Page 46 of Second Chance Mates

“Sit down,” I say gently. “I can clear up.”

I wander over to the sink to rinse off the plates. “Well, at least let me dry up?” she offers as she appears by my side in a flash.

My eyes flick down to her pleading expression. “Okay.”

I clean the plates and utensils before handing them to her. Our arms brush every now and then, and I bite down on my jaw to suppress the instant warmth that rushes over my body. I know she feels it, too, because she gasped the first time.

“Thank you,” I say as I hand her the last plate to dry.

Her dainty fingers use the tea towel to remove the droplets before placing it on the counter. “No.” She shakes her head. “Thank you for tonight. It was wonderful. It was normal.” She beams at me with all her undivided attention. “No one has ever cooked me dinner like that.”

“Well, get used to it.” I flash her a confident smile.

Ava’s throat tenses when her eyes roam my face. Her scent intensifies and wraps around my lungs like a crushing blow. It’s intoxicating and beautiful.

My hand raises slowly by default, and her lips part when I rest my fingers against her jaw, tilting it ever so carefully. A sound falls from her chest—somewhere between a sigh of relief and a groan.

My nostrils flare at the sound as I step into her, the lower part of her back hitting the counter. My finger trails across her skin softly, over her jawbone and up the pad of her cheek.

All the heat from my body transfers into hers—a live wire between us. Bright colours spiral in my mind at the gentle connection. I can’t stop. Her skin is like silk beneath my fingers.

Her heart pounds. I can hear it roar in my ears. I step closer again, testing the waters, and her eyes flutter shut when I flick my thumb over her chin. It’s a soft caress, nothing more, but it’s euphoric. My blood hums in my veins.

Our chests graze by a millimetre, but I don’t move any closer. Her breathing becomes louder and less controlled. I flick my gaze across her face to find her brows pinching together as if she’s in pain.

Before I can drop my hand, she shoves at my chest, but I don’t move an inch. Instead, she slips from beneath me and moves as far away from me as possible before burying her head in her hands.

An influx of emotions hit me square in the chest, then followed by thoughts that are muddled and inaudible. “Ava–”

“Do not touch me.”

I blink at the rawness of her voice. “I’m sorry,” I heave loudly. “I shouldn’t have touched you without your permission. I’m so sorry.”

The back of her head lowers at the same time her shoulders begin to vibrate. Bile rises in my throat. This is the last thing I wanted. I pushed her too far. I didn’t think rationally about how she would have felt.

Stupid fucking idiot.

Her entire body trembles. I stay back.

“Ava, please talk to me.”

But instead, she shakes her head. “Do not touch me.”

“I’m not going to touch you, okay?”

“Don’t ever do that to me again.”

My heart constricts as if someone has wrapped a hand around it and squeezed.

“Okay,” I whisper. “I promise, I won’t do that again.”

Ava sniffles, and it shatters every part of me. She takes one step forward on shaky legs before she leaves the kitchen without looking back. I know better than to chase her. She needs the space.

But now, I fear I’ve triggered something, and I don’t know how I can comfort her without scaring her. I drop my head into my hands and release a sigh.

Goddess, why do I fuck everything up?

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