AN: Of course, I still don't own Twilight…wouldn't it be awesome if I did though?

Thank you so very, very much to Ninadoll! She is an absolutely amazingly awesome beta, friend, and author. Please check out her stories How the Might Fall, The Rest of Forever, and How Wonderful Life Is, Now You're In The World! She is truly amazing and she makes writing in her universe so much fun! And her stories are fabulous!

Thank you as well to my friend, shojioxlow, who has been putting up with my recent obsession of Mr. Potter!

Also, Nina and I have been nominated for two different awards, The Avant Garde FanFiction Awards and the Twilight Original Character Awards. The voting for the Avant Gardes has already started and the other starts in December. Please check them out at www(dot)twilightfb-awards(dot)blogspot(dot)com and www(dot)originalcharacterawards(dot)blogspot(dot)com.

As always, thank you to everyone that reads and reviews! You are very much appreciated! Enjoy! Don't forget to check outmy homepage at liljenrocks{dot}web{dot}com.

CHAPTER 13: A DAY FOR A DATE AND A PARTY

AVA'S POV

I had always loved Christmas time but something about the Christmas season in Seattle and being in love made it all so much more brilliant. Scar and I had been taking it slow, we went on dates, went to activities at each other's schools but we hadn't slept together since that first time. Sure there were a lot of makeout sessions and a lot of touching, including the night that Griffin was rescued, which we spent practically dry humping each other at Scar's house, but no sex. It almost seemed surreal how nice it was, how loved he made me feel.

I'm still beaming thinking of our first date together.

"You have a visitor, Ava," Tucker said with a smirk. "I think it's that 'friend' we were talking about last week." I was in the back washing pots and pans. Part of me was praying Scar was here to save me from the never ending dish duty!

"Can he come back here? I need to finish up," I said, putting a pot in the sink. I swear I hated the days we worked with caramel.

"Sure," Tucker chuckled.

I was elbow deep in soapy water when I felt two warm arms come around me. "Does it sound bad for me to say that I think you're very sexy right now, all lathered up? And that chef's coat does things to me," a warm husky voice whispered into my ear. I leaned into the familiar arms and closed my eyes.

"I always think you're sexy," I whispered back. "Cowboy."

I heard him chuckle and I turned around to see Scar smiling at me. I stood on my tip toes and kissed him, putting my arms around him. "You're getting me all wet," Scar chuckled.

"That's what I'm supposed to say," I giggled.

"You wanna play dirty, do ya?" he kissed my lips gently.

This was the greatest feeling in the world, I was sure. I lay my head on his chest. "I love you," I said softly. I guess I'd lost the playfulness of the situation and wanted to just enjoy the moment.

"I love you too, Ave," he said. He rested his chin on my head and sighed.

I'm not sure how long we stood there. It was Tucker's voice that brought us out of it. "Sorry to interrupt, but I have a feelin' they're going to lock up here in a bit."

I sighed this time. "Thanks, Tucker," I said. I pulled back and looked at Scar. His face was tight and I could see the possessiveness in his eyes. It was like the wolf coming out. "Scar, this is my friend Tucker. Tucker, this is my boyfriend Scar."

Tucker automatically stuck his hand out to shake and though I could see lots of worry in his eyes, Scar took it. "Nice to meet ya. I've heard a lot about ya from Ava. I'm happy you guys worked everything out," Tucker said.

"Nice to meet you too," Scar was still timid and I could hear a little jealousy in his voice so I laid my head back on his chest. "I came by because I thought we might go out."

I pulled back again. "Go out? Or like go out, go out?"

"Go out, like on a date," Scar said with a smile. He'd been smiling more than he'd ever smiled since I'd known him and it was nice. Scar had a beautiful smile and it suited him. "So how does that sound?"

Like he had to ask. "I need to finish these dishes but then I'll be ready. Are we taking the bike?"

"Well," he drew out, sneaking a quick kiss. "It is easier to park," he said with a gleam in his eyes. "Let me help you with the dishes and we can get out of here quicker."

