Second Chance (12 page)

From the back view, he noticed the pants she wore were so short, they showed his favorite part of Ava’s body.  The crease right where her ass cheek met the top of her leg.  It was an area that was made to be licked.  This he knew to be true.

Ava turned around and Carrick was able to withdraw his stare in time, although he was sure his face had reddened slightly.

“Carrick, I want to talk to you about this rule you have about me being with you all the time.  Today was interesting, but honestly, I need to do something to keep myself from going mad from boredom.  I just can’t keep following you around all the time.”

“The answer is no, Ava.  I cannot take the chance when there is a price on your head.  Until Ralina is dead, you are to be at my side at all times.”  

Ava stomped her foot in frustration. “Does that mean you will start sleeping in the bed with me?  I mean, if I’m to be at your side at all times.”

Carrick choked on his wine and looked directly at her.  Setting his wine cup on the table, he said, “That’s not a good idea.”

Ava just stared at Carrick, her head tilted to the side as if she were trying to figure out something.  He watched her warily.  His anxiety level ratcheted upward when Ava put her brush down and walked slowly over to him.  Carrick’s eyes were glued to hers as she approached him and his hands were gripping the chair arms so tight he thought they might splinter.

***

Stopping right in front of his chair, Ava nudged his legs apart with her own and stepped in closer to him.  She slowly reached out and cupped his face with her hands.  She noted that his eyes had gone dark and her heartbeat doubled in response.

“What are you doing?” Carrick rasped.  He dropped his gaze from her face to the low cut of her tank top, hungrily taking in the swell of her breasts.  Ava’s nipples hardened under his gaze.

“I’m testing a theory.” 

Carrick’s eyes snapped back up to Ava’s.  She held his gaze for a moment, then let her eyes drift down to his mouth.  She slowly leaned in.  Carrick was deathly still and Ava wasn’t even sure he was breathing.  Ever so softly, Ava grazed her lips over Carrick’s.  Once.  Twice. 

Ava pulled back to look at Carrick and his eyes were blazing.  Still, he had yet to touch her in any way.  Ava dipped back in and pressed her lips to his again.  This time, she nudged them open and lightly ran her tongue over his.  Carrick groaned and opened his mouth farther.  Ava didn’t need a second invitation and deepened the kiss. 

And then Ava was lost in sensation as their tongues mated and their mouths moved against each other in harmony.  Both of them let out gasps of pleasure as their tongues stroked each other.  Ava moved her hands from Carrick’s face.  She pushed them through his hair, reveling in the softness of it, before gripping the back of his head to hold his mouth firmly to hers. 

Ava felt like she was going to combust just from Carrick’s kiss.  She almost didn’t want to know what would happen to her body if he touched her right now.  Which made her realize…
he’s not even touching me.

Ava intensified her kiss, hoping it would induce him to put his hands on her.  She finally felt his arms move. 
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
  But then she felt his hands grab her wrists, and slowly remove them from his head.  Carrick pulled his head back from Ava, and gently pushed her backward.

Ava’s breathing was hard and she noticed Carrick was trying to catch his breath as well.  His eyes were filled with desire and she didn’t have to look down to know that he would be hard as hell.  The kiss had definitely affected him and she was experiencing a lustful ache as well.  She wasn’t sure why he was stopping it, but her internal pride puffed up with the knowledge that he wanted her. 

“Why did you stop?” Ava breathed out.

Carrick stood up from the chair and Ava backed up a foot to give him some room.  She couldn’t help herself and looked down at his crotch.  She practically purred when she saw his erection straining the front of his pants.  Unashamedly, she looked slowly back up his body, taking in his beautiful stomach and chest, then finally to his face. 
Oh my, he was glorious.

“We can’t do this, Ava,” Carrick said in a dead voice although his eyes were still hot.

“It looks like we were doing a pretty good job of it just now.”

“I just can’t…there isn’t room in my heart anymore for you.  The only desire I have now is to see Ralina dead and this war ended.”

