Wherever You Are Read online

“No, you go.”

  “I don’t regret tonight,” she blurted out. “I hope you don’t.”

  He hugged her tighter. “I don’t, Avie. I am concerned that we kind of skipped over a lot of things to get to this point. We haven’t really solved anything. But regret? Nah. I think we both needed this.”

  She laughed. “Understatement of the year?”

  El pulled her on top of him, and she straddled his hips before sitting upright. He sat up, as well, running his thumb along her spine. “Is that your way of telling me you were burning with need for me?”

  Tracing his upper abdomen and his shoulders, she once again ticked off the muscle names in her head.

  “Name it,” he ordered as her hand slid over his shoulder.

  “Trapezius,” she answered. “And ‘burn for you’ is romance talk. I write drama and scandal with a dose of humor.” When he barked out a laugh, she joined him. “But to answer your question...” She kissed his shoulder blade. “I want seconds.”

  * * *

  Avery awoke the next morning and said a prayer before she opened her eyes. Unfortunately, her vision hadn’t gotten any better. But it wasn’t worse. She could still see, albeit partially.

  She didn’t need to see to know that El wasn’t in the bed next to her. His side of the bed was cold, as though he’d been gone for a while. Sighing, she sat up and leaned her back against the headboard. She couldn’t hear anything. The house was quiet. No television, no running water...nothing.

  It wasn’t like El to leave her during the night, but she also hadn’t been with El in a long time. Change wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. He’d told her he wasn’t dating anyone but she’d be naïve to think he’d stayed celibate just because she wasn’t around.

  El was a sexy man, and she was sure women had offered him their company with little effort from him. Avery rubbed her face, unwilling to bring the thought of other women into the moment they’d shared.

  A headache settled right between her eyes, and she couldn’t help the concern that plagued her thoughts. All of this had started with a headache. The worst headache she’d ever had. Even now, she could remember the debilitating pain. Her attempts to work right through it had only made it worse.

  A chill racked her body, and she pulled the cover over her. Where is he?

  “You’re up,” El said from the doorway.

  Avery’s gaze flashed over to him. He was a sight for worried eyes. “You’re here?”

  “Where else would I be?” He walked over to the bed, ran a finger over her creased forehead. “How are you this morning? Any improvement in your vision?”

  “Same, but it’s a good sign.”

  El smoothed a hand over her hand, leaned down and placed a sweet kiss on her mouth. “It’s more than good. It’s amazing.”

  Swallowing, Avery scooted over when he sat on the edge of the bed. “You weren’t here when I woke up, so I didn’t know what to think.”

  “I couldn’t sleep,” he confessed. “So I decided to read.”

  “What are you reading?”

  “A psychological thriller about two brothers who go back to their childhood home and discover hidden secrets.”

  “Ah,” Avery said. “Will you read to me? I haven’t read a book in a while.”

  El caressed her face and pulled her into an intense kiss. “I will tonight. But you need to get dressed. I have plans for us.”

  Avery pouted. “What if I want to stay here and rest? Isn’t that what this trip is about?”

  “That and so much more. Trust me, you’ll love where I’m taking you today.”

  Around noon, Avery and El pulled up at a local Italian eatery. When the host showed them back to a private dining space, she gasped at the smell of flowers that filled the room and the scented candles. “Oh, my God, this is heaven. Where did you find this place?”

  “I have connections. Have a seat.”

  Avery sat at a small table in the center of the room. Slowly, she’d been able to make out more of her surroundings, but she still struggled with details going in and out. She did realize fairly quickly that there was no one else in the restaurant. They were alone. “I know this is a private dining room, but where are all the people?”

  “The restaurant is closed. It’s just me and you.”

  Avery’s mouth fell open. “Really? In the middle of the week? Do you know the owners?”

  “I do. They are old friends of my family. Now be quiet.” He sat next to her. “I know you love flowers so I had them bring them in just for you. I also took the liberty of ordering our lunch and dessert.”

  Avery moaned when she caught a whiff of lilacs. The flickering light of candles basked the room in a warm glow. The host entered with a bottle of chardonnay and poured a full serving in each wine glass before excusing himself.

  Inhaling the scent of the wine, she caught notes of vanilla, butter and coconut. “Yum,” she murmured before taking a sip. Avery loved the citrus flavor paired with the butter and vanilla. It was simply delicious. “It’s lovely.”

  “I figured you’d enjoy it,” El said.

  The server arrived a short time later with lunch—chicken marsala, garlic mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach. As the smell of mushrooms and sauce filled the room, Avery glanced up at El. “This is heavy for lunch.”

  “Dinner is light, so I figured it would be best to eat a hearty meal now.”

  Shrugging, Avery sliced the chicken breast with her knife and slid a piece into her mouth, groaning at the succulent taste. “This is amazing, El.”

  As they ate lunch, they chatted about the restaurant’s origins. Avery was surprised that the owner was an African American man. El explained that he was a long-time friend of his brother, a doctor who had retired to the area to open up the restaurant. It had been a personal goal of the older gentlemen to use his late Italian grandmother’s recipes for good. And after years putting in hard work as a physician, he’d made the move with his family.

