Spark: Book 1 (The Heat Series) Read online

  “Frames isn’t that far from here, so do you want to go and get silly?”

  Ava laughed.

  “Okay, but it is Friday night, and we might not get a lane.”

  “Then we can have another drink and watch the other people get silly.” Xander gestured for the waitress to give them their check. He paid after arguing with Ava about going dutch, and she wanted to pay for Frames. Xander had no intention of letting her pay for anything. To him, this was a date, and he was going to pay whether she wanted him to or not.

  They walked the six blocks. The night had gotten a bit chillier, and Ava was happy that she had taken her jacket.

  When they arrived at Frames, it was packed. No alleys were available, and the pool tables had a line, so they decided to have a drink at the bar. Xander ordered a beer and Ava switched to a Cosmo. She was starting to feel tipsy since this was her third drink in a short space of time. She sipped the drink and leaned against Xander at the bar while he pointed what was going on in the various lanes.

  After forty-five minutes, “Can we go back to my place? I’m feeling very tired.”

  Xander was all for going back to her place. She allowed him to hold her hand to lead her out as the place was hard to navigate. They got to the street, and the chilly air was refreshing. Xander was still holding her hand. He had pulled her close to his body and held her arm against him. She wasn’t sure what she should do. Should I pull my hand out of his? However, deep inside Ava felt comforted by his possessiveness. No one had ever been this way with her not even Liam. He is my boss though and wasn’t this inappropriate? She wasn’t sure what the answer was, but she was a bit woozy and needed his guidance to stay upright.

  They got to her building after a short walk, and he gently pushed her towards the elevators. When they arrived on her floor, she had trouble with her keys. Xander pulled them from her hand and opened the door. She kicked off her shoes and left them in front of the foyer closet. Ava pulled him by the hand into her living area, and she dropped down onto the couch.

  “So what do you want to do?”

  If I tell her what I really want to do, she will probably slap me in the face. Xander had a million things that he wanted to do to her, and they were all out of the scope of boss to employee.

  “Anything you want,” he said, instead of revealing his true desire. Ava reached for the remote and turned on the TV. She flipped through the channels and stopped on a rerun of Sex in the City. Xander sat watching amused that she would want to watch this show with him. She leaned into his chest, and he let her. He wanted to be close to her even if it was just as friends. Her hair tickled his nose, but it smelled great.

  His cashmere sweater was soft and his cologne intoxicating. She leaned her cheek against his muscular chest and his arm slid around the side of her holding her against him. Maybe it was the alcohol or the fact that she felt slighted by Liam, but she felt content in his arms. She didn’t say anything to him and slowly started to fall asleep.

  Xander heard her even deep breathing. “Ava?” He whispered. “Ava?” She didn’t move. He gently stroked her cheek with his fingers; she did not stir. He didn’t want to leave her sleeping on the couch, so he gently pushed her back against the chaise. He rose up and went to her bedroom to pull back the covers on her bed. He placed her in it and pulled the covers over her. He wrote a note on the same pad he had used previously. Then he crept out of her room and left her apartment. Xander felt sad at the loss of her from his arms. He would have loved to hold her all night.

  Ava woke the next morning in bed with no recollection of how she got there. She was still dressed in the clothing she had on last night. Then she spied the note on her bedside table.

  Ava,

  You fell asleep. I didn’t want to leave you on the couch all night, so I carried you to bed. Sorry, you had to sleep in your clothes, but you looked so peaceful I didn’t want to wake you. I will text you tomorrow. Sleep well sweetheart.

  Xander

  She yawned and pushed the covers off her. She looked at her phone, no message of any sort from Liam. She was growing tired of his lack of communication but wasn’t going to lower her standards by sending him an email. She was not going to chase him. If he wanted her, then he would have to be the one to give chase. She clicked on the weather and checked to see what the temperature was going to be hour by hour. It was 8:30 and fifty-two degrees; by eleven, it was supposed to be sixty-three. It would be a good day to go for a light jog around the perimeter of Washington Square Park. She loved to go there in the cool weather. It got her out of the gym, and she still was able to get in a run close to home. Her hair had come loose from the ponytail holder that was now somewhere in her bed. After sleeping in her clothes all night she wanted to take a shower before she ran even if that meant another one when she got back.

