Nobody's Obligation (Swimming Upstream #2) (23 page)

Chapter 44

Ava

Gulping down her embarrassment, Ava padded across the apartment in her bare feet and climbed up on the stool at the kitchen bench. As she sipped her ice water she tried to cool herself. She was on fire, and it was only her imagination making her that way. Okay, maybe her imagination and the way that Tyler kept looking at her.

“So…” Ava wondered out loud.

Tyler couldn’t hide the wide, effortless smile that covered his face. “So…” he taunted, leaning back against the bench behind him, casually sipping his drink.

Sighing heavily, Ava knew she was trapped. Tyler wasn’t giving an inch. “So, what’s next? Are you feeding me or not?” Ava pouted, using the very last of her courage.

“I suppose I could do that.” Tyler said casually, straightening himself and ducking into the fridge.

“Good!” Ava replied as she leant back casually on the stool.

“Oh no, Ava, don’t get too comfortable.”

“What? Why?”

“You’re cooking!” Tyler joked before dropping an armload of food on the bench between them.

“Excuse me?” Ava asked, agape.

“You heard me. You’re cooking tonight—well, helping anyway.”

Feigning shock, Ava held her hand to her chest. If Tyler wanted to play, she could play along. “So you mean to say, Jake bought me a date so I can cook for myself?”

“Yep!”

“What a waste of money,” Ava added under her breath as she stood up, walked into the kitchen, and washed her hands.

Minutes later Tyler was frying chicken while she sliced and diced vegetables. It didn’t matter how many times he assured her that in the end it would be a delicious stir-fry, Ava just didn’t buy it. She was generally a pretty decent cook at home but as she watched the way Tyler tossed an assortment of spices and sauces into the mix, she wasn’t convinced.

As Ava diced the carrots she couldn’t help but steal a glance at Tyler. He was the complete opposite of everything she’d always imagined. He was barefoot in the kitchen, wearing nothing but a pair of jeans that hung deliciously on his hips and a t-shirt which fitted him like a second skin, softly singing to himself as he sautéed their dinner. It was so…normal. So…domestic. And the part that frightened Ava the most was that it just felt so…natural.

While Ava’s eyes glazed over and were indecently caressing Tyler’s perfect muscles, Tyler caught her. “Enjoying the view?” He mocked, causing her to burn with embarrassment.

“Actually, I was wondering if that was going to be edible,” Ava shot back, surprising even herself with the speed of her reply.

“Of course! Wanna taste?” Tyler asked, stalking towards her, wooden spoon held out high.

“Um…I’m okay,” Ava spluttered between giggles.

When Tyler’s deep guttural laugh joined hers, Ava realised she was head over heels in love. She didn’t want to be. She would have preferred anything else, but the truth was right there. Everything was so easy, so simple, and so effortless with Tyler. As quickly as the truth slammed her in the side of the head, Ava forced it back down and tried to ignore it. He was still Tyler Andrews, and tonight wasn’t something he had chosen. Someone had paid him to do it. Someone had paid a lot of money for him to take her out.

“Fucking Jake!” Ava grumbled under her breath.

“Sorry?” Tyler asked, his focus drifting from the wok in front of him back to Ava.

Slightly embarrassed that he had overheard her, Ava shook her head, hoping to hide her humiliation beneath the veil of her hair. “So, where are the bowls and cutlery? I’ll set the table,” Ava offered, thankful for the distraction.

Tyler pointed them out, and moments later Ava was searching his kitchen, locating cutlery, bowls, glasses, and even napkins. “You have real linen napkins?” Ava asked, slightly shocked.

“Yeah?”

“Aren’t you a single guy living it up in your bachelor pad?”

“Yeah, I suppose?”

“And you have napkins?”

“So?”

“Why?”

Then Tyler finally caught on that Ava was teasing him. “Mum?” he answered honestly with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Yep! Now it makes sense.”

“What does?”

“Mummy’s boy,” Ava spluttered before another fit of giggles took hold of her.

Without a word, Tyler killed the gas under the wok, stalked around the bench, and grabbed Ava around the waist. As she tried to squirm out of his grasp, the laughter increased as they toppled off balance and onto the chaise. Instead of letting go, Tyler continued to hold Ava on top of him and mercilessly tickled her ribs.

“Stop!” Ava squawked loudly.

“Promise to be nice?”

“What…I am nice.”

“No. You’ve been mean to me all night. Now promise.” Tyler held firm as his tickling intensified.

“I…I…never!” Ava added as she finally wiggled out of his grasp and pushed herself away from his wide, warm chest.

