The One Job Left Unfinished
Disclaimer: I own no part of Leverage, it all belongs to… whoever the hell it belongs to. Not making any money off this, blah, blah, blah, yackity shmackity.
Author's Note: WOW! I love this site, and everyone on it! You people are the best fans ever! You give me reviews, which make me happy. XD Thanks again everyone! And I personally, am really proud of myself for getting this chapter up so soon. :D Anyways, thanks again everyone! Hope you like this chapter. XP
Decisions and Discoveries
Eliot's breathe was stuck in his throat, and he felt every muscle in his body tighten with wanting for her. She wiggled out of the soft tee shirt she was wearing to reveal a simple blue bikini top. The fabric was sparse, and revealed a lot more than it covered. Her hair tumbled down the long creamy expanse of bare skin on her back, and shimmered like flames in the sunlight. She then shimmied out of the tight jeans she was taken to wearing, and Eliot groaned as her mile long legs covered in smooth, creamy skin were revealed inch by glorious inch. Ava folded the denim neatly to go next to the shirt, then pulled out two beach towels, and spread them on the warm sand. She then pulled out a little battery powered stereo, and turned it on.
Eliot shuddered as she folded herself gracefully down onto the towel, and began flipping through CD cases. Eliot smiled, and shook his head. She was nothing if not prepared. He walked forward, and sat down next to her. Ava looked up and smiled winningly. "Hey. What do you think?" she asked, holding up the CDs for his inspection. He flipped through them, and frowned in confusion.
"Solas?" he asked.
"It's an Irish band. I'm going to work on broadening your horizons in music." She said.
"And it's just a coincidence that your first choice to broaden my horizons is Irish" he asked, grinning. She grinned back.
"Not in the slightest." She said, laughing. "I take it you've never heard traditional Irish music?" she asked. He shook his head. "Well, you're about to." She said. She started taking the CD out, talking as she did. "The thing about the Irish is that we tend to be a little bit moody." Ava said, with a grin and a wink. "One moment will play you a song with a beat fast enough to steal the breath straight from your lungs. And the next, will play you a tune with words to wrench the tears straight from your heart." She said. As she spoke, a bit of the music of Ireland slipped into her voice. "This album is no different. So brace yourself for an emotional rollercoaster." She said. Eliot laughed.
The first song came over the speaker, and Eliot raised his brows. The sound of a fiddle practically burst from the speakers, the fast hot licks dancing wildly over the air. It wasn't so different from the fiddle used in country music, except of course the astonishing speed, and wildly spirited rhythm. "Wow." He said. "I'm impressed." He said. Ava smiled. When a woman's voice joined the instruments, Ava added her own. Just like that night at the club, Eliot was swept away by the magic in her voice. The music of the Irish speech flowed easily from her lips, and her entire face softened as she sang of war and a love lost. It was fascinating, the contrast between Ava's life, and the story of the life she sang of.
When the song was over, he mentioned this. Ava thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I disagree." She said. "Music is a great part of the Irish. It tells the story of our people, the history, the passions, and sorrows of us. I think when you know the music, and you can feel it, you're a part of it. All it takes is feeling the same feelings that are sung of to become a part of the music, and because of that, a part of the people." She said. Eliot paused for a moment, and then smiled slowly.
"You are one hell of a woman." He said. Ava smiled softly, and flushed lightly. Eliot loved it when she did that. He listened to the entire CD with her, and found he liked it a lot. The song he liked best was 'The Unquiet Grave'. When Ava sang that, he felt like the whole world held its breath and wept.
After putting in a mix CD of rock and roll style country, Ava grinned. "Up for a swim?" she asked. She didn't wait for his response, and darted across the sand towards the water. Eliot laughed, and ran after her. She dove beneath the rolling waves, and Eliot was close behind. The water was wonderfully cool, and salty. The waves rolled over the surface of the water, like a kind of massage. Ava loved it. She loved the sea like a childhood friend. She swam a ways from shore beneath the stunningly clear blue of the water, to where she could still just touch the sandy bottom with her feet, and then sprang from the surface. She rubbed the salty water from her eyes, and pushed the heavy wet ropes of her hair back from her face. She looked around for Eliot, and was confused when she didn't see him. Suddenly he burst from the water two inches in front of her, and Ava squealed like a little girl.