Ava was beyond frustrated.  “But you want me… I know you do.”

Carrick grabbed her hand and put it on his crotch.  Her fingers involuntarily curled around his erection and he inhaled sharply.  

“Of course I want you,” Carrick snarled. “But that doesn’t mean it’s right.”  Carrick pulled away from Ava and stepped a few feet backward.

“Then I don’t understand.  You want me, I want you.  Why is this not adding up for me?”

“Because, Ava, it would just be a casual fuck.  We would be scratching an itch. Probably scratching it over and over, but that’s all it would be.”

“What if I’m okay with that?” Ava shot at him.

Carrick sighed and shook his head.  “Because while that’s good enough for a lot of women, it’s not good enough for you Ava.  I will never do that to you.” Carrick turned away and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

Knowing the discussion was over—for now—Ava crawled into bed.  Bing jumped in right behind her.  A normal woman probably would have been crushed by that rejection, but not Ava.  She didn’t believe a word of what Carrick said about not having room in his heart.  She saw the fear and rage yesterday when she was being attacked.  She saw how tenderly he treated her last night.  She’d seen the evidence of his reaction to her kiss, and her body was still zinging from it as well.

If she pushed him further tonight, she knew he would break down and make love to her.  She had no doubt she could seduce him into bed pretty easily.  He could lie to himself about having no room in his heart, but Ava was going to prove him wrong.  She intended to worm her way back in. 

***

Once in the bathroom, Carrick had the urge to punch the wall.  He wanted Ava so badly, yet his mind was telling him it was a bad idea.  What he and Ava had before she went away… well, it was pure.  He didn’t think they could ever have that again and if he was honest with himself, he was probably afraid to try it.  What if he let Ava down again?  His guilt over sending her away was still eating at him.  It didn’t matter that she didn’t hold it against him now. He held it against himself.  He should have tried harder to find a way for her to stay.

He thought about the way she had looked when she came out of the bathroom.  He had hardened the moment he saw her, and reaching down now to adjust himself, he was still just as stiff.  He was having a tough time reconciling the passion he was feeling for her, with his mind telling him that love was not possible.  He felt like he was going crazy.  Maybe he should just move in with dear old uncle Hephastus and they could be two crazy loons together.

Carrick waved his hand calling forth the elements, and hot water started falling from the shower head into the tub.  He quickly stripped and stepped in.  He didn’t need the shower to get clean, a simple spell would do that.  But he needed to purge Ava out of his system in the only way he knew how at this point.  

Grabbing a bar of soft soap, Carrick lathered up his hands.  He reached down with his right hand and fisted himself.  He stroked once. 
Man that feels good.
  Carrick put his left arm on the wall of the shower and laid his forehead against it.  He closed his eyes and thought of Ava. 

Pumping slowly at first, he thought about how damn sexy she looked in her “Pink” sleepwear.  He imagined stripping her out of it slowly.  He knew what her body looked like under those scraps of clothing, and he imagined himself kissing her all over.  His hips soon took over, rocking in and out of his hand, faster and faster.  It didn’t take long for him to come and he stifled a groan so Ava wouldn’t hear.  The release did wonders for his body, but his heart and mind were still a mess.

Early the next morning before the sun had even risen, Carrick and Ava were awakened by a loud knocking at the door.  Both scrambled from their beds, but Carrick took one look at her and barked, “Put some decent clothes on before you come out.”

Ava grabbed the dress she had worn the previous day—having cleaned it that night with an incantation—and slipped it over her head.  She wasn’t about to bother with her boots.  Walking into the kitchen, she saw Carrick and Laina sitting at the table.  Carrick had apparently put on a kettle of water to boil for tea.

“Good morning, Ava,” Laina said cheerfully.  “Sorry to awaken you this early.”

“That’s perfectly fine.  I suspect you have important news or else you would have waited for a visit.”

