Page 69 of Unspoken Promises

“What are you worried about? Your reputation?” He says it like it’s ridiculous.

“I won’t be some predator abusing my power.”

Santi’s laugh is thick with suggestion. “Are you really a predator when your prey is spreading herself out like a buffet?”

“Santi…” Dad warns.

My brother ignores him. “Seriously. Do you even notice the way she looks at you? Trust me, Little Red Riding Hood is trying to get the Big Bad Wolf’s attention. You’re a goddamn fool for not chasing that. I get being professional and wanting to keep your employees’ respect, but nobody at GhostEye really even knows her. Or you. You’re barely at the offices. I doubt you giving it a try with Ava would even turn heads. Hell, probably only Rio would know.”

Maybe Santi is right. Maybe tonight, I should just ride that Ferris wheel and see where it takes us. It’s not against the rules. Rio insisted we didn’t write that policy, but in myown moral code, I chose to follow it anyway. That was easy before Ava showed up.

Santi glances at his watch. “Bran said he’d be in the tank at eight.”

I’m happy to drop the conversation and to find Ava.

Without another word, we head off in that direction.

The tank is three stalls away. There are people everywhere, kids weaving through legs and teenage boys shoving each other, bumping into passersby. Everything is as normal, it’s an environment I usually can’t wait to leave behind so I can switch off the noise. Except it’s different now, not only because I’m searching faces for Ava’s, but because being around that woman is starting to reframe my whole world. She would never call this noise. She’d never think of it as crowded. She’d call it laughter. Conversation. Excitement. A celebration.

Ava is the kind of person who thinks being drenched in a thunderstorm is a chance to dance in the rain.

But without her by my side, I’d still rather leave it behind and watch a movie at home. I think about texting her, when I spot my sunshine and she’s right where we’re headed.

Her hair is swept up into a messy bun with two tendrils cascading down along the sides of her cheekbones, exposing her swan-like neck. She’s in jean shorts, legs flowing into her Doc Martens with that sexy black hoodie hanging off one shoulder. This outfit is exactly how I would have dressed my college dream girl. The way her shoulder teases out, milky white against the black cotton is so enticing my fingertips tingle with desire to slip it all the way down and press my lips to her freckles.

My pants tighten uncomfortably staring at her like this. But she’s nested among Callum’s guys and Penelope, so Ipull myself together. Santi, who is now ten feet ahead of us, fist bumps Cal.

When Santi arrives at their group, Ava breaks away from her conversation, her gaze searching backward, as if looking for me as much as I was her. We connect across the riot of energy as if it doesn’t even exist. Like the pace of life turns instantly to slow motion. And when she smiles at me, the world stops altogether.

She gives me a wave when I approach, and I struggle to give a shit about saying hi to everyone else. Callum’s colleagues from the station are nice enough, they aren’t Karls, but I still don’t want them near my girl. I summon my self-control not to take her away right now. These guys were in the middle of buying balls for the dunk tank, and Santi already has three in his hands as well.

I glance up ahead to the tank and, lo and behold, Bran sits on the tiny plank of wood with a shit-eating grin on his face. He calls over to Santi.

“Ah, boss,” he teases, “don’t you have a good arm? You needed to bring your daddy and some muscle with you to get me down, did you?”

Santi tosses a ball up and catches it. Humor coats his words. “I had nothing to do with this crowd. Seems to me when people heard you’d be here, they couldn’t wait to soak you.” He glances to his right where there are a hell of a lot of balls that have been bought. “How did you make so many enemies?”

Bran doesn’t have any. He’s a good guy, but seeing as no one else that we know of from Echo Valley is being dunked tonight, it’s the only chance to actually enjoy this attraction.

Santi speaks to the young man running the tank. “How many balls you got in total?” He doesn’t wait for the answerand pulls out a hundred-dollar bill, handing it to the young guy. “Give me the box.”

Bran sees the box being handed over and laughs. “Ah… shit…”

Santi holds up a ball. “Who wants to go first?”

Ava, as enthusiastic as ever, raises her hand.

Santi gives her a ball. “Enjoy yourself, darlin’.”

“All right.” She dances on the spot excitedly, pumping herself up. “You’re toast, Bran!”

She darts her cute pink tongue out over her pouty lip, concentrating, and tosses the ball, but it doesn’t go very far. She has a throwing style like she’s never been shown how, and the ball stops well shy of the bullseye.

Santi gives her another. “Try again. I’ll get a hundred more if we have to.”

Bran is more relaxed with this throw; it’s clear Ava isn’t a Major League pitcher. When the ball goes in a big arc again and plops to the ground only feet away, her hoodie slips off her other shoulder, falling down into a provocative arc under her bare shoulder blades. Her back, now exposed, is an expanse my fingers ache to roam.

One of Cal’s guys steps in to…help.

---