Eliot laughed, and Ava shoved at him, but her grin ruined any illusion of anger. "Jerk." She said, but with great affection. Eliot grinned, and brought her closer to him. She smiled sultrily, and taking advantage of the weightlessness the water provided, lifted herself up, and wrapped her legs tightly around his waist. Eliot groaned, and his arms automatically locked around her. Ava grinned. "What's the matter?" she asked.
"You're killing me." He said, that husky voice of his sending shivers down her spine. But she smiled, and tangled her fingers in the wet strands of his hair.
"Good." She murmured. Then her lips were on his, and they were both blind to the world.
The taste of the sea was on both their lips, and the cool, rhythmic rolling of the waves, combined with the heat between their bodies, seduced them as easily as the kiss did. Locked together in the embrace, Ava felt the strength in ever line of his body. Tangled together, it was nearly impossible to tell where one left off, and the other began. It was one of the most intense, erotic sensations either of them had experienced. Eliot had never felt stronger than holding Ava in his arms, and Ava had never felt safer. Somehow, each of them felt like they could take on the world. Neither of them had ever felt like that in the arms of another. And so both of them knew that they were fooling themselves when they said that this was just for now… just for fun. They both knew that it was a lie. And a bad lie at that.
Ava felt something shift in the general area of her heart, and click softly, yet solidly into place. Her heartbeat stuttered, and her breathing became erratic. God… what was this feeling? She asked herself that question repeatedly, and couldn't find the answer. But she knew that if she wasn't in love, she was damned close. She'd never felt this way before, and that was a pretty good indicator that this was serious. Eliot was the first man that had damned the consequences of her father, and touched her, because he'd wanted to. And he was the first man besides Cal to risk himself to protect her. He was the first one who'd ever listened to her, done things that she's wanted to do, not because he had to, but because he'd wanted to share them with her, because he wanted to see her happy. Ava could feel that with every action that Eliot took. He'd been the first man to see her cry, to hold her and comfort her while she wept.
Oh god… Ava murmured in her mind. She was falling for him. Ava felt tears creep down her face, and was thankful that they were already in salty water. She wondered when it began. That morning when she'd discovered he'd come back for her? Last night when he'd offered strength and understanding as she wept? At the beach, at the club? Their first fight when she realized she didn't mind losing to him? Ava didn't know. It could've happened at any moment. Ava realized suddenly that she was on that last cliff, that perilous edge right before the fall. And it would be easily, so easy to tumble down. She should have known right away that it would be too easy to fall in love with a man like Eliot. He had the air of a true nomad, the bad boy, with the long hair, those eyes that never missed anything and had clearly seen too much. That quiet, resilient strength… she should have known better.
Eliot's thoughts were along the same lines. There was no denying anymore that he was in too deep. These feelings that he had for her went too far beyond anything else he'd ever felt. Even when he'd fallen in love the first time hadn't felt like this. That had been soft, easy, the love of a boy and girl. This was totally different; wild, crazy, complicated. And he was officially screwed. As that reality sank in, he cursed Sophie and Parker for being right that he was a fool for thinking that this wouldn't get serious.
When they pulled apart, Ava rested her forehead against Eliot's, and sighed. "I don't know about you, but I've never felt anything like this before." She murmured. Eliot shuddered.
"Me neither." He said reluctantly, after a few moments. Ava closed her eyes.
"What are we going to do about it?" she asked. She didn't want to, but she had to. She had to know where this was going. She hadn't been bluffing when she said she wasn't interested in a 'strings attached' relationship. But she couldn't help but feel like that each moment she spent with Eliot added a new string, and if she didn't get things under control, soon she'd either be tied irrevocably to him, or she'd choke on the strings.
"I don't know." Eliot said. He'd never felt like this, so he didn't know how to react. He internally cursed Parker for being so right. "I think we should just do what you said. Go with the flow. Try not to over think things." You never knew how much time you have left, Eliot added to himself. Ava nodded slowly.
"And how long are we going to dilute ourselves into thinking that that will work?" she asked. Eliot was torn between an odd sense of pride that she was so damn quick, and irritation for the same reason.
"As long as we can." He said roughly.