  When she was finished, she put on a pair of running shorts, a long sleeved t-shirt, and her running shoes. She retrieved her Camelbak from the pantry and filled it with water. It was perfect for a short run because she could strap it to her waist and also had pockets for other items. When she was ready, she headed for the park, only a few blocks away. There still was a chill in the air but by the time she got done with her run, she would be sweating. She hurried along and when she arrived she started on a slow jog along the street. It was early, and the streets around the park were not yet full of those looking to enjoy the first warmer weekend of spring. But soon it would be busy.

  She could see that there were some people in the grassy areas playing soccer and tossing around the baseball, even a few lying on blankets waiting to get some rays. She jogged along while listening to the sounds of the park, the birds, people on the ball fields. When she passed by a group playing soccer a little ways away, she thought she saw Xander. He had said that his group played in the park on Saturdays, but he never said which park. A little while later when she hit the same area again, she heard her name

  “AVA! HEY, AVA.” She wasn’t sure who was yelling her name, and it caused her to lose concentration on where she was running. She tripped over a small indentation in the asphalt, and she went sprawling to the ground. Her left knee slammed down hard and skidded along. She had put out her hands to stop her fall, and she felt a burning sensation in them. Ava was disoriented and felt someone lifting her off the ground. When she was finally able to focus, she saw it was Xander.

  “I fell.”

  Xander didn’t know if it was a question or a statement. “Yes, sweetheart, you fell. You are bleeding.”

  He placed her on a nearby bench and yelled to one of his teammates to bring his backpack. He opened it up and took out a first aid kit.

  When Ava became less disoriented, she looked at her knee. Blood was dripping down her leg from a deep scrape. Her knee was swelling and starting to bruise. Xander opened a gauze pad and placed it on her knee. He reached for one of her hands to hold it on, and that was when he noticed the wounds. Both hands were scraped along the heels. He wiped at the blood on her leg and knee which now had stopped flowing and turned his attention to her hands. He took out a bottle of disinfectant from the kit and squirted some on each hand. “

  “Oww, that stings.”

  “Just let it sit on there for a minute.” Xander was forceful with his command. He reached into the kit for another gauze pad and wiped the disinfectant away along with the blood. She had some superficial scrapes but not nearly as bad as her knee. Xander worked swiftly and put another gauze pad with antiseptic on her knee. He tore off a few pieces of surgical tape and put them on the edge of the bandage, so it covered her wound. When he was done, he asked her to stand. She stood up and walked gingerly on the knee. He could see she was limping.

  “I’m going to go home. I think I need to ice my knee before it gets worse.” Before he could say anything she started to limp away.

  “Wait. You can’t walk home like that.” He gestured to her knee. “I’ll help you.” He shoved the kit back in his backpack, then took the wrappers and used gauze p
ads to the garbage can. She was thankful that he offered because her knee was in very stiff and she wasn’t sure she could walk the few blocks by herself. She watched as he slung the backpack over his shoulders and came towards her.

  “Put your arm around my back.” She did as he asked. Xander could see with each step she winced in pain. He gave her little choice and in one swift movement he picked her up in his arms.

  “What the hell are you doing?”

  “You can’t walk home on your leg. Don’t try to pretend it doesn’t hurt because I can see it on your face. You have two choices, let me carry you, or I call an ambulance to take you to the hospital.”

  Ava didn’t want him to call an ambulance, and the look on his face told her not to test him. She wrapped her arm around his neck, and he carried her the few blocks to her apartment. When they arrived, he dipped down and let her press the elevator button for up.

  “You can let me down.”

  “No, I will let you down when we are safely in your apartment.” The elevator came, and he gently maneuvered her into the car. At her door, he put her down, unsnapped her Camelbak and found the pocket with her keys. He handed them to her, and she unlocked the door, limping into the foyer. Xander closed the door, dropped his backpack and helped her to the chaise; then he sprang into action.

