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It was strange to waking in the morning with a man in her bed again … but amazing, too. Ava felt so good, so beautiful and loved. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt like this. Maybe she never had. Certainly she had never understood or cared for a man she had taken to bed the way she did Boyd. Before—always before it had been about what she needed from the man. But with Boyd, she knew how much he needed her, what she could be to him, and that made all the difference.

"That's a beautiful smile," he said softly, and she couldn't help a gasp of surprise. She hadn't known he was awake. "What are you thinking about this mornin' that's made you smile like that?"

"Bacon and eggs."

"Bacon and eggs? Well, I see. Fortunate breakfast foods, to earn such a smile." His answering smile said he knew what she wasn't saying—what she was strangely too shy to say. "Ava."

"Mm-hm?" He sounded serious, and she wanted and didn't want to hear what he would stay.

"Last night was … Nothing in my life has been as fine an experience. But I do understand if you would rather make this a casual arrangement. What lies ahead of me is—"

She was galvanized into speech, having thought they had settled this last night. "I told you I don't care about that. I want you with me, Boyd. Here. In this house. I … don't want to sleep alone again."

Boyd shifted so that she lay on top of him, his hands gentle in her hair as he reached up to kiss her. "That's what I want, too," he whispered.

"Good. I know what I said before, Boyd." She kissed him again, then slid down to kiss his shoulder and his collarbone. "But I want to be part of whatever you've got goin' on. I want to help." Tucking a wayward strand of her hair back behind her ear, she kissed his ribcage and his upper abdomen. "But there's one thing I need you to promise me."

Stroking her hair, Boyd asked, "What's that?"

"No whores." She rested her chin on his chest and looked up at him, wanting him to know how serious she was.

"Oh, Ava, I ain't been to a whore since I was fourteen years old."

She laughed and slapped him lightly on the chest. "I'm not talkin' about goin' to whores. Although now that you mention it, you better not do that, either. I'm talkin' about runnin' them."

"Oh, well, now, hold on a second. I mean, the economy what it is, now's not the time to cut off potential revenue streams. Besides, many people around here as we got out of work? You really want to deny enterprising young women an opportunity for gainful employment?"

"I'm serious."

"Well, so am I." He smiled, though, clearly enjoying the conversation and not as serious as he pretended to be. "President can't stop talking about economic stimulus. And here you are wanting to take away some of that very stimulation."

"You gonna promise me, or not?"

Boyd looked at her for a moment, trying to decide if he was going to cotinue the banter or take her seriously, then let his smile fade as he said, "All right, I promise." His hand was playing across her shoulder and back, the warmth of his skin against hers providing a stimulus all its own.

Ava kissed his chest again and let her own hand slide down below the covers, finding that he also had begun to be stimulated. This time when she kissed his mouth, she was serious.

A long time later Boyd began to stir under the covers. "Much as I would love to spend the entire day in bed, I had not planned on this delightful interlude last night, and there are people I need to see. Will …" He hesitated, and she thought it was sweet that he wasn't sure. "Will you come with me?"

"'Course. We have time for something to eat?"

"I believe someone was waxing poetic about bacon and eggs earlier. Unless subsequent activities have altered your desire for such things."

Ava had always wondered where he got his manner of talking. Neither Bo or Bowman had been men of many words … at least, not big ones. Working through the length of his sentence, she came out the other end. "I'm still hungry, if that's what you mean."

"It is."

"All right, let me get dressed."

"If you have to." He caught her before she could get more than a couple of steps from the bed and kissed her again. "Ava Crowder, you have made me a very happy man. I hope you know that."

She kissed him back, smiling. "You can show me again tonight."

"Oh, I fully intend to."