Page 46 of Serving the Maestro

I shook my head and backed away. “You’ve got a plate in the fridge if you’re hungry.”

“Trent!”

I stilled but didn’t look back at her. “Yeah?”

“I...” She sighed, the soft exhalation full of sadness. “Nothing. I’ll be out soon.”

“Take your time, Avery.”

* * *

Thirty minutes later, with a horror movie streaming, I heard her come out of my bedroom.

She paused at the end of the couch. “Gross. Why do you like these movies so much?”

“Classic battle between good and evil,” I replied, although the movie did bore me to tears. But I wasn’t above using the movie to send a subtle message.

Avery came to me and straddled me.

Okay, maybe I had been too subtle.

Placing my hands on her waist to keep her from pressing closer, I said, “Avery, no.”

She covered my hands with hers and tried to nudge them higher.

“Avery, no.” She mocked my flat tone, her eyes boring into mine in a very non-submissive way, the edge in her voice showing lingering anger. “I fly all the way to make sure you’re okay, and all I’m getting is Avery, no?”

“It was nice of you to come out here,” I said, not letting my frustration color my voice. “If you’d like, I can cover the cost of the ticket. But you made that decision. I didn’t ask you.”

Her cheeks went hotly red with embarrassment. “I can pay for my own fucking ticket. I just want to know why you’re ignoring me!”

She was all but naked and wearing a slinky red silk nightgown that only went an inch below her ass. It made ignoring her difficult. My body remembered hers, and as she pressed closer, my dick reacted.

“Ohhhh...” Her lids drooped, eyes going luminesce as she leaned down and pressed her lips to mine. “I knew you still wanted me.”

“I don’t,” I snapped.

It came out a lot harder than I’d intended.

Avery jerked back as if I’d slapped her.

Her lower lip trembled before she could stop it, and she clambered off my lap, smacking my hand away when I tried to steady her.

“Well, at least now I know you’re ignoring me,” she said, voice cracking. She crossed her arms over her chest and hunched her shoulders in. “Why didn’t you just tell me that yesterday? What did I do? Am I too old for you now? Is that the problem?”

“Shit, Avery. No. It’s not your age.” Shoving to my feet, I paced away. “You’re still one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever met.”

She sniffed and the sound was watery. I knew she wasn’t mollified. Nor was she acting—I’d hurt her. That had never been my intention.

“Then what’s wrong with me?” she demanded.

“It’s not you.” Sighing, I turned and looked at her, feeling like a bastard. “It’s not you. It’s...” I hesitated, not even sure how to say it. I’d never fallen for a woman before, and it was...weird, trying to find the words. “I...met somebody.”

She blinked.

When she didn’t say anything, didn’t ask anything, I continued. “I don’t know exactly what’s going on with me and her, but it doesn’t feel right being with somebody else.”

“Does she know...about you?” Avery cocked a brow, her voice steadier now.

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