  “He has four daughters,” El said. “One of them is good friends with Ian.”

  Avery nodded. “How is Ian?” she asked.

  She’d grown quite close to El’s nephews and niece over the years. She missed them, and had often wondered how they were doing.

  “Ian is Ian. He’s planning to volunteer with the American Red Cross during the summer, down in New Orleans. I’m proud of him for stepping away from Lawrence’s sphere of influence.”

  El’s brother’s name sent a chill down her spine and she wondered how the man would react to her being back in town. Did he even know? “That’s amazing. I always knew he’d do something totally surprising.”

  “It’s so odd how different he and Myles are.”

  “And Myles? What is he up to?”

  “Myles is planning to secure a fellowship at UCLA. I think he has a good shot, too.”

  Avery always knew Myles had been the serious twin. He was dedicated to his career goals and rarely strayed from the path dictated by Dr. Law.

  “When does Mel graduate?”

  El smiled at the mention of Mel. Avery recalled how he doted on her when they were together. She was much younger than her brothers and the product of Dr. Law’s third wife. Needless to say, the older man got around. It still burned her up that he’d had the nerve to judge her.

  “Mel graduates next spring.”

  “Medical school?”

  El shrugged. “I don’t think so, although Lawrence is pushing for it. Last we spoke, she mentioned she was interested in Higher Education. She spent the last semester as a teaching assistant for one of her chemistry professors, and she enjoyed it.”

  “I still can’t believe Drake married Love,” Avery said, changing the subject. “When he told me that, I was floored. How in the world did that happen?”

  Love and Drake had been best friends since
they were toddlers. They’d always firmly eschewed any mention of romance between them, so it was a shock to hear that they were married and happy.

  “Trust me, it was a surprise for us, too. You should have seen him running around the hospital all crazed.”

  El then told her the story of Love and Drake waking up in a hotel room, naked and married. When he was done, Avery gaped at him. “That’s crazy.”

  “But they’re good together. You know, Love is the only woman who can handle Drake. They get along well, and they love each other fiercely. To think they almost let it go, like...”

  “Like we did?” Avery said softly.

  “Avery, you have to know I’ve never stopped loving you.”

  Nodding, Avery considered his admission for a moment. “I know you love me, El, but does it matter to you anymore? Sometimes people and things get in the way, and those things take the feeling out of love. The shell is still there, but the feeling is gone. Get what I mean?”

  “I do.”

  “I don’t think you’ve magically gotten over my leaving. I know you want to. I can feel it when you’re with me. It’s like you’re conflicted.” Avery knew there was no time jump to the past or the future to fix their problems. But she hoped he was willing to truly try. She placed her hand on his and squeezed. “I want you to forgive me, to trust me again. With your heart. I want you to feel safe with me, the same way I’ve always felt with you.”

  “Avery, I—”

  Avery placed a finger over his mouth. “Don’t say you trust me, because I know that you don’t. And that’s fine. I understand. And I’m willing to wait because I’ve realized something over the past few weeks.”

  El raised a brow. “And that is?”

  “You said you tried hard to get over me, but I know for certain I can never get past loving you. It’s just a fact of my life, and there’s no sense in denying it anymore. I want you, El. I want us back, and I’m going to work for it, for you. I love you.”

  Chapter 13

  El let out a slow breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. It was one thing to know Avery loved him, but quite another to hear her tell him she was willing to fight for his love.

  “Maybe it’s hard for you to believe,” Avery continued. “Especially considering our past. But it’s the truth. I will go to my grave with this love for you. I love you more today than I did yesterday. I’ll love you more tomorrow than I did today.”

  Avery had laid her feelings out on the table for him to dissect or even throw back in her face. The fact that she’d done so without even batting an eyelash made his heart hammer in his chest.

  Yet, he wasn’t sure what to say. Those three words would have brought him to his knees had he been standing. Hell, yes, he was being dramatic. But he didn’t care. He wanted her, open for him on that table right now.

  “Let’s go,” he said.

  Avery’s eyes widened. “What? I’m not done.”

  “We’ll have it boxed up.”

  “El?”

  “Avery, if we don’t leave right now, I’m going to have you on this table, in this restaurant right now.”

  She reared back in her seat before she jumped up, nearly knocking her glass to the floor. El watched her finish her wine and quickly led her out of the restaurant, food and dessert be damned.

  The car ride home was hard. He was hard. And Avery wasn’t playing fair. She’d scooted closer to him and was currently kissing, biting and sucking every piece of exposed skin he had.

  Groaning, he shook his mind clear so he could concentrate on the road ahead. But when her hand brushed over his strained erection, he nearly lost control of the car, jerking the steering wheel to the right to keep from running the car off the road.

  Still, Avery didn’t stop there. She unzipped his jeans and pulled his hard length out. Shit. Before he could stop her, her warm mouth was on him.

