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  “How did Landon breaking into my house come into play? Was that your idea, too?”

  “No. It was his brainchild. However, it did work out to my advantage.”

  “How’s that?”

  “If Landon hadn’t illegally entered your home, I wouldn’t have known Aviana was there. I also wouldn’t have figured out her sight had been restored. When Landon regained consciousness and remembered you were standing in front of him when he got popped on the back of the head, I knew it had to be Aviana who hit him from behind.”

  “So you decided to pay the woman I love a visit, tell her a pack of lies to break her heart and break us up.”

  “I mostly told her the truth with a few fibs mixed in for good measure,” she says, leaning forward. “That girl is too young for you, Gavin. You need a real woman in your bed. One who can help you overcome your limp-dick dysfunction. I’m the one who can heal you.”

  Standing, I say, “You’re bat-shit crazy! And for your damn information, Aviana has already healed me. Ironic, isn’t it? I mean, you were the one who recommended I sleep with her.”

  Becky screams, “You sonofabitch!” Then she lunges at me. I sidestep her attack, letting her plow headfirst into the sofa cushions. She is sprawled out ungracefully, crying and punching her fists into the furniture as I rush off to look for the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Aviana Leif

  BEING EMOTIONALLY DEVASTATED, I ran out of Gavin’s place without my debit card. I left it in the back pocket of my jeans. Since the yoga pants I’m wearing doesn’t have a pocket, and I hadn’t planned on going anywhere, I didn’t think I would need any funds.

  Thankfully, I was only about a mile from the house when I realized it. As the cabbie pulls into Gavin’s drive, I lean forward from the backseat and say, “I’m really sorry about this. I’ll be right back.”

  “No problem. We didn’t go far, and I was already in the area,” he says, smiling at me in the rearview mirror.

  As I exit the car, I hear a loud crash followed by a cry for help. The wispy female voice is coming from across the gigantic goldfish pond separating Gavin’s property from his grandmother’s.

  “Oh, no! Cecelia must be in trouble.”

  The cab driver has his window down and yells, “Who’s Cecelia?”

  I’m already breaking into a run but call back over my shoulder, “Gavin’s blind grandmother.”

  I barely hear his response as I near the bridge.

  “Go help her, girl! This ride is on me.” Then I hear the car pull away. It was nice of him to forgive the fare, but he could have stuck around to see if we needed his assistance in the form of transportation to the hospital. What a jackass, I think to myself. I’m beginning to believe I will never understand some people.

  In a matter of seconds, I’ve crossed the bridge and entered Cecelia’s yard. I can see her lying on her side on the porch. Her rocking chair is turned over beside her. I bound up the steps, calling her name. When I reach her, she lifts her head and smiles weakly.

  “Are you all right?” I ask breathlessly. “Is anything broken?”

  She slowly shakes her head, causing the curly mass of white hair to fall forward and softly graze her slightly-wrinkled cheeks. “I think I’m okay. Am I talking to my grandson’s fiancée? Are you Aviana?”

  Now isn’t the ideal time to tell her Gavin is a fucking bastard I never want to see again, so I simply say, “Yes, ma’am. I’m Aviana Leif. Just lie still for a moment while I get your rocking chair right-side up again, and then we can work on getting you back on your feet.”

  “Sounds fine,” she says, turning her aged but lovely face in my direction. Her senses are more finely tuned than mine were during my blindness. I only spent two short days in total darkness, but they felt like an eternity. I cannot imagine how this poor, dear woman has spent years this way. I’m amazed at how she has been able to live alone all this time.

  “How did you fall?” I ask, taking her by the elbows and gently pulling her to her feet. I’m sure there is a more ergonomically-correct way to lift someone, but I don’t know what it is. The important thing is, I get her up and back in her chair.

  She groans and rubs her shoulder. “I was standing and getting ready to go back inside when I tripped. Instinctively, I reached for the rocker. Instead of regaining my balance, I pulled it over, too. I think my shoelace came undone.”

  Looking down at her pink tennis shoe, I see the loose lace. “You thought right,” I say, kneeling down and retying her shoe.