"Sounds good to me," I said, this time being the one to sneak a kiss.

Scar was always willing to help with dishes even at home and damn me if I didn't think it was beyond sexy. I thought it was sexy when he folded clothes or did anything domestic like. At this point, really anything from him, even just breathing, was pretty damn sexy.

"I'm going to need to change clothes though," I told him as I scrubbed up the last pot.

"Actually, I have a change of clothes for you, courtesy of Claire," he nodded his head towards a bag in the corner.

We finished up the dishes and I changed into the sweater and jeans that Claire had packed. I pulled my hair down and ran a brush through it. It had a slight curl to it from being up in a bun all day which I thought made it look alluring. I touched up my make up a bit and finished off with a red lip gloss.

We said good bye to Tucker. As soon as we walked out of the building, my eyes noticed something missing from the parking lot. "My car's gone! Someone stole my car!" I started to run towards the spot I knew I'd parked my car but Scar grabbed me, pulling me back into his chest.

"Relax, I took care of it," he whispered into my ear. "Paul came with me and he's taking it to the house."

I thought for a minute and furrowed my brow. "Paul?" I swallowed hard. "He knows?" My heart was beating a thousand miles a minute because I knew if he knew it could mean very bad things for us.

"He's not going to tell, Ave. You can relax," he kissed my neck. "I can hear your heart, angel. Relax."

I closed my eyes and let myself calm in his arms. "What's on the menu for this date then?" I asked.

"It's a surprise," he said. We reached Scar's bike and I slid my helmet on. Before Scar put his on too, he gave me a sly smile that made my knees shake and almost buckle. He was good, this one. He knew exactly what he was doing, seducing me with only a smile.

I hopped on the back of the bike and waited for Scar so I could wrap my arms around him. It was the most heavenly feeling, like being wrapped in a Christmas tree, but in a good way. It was like I could actually feel the world livening up with him. I had to admit I liked when he revved the engine too. It sort of shot this electricity through my whole body and it made me think of how I reacted to him when we were "together" together.

My school was located not far from Pikes Place Market, which was not far from a lot of the other attractions in the city so I honestly had no clue where we were going. I knew we were close to the Sound and I could hear the sounds of foghorns but the night was pretty dark. I had to keep reminding myself that Scar would protect me, that nothing bad could ever happen when I was with him…it wasn't working though.

"Where are we going?" I whispered/screamed in his ear.

"To the ferry," Scar screamed back. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of you."

I was weary of the ferry, mainly because I was weary of large expanses of water that I had no control over. Some might say that makes me a control freak, but it hasn't led me astray yet now, has it? Scar parked the bike on the lower level of the ferry and we walked hand-in-hand to the top observation deck. He pulled a thermos from his backpack and poured me a cup of hot chocolate while he drank from the thermos.

"It's just one of those Swiss Miss packets and water. Nothing fancy…sorry," he said.

"No, it is fancy because you made it for me," I said back, caressing his cheek with my hand. I took a sip and I was pretty sure it was the best hot chocolate in the world because Scar had made it for me, to show me how much he loved me. I leaned my head on his shoulder and sighed loudly. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me into his side. I was wrong before, this, this was Heaven.

"Before we even get to Bainbridge, you'll be able to see the Christmas lights from the town," Scar said. He was right too and the lights looked like a freaking movie set! Everything was covered in lights; trees, houses, I think I even saw a dog wrapped in little twinkling lights. It was truly a Winter Wonderland.

Scar rode the bike to a small café on the island with the most delectable, mouthwatering seafood I'd ever tasted in my life and I was proud to see the head chef was a graduate of my school. It gave me hope for my future and I smiled when Scar said he had planned it that way. After dinner, we took the bike to a small park in the center of town where an ice rink was set up, as well as an ice igloo. We chose to sit on a bench next to the rink. Just to watch everyone else and take it all in.