Eliot abruptly shifted his hold on Ava so that he was carrying her, cradled against his chest. He walked out of the waves, and then set her gently on the towel. He sat down next to her, and held his head in his hands. He had to make her understand the importance of keeping it uncomplicated in the interest of time, but he didn't know how to tell her without giving himself away. But he had to try. "Ava… there's something that you have to understand." He said. Ava leaned forward, and touched his shoulder.
"Eliot? What's wrong?" she asked.
"Nothing… it's just there's something you need to know, but I'm not sure how to tell you." He said. He wasn't looking at her, and Ava's heartbeat began to race. He was scaring her to death.
"Eliot, what is it? You're scaring me." She murmured honestly. Eliot turned to face her, and took her hands in his.
"I'm sorry. I don't want to scare you, but I don't know how to reassure you either." He said, frowning uncertainly. "I need you to understand that time… time is a very important issue with me." He said, trying to phrase it right.
"What do you mean?" Ava asked, frowning. "Are you leaving soon?" she asked, not sure what she would do if he said yes.
"No. But… Ava there are things about me that you can't know, and I can't tell you. But those things mean that when it comes to you, I can't… I can't afford to waste time. Do you understand what I'm telling you?" he asked.
Ava desperately wanted to ask what on earth he was talking about, but there was something in his eyes that warned her not to. It was a kind of pleading desperation, that tugged at her newly vulnerable heart. She ruthlessly buried her questions, and took a deep breath. He'd been nothing but understanding with her, and he deserved the same from her. "I think so. You want to enjoy the time that we have, so you don't want to overcomplicate things." She said trying to puzzle out his vague and slightly cryptic words. Eliot looked relieved though.
"Yes." He said. Ava nodded.
"I understand. But you need to understand that if something… if something about the way I feel changes, gets deeper, I can't not tell you." She said. Eliot's eyes softened, and he kissed her softly.
"I know. I wouldn't have it any other way." He said. Ava smiled, and then leaned back on the towel, Eliot followed.
They stayed there together until one, talking, kissing, listening to music, and occasionally would dash into the water to splash and play like children. When Ava and Eliot had both had their fill of sand, waves, and sun, they packed everything up, pulled their jeans and tee shirts back on, and swung up onto the horses. After they'd groomed Zeus and Phixius, and put them back in their stalls, Ava turned and faced Eliot. "Well, I'm ready to start my cooking lesson." She said cheerfully. Eliot smiled, and raised a brow.
"You sure?" he asked teasingly. She nodded. "Alright, come on." They headed to the guest house, and Ava felt her excitement begin to build. For some reason, she found it incredibly sexy when Eliot cooked. She wondered how much sexier he'd be when he taught her how to do it.
Eliot opened his door, and ushered her in. Ava was struck again by the space in the room. Immediately to the left was the bedroom, and then a wide expanse of space, then up a step into the dining room/kitchen, and down the hall was a study and bathroom. Ava though that the open floor plan made then house seem even bigger when combined with the fact that Eliot had so little personal possessions. It was still a nice space though, and what little things Eliot had brought with him made the space feel distinctly masculine.
Eliot moved into the kitchen, and tied his hair back. He put on an apron, and Ava had to bite back a giggle, and then a frustrated sigh. The man was wearing an apron for Christ's sake, and he still looked like he could take on an army single handedly. He looked over at her, and must have read the look on her face, because he raised a brow. "It's practical, and necessary." He said. Ava walked forward, and leaned against the counter in front of him.
"Mmhmm." Eliot rolled his eyes.
"Are you trying to say makes me less masculine?" he asked sarcastically. Ava smiled smugly.
"Honey, a pair of fairy wings and a tiara couldn't make you less masculine." She said. Eliot grinned, fast and wicked, and Ava suddenly found herself sitting on the counter with Eliot standing between her knees.
"Is that so?" he asked, his mouth a whisper away from hers.
"Yeah. That is so." She murmured. Eliot's mouth suddenly ravished her, his arms locked around her like iron vices, his hands fisted in her hair. Ava moaned, and nearly lost her mind when Eliot drew her tongue into his mouth, and then sucked hard. She dug her nails into his shoulders, and Eliot pulled away, sucking in a breath on a hiss. They stared at each other for a moment, both of their chests heaving.
"Cooking." Eliot said.
"Yeah. Cooking." Ava said. Eliot chuckled, and tucked a stray piece of her hair behind her ear.
