened his grip on my side with a dark satisfaction coating his features as I lifted my hips. He unzipped my dress from behind, the material loosening around my figure enough for him to slide it down my legs and toss it to the side.

"It hasn't even been that long since I've seen you, and... Goddamn ."

I sunk into the moment as he knelt between my legs. Running his hands up my sides, he moved my arms away from my breasts and pressed light kisses along the top of them.

"And I forgot how much of a smooth talker you are." I tilted my head back, my eyes fluttering shut as his lips moved downward.

"You’re not going to run away from me this time, are you?”

“I mean, I’m already home. Where would I go?” I laughed, and hot, wet pressure enveloped my nipple, drawing a blissful sigh, my back arching off the bed. My nipple popped from his mouth, and he moved to the next one, giving it equal attention, his tongue lapping at the sensitive flesh.

“I guess I’ll have to tie you to the bed if you try.”

Fire licked up my spine, with goosebumps following in its wake. "Oh God."

I drove my fingers through his hair, twisting the soft strands around my fingertips. Every brush of his lips sent me higher and higher.

Nate kissed his way down my stomach and slipped his fingers under the black lace of my panties, dragging them down my legs. He unbuttoned his shirt, drinking me in as his fingers worked through each button. "I hope you don't have thin walls."

"And if I do?"

Nate chuckled and rolled his shoulders, letting his shirt fall. "You're going to have some jealous neighbors."

A thick scar dragged across his chest from nipple to rippling abs and another from kidney to hip.

What battles had he won?

Or lost?

My breath hitched as his eyes met mine, daring and unyielding, as if he knew every thought that flickered across my mind.

"You're staring." His lips curved into a slow, wicked smile.

I ran a finger over the thickest scar. "Maybe I'm trying to figure you out."

He chuckled, a low sound that sent a ripple through me. "Good luck with that, sweetheart. I don't even have me figured out."

Before I could conjure a response, he shifted to his stomach, his hands pulling my thighs over his shoulders with a gentle, grounding touch. My pulse spiked as he leaned in, lips brushing the sensitive skin on my inner thigh.

The breath in my lungs caught, my stomach hollowing out as I arched my hips into his touch.

"So eager."

His mouth moved over my center, teasing and tasting, causing a shiver to rush up my spine and my toes to curl.

My hands tangled in his hair as heat pooled low in my center. Every stroke of his tongue was designed to unravel me one thread at a time.

"Say my name when you come, Ava. I want everyone to hear it this time." He hummed under his breath, sending vibrations through me that had me squirming beneath him. Gripping the top of my thighs, he anchored me down, his tongue exploring my entrance before snaking back up to my clit.

My eyes fluttered shut as the pressure built, causing my core to throb.

How the hell was he so good at this?

My breaths came out quicker and fainter, the heat threatening to overwhelm me as it filled every inch of my body.

He added a finger with a gentle rhythm, moving in time with his tongue, bringing me to the precipice.

I tilted my head back as a broken moan ripped from me. "Nate. Oh, God." My orgasm struck me like a freight train, shaking me to my core with wave after wave of bliss. With an unstable exhale, I slipped my fingers out of his hair and melted into the mattress, my chest rising and falling as I bit into my lower lip and groaned.

"You’re breathtaking when you let go." His voice was dark, edged with a hunger that left me breathless. He didn't just touch me; he consumed me, leaving no corner of me untouched by the fire he sparked.

He leaned over me, his tongue drifting over his wet lips. "Think you can handle more?"

I tipped my head back and grinned, my arms reaching out for him. "I wouldn't have brought you home if I couldn't."

Nate gave a devious grin as he sat back on his legs, his hands working open his leather belt as he kept his eyes on me. "Good."

I drank in the sight of him as he stripped off the rest of his clothes, my eyes zoning in on his erection as he wrapped his fingers around the thick base. Heat waved over my raw, sensitive flesh, swirling low in my stomach.