Almost doubled over from laughing and struggling to suck in a breath, Ava ran like a child to the other side of the island bench and watched Tyler. He rose gracefully to his feet and stalked her across the room. The look in his eyes was animalistic, like he was stalking his prey. Moving through the apartment, Ava was stunned at how much fun they were having. This wasn’t normal.

Ava darted left, but with Tyler’s long arms he managed to ensnare her wrist in his hand and tug her back towards him. Slightly off balance, Ava toppled towards him only to crash headfirst into his chest. Looking up, she blushed and tried to pull away. “Please…” she gasped, still struggling to find her breath.

“Promise?” he asked, making it sound like she only had one last chance.

“Fine!” Ava huffed, pushing him away with the last of her energy. “But you better feed me.”

With the mischievous twinkle in his eye and the panty-dropping smile painted across his face, Ava knew she had no hope. No hope of winning. No hope of protecting herself. No hope of holding onto her heart. Whether he knew it or not, Tyler owned her.

“Come on then, let’s get you some food,” Tyler replied, walking back into the kitchen. “Hopefully, you’ll be less bitchy once you’re fed,” he added just for good measure.

“Doubt it,” Ava pouted.

Within minutes they were kicking back on the lounge, the television on quietly in front of them even though neither was really paying attention, while they ate their noodles in silence. But it wasn’t that weird, uncomfortable silence that had Ava squirming. It was all just too easy. And as much as she didn’t want to admit it, dinner was delicious. The boy could cook.

When they were finished, Tyler stood, took her plate, and cleaned up, refusing to let Ava help. She watched as he quickly stacked the dishwasher, wiped down the bench, and killed the harsh white light, leaving the rest of the room bathed in a soft glow from the scattered lamps.

Moments later Tyler slumped down on the lounge beside her, handed her a spoon, and opened the tub of double chocolate swirl ice cream. Ava didn’t want to look like a pig since she’d only just finished her noodles, but the allure of chocolate ice cream was just too enticing.

As Ava licked the spoon of every trace of chocolaty goodness, she caught Tyler watching her with wide eyes. “What? Do I have it all over my face?” Ava asked, swiping quickly at her mouth.

“No, no. Nothing like that,” Tyler assured her.

“What?”

“Nothing. Don’t worry about it!”

“Now you’re staring at me. I can’t eat anymore.” Ava pouted, dropping her spoon into the tub.

“Oh, come on,” Tyler encouraged, as he scooped a large blob onto his spoon and pretended like it was an airplane right up until it was barely touching her lips. “Open,” Tyler breathed huskily.

Ava nearly melted at his tone. Somehow everything about tonight had been perfect. Since he’d told her he was picking her up earlier in the week, Ava had been a nervous wreck. She’d barely slept, she’d hardly eaten, and she’d bitten everyone’s head off who dared come near her. But somehow he’d pulled off the perfect evening. And what made it even better was it felt like he wasn’t trying. Ava opened her mouth and Tyler fed her the ice cream.

Moments later, with her heart beating out of her chest, Ava managed to look up into Tyler’s captivating brown eyes and drowned. One look and she was gone. “So…” she mumbled suddenly, her stomach in her throat.

“So…” Tyler encouraged, taking a huge scoop of ice cream, the melted bits on the side dribbling down his chin. Ava managed to refrain from reaching out and licking it off, but just barely. Tyler laughed and fumbled as he dropped the tub on the coffee table and wiped his face.

Ava giggled openly and honestly. She was having a great time. “So…this is what a thirty thousand dollar date with Tyler Andrews looks like?”

Chapter 45

Tyler

Tyler didn’t know how to respond. He’d done everything he could possibly think of to make Ava comfortable and she thought he was a cheapskate. He could have taken her anywhere. He could have flown her halfway around the world if that’s what he thought she wanted. They could have had coffee and croissants in a cosy cafe in Paris overlooking the Champs-Élysées, or had the biggest and juiciest steak Ava had ever seen in the middle of Texas. The truth was Tyler could have given her the world. But he thought all she wanted was normalcy. He’d led himself to believe that Ava wasn’t interested in money or fame and everything that goes along with it. The possibility that he could be wrong made his stomach squirm.

“I…” he stumbled, unable to find words. “Ava—”

“Tyler, stop! Please!” Ava begged, holding up her hand.

Tyler stood from the lounge without a word, collected her spoon, and stomped into the kitchen to put the ice cream back in the freezer. He spotted his car keys lying on the bench taunting him. Was now the moment he took Ava home? After all, he’d fulfilled his obligations.