“Yes, I was just starting to tell Carrick that we have good news indeed.  As you know, we have been trying to get the Sorins to join our fight against Ralina for several years.  They have balked because their kingdom sits so far out and they haven’t been affected by Ralina’s tyranny.  But now, they want to hold a meeting to discuss an alliance.  It’s the first interest they’ve shown in helping us in all these years.”

The kettle was whistling so Ava stood up to prepare the tea.  “Why the sudden change of heart?” Ava wondered out loud.

“I have no clue,” Laina responded. “A Sorin messenger just arrived at my home a bit ago with the message.  Prince Baynor wants us to visit him today in Croyden to discuss an alliance.”

“By us, you mean the Conclave?” Carrick asked.

“Well, no… I mean, yes, he wants to have to me as the Chief of the Conclave there, but he specifically asked to meet with Ava.”

Carrick snorted.  “Now that makes sense.  Slimy bastard.”

“What makes sense?  Who is a slimy bastard?” Ava asked.

“Don’t you see what he’s doing, Ava?  Now that he knows you are back, he wants to help put you back on the throne, no doubt with him by your side as your husband.  He wins you and Kestevayne.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Ava scoffed.  “I barely know Baynor.”

“Trust me.  He is not going to help us out of the goodness of his heart.  There has been nothing we could offer him in four years.  Now you are back and he wants to help?  Give me a break.”

“Well, we must meet with him,” Laina interrupted.  “We can’t pass up a chance to have the Sorin’s Army added to ours.  It could be enough to change the tide of the war.”

“We can’t meet with him today,” Ava said.  “We are traveling to meet Hephastus.”

“That will have to wait another day,” Carrick said.  “Laina is right.  As much as I don’t like Sorin, we can’t pass up his request for a meeting.  Hephastus will still be there tomorrow.  Baynor wants us today.  Let’s get ready to go.”

“He didn’t ask for you to be there, Carrick,” Laina pointed out.

“Doesn’t matter.  Ava’s not going without me, so if he wants to see Ava, he’s going to have to see me too.  Let’s meet at the Conclave Hall in an hour to make the trip.”

Ava opted to wear a traditional Vyronasian dress for the meeting with Baynor Sorin. When she emerged from the bathroom, she saw that Carrick had dressed in his military attire, but opted for battle gear rather than his dress uniform.  She knew what he was doing.  He wanted to make sure Baynor knew that war was the primary topic of the conversation, not diplomacy. 

Carrick’s battle gear consisted of black pants made of a stiff, denim-like material.  Over that he wore leather chaps, also in black, to add further protection.  His top was a simple black tunic tucked into his pants but with criss-crossing leather straps in the front that held a metal breastplate to his sternum.  Steel reinforced, black leather boots finished the outfit and made him battle ready. He made an imposing figure when dressed like this.

“Looks like you’re ready for a fight,” Ava mused.

Carrick looked over at Ava, standing near the bathroom door.  He looked at her from head to toe.  “You are not wearing that to meet with Baynor.  Go put on your jeans and one of those flannel shirts.”

Ava looked down at what she was wearing.  Since she was going to meet a royal prince, at his palace, she knew etiquette demanded she dress the part.  As such, she had chosen the one other piece of clothing she had purchased in Clairmont.

It was a full length, cream sheath gathered at the waist and dropping to the floor in soft, fluid folds.  The neckline was wide and plunged deeply, ending just below her breastbone and exposing the soft curve of the inside of her breasts.  The portion below her waist had a long slit straight up the front, all the way to her crotch line.  The dress came with a matching pair of silk shorts that covered her from her hip bone to about two inches below her groin. 

Walking in the dress didn’t expose the shorts completely but gave brief peeks of her long legs as the soft material moved.  Now, when she sat down, that was another matter.  The skirt portion would slide open, right at the middle, exposing all of her legs and showcasing the four-inch crystal studded heels that she had purchased to go with the dress.  She felt beautiful in it and was happy to be able to dress in royal fashion again.