  “Does your refrigerator make ice?”

  “Yes.”

  “Where’s your linen closet?”

  “In the bathroom.” Ava watched as he hurried down the hall and came back with two small hand towels. He prepared an ice pack wrapping it in one of the towels. Next, he took a pillow from the couch, covered it with the other towel and gently lifted her leg to put it under her knee. Then he handed her the ice

  “Put this on there and leave it for at least twenty minutes. You have some pretty bad bruising, and this will help. Do you need anything else?”

  She didn’t want him to leave. She didn’t want to be alone. “Can you stay with me?”

  He smiled, “Did you think I was going to leave you?”

  “I thought you were getting ready to go home.”

  “Well, you are wrong.” Xander sat next to her, and he opened a magazine that was on her coffee table. Ava laid her head back and tried not to think about the pain in her hands and knee. She kept her eyes closed until she felt Xander lift the bag of ice off her knee.

  “It’s been twenty minutes. You should ice it again in a few hours.” He stood up from the couch to put the bag in the freezer.

  “Are you leaving?”

  “Do you want me to leave?”

  “No, I want you to stay with me.”

  “Can I ask you a favor then? It might sound strange, but I feel sweaty and uncomfortable. Do you think I could take a shower here?” Ava thought about it for a minute.

  “Sure, you helped me and the least I can do is let you use my shower.” He smiled widely

  “Will you be alright while I am in there? Don’t try to get up.”

  “I’ll be okay. I promise I won’t try to get up until you are out.”

  Xander picked up his backpack that he had dropped in the foyer and headed to the bathroom with it. Ava heard him turn on the shower and within five minutes, he had turned it off. She yawned loudly, and she heard the bathroom door bang against the wall. A very wet Xander came down the hall holding a towel around his waist. Rivulets of water rolled down his chest from his thick hair.

  “Are you okay?” Ava giggled despite the pain she was in.

  “Yes, I was just yawning.” He went back into the bathroom, emerging a few minutes later. He was in sweatpants and a t-shirt. His feet were bare.

  “Thank you. I feel so much better now.” Xander smelled like the body wash that Liam had used. What do you expect? He wasn’t going to use my girly body wash.

  “Can you get me some aspirin? My knee and hands are hurting.”

  Xander got up from the couch, and she heard him looking through the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. He came back with his hand cupped and he handed her two aspirin tablets as well as a glass of water.

  She downed the aspirin and lay back again. Xander sat close to her and began stroking her hair, playing with the band that held her ponytail. He gently removed it. She turned to look up at him. His emotions started to take over. He was sick of denying his feelings for her. He placed his hand on her face and firmly pressed his lips to hers. This time, she didn’t respond as he had hoped. Instead, she pulled back from him.

  “This is not what friends do. They don’t kiss like they are lovers.”

  He looked her in the eye. “No, it’s not, but it is what someone who is in love with you would do.”

  Had she heard him right? Did he just say he is in love with me? “What did you say?”

  Again he looked her dead in the eye “I’m saying that I am in love with you Ava Keene and I have been for a long time.”

  She was confused. “But how can that be? You have only really known me for two weeks.”

  “No, that’s where you are wrong. I have known you for several years. From the day I saw you at your uncle’s barbecue, I have been in love with you.” It wasn’t one hundred percent true, but he had been intrigued by her at that time.

  She looked at him incredulously. “But why?”

  “Why what?”

  “Why would you be in love with someone who looked like me? I was overweight, had glasses and braces. I wasn’t exactly pretty.”

  Xander let out an exasperated sigh. “That’s where you are wrong. How long did you tell yourself that what was on the outside was all that counted? What is more, how long did you tell yourself that you weren’t worthy of love unless you were beautiful? Who said you weren’t beautiful, always?”