He grabbed my hips, flipping me over onto my hands and knees. He leaned down and kissed the space between my shoulder blades, his hand sweeping my hair out of the way as he rocked his erection through my folds from behind. "Sure you can handle me? All of me?"

His dirty words dripped off of him, sending me into a needy spiral. I looked over my shoulder at him with a smile. "Enough talking." I reached into the nightstand and grabbed a condom, then handed it to him. "I can't wait any longer."

He unfurled the condom over his hard length with a smirk, tossed the foil to the floor, and grabbed my teasing hips.

I stilled, my stomach tightening as he pressed into me, his thick cock stretching my walls. " Mmm. More." I pushed against him, and he slammed home.

"God, my memories aren't doing you justice here." He ran his hand down my back, pushing my shoulders down, burying my head into the mattress as he moved, pumping in and out with languid motions.

My lower lip drifted between my teeth, and I moaned, meeting him thrust for thrust with my hips, his fingers digging into my flesh that were bound to leave bruises for tomorrow.

"Yes, Nate."

He picked up pace, slamming hard into me, my body clenching around him for dear life, my fists bunching the comforter beneath me.

Fire spread across my sensitive flesh, heating my core, sending a slick sheen over my skin. My mind dove deeper into the void where the only thing that mattered was the way his touch ignited my every desire, and my failing story didn't exist.

Faint moans spilled from my lips, mixed with high-pitched whimpers when he hit inside just right.

"I don’t think you realize what you're doing to me." He thrust hard, then flipped me over, making me straddle him as he laid back, his hand tucked behind his head. "The way you're looking at me... it's like you're daring me to lose control."

I smirked and ran my hands over his tight chest muscles, my nails grazing over his nipples as I moved them down his body. I sank down on his cock at an achingly slow pace.

"Your teasing is futile, Ava. We both know how this will end."

His hands lashed out around my hips and shoved me down. I cried out, my head tipped back as my clit brushed against him. "And how is that?"

He launched upward, his hand braced behind him, his other pressed into the middle of my back. His breath caressed my nipple. "You, begging." His tongue flicked over the erect bud, causing me to gasp and my hips to rock against him. "And me, making you regret every second you thought you could tease me."

I gyrated against him, my clit grinding, bringing a heaviness to my belly, throwing me dangerously close to the precipice.

He leaned back, his strong, tattooed arms setting the pace between us. Heavy breaths and heady moans filled the space around us as though this were a motel paid for by the hour.

"I'm getting close."

"Ride me, Ava." His hand slid up my waist and pinched my nipple, sending an electrical current straight to my core. "Let go. Let me feel you come all over my cock."

I moved with desperation, chasing the high.

"I can feel it. I want you to fall apart for me. Only me."

Possessiveness laced his low tone, spurring me on. I let out a shuddered breath as I fell. My body froze as my forehead hit his chest, my orgasm locking my body.

Nate took over, thrusting his hips upward, driving my orgasm into another, causing me to fall apart at the seams.

"You're squeezing me so hard, baby." He gripped my hips and thrust up hard, then stilled with a deep, guttural groan that had my core clenching tight around him.

"Wow." I exhaled as his hips dropped back down to the mattress, his hands loosening on my tender flesh. "That was incredible."

He chuckled, his laughter rumbling in his chest and my ear. I pressed a kiss to his chest and rolled to the side, his cock slipping from me.

Laughter filled my throat as I flopped onto my back, my liquid legs spreading across the mattress.

Nate snapped the condom off his cock, tied a knot at the top, and tossed it into the trash against the wall. "Stay right there."

He pushed up on his elbow and stared at me.

"Why?" I gave him a wary look. "What are you doing?"

"Committing this moment to memory because I didn't do a good enough job the first time." He pushed a stray hair from my face and winked. "Much better."

Our eyes locked, and the spinning world stilled, throwing my heart into an erratic, chaotic mess.

Tightness pinched my chest, my lungs drawing in short breaths.

Too close.

Can’t get…

Nate leaned over me, pulled the nightstand drawer open, and tore open a condom foil with his teeth. "This time, I want to hear you scream."