  “I know better than to get up without checking to make sure they’re securely tied. Truth is, a blind person should only wear slip-on shoes, but I couldn’t resist these hot pink ones. After all, pink is for girls.”

  I pat her arm. “You’re a woman after my own heart. Pink is my favorite color, too.”

  “Well, that’s two things we have in common then, isn’t it?”

  “What’s the second?”

  “Both of us love Gavin.”

  I don’t know how to respond to her statement. Last night I would have been shouting my love for the man from the rooftops. But now I can only sigh deeply and drop my head in my hands. I’m emotionally drained.

  When I don’t speak, she presses me. “You do love my grandson, don’t you, Aviana?”

  “I was positive I did before I found out he was a lying, two-timing shithead.”

  She raises her hands in the air and says, “Whoa, now! You must be talking about someone else. Gavin values open communication and honesty above everything. You do know what happened to his mother, don’t you?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Then you should also know he holds women in the highest regard. He would never knowingly or purposely do anything to hurt the fairer sex. He would rather die than cause someone he loves pain. He isn’t capable of the things you are accusing him of.”

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called him names, especially to you. But he did do those things.”

  “How do you know?”

  “His therapist told me something terrible, and then Gavin confirmed what she said when I asked him about it.”

  Cecelia takes a deep, contemplative breath. “Well, there has to be a perfectly good explanation buried beyond the obvious. When he answered you in the affirmative, did he offer any further reasons for his behavior?”

  Recalling the brief phone conversation we had, I say, “He did attempt to elaborate, but I cut him off. I was so sad and angry, I didn’t give him a chance to defend himself.”

  “It’s hard to stay calm and rational in the face of hurt feelings, but I would guess during your time together, Gavin has been nothing but nice to you. Am I right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then don’t you think you owe it to him and yourself to listen to his side of things?”

  “I sure do.”

  “In that case, I suspect you’re about to get your chance.”

  The moment she stops speaking, I see the tall, masculine shadow from Gavin’s frame fall across the porch.

  He walks over to his grandmother first, bends down, gives her a kiss on the cheek and asks, “What are you two up to?”

  Cecelia grasps her grandson’s big, strong hand in between her shaky, frail ones. “Oh, just a little girl talk.”

  “It didn’t involve any false accusations about me being a liar and cheat, did it?” he asks, glancing my way.

  “I think that’s something you should discuss with your fiancée. Aviana tells me she’s in more of a listening mood right now.”

  Gavin turns his full attention to me. “What are you doing over here anyway? I thought you’d be long gone by now.”

  “I took a cab, then realized I had forgotten my debit card. When I came back to get it, I heard a loud crash and found Cecelia lying here on the porch.”

  Gavin immediately picks his grandmother up out of her rocker and heads down the steps. I get tickled when she starts slapping him on
the shoulder and yelling for him to set her down.

  He grunts with each blow of her hand and says, “Stop flailing. We need get you to the hospital and have you checked over for broken bones.”

  “Grandson, have you forgotten I was one of the best triage nurses to ever grace the halls of Inville Memorial Hospital?”

  “No, ma’am.”

  “Then put me down. If I had any fractures, I’d darn well know it. I’m not going anywhere. It’s time for my nap.”

  “We’ll stay with you while you sleep. You might wake up sore and change your mind about being checked over.”

  “Gavin, do I ever change my mind after it’s made up?”

  “No.”

  “Alright then. It’s settled. I’m going in for a sleep and you’re going to take your woman back home and straighten her out on a few things.”

  Gavin looks at me and says, “I’m going to walk Grandmother to her bedroom, then I’m taking you to ours.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Gavin Winslow

  ONCE GRANDMOTHER IS SNUG in her bed, I lock her front door behind me and find Aviana standing on the porch in the exact spot where I left her. I take a good, long look at the woman I love more than life itself. She is beyond cute in heather-grey yoga pants that sensuously hug the curves of her ample hips. The soft, pink V-neck T-shirt shows me just enough cleavage to set my blood on fire. My tongue is literally itching to lick a hot, moist trail between her bountiful breasts.

  As my eyes travel down her shapely legs to her feet, I notice she isn’t wearing any shoes. Frowning, I say, “I see your debit card wasn’t the only thing you forgot.”