"When I was growing up in Oklahoma, Christmas was always my favorite time of year," I told him as we watched a pimple-faced boy try to sneak a kiss from a girl dressed in pink only to have her punch him in the jaw. I giggled a little at that.

"Me too. When I was a kid, my Mom would take me to the mall to do the whole Santa Claus picture thing. Then she'd take me to the candy store and I'd get tons and tons of licorice. At the time, I thought that was the most amazing thing in the world. I guess for a kid, it was," Scar said with a hint of sadness in his voice.

"My parents always had this Christmas party every year. It was usually just a good time to get together with people we hadn't seen in awhile. The thing I remember about it though was that even when we were little, we were always included. Abby wasn't ever really up for it and Ash was so young she probably doesn't remember, but I know I loved it," I snuggled closer into his arms. "Sometimes, it's the silly things about them I miss."

"I know what you mean," Scar said. "But remember what you told me. It's okay to remember."

I knew he was right but there were things I wanted now that hurt too much to remember. Like wishing that Scar could've met my Dad. They would've gotten along but I know my Dad would've hated the idea of him being into motorcycles or knowing that I rode on the back of his bike quite often. And my Mom, I knew that she'd have loved him, not only because he was fabulous, but because I loved him so much. Those were the things that I missed the most.

"Maybe we should have a Christmas party," Scar brought me out of my thoughts. I pulled my head from his chest and gave him a questioning look. "We have our own house, we have friends, we should throw a party." He pulled me back to kiss my forehead. "After all, we should really make our debut as an official couple, to more than just Quil and Claire." He growled under his breath. "And that Tucker dude."

I knew he was jealous and I couldn't help but giggle even if I had to admit that it sounded really nice. We could be us, the in love, out of control us and that made me very, very happy. "A party would be fun," I grinned at him. "But that means that we wouldn't be able to invite anyone from La Push or Forks." The thing that made me the most sad about that was knowing my sister and Seth or Jake and Ness wouldn't be able to come. Our relationship was still a no-go with the pack, as in we didn't tell anyone.

"I know, I'm sorry about that," I felt him swallow hard.

I held onto him tighter. "It's okay. It's worth it."

And thank God it was worth it because as happy as I was to be planning an amazing Christmas party, it didn't make things any less awkward when I spoke to my bedridden sister everyday. I suspected that she knew something was up by the softer tone in her voice and her constant inquiries into how Scar was doing, what he was doing, if he was seeing anyone, etc.

"Ava, should I go with the red and black tie or blue tie?" Scar said from behind me. I turned around to see him standing in black pinstripe slacks and a white button up shirt with a tie in each of his hands. In my mind, it didn't matter what he wore because I'd be picturing him naked anyway. This whole no-sex thing was starting to wear on me. Especially when he just made himself so damn sexy all the time.

I walked from the kitchen, where I'd been putting the final touches on a plate of salmon canapés, to the den. Scar kept holding the two ties up, then taking each down, furrowing his brow. It was cute seeing him so clueless, especially considering how extremely proud I was after his first semester grades were all A's. "I like the red and black one," I told him.

He smirked at me. "Then the red and black it is," Scar said before turning to walk towards the stairs. "Oh, by the way," he said. "You look…breathtaking."

"Thank you," I said shyly. I was not a shy person but sometimes, when he was being as sweet as he was right now, I couldn't help but let my body react. Scar just did that to me, in ways I couldn't explain.

I finished up the last of the appetizers and plugged in the iPod over the stereo, letting the Christmas playlist shuffle through songs for the evening. I was completely ready to face the crowd of people that I knew were coming, and I was going to be able to do it with Scar by my side. I wouldn't have it any other way.

SCAR'S POV

The night started with a doorbell ring. I knew this was going to be a mainstay of the night, the doorbell ringing. I was pretty sure I wasn't even aware the number of friends we had until we started making the guest list for the party. Add to that that three-fourths of the guest list had actually RSVP'd to let us know to expect them. So this time, when the doorbell rang, I was ready for it.

"We brought wine, red and white. I hope that's okay," Anita said, hanging me a brown paper sack.

