19. 19
19
As Will walked her back to her car,Ava jangled her keys in her hand and leaned against the driver’s side door.“Thank you for this. It was fascinating. And thank you for making sure we had the cart to ourselves. That’s one of the sweetest things anyone has done for mein a looooong time.”
“I’m just glad we could spend some time together.”He pressed his hand to the SUV and leaned in. Ava felt her hands go clammy. But she was ready for this.
Ready for him .
She looked at his lips, slightly wind-burned from the blistering coldbut still utterly delectable. He stared at her for a moment.
This was it.
“Drive safe, okay?”
Hepushed away from the car and turned to leave.
“Wh-what the hell ?” Ava uttered aloud, flabbergasted.
Will turned around and chuckled. “What? ”
“What do you mean, what ? This is like our fourth date, and I haven’t gotten so much as a kiss from you.Do you not find me attractive?”
“Why would you even think that?”
“Because you haven’t put the moves on me at all . From what I’ve heard, Idunno. I just…thought this would go differently.”
Will’s expression turned serious, and he shoved his hands into his pockets.“I’m trying so hard not to be that guy anymore. I want something different.Something deep. Something real. And I can’t figure out what that is if I’m just focusing on getting in someone’s pants.”He stepped closer. “Look, I’m no prude. It’s not like I’m saving myself for marriage or anything. But, you… I don’t know. You seem… special.”
His cobalt eyes met hers, and she felt her knees buckle. She leaned against her Denali to save her from falling.
“I do?”
“Yes!” he saidwith a laugh into the air. “Ava, I’m trying to take this slow and get to know you because… I don’t want this to be just some fling. I think you’re fucking amazing. And I’m not here to just play games or add to my body count. I… I want a wife . I want real love.”
Silence filled the frozen air between them.
“I enjoy spending time with you,Ava. You’re fun and bubbly and spontaneous. You’re not afraid to take a risk and look like a fool sometimes. You’re different than anyone I’ve ever met, andif I kiss you…”
“If you kiss me… what ?” Ava asked, feeling her stomach flip as she waited for the answer.
“If I kiss you, I swear to God, Ava, with lips like yours, I won’t be able to stop.”
Ava felt like she couldn’t breathe. Her body felt like a furnace suddenly, as if she might look down and see a circle of snow melted down to the grass beneath all around her.
“You are so fuckingbeautiful. And the fact that you are a teensy bit of a mess drives me crazy,in a good way. I just… I don’t wanna screw this up.”
Ava nodded and smiled. “I can respect that.”
“Thank you.” Will stuffed his hands into his back pockets, spreading the lapels of his jacket open enough for her to glimpse the shirt clinging to his firm chest beneath.
“So, if not a kiss… thenhow do we end a date as nice as this? Fist bumps? High-five? Is this a slap-on-the-ass ’good game’situation?”
Will laughed. “We say goodbye, and you text me the next night you’re free so I can take you out again.”
Ava smirked, blushing. “Goodbye, Will Jessup. ”
“Goodbye, Ava Quinn.” He smiled back and blew her a kiss from across the parking lot.
She caught it and held it close to her heart