“Avie . . . what’s going on with you? First, you go roaring off on the back of Dom’s bike, and next you’re flying down the streets of Garden City wrapping yourself around a car. This isn’t you; this isn’t the woman I know. I mean . . . is there something I need to know about you and Dom?”

Ava held her breath, wondering if Mac was aware that he had stopped treating her injuries and was now stroking a fingertip along the sensitive skin of her arm, causing an involuntary shiver. If he noticed, he gave no indication. He continued to touch her while waiting for her answer.

“Would it bother you?” she asked quietly. She knew it was juvenile to insinuate that there was something romantic between her and Dominic, but she wanted—no, she needed—Mac to care.

Mac expelled a breath before his hand moved from her arm and glided up to her neck, lingering on the pulse beating wildly there. “You have no idea, Avie. He’s my brother, and I’d give him everything I have . . . but not you, baby. Never you. You. Belong. To. Me.”

His hand rested against her neck, and their eyes locked. His expression was wild and fierce and for the first time she wasn’t scared. She wanted to taste his lips more than she wanted her next breath. Without allowing herself time to think, she raised her other hand, reaching up to pull his head lower. A hint of uncertainty flickered across his face just before their mouths connected and then her body sizzled with awareness of him. Unlike with their other kiss, Mac seemed to wait for her to take control, to deepen the contact. She tentatively touched her tongue along the seam of his lips, wanting to taste him. He groaned deep in his throat before opening his mouth and tangling his tongue with hers. In that moment, she understood for the first time where the inspiration for every romance novel and romantic movie came from. It was this . . . feeling as if you were on the verge of unlocking all the infinite secrets of the universe with just one kiss.

Time seemed to stand still as she experienced her first real kiss as a grown woman. Mac had kissed her one other time, but her fear had kept her from truly getting lost in the moment. This time, she was more than a willing participant. She took the lead in kissing him. She explored every corner of his mouth, tasting coffee and the minty flavor of his toothpaste. As his hands threaded through her hair, pulling her closer, she felt a small trickle of unease. She reminded herself that this was Mac. He’d never hurt her, never force her. She murmured a protest when his lips left her mouth only to kiss down her jaw, then her neck. “Mac . . . oh, Mac . . . please . . .” Something was buzzing on the table beside them, cutting through the haze of desire she was in. Mac cursed under his breath before pulling back. Almost in sync, they both looked over to see his phone lighting up and on the screen in bold letters it said CALL FROM GWEN.

“Fuck,” Mac rasped out, reaching over to hit the IGNORE button on his phone. Ava guessed she should be grateful for that at least. After all, she was the other woman here, not Gwen. Even knowing that, she didn’t think she could handle hearing Mac talk to Gwen as if he hadn’t just had his lips all over Ava. By now, they were both breathing hard, trying to come down from the high they had just experienced. Ava’s face colored in embarrassment when Mac looked at her. Had she really just been sucking on his tongue? Part of her felt the need to yell, “You go, girl,” and part of her wanted to crawl under the chair she was sitting in. She had kissed Mac, and it had felt better than she could ever have imagined. She squeezed her legs together as her core ached for her to finish what she had started. Being reminded that Mac had another woman in his life, though, had ended her moment of boldness. “Avie . . .”

Ava jumped to her feet, not wanting to answer all the questions that she saw on Mac’s face. She needed time to gather her thoughts and her courage before anything else happened between them, including a conversation. “Mac, I really need to get back to my car now. I, um . . . have plans soon, so I need to get home and change.”

Mac put his hands on his hips, looking suspicious. “What kind of plans? They had better not involve a damn motorcycle or skates.”

“Ur . . . no. I’m meeting Emma for lunch today.”

“I thought Brant and Emma were visiting her parents this weekend.”

God, was there nothing the man didn’t know? “I meant Ella. I’m meeting Ella. You know, last-minute baby things.”

Looking skeptical, Mac asked, “What kind of baby things?”

Suddenly, she remembered the conversation between Beth and Ella at lunch yesterday and blurted out, “Breast pumps.” Mac’s cheeks flushed, and if she hadn’t embarrassed herself as well, she’d probably have laughed. Apparently, mentioning anything to do with breast-feeding was the equivalent of discussing your period with men. They simply folded right in front of your eyes.

“I . . . yeah . . . okay . . . sure, that’s good,” Mac stuttered as he dropped his gaze, shifting his feet on the floor restlessly. He gathered himself and walked over to help her when she struggled to pull the shirt back over her head. Ava limped back out to his Tahoe, and all too soon, he was pulling in next to her car.

Turning to him, she said, “Thanks for taking care of me today.”

He grabbed her wrist before she could open the door, halting her exit. “No more crazy stuff, right? You’re not the type of person to risk your neck like that.”

Ava put her hand over his, saying simply, “Maybe I’ve changed, Mac. I need to take more risks now—I have to.”

Clearly irritated and even more confused, Mac asked, “What could you possibly hope to gain from all this?”

Pulling her arm from his hold, she opened the door of his vehicle. Before slipping out, she turned back to him, finally answering his question with one simple word—“You.”

With that, she slammed the door behind her and hobbled back to her car. Mac was still sitting there staring at her when she drove away. She didn’t think he understood fully what she was trying to say, but between the kiss that she had initiated and her answer to his question, he was surely starting to realize that something had changed. She only hoped that she didn’t break a bone before she gained his full attention. She would be a good girl and not do anything crazy today as he had asked, but she wasn’t finished yet by a long shot. She had gotten under Mac’s skin more in the last twenty-four hours than she had in months . . . since Gwen came along, and she intended to keep going. Just maybe with a helmet and pads the next time.