"I wanted to put some fancy tissue paper and kinda spruce them up but Anita told me to quit being girly." It was a funny thought. The big, muscled, tall Sarge with tissue paper and bows.

"Thanks," I smiled. Neither Ava or I were old enough to drink, but there were other people that would be and I was grateful for the Drinkwater's contribution. I wouldn't touch it, I was strictly a beer drinker and that was only on occasion but it was good to know Anita and Sarge thought enough of us to bring a gift.

The doorbell rang again to announce the arrival of Tucker and his new girlfriend, a British girl named Cambria. She was about a foot shorter than Tucker and hardly said a word, in sharp contrast to Tucker, who I learned never shut up. Not that I minded, especially if he brought a girlfriend. That meant his paws were off my Ava.

A few other of Ava's culinary buddies showed up and I tried to get excited as they did when they ate and used words like "blanched" and "flambéed," words that really didn't mean much to me. Hiawatha came, he and I had actually been doing some work together fixing up an old bike he had that was in serious need of repair and it was nice to have a close male friend outside of the pack.

"Are you planning on playing butler all night or are you going to get to enjoy this shindig?" Paul asked, nursing a Heineken bottle. "And where's that girlfriend of yours? She's got my wife around here somewhere."

I choked on the asparagus I was eating. "You told Rachel?" Shit, shit, shit…the Alpha's sister knew and that could only mean a matter of time before everyone knew.

"Relax, will ya? Rachel knows not to say anything," he took another swig from the bottle. "But I wish you could've seen your face just now!" He chuckled and I half wanted to kick his ass for thinking my panic was funny.

I walked away and rolled my eyes. I don't mean to brag, but I must say we throw one hell of a party. Probably the greatest thing about it, though, was that Ava and I could be Ava and I. There was no pretending, there was no fear of imprinting, hell, not even any concern about wolves and vampires, except of course for the three wolves here.

I spotted Ava out of the corner of my eye, talking in a group with several other women. She looked beautiful in her sequined dress. I wondered if she knew just what she did to me when I saw her. If she knew that I loved her smile so much or that I wanted her to wear blue shoes when we got married, because I had every intention of spending the rest of my life with her. She was absolutely everything I never knew I always wanted.

As the night went on, I kept my eyes on Ava, even though I had conversations with people all the way across the room. As much as I was enjoying the party, I couldn't wait for everyone to go so I could have a few hours alone with my angel. It didn't end until three hours later. I helped with what I could of the cleaning up process and listened to her and Claire sing the Christmas carols that played while they restored the condo to its previous glory. Just as I was about to go upstairs, the iPod began to play "Baby, It's Cold Outside." I couldn't resist the urge to at least be in each others arms for a brief time. So I walked behind her and slid my arms around her waist, humming into her ear.

"Dance with me?" I asked. She nodded and turned to wrap her arms around my neck.

"I love this song," she whispered.

"Me too," I chuckled. "Makes me think about never letting you go from my arms."

I ought to say "no, no, no sir"
(mind if I move in closer)
at least I'm gonna say that i tried
(what's the sense in hurtin' my pride)
I really can't stay
(oh baby don't hold out)

Baby, it's cold outside

"Hmm…sounds nice," she said back as we swayed to the music. It was amazing to me how well our bodies seemed to fit together, how she fit perfectly against my chest like this.

I've gotta get home
(but baby you'd freeze out there)
say lend me a coat
(it's up to your knees out there)
you've really been grand
(I thrill when you touch my hand)
but don't you see?
(How can you do this thing to me?)
There's bound to be talk tomorrow
(think of my lifelong sorrow)
at least there will be plenty implied
(if you got pneumonia and died)
I really can't stay
(get over that old out)

Baby, it's cold, Baby, it's cold outside.

The song ended, as it seemed the playlist did but we didn't break apart right away. We both stood, still swaying in the kitchen, wrapped up in each other. I listened to her breathe and closed my eyes. This was all it took for me to find my center. If I had gone my whole life never feeling good enough, or important enough, I knew, in Ava's arms, I was loved, I was important.