"Come on, let's start." He said. Ava nodded, and slid down the counter, and followed him deeper into the kitchen. Eliot handed her an apron, and she smiled as she tied it on.
"Cooking," Eliot began. "Is all about the ingredients. It doesn't matter if you're a master chef or not; if you have bad ingredients, you're going to have bad food." He said. Ava nodded.
"Okay. Makes sense." She said. Eliot went around the kitchen, gathering things from the fridge, pantry, and cupboards, and set them all on the island in the middle of the kitchen.
"Why do you have all this?" Ava asked. "We feed you." She said. Eliot shrugged.
"Sometimes I just like making my own food." He said. Ava smiled, and shook her head.
"You are a wonder, boy-o." she said. Eliot smiled, and tugged her closer to the counter.
"The basics you already know, right?" Ava nodded. "Well the thing you're lacking is the right preparations, and the right seasonings, things that a recipe might not tell you." Eliot said. Ava nodded.
"Okay."
"Since you know the basics, we'll skip the beginner stuff, but not something too complicated. How do you feel about Italian?" he asked. Ava smiled.
"Love it." She said. Eliot smiled.
"Good. We'll start with spaghetti. Pasta, sauce, salad, and bread. We'll start with the sauce since it takes the longest." He said.
Eliot dug into the ingredients, showing her everything, step by step, explaining everything he was doing. Together, they skinned, deseeded, and chopped the tomatoes to make the homemade spaghetti sauce. Yeah. Homemade. The man was amazing. Then he showed which spices to use, and how much, and then they added Italian sausage. By the time it was simmering, Ava's mouth simply watered. She hovered over the pot, and tried to stick one tinsy little finger in for a taste. Eliot swatted at her hand, and Ava pouted. "Hey!" She said. "I only wanted a taste." She said.
"Later." He said. Ava sighed, and let it go.
After putting the pasta in to boil, and the bread in to heat (they'd used store bought for the garlic bread) and then started on the salad.
Eliot pulled out a knife, and did this twirling thing before chopping the lettuce. Ava stared blatantly, and licked her lips. Eliot glanced at her. "What?" he asked, still looking at the lettuce.
"That was super sexy." She said. Eliot's hand froze, and Ava knew she had his full, undivided attention when his gaze rose to meet hers.
"What?" he asked.
"That thing you did, with the knife. For some reason I find it to be undeniably sexy." She said, moving forward so that her body was mere inches from his. He raised a brow.
"Really?" he asked. Ava grinned wickedly.
"Yes, really." She said. Eliot responded with a mischievous grin of his own.
"I'm thinking you're going to have to prove that to me." He said. Ava laughed, a throaty sound that went straight Eliot's libido.
"If you insist." She raised up on her toes, making sure that their bodies didn't so much as brush, and paused a paper's width away from his mouth. Her eyes stayed open and aware on his face. "Have I mentioned that you have very, very, attractive hands?" she asked. Her mouth was so close to his that as she spoke it whispered torturously against his. He made a sound that rumbled through his chest, and made Ava shiver, reminding her that no matter how much power she had over him, he would always have the same amount over her.
"No." he answered. Ava smiled.
"They're strong, and I like watching them as you work. Whether it's when you fight, or when you cook… or when you touch me." She whispered. She finally touched her lips her lips to his, and he was gone.
Eliot felt his control snap like a cannon boom in his mind, and once again had to think, and think hard on how tightly he gripped Ava. He lifted Ava and spun around in the same movement, and sat her down on the counter again. He parted her knees roughly, and she gasped into his mouth. He swallowed it like wine, and was drunk on both of their passions. He ate at her lips like he was starving, and she was the only sustenance available. All Ava could do was hold on tight and enjoy.
After several of the hottest moments in her life, Ava heard an insistent beeping noise, and it irritated her, because it distracted her from the heaven she found in Eliot's kiss. But when she realized what it was, and noticed that Eliot hadn't noticed it, she chuckled against his lips. "Eliot?" she said, her voice breathless.
"What?" he demanded sharply, moving to began to snack on her neck. Ava lost her train of thought for a moment, and moaned as he sucked on the special spot at the juncture of her neck and shoulder. She shook her head sharply to clear it.
"I do believe that the timer is going off." She said.
"Hmm?" he rumbled against her skin, and Ava's eyes rolled into the back of her head. Damn but the man knew how to seduce a woman.