“Don’t be an ass, Carrick.  I’m not going to change.  This is perfectly acceptable to wear, much more so than what you have on,” she said eyeing him up and down.

“That dress is too revealing.  Do you want Baynor ogling you?”

“If it gets us his help, I’ll gladly sacrifice myself for a little ogling.”  She smiled sweetly at him as if to emphasize her point.

“I’m sure he wants to do more than ogle,” Carrick gritted out.

“At least someone wants to,” Ava muttered.  “I’m not changing my mind so we might as well go.”

***

As Carrick and Ava walked to the Conclave Hall, Carrick became lost in his thoughts about Baynor.  He and Ava had a very short history together.

It was Ava’s eighteenth birthday party.  The palace ballroom opened out into the lush gardens.  Several white tents were set up, each decorated with sparkling lights and pale pink lanterns.  Each tent held several tables, covered with cream roses.

An amazing assortment of food was being served buffet style.  There was a variety of baked and grilled fowls including pheasant, chicken and peacock with platters of fire-roasted vegetables.  One table held a long row of fish pies baked with figs, raisins, apples and plums.  Cold and hot soups took up another table, surrounded by freshly baked flatbreads.  Dessert was a simple lemon cake that stood five tiers tall with light cream frosting.  Ava’s favorite.

The ballroom itself was lit with thousands of floating pink lanterns which cast warm light down on the dancers.  A twenty-piece orchestra was playing a variety of music, most of it suitable for dancing.

Carrick was attending with Ralina as his date.  She had insisted on it and he couldn’t figure a way to get out of it.  The truth was, since their horse ride just a few days ago, Carrick had become obsessed with Ava and wanted her beyond all reasoning.  He knew he should break things off with Ralina, sooner rather than later.  It wouldn’t solve his problems, but at least he could concentrate full-time on figuring a way to win Ava.

His main problem was that he was not sure he was worthy enough for her so that her parents would approve.  He was from the Warrior caste, which was highly respected even among royals.  But when it boiled right down to it, he was not a royal.

Carrick and Ralina were dancing to a slow melody.  She was pressed firmly against him and winding her fingers through his hair.  He knew she was doing this as prelude to seduction, and there was a time he would have responded.  But now, Ralina did nothing for him.  In fact, his interest in her had been lukewarm at best the last few months. 

They swayed back and forth to the music, and Ralina was chattering about something.  He was trying to follow what she was saying, but was actually getting annoyed with the way she was playing with his hair.  He was about to suggest they take a break from dancing when he saw Ava, just over Ralina’s left shoulder.

She was just coming into the ballroom from the gardens and she was breathtaking.  She was wearing a strapless, silver gown.  It hugged every curve of her body starting at her breasts and continuing down to her thighs.  It then dropped in loose folds to swish around her ankles.  The top was plunging, making sure that everyone who had not gotten the proclamation that Ava was now an adult would see that she was. 

Her chestnut locks were artfully curled on top of her head, with tendrils framing her lovely face.  She wore no makeup other than some lip gloss, but then again, she didn’t need it.  Her complexion was creamy and Carrick had always loved how fresh she looked. 

Then Carrick noticed that she was walking arm in arm with Baynor Sorin.  Ava was laughing at something he said as they walked toward the dance floor.

“…blow this party and go have some fun of our own,” Ralina whispered in his ear, running her tongue lightly along the edge.

Carrick involuntarily jerked his head back.  “What?  I’m sorry, I didn’t hear what you said.”

Running her fingertip from his chin down his neck, Ralina whispered, “I said, how about we blow this party and go make some fun of our own?”

This was going to be awkward, Carrick thought.  Ralina was a beautiful woman, no doubt.  Her hair was golden yellow and she had stunning blue eyes although he thought they were a little icy at times.  Her body was perfection.  But looking at her now, he couldn’t find one ounce of attraction to her.