  Ava was a ball of emotions, but it all made sense. The picture he took from her laptop and placed on his own, the up and down of his emotions, the kiss and the lame excuse he gave. He wasn’t either kind or nasty to her; he was just in love. She didn’t know why but she started to tear up. Tears flowed down her cheeks leaving Xander wondering if he had made a mistake by telling her he loved her. He got up to get her some tissues from her bedroom. He sat down next to her and wiped at the tears.

  She looked at him. “Why, why would you say that to me?”

  Xander wasn’t sure what she was asking him. “Why would I tell you that I am in love with you? I think it’s pretty clear, don’t you think?”

  She sobbed. “No, it’s not pretty clear to me. You can’t be in love with someone you don’t know.”

  He took a deep breath, “are you going to fight me on this?”

  She almost laughed at that statement. Why was she pushing him away? This would finally be her chance to sit at the popular kid's table.

  “I can’t change how I feel. I am in love with you, do you understand?”

  Ava nodded, but Xander was unsure if she did understand. Maybe it was stupid to tell her when she was vulnerable, but he couldn’t work with her day after day and make excuses to be close to her.

  “Do you want something to drink?” He wanted to change the subject so she could think about his revelation.

  At that, she chuckled. “Do I want something to drink? How about some vodka? Could you find the largest glass I have in my cabinet and fill it right to the top?” Ava’s phone chirped indicating an email had just arrived.

  “Can you please get my phone from the pouch in my Camelbak?” Xander retrieved the phone from the pack left in the foyer. Ava pressed the button and located the email. It was from Liam and the subject line read “We have to talk.” She opened the email.

  Ava,

  I know that I have not been the greatest at contacting you this past week. A lot has been happening. I don’t know if Sam told you but my ex, Siobhan, lives in London. We have been spending a lot of time together. I realize that maybe this is probably not the right way to tell you but I didn’t want to string you along. I know you have strong feelings for me even though we have only been dating a short time.
/>   I have asked for a transfer to the London office. I think it’s the best thing for me right now. Siobhan and I never really had closure to our relationship. Her work visa was going to expire, and she needed to leave the US. We didn’t feel that our relationship was ready for the next step, and a long distance thing was out of the question. So we parted on good terms. Now that I am here we picked up where we left off, and it’s as we have never been apart.

  I want you to know that I enjoyed the time we spent together. I was interested in you, but it just happened at the wrong time. I hope you can forgive me. I’m sorry if I hurt you.

  Liam

  Ava put her wounded hand up to her face. “How could I have been so stupid?”

  “What is it?” Xander asked worriedly. She handed him the phone, and he read the email. He felt his blood begin to boil. What kind of asshole would do this to his girlfriend? You break up by email? The least he could have done was do it over the phone. He was angry, but he was also relieved. The competition was gone but what kind of emotional turmoil would this create? Would she push him away because her heart was hurting?

  “I’m sorry. What a rotten thing to do over an email. He didn’t have enough balls to do it in person.” Xander waited for her to speak.

  She looked at him with a pained expression. “Well this has been one fucked up day, and it’s not even noontime yet.” Xander reached up to stroke her cheek, but she pulled away before his fingers connected. “Don’t! I don’t want your pity.”

  Xander felt angry. “It’s not pity; it’s caring. I care about you, and I don’t want to see you hurt.”

  “It’s too late for that; I feel like a fool. I just want to go to bed. Can you help me take off my sneakers?” Xander untied and removed her sneakers. He reached out to help her up, but she shrank back from his outstretched hands. “Please, please don’t touch me. I can do it myself.”

  It took her a moment, but she was able to push herself up from the couch. He watched her limp into her bedroom and close the door. He had no idea what he should do, but he did know one thing, he wasn’t going to leave. He ran through his mind what had just happened in the last three hours. She was injured, he told her he loved her, and her boyfriend dumped her. It was a lot to process but the main thing that bothered him was he had lied to her. He had lied about the time that he knew her. He had said he met her at her uncle’s barbecue, but he had known her in her adult life before that. When she found out, the situation today would be tame compared to what she might do. He was sick to think about it, and he tried to push it out of his mind.