"Uh, guys, don't you know the music stopped?" Claire said making me open my eyes and catch her with a funny look on her face.

"Yeah, we were kinda having a moment," Ava said. I could hear the annoyance in her voice and I fought back a laugh. "But thanks for ruining it. I'm going to remember that the next time you and Quil do whatever it is you two do."

Claire giggled. "You know what we do."

"And on that note, the moment truly is finished," Ava groaned.

"Glad to know I could help," Claire skipped off.

Ava pulled away but I pulled her back to me. "Thank you," I said, leaning over to kiss her. "I had a great night."

Ava grinned. "Me too." She leaned up to kiss me again. "Everything is all cleaned up and I'm ready for bed."

I wasn't sure how much of that was a clue to me that she wanted me with her or if she was just trying to tell me it was time for bed. It had started to become confusing the last few days. I knew we were keeping the physical part of our relationship pretty low-key. I had every intention of sleeping in my bedroom, I guess. I walked with her to her bedroom but stopped outside the door. "Good night," I whispered, giving her a final kiss. When I pulled away though, her eyes caught my attention. She was so beautiful and she looked at me so intensely. I could tell she was thinking.

"Don't go," she said. Her arms were around me in a matter of seconds and she pulled me into the world's tightest hug. "Stay with me."

I couldn't help but smile at that. We said we were going to take it slow and I was not going to be the one to blow it. "Okay," I blurted out. So much for being strong.

"I…you need to go to your room though," Ava said nervously.

Now I was thoroughly confused. "Okay?"

"Not for the night, you just need to go get something," she blushed. Ava never blushed…ever. I kept staring at her before it hit me what she was implying.

"Oh!" I yelped. Really, deep inside, I think me and Lil' Scar were about to jump out of our skin in anticipation. "Okay, I'll be right back."

"Hurry," she whispered, giving me a kiss.

"Yes, ma'am," I smirked. I ran as fast as I could to my room, going directly to my bedside table and pulling out about a half-dozen condoms. That was probably a bit presumptuous of me, but one can never be too careful. Not to mention that we should have some in her room to. You know, just in case. I shoved the condoms in my pocket and rushed out of my room, only to slam into a brick wall. "Shit!"

"And where the hell do you think you're going?" Quil asked, being the said brick wall.

I growled and shoved him, not too hard, but hard enough to get the point across. "Shut up, Quil."

He chuckled then and crossed his arms over his chest. "You know, you're really lucky I'm so good at keeping my thoughts to myself. Otherwise, the next time I patrolled with Seth, there'd be a fresh order of Scar's Balls on the menu the next day." I knew Quil thought he was being funny, but I also knew, whether he wanted to or not, he was protecting me. He knew about Ava and me. It wasn't just because Claire knew either.

"I know. Thank you for that," I said, nodding.

Quil leaned against the wall. "What's the rush, Romeo?"

This was really getting ridiculous. "Quil, please. Don't you have a cradle to rob?"

"Ha, ha, ha. You're a riot," he faked a laugh. "I just wanted to let you know that even if Claire and Ava weren't friends, I'm glad that Ava has you and that you have her. There's something there not even an imprint could have. But be careful. I don't want to have to imagine the fight that will happen between you and Seth if you knock her up."

I rolled my eyes. The Hallmark moment clearly gone now and replaced with Quil's sarcasm. "Thanks," I groaned. He finally let me pass and I literally ran back to Ava's room. I slowly opened the door, not finding her anywhere in the room. "Ava?"

"I'm in the bathroom. I'll be out there in just a second," she said softly. "Will you…will you light the candles by the bed?"

