Age Of Ava by Moreland Melanie

Author:Moreland, Melanie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Moreland Books Inc
Published: 2021-08-25T16:00:00+00:00

* * *

I wiped my mouth and sat back, replete. The pizza was delicious, the beer cold, and I gulped down two glasses of ice water thanks to the spicy sausage Hunter had added to the pizza.

It had been a good dinner. I’d told Hunter about what occurred earlier, and his reaction had made me smile.

“I’ve worked for assholes like that. Good riddance.” He winked. “Big balls, Little Dragon. I would have loved to see you in action again.”

I shrugged and he chuckled.

“You are a force to be reckoned with.”

I kept eating, although I felt my cheeks color at his praise.

I burped, covering my mouth with the napkin. “Whoops.”

He threw back his head in laughter. “I like that about you, Ava. Sexy, shoot-from-the-hip businesswoman by day, teenage boy by night at the table with your love of food and belching. The perfect combination.”

“Sorry,” I uttered. “I was hungrier than I thought. And beer makes me burp. So does soda.” I grinned. “And spicy pizza.”

He shook his head. “Don’t apologize.” He indicated the empty pizza box. “I like that. I like you’re honest and yourself. No hiding, none of that ‘Oh no, I’ll only have a salad’ shit. I never understood that.”

“Most men prefer it that way.”

He shrugged. “Prefer what? For you to hide who you are? I don’t. I like you just the way you are.”

“Really?” I asked, the feeling of insecurity only this subject could cause swarming up in me.

He stood and took two more beers from the fridge, setting them on the table. He slid one my way and met my eyes. “Really,” he stated firmly.

“Hmmph,” I breathed.

He swallowed and wiped his mouth. “You sound as if you don’t believe me.”

My grip on my beer bottle was tight, but I shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. It didn’t fool him for a moment.

He sat back in his chair, crossing his ankles. “Who was the asshole that hurt you, Ava?”

“Who says there was one?”

He sipped his beer, contemplating me. “You are one of the most confident women I have ever met. I’ve watched you in action myself. I know what happened today. The responsibilities you carry on your shoulders. Business-wise, you’re a force. Yet every so often, I sense fear when it comes to yourself after hours. You doubt your own strength and beauty. Something or someone put that fear and doubt inside you. I assume some asshole is responsible for it.”

For a moment, I was silent. I met his gaze, surprised by the gentle patience I could see.

“Why do you want to know?”

“I don’t know,” he said honestly. “I just do.”

Strangely enough, I wanted to tell him.

“I haven’t had a lot of relationships,” I confessed. “In university, I dated a guy who broke up with me because he said I was just too much. Too bossy, too opinionated, too everything. He said I embarrassed him.” I barked out a humorless laugh. “He said a lot of other things, but that hurt the most.”

“Sounds as if he was the one with the confidence problem.

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