"The timer." She repeated. "It's going off. The food might burn." She said. That seemed to clear the fog in Eliot's mind, and he raised his head, and turned towards the stove. He cursed violently, and moved to turn things off, and pull things out of the oven.
When the food was safe from being burnt, Eliot turned back to face Ava, and moved to pull her against him, and cup her cheek. "That's one of the first times I've ever gotten so wrapped up in someone that I was oblivious to what was going on around me." He said.
"Is that a bad thing?" Ava asked.
"In my line of work, yes."
"You're not working right now." She said. Eliot's heart contracted, knowing that she wasn't right.
"Yeah, I'm not working. But still…" he let the sentence hang, and Ava smiled smugly.
"I for one am thrilled. It's nice to know I'm not the only one affected." She said. Eliot smiled, trying to lighten his own mood.
"Trust me sweetheart, you are definitely not the only one affected." He said. Ava shivered.
"God, I'm a sucker for that accent." She said. Eliot raised a brow.
"You're the sucker for an accent?" he asked. She smiled.
"I don't always have one." She said. Eliot smiled.
"Yeah. But I like it. It's sexy." He said. She smiled.
"Well in that case…" he reached up and brought his head closer, and began murmuring to him in Gaelic. He shivered, and kissed her neck.
"What does it mean?" he asked. She smiled.
"I'll tell you one day." She said. He shook his head, and smiled, and then turned her around to face the kitchen.
"Now go on and set the table. I'll finish the salad." He said, giving her a friendly pat on rump. She squeaked, and threw him a sassy pout over her shoulder before sauntering off to set the table. He chuckled to himself, and set about finishing the salad. As he picked up the knife, he grinned. He didn't think he'd ever look at chopping salad the same way.
All through dinner, Eliot had serious problems controlling his libido. Ava was a very… vocal eater when she really liked the food she was eating. A discovery Eliot made the hard way. As soon as the first bite was in her mouth, she moaned loudly, and rolled her eyes in pure bliss. "My god this is delicious." She said. "If I wasn't so fiercely proud to be Irish, I'd wish I was Italian. This is…" she took another bite and moaned. "Pure heaven. I think I'm having a religious experience." She said. Eliot smiled tightly, and tried to urge his mind away from all the other ways he wanted to make her moan.
"Why thank you. But you know you cooked too." He said. She smiled brightly, her eyes lighting up, and Eliot's heart tightened painfully. She looked so damn beautiful when she was happy.
"I know! I'm so proud of myself." She said. Her face softened, and she touched his hand. Eliot suddenly found it was a little hard to breath. "Thank you, Eliot." She said quietly.
"All I did was show you a few tricks." He said, frowning in confusion. What on earth could make a woman like her look at a man like him, like that. Like she'd just won the lottery, and he was the prize. He couldn't understand it. He was no prize. He was a fighter, a nomad, drifter, thief; he'd been defined as many things, none of them particularly flattering or honorable.
"You did more than that. Eliot, these past few days have been some of the best in my life. I mean that." She said at his doubtful look. "You listen to me. You care about me. You taking the time to teach me something was icing on the cake really. So thank you." She said. Eliot nodded, and gave her hand a squeeze. She smiled, and went back to her food. Eliot took a deep breath. Damn if he wasn't royally screwed.
After eating, they washed dishes together. It was a homey, normal chore that felt nice to do with each other. Talking, working in tandem, and letting worries drift away. But when they finished, Ava looked out the window above the sink, and frowned at the main house. Eliot knew she didn't want to go back, didn't want to have to face the finality of spending precious time with her mother. He put a hand on her shoulder, lending her strength without even thinking about it. She sighed, and put her hand over his. "I don't want to do this." She murmured.
"I know." He said simply.
"I know she wants to talk about things… Get them out of the way now so that we have time to spend together without worrying about it." She said. "But I don't want to talk about those things. Because talking about them makes it real. And I don't want it to be real." She said.
"You have to face it, Ava. Now, so that you can treasure the time you have left." He said. He took a deep breath. He knew pretty much everything there was to know about Ava. But she knew nothing about him. He knew he couldn't tell her everything, but he could tell her something. A give in return for all the taking he'd done with her. "I was in love once." He said.
That caught Ava's attention. She turned and faced him. "Really?" He nodded.