Ava jumped up and scurried into the kitchen behind him. “What I just said…” She gulped, her face inflamed. “I didn’t mean it the way it sounded.”

Tyler looked at Ava and saw fear and remorse etched across her features. He knew she was telling the truth. It didn’t make the words hurt any less, but at least he knew she was sorry. Shrugging his shoulders as nonchalantly as possible, Tyler urged her to continue.

“What I was trying—what I wanted to say—shit, this isn’t coming out right!” Ava growled, frustrated.

As much as Tyler wanted to be angry, seeing Ava struggle wasn’t making him feel better. If he let himself admit it, watching as she flooded herself with guilt should have made him happy, but the truth was it just made him feel worse. He never wanted to be the cause of Ava’s pain.

Stepping forward, Tyler reached out and took Ava’s hand in his own. “Ava, it’s okay,” he assured her, ignoring the churning in his stomach.

Tyler watched for a moment as Ava fought her internal demons. After a few deep breaths, Ava looked down at their intertwined fingers before raising her eyes to meet Tyler’s penetrating eyes. “What I was trying to say is thank you. I know I fucked it up and it’s okay if you want to hate me, but I wanted to let you know that I had an amazing time tonight. The truth is I was dreading this night from the moment Jake thought it would be funny to force me into it. I’ve been a nervous wreck all week and I really didn’t want to be here.” As defeat consumed Tyler’s face, Ava realised she’d stuffed up again. “And not because I didn’t want to spend time with you, because I did. I really did. But I didn’t want the whole world to know. All week I’ve copped crap about us from people who should know better and I don’t understand why. They’ve never cared about me before but all of a sudden everything I do and everything I say is open to opinion—and I hate that. I hate people looking at me. I hate talking about me. And I knew if we went to a restaurant, even if it was the local McDonalds, someone would find us and the drama would start again. And—” Ava babbled.

Tyler wanted to laugh. He could see the turmoil Ava had been battling, although some of the things she’d garbled made him angry, but he understood. It wasn’t him she was afraid of. It was what being with him would inevitably do to her life.

“Ava…” he whispered, his warm breath caressing her cheek. Ava froze. He felt her fingers tense in his hand and watched as her eyes stretched open as wide as they could. “It’s okay,” he assured her as he dropped a kiss on her heated cheek.

“But…” Ava protested.

“No. No buts.”

Ava stumbled. She didn’t know what to say to that. Instead she looked down at their hands, then up to meet Tyler’s mesmerising chocolate eyes, and as she exhaled the breath she hadn’t even been sure she’d been holding she somehow knew it would be okay.

Without a word Tyler led her back to the lounge and gently nudged her back into her spot. As soon as he’d thought of Ava having a dedicated spot on his lounge he shook it away. She’d just had a meltdown about what his life would do to her and he was imagining her having a permanent role. Forcing the image from his mind, Tyler dropped onto the lounge beside her, grabbed the remote, and pressed play.

“Watch a movie with me?” he asked, his voice trembling.

“Sure,” Ava agreed quietly as she tried to pull her hand away, but Tyler held firm. He wasn’t ready to let go. Not yet anyway.

As Ava snuggled down into the cushions, she tucked her feet up under her and tried to straighten her dress, sighing in frustration as she tugged at it as if to magically make it longer.

“What?” Tyler asked with a smirk.

“Nothing,” Ava grumbled, extracting her hand from his and wiggling further.

When she growled, Tyler couldn’t restrain his chuckle, “Ava, what’s wrong?”

“Word of wisdom for you, Tyler. Next time you ask someone out, maybe tell them where they’re going and what they’ll be doing for the evening,” Ava snarled, perturbed.

“Why? That takes the fun out of it!”

“So that if all you’re doing is watching a movie, she can wear jeans!”

“Jeans? But you look great,” he offered, still not catching on.

“Who cares about looks? I can’t get bloody comfortable sitting like a damn lady!”

Ava’s outburst caused Tyler to break out in infectious laughter and it was barely moments later that she was laughing too. “Is—that—all?” he gasped between chuckles.

“Is that all?” Ava repeated, shooting him a murderous look.

Without a word, Tyler slipped gracefully from the lounge and walked away.

“Where are you going?”

But Tyler didn’t answer. Moments later he returned, changed into black sweat pants that hung deliciously from his hips. “Right. I’m going to fix the problem and then we can sit down, shut up, and watch the movie!”

“How?” Ava murmured, her stomach filling with butterflies.