He and Ralina had been “dating” each other casually for a few years.  At first, it started with Ralina asking Carrick to escort her to a party.  That night, Ralina had come on to Carrick strong, and being young and horny, he couldn’t pass up what she was offering.  They’d had sex that first night and since then, they had settled into what he thought was a companionable relationship.  He often escorted her to various functions, and they had sex.  And that was about all there was to it. 

Except, lately, Ralina had been acting a little more possessive of his time.  She had also mentioned marriage in a round-about way, but Carrick had not given it much credence.  And now, with his thoughts filled with nothing but Ava, he knew that it was more than past time to break things off with Ralina.

Carrick grabbed Ralina’s hand and led her off the dance floor. He walked out of the ballroom, down a large hallway that led toward a small sitting room.  Carrick looked inside and found it empty.  He pulled Ralina inside and closed the door behind him.  Ralina immediately launched herself into his arms.

“Aren’t you the excited one?  Can’t even wait to make it to your apartments?”

Carrick quickly grabbed hold of Ralina’s arms and gently pushed her back.  After he had her at arm’s length, he said, “Ralina, we need to talk.”

“Oh, this sounds serious.  Let’s talk after we get naked.”  Ralina reached her arms out to him again, but he stepped backward.  Clearly, she wasn’t taking this seriously.

“Ralina, please listen to me.  This is important.”

Sticking out her lower lip in a pout, Ralina plopped down on a couch.  “Fine. What is so important you’d rather talk than have sex with me?”

By all that was magical, this was going to be difficult. Carrick had the urge to pace but instead fixed his eyes on Ralina’s.  “I’m so very sorry, Ralina, but I want to end this relationship.”

“What?” Ralina sputtered, lurching from the couch.

“I’m truly sorry,” Carrick said lamely.  “I don’t want to see you anymore.”

“It’s that little bitch of a princess, Ava, isn’t it?” Ralina spat.

Carrick was surprised that Ralina would even think that.  What in the world would have given her that impression?  Hell, he didn’t even realize he wanted a relationship with Ava until a few days ago.

“Ava and I are just friends, Ralina.”  That was the truth, at least for now. “In fact, last I saw her she was looking pretty cozy with Prince Baynor on the dance floor.”

Ralina struck so fast, he never saw it coming.  She slapped him hard across his face. “I don’t believe you.  I’ve seen the way you watch her.  And you haven’t been interested in me in a very long time.”

Carrick rubbed his burning cheek. “I don’t know what else to say other than I’m sorry. I never promised you anything more.”

“Sorry isn’t good enough, Carrick. You will regret this, mark my words.” Ralina turned on her heel and stomped from the room.

Carrick waited a few minutes and then went back to the ballroom.  He glanced around and did not see Ralina.  He hoped that she had left and would not stick around to make a scene.  Taking a more thorough look around, he noticed Ava was still dancing with Baynor.  They seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely which put Carrick in a rotten mood. 

He grabbed some ale from a passing servant and found an empty table.  He sat there watching Ava dance, trying to figure out a way that he could have her.  If he couldn’t figure it out, he would just have to get drunk.

“Mind if I join you?”

Carrick looked up and Queen Selena was standing at the chair next to him.  Jumping to his feet, Carrick pulled the chair out for her and said, “I would be honored, Your Highness.”

“Oh, come on, Carrick. You know when it’s just us, you call me Selena.  We are not formal.  This you know.”

Carrick smiled and didn’t feel the need to respond.  They both sat watching the dancers in companionable silence.  Carrick tried to watch other dancers, but he knew his eyes kept drifting back to Ava. 

As the song ended, he saw Baynor whisper something to Ava to which she nodded.  He then took her elbow and led her out of the ballroom and into the gardens.  It was going to drive Carrick nuts wondering what they were doing.  He was so lost in his thoughts, that he almost didn’t hear the Queen talking.

“When are you going to make a move for Ava?”

It was a good thing Carrick had not been sipping his ale or he probably would have spat it out all over the Queen, he was so shocked by that one, simple question.