"Yeah. She lived and worked with her daddy, who trained race horses in Kentucky, and I did odd jobs for him around the place. We were just kids, no more than nineteen." He said. The bittersweet taste of the memories flooded his mind. "We fell in love slow and easy. It was one of the best summers I had as a kid." He said.
"What happened to her?" she asked quietly.
"I made her a promise, that I'd always be there for her. Problem was I made the same promise to the U.S government, and I found out the hard way that you can't make that promise to more than one person." He said. Ava was quiet for a moment.
"You left her for the military?" she asked. Eliot nodded. "Why are you telling me this?" she asked.
"Because, if I'd have known that that summer was going to be the last I had with her, I would have done things differently. A lot differently. I would have spent every spare moment I had with her, and told her how I really felt; all of it. But I didn't. You're lucky, because you know. Some people say that they wouldn't want to know when the end was coming, but I disagree. I'd want to know, so that I could do things the right way, and treasure every last second that I had." Eliot said.
It really hit home then what he was doing. He knew when the end would come with Ava, and so he was doing exactly what he said he would do. He'd treasure every last moment with her. He knew he was being a little hypocritical though, because he was refusing to tell her how he really felt. But he told himself that these were special circumstances, so it didn't count.
Ava nodded slowly. "I think I understand. Thanks." She said. There was a new determination in her eyes, and Eliot felt an odd sense of pride. She was a fighter, and one hell of a woman. "I should go now. There are things I need to talk with her about." She said. Eliot nodded, and gave her a light kiss on her forehead.
"Good luck." He said. She nodded, and headed out.
The moment Ava left, Eliot sighed. He knew that he had to get some work done, or Nate would have his hide. He changed into his suit, and headed into the main house. There were a few things that he needed to check, and a few rocks he needed to overturn. And he needed to talk to Cal. Get some information, see if he could get him to loosen up a little and spill some information.
After an hour of snooping, Eliot wasn't much better off then he'd been before. Cal had chatted easily enough, but when asked about O'Conner, he'd sealed his lips. He just shook his head, and said that it was bad enough Eliot was working for him. He didn't need to know anything beyond that. Then Cal had changed the subject to Ava, and Eliot decided that he needed to get the hell out of there.
He'd gone up to O'Conner's office, but there hadn't been anything on the laptop. Hardison had hacked into it remotely, but apparently O'Conner had people that handled his personal and technological security as well. All they'd found was the payroll, scans of the deeds to the houses and businesses that O'Conner owned, and the medical information on Ava's mother, Helen. Hardison said that it would take him a while to dig deeper, and said some other gibberish about how having the IP address, and something else would help. Eliot followed his instructions, and Hardison seemed happy with the information that he'd given him, so Eliot considered the snoop session at least semi-successful.
Eliot had also made some casual conversation with some of the other staff, trying to get a better feel for O'Conner, trying to find a weakness other than Ava. When talking to one of the other security men, one of the newbies had let it slip that soon they'd be starting work with another 'high roller' in New York. High roller generally meant another big organized crime group. Eliot hadn't wanted to push the guy too far too fast, so he'd let it slid, but made sure Nate knew about it so that they could keep the information on file for later.
When Eliot stuck his head into Ava's room at six to see if she was back from her time with her mother and ready for dinner, he saw her lying on her bed, Pan curled at her side. She looked sad, but not distressed. Like she was prepared for and resigned to the sadness, and she was ready to deal with what was to come. Eliot was glad that she was better prepared for her mother's death, but it didn't make it any easier for him to see her so sad.
He tapped lightly on the doorframe, and called out to her. She raised her head, and smiled sadly at him. "Hey. Did you get anytime off while I was out?" she asked. He walked inside, and upon seeing him in his suit, she shook her head. "Apparently not." Eliot smiled.
"Well when I'm with you I don't really work. So I consider my time off as my time to get actual work done." He said. Ava smiled.
"I'm glad you don't see it as work." She said. He sat down on the bed next to her.
"Me too." He said. He cupped her cheek in his hand, and kissed her softly. When he pulled back, he saw the twin flames of desire leap into her eyes, and bit back a groan. He loved her responsiveness, but one of these days it was going to kill him.
"Dinner ready?" she asked.
"Hungry?" he asked. She smiled slowly.