  When he spotted the driveway, he whipped the car into the driveway and immediately put it in Park. She was persistent, the little minx. She didn’t seem to care they were in the car or that he could have very well crashed into a pole or something. She barely missed a beat as she pleasured him, bringing him to the brink of orgasm with her hot mouth.

  Unable to take it any longer, he pulled her off him and over the console to his lap. Straddling him, she lifted her dress up. He rubbed her sex through her thin panties before ripping them off. Then she lowered herself onto him and El gave in to the urge to close his eyes. She felt good, and he felt dizzy with a frenzied need for completion.

  He heard the buzz of the seat lowering before he felt the descent. She’d thought of everything. Gripping her hips, he arched below her, pushing himself into her hard. Her cry was music to his ears, and he wanted to hear it again. Lifting her up, he slammed her down on him again.

  “Oh,” she gasped before she started moving against him, grinding into him as if her life depended on it.

  They moved in sync, each of them racing toward the orgasms they both needed. There was no sound, not even a groan. Her eyes...her open and seeing eyes were on his. Framing his face in her hands, she brought his mouth to hers in a bruising kiss. Their lips were firm, their tongues searching.

  When she pulled back, her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she rode him. Tugging the top of her dress down, he took one of her nipples in his mouth, sucking hard until she finally let out a whimper. Avery’s head fell back as her eyes fluttered closed. He was having none of that, though. He wanted to watch her; he wanted her to see him when she climaxed.

  Wrapping a gentle hand around the back of her neck, he pulled her back to him, kissing her before he said, “Keep your eyes open, Avie. On me.”

  Avery’s eyes popped open, dark with desire. Then she climaxed, his name tumbling from her mouth over and over. One more thrust and he was done, coming so long and hard he briefly wondered if he would lose his mind. The intensity of it stole his breath, and the only word he managed to get out was her name, “Avie.”

  Avery slumped against him, and El wrapped his arms around her. They stayed like that for a few minutes, him struggling to catch his breath and her breathing heavily.

  When she sat up, looking down at him with hooded eyes, he couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. He moved a strand of hair from her face. She’d worn it curly and wild when they left the house. Now it was limp and sticking to her face. But she was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on.

  He placed kisses on her cheeks, her nose, her brow, then her lips. He swatted her behind, laughing at her surprised yelp. “We have to get out of the car.”

  Avery covered her face and dropped her head onto his shoulder. “I can’t believe we just did that.”

  “We’ve done worse.”

  There had been a time when they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. They’d christened every room in his house and her apartment, his car, her car and even the hospital.

  “You’re right.” She scraped his scalp with her fingernails before she sat up. “You’re beautiful,” she whispered, rubbing her thumb over his bottom lip before she placed a sweet kiss there.

  “I think you’re the only person that has ever called me beautiful.”

  She frowned. “Well, you are.”

  “I’m not sure how I should feel about that.”

  El had been told he was handsome, cute, mysterious, good-looking, but never beautiful. And it had never bothered him before because he’d been taught that “beautiful” was something you called a woman or a work of art. The fact that Avery thought he was beautiful intrigued him.

  “Why beautiful?” he asked.

  Avery graced him with one of her gorgeous smiles. “Because. You’re like a timeless piece of art. Your face, your body, your mind. Everything about you is beautiful.”

  “I feel the same way about you.”

&nbs
p; Ducking her head, she pushed at his shoulder. “Stop.”

  Avery had never felt comfortable with compliments. It was for that reason that he liked to shower her with them. She never expected it, which made it fun for him.

  El squeezed her thighs, “Come on. Let’s get cleaned up.”

  * * *

  “I quit, El. You’re cheating.”

  Avery pinned El with a heated gaze. Her vision was holding steady. As each hour passed, she could make out more details.

  “How can I cheat?” he asked, a smirk on his lips. “I’m rolling the dice just like you are.”

  “But you have all the good properties.”

  “It’s not my fault you keep going to jail. Maybe you’re just not that lucky.”

  “I don’t have any more money. All I have left are stupid ones and fives.”

  El laughed. “Don’t blame me because you can’t manage your money. You shouldn’t have gone berserk buying up all those properties. This is supposed to be a game of strategy.”

  Avery rolled the dice, groaning when she landed on Boardwalk. Throwing her money down, she stood. “I’m done.”

  “Still a sore loser, huh?”

  “I don’t recall you liking to lose either, El.”

  El stood and approached her, wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him. “Since you’re obviously giving up, I win. Remember the deal.”

  Avery rolled her eyes. “I remember the deal, damn.”

  El held out his hand, a wide grin on his face. “Pay up.”

  Crossing her arms across her chest, Avery frowned. “You bought them for me. Why should I give it to you?”

  “Because that was the deal.”

  Avery muttered a curse and handed El the last cookie. “No fair.”

  “We can share,” he said with a wink. “I’ll break it in half.”

  Avery grabbed the cookie and turned around, limping away as fast as she could, knowing he’d catch up to her because her toe still hurt a little. It took him two-point-two seconds to snatch her off her feet and sling her over his shoulder.

  “El,” she laughed. “Put me down.”