"Sure," I answered. I used the matches already set out and lit the candles on either side of the bed. I turned the bedroom light off before sitting on the edge of the bed and slipping off my God-awful dress shoes. I could hear Ava moving around in the bathroom and it made me very curious about what she was doing in there. I pulled my socks off, then moved to the top of the bed and leaned against the headboard. I swear the moment I closed my eyes, the bathroom door opened. I wasn't sure what I had thought Ava might have been doing, but this was better than anything I could've fantasized about. There she stood, leaning into the doorway, wearing her strapless bra, her black lacy panties, and her blue high heels.

"Had to hang up my dress," she said softly.

I ran my eyes from the tip of her toes up, to her soft calves, supple thighs, her everything was more perfect than anyone could describe.

"You're beautiful," I said. I got up and walked over to her, taking her hand in mine.

"I don't think so," she said. It was funny to see Ava's face turn pink when she blushed.

"You'd think wrong then," I smiled and then pulled her into my chest. I looked into her eyes and moved a stray hair from around her face. "I happen to think you are not only the most beautiful thing I've ever laid eyes on," I leaned down and kissed her lips gently and then pulled away. "I think you're the most caring, most intelligent, not to mention sexiest thing in the world." I kissed her again, this time with a little more passion. She pressed into me and wrapped her arms around my neck. I slid my tongue on her bottom lip and Ava more than happily parted her mouth. I couldn't stop myself from putting more into the kiss, letting my tongue get carried away and running my hands down her sides. I felt goosebumps rise up on her skin and I smiled. I pulled away again. "Not to mention that you can cook," I chuckled.

"I aim to please," she whispered. Fuck if that didn't make my body react more and I pulled her up to wrap her legs around my waist. "I love you," she said as I walked backwards and until my knees hit the edge of the bed.

"I love you too," I said against her lips. I heard her shoes hit the floor before starting to sit on the bed.

"Wait," she stopped me. "It's too hard to get you naked if you're sitting down." She loosened my tie and slipped it over my head before working on the buttons of my dress shirt. I kept hold of her as she slid it over my shoulders and off my arms, then placed gentle kisses on my pecs. "You may have to put me down for a second." As much as I hated to lose the contact, I did as she said and let her loose to stand in front of me. Without really saying anything else, Ava's small hands unbuttoned and unzipped my pants. She pushed them down, along with my boxer briefs. I kicked them away, realizing I was standing in front of her, completely naked. She bit her bottom lip. "Talk about beautiful, you're like a piece of art." Ava kissed my chest, then moved down to kiss my stomach. I felt her lips going lower and she stopped right as she reached my belly button.

"Ava," I groaned. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to handle it if she went much further.

"Relax," she said and pushed me backwards to sit on the bed. "Scoot to the top of the bed." I liked this commanding Ava, and by the looks of it, so did Little Scar. I did as she asked and then watched her pull a condom from the pocket of my discarded slacks.

"Not that I don't mind being naked, but I'd like you to join me." My voice was thick and I knew I must've sounded like a total horndog, but damn the things this woman did to me. She threw the condom on the bed, then turned away from me. I wasn't sure what she was doing until I saw her fingers unclasp her bra. She smiled evilly, looking over her shoulder at me. I smiled back at her.

"Better?" she asked, this time her voice more husky and thick.

"We're getting there," I grinned.

She hooked her fingers into the band of her panties and I swallowed hard, anticipating what was coming next. Almost painfully, she slipped them off until they fell down to her ankles. She kicked them away and grinned again. Very slowly she turned and faced me. I could see she was acting very confident, but there was a hint of vulnerability in her eyes. "It's just me, Ave. We don't have to do this if you don't want," I said.

"I'm okay, just a little intimidated," she swallowed hard as she looked at me. Ava closed the space between us, picked up the condom again, opened the foil packet, took it out and placed it on me. She crawled on the bed then moved up to straddle me. She pushed the condom down and I could swear I heard myself literally gasp for air. "I'm going to get us started, but I want you to be on top. It...I need that."

I nodded and pulled her to my chest again. "I just need you," I whispered to her. Ava wrapped her arms around my neck. She placed a wet kiss on my jaw, then across until she got to my lips. I felt her scoot forward even more and I thought for sure when I felt her hovering over Little Scar, there was no way I was going to last long at all.

