Page 25 of Keeping Ava

He nods.

* * *

“Feeling better, Detective?” I ask the second he steps outside onto the balcony. It’s been a few hours since his blowout reaction, the one drowned within his truth to avenge me and the lives lost at Jason’s hands.

His anger was palpable. It took over the room and infiltrated every single inch of space—a suffocating presence that made my heart clench.

Not because he’s a threat.

Not because I worry.

It’s because I want to take his emotions as my own and make him smile. God help me.

When his boss asked me to leave, I felt a hint of relief and I hated it. Hated that the small distance gave me a chance to think. To be strong enough not to give in to my desires of being his more.

At first, I took comfort in my room, putting my noise-canceling headphones on to drown out the cursing—to ignore him and the slamming of something large against a wall—but nothing playing through the device came close to stopping my yearning.

This need that simmers beneath the surface and controls me.

Stop, Ava. Elijah’s under a lot of stress and doesn’t need my hovering.

And I understand that. I also know that as human beings we need to release the pent-up anger consuming our personas before we snap.

He needs space, and I’ll give it to him. I can’t begrudge him either.

Nor am I afraid.

Even if his anger was bad enough that Captain Perez took him out of the apartment.

Where he went? I have no clue, but when the condo became too quiet, I left the safety of my room to investigate and found them gone. Which led me here, outside on his balcony overlooking a bay that’s too beautiful for words.

“Are you okay?” His voice is rough, hoarse, and tinged with regret. “I’m sorry if I scared you, Ava. Please know that you’re always safe—”

Looking back at him from over my shoulder, I give him a small smile. “I know.”

“Thank you.”

Turning around, I lean on the railing with a raised brow. “Why are you thanking me?”

Elijah shrugs. “I’m just glad you’re not running from me. That you’re not asking for a reassignment.”

I bat my lashes while crooking a finger. “Not happening, my dude. You’re stuck with me.”

“Is that so?” He chuckles, shaking his head before stepping fully onto his balcony. Elijah’s gait is slow and without the earlier tension. To be honest, he looks sexy.

That swagger—his virile masculinity—causes my thighs to clench, and a tiny gasp gets caught in my throat. Yup. Totally screwed.

“It is.”

“I’m very cool with that.”

“Good. Now how about filling me in on...” I trail off because even though I hate to bring up something unpleasant, we have an overdue conversation pending.

“Fair enough.” He nods, stopping beside me and looking out onto the water. The view is amazing; waves crashing and a bright blue sky with a few high-rise buildings, each with a unique structural fascia, make up the skyline. “Where do you want to start?”

“Weston.” Because that’s when the secrets began.

“Would you like to take a walk with me?”

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