Page 30 of Unspoken Promises

“If it’s the nuts in that spread,” I reassure her, “you should hopefully feel better when the antihistamine kicks in.”

She winces, gazing at the back of the couch. “I hope you don’t think I’m a big baby. The hives are so sore it’s like I have a burn back there or something. And then I felt lightheaded. I bet it’s really ugly back there…”

“You couldn’t be ugly if you tried, Scottie.”

I mean it to cheer her up. But when she turns her head on the sofa in my direction, our gazes connect as if I meant a lot more. The room stills. My heart swells. Maybe Ididmean more. Because damn is this woman ravishing.

She offers a gentle smile, swollen lips puffy and pressed into the cushion. “Will you keep rubbing? It’s really a relief. It feels amazing,” she says, referring to my touch.

My heartbeat quickens, because the last time I heard those words, I was rubbing another part of a woman. And it was a long, long time ago.

A strand of that fiery red mane of hers falls over her eyes. I’ve always loved red hair. It’s rare. Exotic. Only two percent of the world’s population has red hair. Hers is shiny… and I bet it’s soft like her skin.

My next swallow is more like a gulp. Her smooth skin is divine under my fingertips. I’m wondering how much longer I should do this before it feels like I’m doing it for me and not her. Truth be told, that moment has already come.

It’s impossible to ignore how gorgeous she is. Not when I’m this close. Not when this perfect skin is laid out before me and her shirt is bunched so high another inch would expose a nipple and I’d be having a problem in my boxer shorts.

“Enzo?”

I wish she wouldn’t say my name the way she does.

“You know how we said it would be hard to get to know each other?”

“Yes.”

“Now is a good time to talk. It will take my mind off this, maybe?”

I don’t answer. It’s not that making conversation is hard for me exactly. A little. I don’t trust what comes out of anyone’s mouth, so what’s the point in asking leading questions, in making conversation? But the more I’ve watched Ava these past few days, the more I’m intrigued. With everyone but me, she has so much to say.

She taps my forearm just in case I’m not listening. “If you had three wishes, what would they be?”

As usual, you never know what will come out of this woman’s mouth. I never really thought about three wishes before. I suppose I’d want to have my sister and her family here, safety… redemption for my mistakes. But I’m not going to talk about all that now as night envelops us slowly, softly… my eyelids telling me it’s getting late and in the wee small hours is when resolve slips. My answers are too deep for this hour, and I’m not ready, maybe I’ll never be, to sincerely talk about what I’d wish for.

Her words sound sleepy, like she might drift off. Maybe the massage is working. Good. I need sleep. And to stop touching her because my body and mind are feeling very differently about this so-called treatment.

“Mine have changed since getting here,” she says. “I think I’d actually use a wish just to stay here in Echo Valley.”

“It’s your kind of place, is it?” I’ll keep her talking if it keeps her mind off her pain.

“My second wish would be to prove I belong at GhostEye. I love what you’re doing. I really respect it. I know you’re wary of me but…”

She opens her light-brown eyes, and I use the backs of my fingers to brush off that rogue strand of hair so I can see them better.

The corner of her mouth twitches. “I want GhostEye in the world as much as you do.”

Her words are so genuine they crack my heart. But I need to be more careful. I’m being pulled into a world where I want to ignore that I still don’t know who the hell she is.

Though the circumstances around Ava are suspicious, all I see is a pretty damn sincere woman. The carrots, wanting the breeze on her face, including my father socially… And this admission about GhostEye, well, she might just be decent on the inside, too.

I can count on one hand what’s important to me. GhostEye is among the small treasures I value. GhostEye means more to me than work. It means more to me than even bringing justice into the world. It means more to me than Ava will ever know. Hell, than I’ve ever even articulated to my brothers. Not that I needed to. They understand where my hunger and drive come from.

Redemption for my fatal error.

I was the one who led to all that pain in my family. I was the one who let danger walk right in and take my cousin. And now, I hope to prevent that pain reaching the hearts of anyone else through GhostEye.

Staring into Ava’s eyes, I believe her. She gazes at me like this company means as much to her as it does to me, which is impossible, of course, but it still touches me. It’s enough toshift my suspicions and makes me want to root for her instead.

Ava’s softness in this moment is like a balm I didn’t know could feel so good. In fact, her whole aura is soothing to be around. She’s curious but not pushy. She’s enthusiastic but bright enough not to chase pavement. She’s kind… the way she pulled my dad in tonight warmed me to her for sure, but also, I saw the way she made people smile. How easily people take to her. She’s effortless sunshine.

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