Page 28 of Beautiful Lies
Holy crap. Connor Vincent sent me flowers. Blue delphiniums, blush pink and white roses, white stock. I carried them inside, ignoring Louis’s raised brows as I passed the bar, and set them on the desk. Sitting on the swivel chair, I opened the small envelope with my name on it and read the card inside.
Ava, I love your smile. Hope to see it again. Connor
I fired off a quick text.
AVA:Thank you for the flowers, but you shouldn’t have sent them. I can’t do this. I need to protect my heart. It’s never been safe with you.
Ugh, why had I said that? I should have deleted the last two sentences before hitting send.
7
Connor
“Ava Blue,” I said as she walked out the front door of the warehouse in Bushwick, her backpack slung over her shoulder.
She planted her hands on her hips and glared at me. My texts had gone unanswered, so I’d opted for the surprise element. Judging by the look on her face, it wasn’t a good surprise. “Are you stalking me now?”
“Just offering you a ride home.”
“I’m taking the subway.”
“You can ride on the back of my bike.”
“Hey, Ava. Are you coming?” a guy asked.
“No,” I said. “She’s riding home with me.”
The guy looked from me to Ava. “Just give me a sec,” Ava told the guy.
“You can go,” I said, waving him off. Come on, the dude had a man bun. What did she need him for?
He crossed his arms over his chest. The guy looked squirrelly. I disliked him on sight. “I’ll wait for Ava.”
My eyes narrowed on him. “Who are you?”
“Orlando. I’m training Ava for Cirque de Soleil. We’re running away together,” he said, winking at her. I wanted to wrap my hands around his throat and throttle him. Instead, my hands curled into fists and I glared at him.
“I need to talk to Ava,” I said.
“Does Ava need to talk to you?” Orlando asked.
Douchebag. I ignored him and focused on Ava. “I want to show you something. It’s important.” She chewed on her lower lip, and I could tell she was considering it. I still knew her so well. I flashed her a smile and threw in a please for good measure.
“It’s fine,” Ava told Orlando. “See you next week.”
He pulled her into a hug and whispered something in her ear. When he released her, Ava gave him a big smile that lit up her whole goddamn face. I wanted to be the one to put that smile on her face. With a final look at me, Orlando turned and walked away.
I crossed my arms over my chest and narrowed my eyes. “Did you sleep with him?”
“That’s none of your business.”
Fuck. Was that a yes? How many guys has she been with since me? I took deep, calming breaths. I needed to control my jealousy. It wouldn’t help my cause. “What kind of class is this?”
“Why are you here?”
“Get on the back of my bike and I’ll show you.” I unhooked the bungee net from the passenger seat and retrieved the spare helmet. Her helmet. I had bought if for her when I’d gotten my first Harley six years ago. No other girl had ever worn it or ridden on the back of my bike. She took a few steps closer. “After that, I’m taking you for empanadas.”
“Great. A blast from the past,” she grumbled.