“You have two choices,” Tyler offered. “I have sweat pants and a jumper for you to wear. I know they’ll be too big for you but I found some that have a drawstring and you can just roll them up, you know, since you’re so short,” he teased. “Or I can throw a blanket over you?”

Tyler watched Ava with interest. This was a win-win for him. He knew from past experience that if she wore his clothes they would smell like her for weeks. Definitely a win. But if she chose the blanket, the one he’d pulled off his bed, each night he would be surrounded by her scent as he drifted off to sleep. The truth was, the only reason Tyler had given her the choice was because he couldn’t make it.

“Well, what’s it going to be?” he asked, holding each arm out. Ava looked from one side and back to the other. “Come on. The trailers are almost over,” he hurried her.

“Fine!” Ava grumbled as she grabbed the blanket and tossed it quickly across her legs.

“Good call!” Tyler said, dropping the clothes on the floor beside him and sliding back into on the lounge. He couldn’t help but let his distracted eyes wander across Ava’s body. He knew she was trying to be annoyed, but the look on her face gave her away.

The movie rolled on and Tyler continued to watch Ava. She was holding herself so stiffly it was like she was too scared to relax. Too afraid to let go. Tyler wanted her happy. He wanted her to be comfortable in his home, but more importantly, he wanted her to be comfortable with him.

“Ava.”

“Yeah?” she said, lifting her head from the back of the lounge.

“I have a confession.”

Tyler saw the veil of terror take over and rushed his words. “I brought you here tonight for you. I mean, you’re right. I could have taken you anywhere. But Jake…”

“Fucking Jake!” Ava swore, cutting off Tyler’s speech. He could see her stiffen, as if she was waiting for a bombshell. She was bracing herself for the worst.

“Don’t be angry at him, Ava. Jake told me about what had been going on at work. He suggested I take a low-key approach. He doesn’t know what I did with the info though,” Tyler explained nervously.

Sighing heavily, Ava gave up and sank into Tyler, dropping her head on his shoulder. Tyler could feel the warmth from Ava’s soft body though his shirt. The urge to wrap his arms around her had never been stronger but he refrained, even if it meant balling his fists at his side and clenching his jaw.

“It’s okay,” Ava whispered, as she wiggled her body closer to Tyler. “Let’s just watch the movie. What is it, anyway?” Ava asked, changing the subject to something safe.

Relief flooded Tyler. She wasn’t pissed at him. He’d never been more thankful in his life. The scent of coconut enveloped his senses as her hair tickled his nose. “
What Happens in Vegas
,” he replied softly as he tucked an errant curl behind her ear.

Ava and Tyler sat enjoying the comfortable silence that had descended upon them. Tyler’s concentration was non-existent as he tried to force himself to focus on the screen, when all he could think of was Ava’s soft skin in his arms. Thankfully, he’d already seen this movie a million times, so if Ava commented, he wouldn’t look like a fool.

Half an hour into the movie, Tyler wiggled, trying to settle into the lounge.

Ava tried to sit up and pull away from him, but Tyler held steady. “I’m too heavy. I’m squashing you,” she told him as she tried again.

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

“Tyler, let me get off you,” Ava tried again, looking up from under her lashes.

Tyler’s breath caught in his chest. Looking down at her, she looked perfect. She was caught somewhere in that Zen state between awake and asleep. Tyler knew he wasn’t letting her go. “Not on your life,” he growled, pulling her against him even tighter. Taking the opportunity, Tyler stretched his legs out and dropped them on the coffee table.

“You’re huge!” Ava exclaimed before realising what she had just said.

Tyler couldn’t control the laughter rumbling through his body. Mortified, Ava grabbed a cushion and buried her face in the soft fabric. “Ava, its fine. I know what you meant,” Tyler assured her as his laughter faded.

“I can’t believe I just said that,” Ava mumbled, still hiding.

“Come on,” Tyler encouraged, pulling her against him even closer, causing her to drop the pillow she’d been cowering behind. “Trust me, I’ve been called worse!”

Flushed from head to toe, Ava shot him the most murderous look she could muster. “I hate you.”

“No, you don’t. You just wish you did.” Tyler smirked and tucked her neatly under his arm.

Tyler watched as Ava battled her inner demons. He could read her like a book. He knew that as much as Ava wanted to fight it, she couldn’t. For a long moment she held her body as stiff as a board but it wouldn’t last. Trying to remain aloof was pointless and within moments Tyler felt her quickly give up and curl into his side as he dropped an innocent kiss on her forehead.