"Ready?" Ava asked. She laced her fingers in my hair. I nodded and that was all it took. With a loud gasp, she slid down until I was completely inside her. I was pretty sure a moment passed before either of us breathed. Ava rocked her hips then pulled my head forward until my lips were on hers. My hands had been on her back but without thinking, I moved them to her hips while she kept kissing me. She may have been on top, but I was in control. I held her hips and moved them forward, then backwards. It was the most amazing sensation. Little Scar and I could attest to that. "Scar," she moaned.

"Love you," I groaned.

"Always," she said back.

I could feel her body starting to tighten I knew this was my cue to keep my promise from earlier and I kept her close as I moved us to put her on her back. Probably my favorite thing about making love to Ava is her love of kissing. That to me, kissing her like this, was almost as intimate as the other act we were presently involved in.

"Ugh! That feels…" Ava moaned and arched her back. I slowed my thrust a little because I knew she was close. Her eyes were closed tight and she was biting on her bottom lip. I looked at her and almost completely stopped. She was truly a magnificent creature. I started to move again, kissing her neck. "Wait!" She yelled to stop me. "Go slower."

I did as she said and slowed my ministrations. She kept her eyes closed but I felt her running her fingers down my back, then up to chest. She slowly hitched one of her legs up over my hip. We moved together until I heard her gasp. "Scar…Sca—" She shuddered under me and I felt her tighten around me. With four more thrusts and Ava's deep moans, my own release was right behind hers. "We need to do that more often," she said, slightly out of breath.

"I concur," I chuckled. "That was…"

"No words," Ava breathed out.

"Exactly," I said, still trying to catch my breath and wrap my brain around it all.

"I love making love to you, Scar," Ava looked up at me. I was inside her and her fingers ran through my hair. Her eyes sparkled and I had a hard time deciding if she was more beautiful with the sequined dress from the party on or now, naked with a glean of sex sweat.

"That's good, because I love making love to you and I plan on being able to for a very long time," I said. She giggled as and I rolled off so I could lay on my back.

I felt Ava roll in my arms and look up at me. "Can I ask you a question?"

I couldn't help but run my hand down her back. I loved how her bare skin felt under my fingertips. "Of course," I watched her eyes rake over my chest.

"Why me?" she put her hands under her chin. "You could have anyone in the world but you chose me. Why?"

I couldn't stop the smile that formed either. I had thought almost the same question, only I was trying to figure out why Ava would want me. I'd seen the way guys looked at her. She could do so much better than me but she chose me, she loved me. "Because when I'm with you, I'm me." She gave me a little bit of a confused look. "I can be sad and happy with you. I can tell you about my life, past, present, and future, and you always love me. It's always been you, Ava. Even when I didn't know it, when I couldn't say it, it was you."

Ava pulled herself up and launched herself at me. She moved her lips to mine and kissed me harder than I'd ever been kissed before. "I knew it was you, too. From the first time I set eyes on you. It may not have been an imprint, but I just knew." I kissed her this time and pulled her up more so she could straddle me. I was pretty sure we were going for round two. She grinded herself against me and kept kissing me. Then, all of the sudden she stopped. "I need you to promise me something."

"Okay," I said simply.

Her eyes got sadder and her face fell slightly. "If…When…No, if…if you imprint, you have to promise me you will tell me right away. No trying to hide it, Scar. I want to know and I want us to be able to discuss where we go from there. But I don't want to be in the dark about it. I need you to tell me."

I wanted to object but I could see her emerald eyes full of worry. I wanted to tell her that I would fight forever for her if I needed to. That there was no need to be worried, but that was a foolish thought on my part. I had to hope that if the day every came, and I imprinted, I would be able to fight and be strong for Ava. I didn't tell her that though. If I had tried to she would've gotten pissed and then there would be no physical contact for weeks. Instead, I answered her the way that popped into my head. "I will," I said simply. Now, I just had to be sure I never, ever had to keep that promise.

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