"Famished." Eliot grit his teeth against the desire to throw her back down on the bed.
"Yeah. It's ready." He said. He stood quickly, and walked halfway across the room to wait for her, trying to put distance between them. It didn't help much.
All through dinner, Ava had apparently made it her life's mission to try and give him a heart attack from overdose of lust. She talked easily to her mother, and even said a thing or two to her father. But every two minutes she'd look down the table, and give him a look hot enough to make the table catch fire. If she didn't stop that, Eliot was going to throw her down onto the table, and damn anyone who wanted to watch.
Eliot escorted her up to her room, and as soon as the door closed, he shoved her up against it. "What do you think you were doing?" he asked. Ava blinked up at him in exaggerated innocence.
"What do you mean?" she asked. He narrowed his eyes at her.
"You know damned well what I'm talking about." He said. She smiled.
"Maybe I do. What are you going to do about it?" she teased.
"Ava… We've already had this conversation. Don't. Push it." He said. Ava laughed throatily.
"And I already told you, I like pushing my limits." She said. Eliot growled, and nipped sharply at her neck. Ava gasped, and shivered.
"If you're not careful, you're going to find out just how easy it is for my control to snap." He warned. He kissed her once, hard and fast. "I should go." He said.
"You're not going to stay?" she asked.
"I shouldn't." he said. He didn't elaborate, but he didn't have to. If he stayed, they'd wind up in bed, but they wouldn't be sleeping. Ava wanted to tell him to stay anyways, but the words got stuck in her throat. He turned and left without another word.
Ava sighed, and got ready for bed. She read, she listened to music, she talked to Pan, but nothing could get her mind off of Eliot and his addictive mouth. She'd been around him and his body for four days, she thought it was a wonder that she hadn't jumped him and ripped his clothes off after one day. And then when they'd finally admitted that they were attracted to each other. Ava shivered. She thought she deserved a medal of some kind for the self control she had. As a rule, she didn't sleep with someone that she hadn't known for less than a month. But considering the state that her body was in… she might have to make an exception.
Ava lied in her bed that night, and tossed and turned. Her skin felt too tight for her body, and she felt feverish despite the fact that she was wearing tiny shorts and a tank top. Under different circumstances, she would've thought she was ill, but she knew that wasn't the case. It was Eliot, and what the bloody man was doing to her body. She groaned, and clenched her thighs together, trying to relieve the ache there, to no avail. Her heart was racing as her mind ran away from her, conjuring images of all the heated kisses and scorching touches Eliot and her had shared. The images drove her mad, and her whole body ached with wanting for him.
She couldn't sleep. After spending one night with him next to her, she was, as they say, ruined for all others, although in this case all other ways to sleep. Pan had gotten sick of her tossing and turning, and had wandered off to most likely sleep in her mother's room. Ava moaned, slammed her hand down on the bed, and sat bolt upright. She pushed her heavy hair back from her face, and looked out the window.
The moon was half full tonight, and provided enough light to see in front of your feet, but not enough to see, for example, a person moving from the main house to the guest house. Ava's mind raced. The alarm was set up around the perimeter of the property, but that wouldn't keep her from moving around the grounds. After a few moments of deliberation, Ava's mind was set. She couldn't take this torture anymore. She had to be with him. Now. Ava slipped out of her room, still in nothing but her tank top and shorts, and moved silently through the house, and out the front door. She took off running across the lawn, her feet bare, her hair flying wildly behind her.
She hesitated at his door, but set her shoulders. She'd already made her decision, and she would follow through with it. She wanted this. She wanted him. More than she wanted to go on breathing. She tapped softly at his door. After a few moments, the door opened. There his stood in all his god like perfection, wearing nothing but a pair of boxers. His hair was tossed, but his eyes were alert like he'd already been awake. He didn't say anything, just stared at her for a moment. So Ava spoke. "Eliot…" Her voice was quiet, and soft as silk. "Don't make me sleep alone tonight. Please…"
Ending Note: Yay Cliffy! Lol. Hey peoples! Thanks again to everyone who's read, faved, and reviewed my story! I really appreciate it! I hope you liked this chapter! I love you all! XD I love reviews. I really do. I really and truly do. If you give me a review, I'd really and truly love you too! And now I think I've turned into Dr. Seuss, so I'm going to stop now.