“Alright. Good. Natalie, this is…”

“Maia told me,” Natalie, said trying to keep the smile from her face.

Ava gave a halfhearted sigh. “What did Maia say?”

“That Dominic was your new boyfriend.”

“Ignore Maia. She doesn’t understand the situation.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Natalie. I am Ava’s new boyfriend but I’m also the new bodyguard,” Dominic said extending his hand.

Ava mentally cringed.

Natalie shook it, while eyeing Ava. “Nice to meet you. I’m Maia’s nanny. Well, I guess I’d better get back to Maia.”

“Okay. Just make sure she’s back in time for supper,” Ava said.

“Of course,” Natalie said before leaving.

Ava put her hands on her hips and glared at Dominic. “Must you tell everybody that?”

“It’s the truth.”

“It may be, but some things should remain private.”

Dominic laughed. “I’m going to be here for a while and we won’t be in separate bedrooms so, she was bound to figure it out.”

“Who said we weren’t sleeping in separate bedrooms?” Ava asked.

“Ava, come on. Be serious.”

“I am. I have a daughter. What if she sees you in my room?”

“I’m protecting you. That’s all you have to say.”

“You have all the answers, don’t you?”

Without giving him a chance to respond, Ava snatched her purse from the small table and marched towards the stairs. “I’m going to take a long, hot bath.”

“Alright. I’ll be there as soon as I get my things out of your car,” Dominic called up after her.

Ava tried to ignore the quivering in her stomach that started at hearing Dominic’s promise. The last thing you need to be thinking about is getting some nookie, Ava. Her inner voice may have been right but her body didn’t care. Today had been beyond stressful. Maybe a little stress relief was what she needed. She turned on the light in her bedroom and threw her purse on the bed, before continuing on to her en-suite bathroom. Flicking on the lights, she walked over to the large, two-person tub and turned on the multiple nozzles. Hot and flowing, it was just what she needed.

As the water poured into the large, round tub, Ava added bubble bath and quickly stripped. Naked, she stared at herself in the mirror, as she waited for the water to rise a little more. A good long, soak was exactly what she needed. She couldn’t believe how Angelo had acted. In that caveman mind of his, he seemed to really believe that he had some kind of claim on her. And Dominic was really no better.

She grabbed a washcloth and drying towel from under the sink. Putting the drying towel on the counter, she held onto the washcloth and climbed into the tub. The water felt fantastic. Ava eased herself down into the water and turned off the nozzles. She lay back against the tub, the water almost up to her shoulders. Closing her eyes, she sighed in contentment. Maybe a few moments alone was just what she needed. The tenseness of the day seemed to drain away as the water caressed her muscles.

A touch along her neck startled her. Eyes opening, she realized what it was. Dominic’s lips. He pressed soft kisses down her neck. She couldn’t help enjoying it. His lips trailed lower down, to her collarbone. She pushed away from the tub to look at him.

“Is that all you think about?” she asked.

“No, but I figured you might need a little stress relief.”

“Stress relief involves a massage and a foot rub,” Ava said.

“It also involves making love and we haven’t done that today,” Dominic said twirling a strand of her hair.

“Then what was that in the elevator?”

“A quickie.”

“What if I said I was too tired for anything else?” Ava asked. A smile curved the corner of her lips.

“I’d say you were lying.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I’m sure as soon as I climb into that tub with you, you’ll be all over me.”

“You act like I have no will power. I can do just fine without sex.”

“You probably could before you met me, but now your body knows what it’s missing.”

“I’m sure you could get in this tub right now and I wouldn’t be tempted,” Ava said.

Dominic rose. “Challenge accepted.”

He began to remove his clothes and Ava watched, wondering if she had made a mistake. When he was naked and standing beside the tub, she couldn’t keep her eyes off his cock. It jutted out proud, impressive and obviously ready for another round. Dominic climbed into the tub and sat next to her.

“Feels great. Doesn’t it?”

“Sure does,” he said.

Determined to beat him at his own game, she closed her eyes and tried to ignore that he was right next to her. Ava knew she’d lost when she felt his hand caress her breast. Defeated, she turned to him and waited for his kiss. There was no point in fighting a battle she couldn’t win.

Chapter Twenty-Four

“Ava, please talk to me. Say something.”

Ava shook her head. They’d picked Maia up from school and returned home, the picture of quiet domesticity. After two days they were settling into a comfortable schedule. Just like the first day they’d met, Maia had monopolized Dominic’s attention until her bedtime, leaving Ava alone with her thoughts. But now, Dominic stood next to her bed, waiting. She knew he wanted to know why she’d been so silent all afternoon, but she didn’t want to share her feelings. She didn’t want to share anything, but him staring at her with soft, puppy-dog eyes wasn’t helping things either.

He sat down on the bed beside her. He reached for her and she leaned away from him. He swore softly under his breath.

“I understand you’re on edge. You have a lot going on right now.

“Like someone trying to kill you and I both. I need to go see Smitty again. Maybe he has some info.”

“Who’s Smitty?” Dominic asked.

“Nobody for you to worry about. Let’s talk about you.”

“What about me?”

“This isn’t weird for you? I’m your stepmother, maybe. I was married to your father.”

“I stopped seeing you as Joseph’s the night I came to the house.”

“Really? And how do you see me now?”

“As mine.”

“Yours?”

“Yes. Some things are just meant to be.”

Ava laughed. “I can’t deal with you getting all mushy on me. Some of the things you say are definite no-no’s for a man.”

“Would you rather I not told you how I felt and just used you for sex like most men do?”

“No.”

“Alright then. You don’t have to fight me so hard, Ava. I’m not the enemy.”

“When you’ve had a life like I have, you look at everyone that way. It’s safer than allowing yourself to trust anyone.”

“I want you to trust me, Ava.”

Dominic pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“And what about the lawsuit? Hard to believe you’re serious when you’re still taking me to court.”

“The suit is over.”

Ava leaned back to look at Dominic. Her eyes stretched. “What do you mean, the suit is over?”

“I called my attorney when we got back to the house. I told him I was dropping the lawsuit. Naturally he tried to talk me out of it, but I told him to file the paperwork in the morning and send me the bill.”

He’d dropped the suit. Holy Mary, Mother of God. This was almost too good to be true. She was going to have to see the papers with her own eyes.

There was nothing she could hide behind now. No reason to keep pushing him away. No reason to keep denying what was obvious. Somehow, somewhere along the way, he’d seemed to have developed real feelings for her. Clue the Twilight Zone horror music. She wiped her hand across her face.

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why did you do that?” Ava asked.

Dominic laughed. “Do you really have to ask?”

“Yes I do. A chance to one-up me?”

Dominic turned her so that she was facing him. There was something behind his eyes she hadn’t seen before. Something that suddenly made her very, very afraid.

“Because I think I just might love you.”