  She bites her bottom lip, and my cock twitches like a damn diving rod.

  “I left in a helluva hurry. I was pretty pissed and a whole lot hurt.”

  Instead of responding, I turn my back to her, bend my knees and say, “Hop on my back.”

  “Why?” she snaps.

  “Because your adorable little pugs are cut and scratched from running out here barefooted. I don’t want you walking on them until I get them cleaned up and bandaged.”

  She huffs. “Fine. But just because I told Cecelia I was willing to listen to you doesn’t mean I’m in a touchy-feely mood.”

  “I understand. Let’s get you back to the house, and then we’ll talk. Okay?”

  “Okay,” she says, climbing onto my back.

  The feel of her boobs mashed against my shoulder blades and the press of her hot little pussy against my low-back is nearly my undoing. It’s all I can do not to throw her down on the plush, green grass and have my way with her.

  Once we’re inside the kitchen, I let my hands drop from underneath her thighs. She loosens her hold around my neck and slides down my body until her feet find the floor.

  Gesturing toward the table, I say, “Have a seat while I grab the first-aid kit. I keep one in the bathroom and one in here. I find most of my cuts happen while I’m chopping vegetables.”

  She pulls out a chair and plops down without comment. I have a feeling she might be giving me the silent treatment. I likely won’t get much out of her until I do some explaining.

  Kneeling in front of her, I take a warm, wet washcloth and clean her feet before applying some antibiotic ointment and a couple of Band-Aids.

  “Thank you,” she whispers.

  “You’re welcome,” I say, smiling. “I could kiss your boo-boos and make them all better.”

  “I’m good. Get to talking, Gavin.”

  Pulling out the chair beside her, I turn it around backwards and straddle it so we are facing each other. Taking a deep, fortifying breath, I try to collect my thoughts and figure out the best way to say what needs to be said. I want to take Aviana’s hand or touch her in some way while I talk but fight the impulse.

  “Baby, when my sick, twisted therapist told me to fuck you, I fired her on the spot. I told her I was never coming back to her office again.”

  Aviana folds her arms across her chest in a gesture I know is meant to protect her heart. It kills me to see the vulnerable look on her beautiful face when she speaks. “So what if you fired her? You still took her stupid advice and had sex with me.”

  “That’s the whole thing. I never intended to take you to bed. I didn’t even think I could. I was still broken then. The only reason I came back to the mansion was to offer you my help. I intended to be your mobility coach.”

  “If that’s true, why did you tell my parents we were engaged? Why did you go all knight-on-a-white-horse for me?”

  “When I heard how your mother and father were talking to you, I couldn’t bear it. After seeing the evidence of their cruelty and the effect it was having on you, I had no choice but to get you out of there.”

  “Well, that’s just great. Instead of being the last wild oat you were sowing before marrying the therapist, I was a pity fuck. You brought me here to feed your ego. You got to play hero to the pathetic blind girl with horrible parents.”

  “What?” I ask, feeling like my brain is being tied into a pretzel.

  “That’s what Dr. Lawson told me. She said that, like most men, you were feeling trapped and needed to have one last fling before the two of you started your future together.”

  “She’s a goddamn liar!” I say, jumping to my feet and flinging the chair against a cabinet. “I have zero interest in her, but I knew she was attracted me. I should have cut her loose the first time she made a pass at me. I just didn’t have the impetus to find yet another therapist.”

  Aviana scoots back farther in her chair, sits up ramrod straight and says, “What’s the point here, Gavin? All this crap is far too convoluted for me to grasp.”

  Taking her by the shoulders, I look deep into her eyes. “The bottom line is this, baby: Becky Lawson is crazy. Somehow she got it in her fucked up head that she and I would be a couple. She also thought you and Landon would get together. When those two things didn’t pan out, the two of them took it upon themselves to wreak havoc in my life and yours. But both of them are out of the picture. They are a non-issue. It’s only you and me now.”

  “I’m glad the sickos are gone,” she says. “But there are still a few things I need to ask you.”

  “Fire away.”

  “Why am I here in this house?”

  “Because I want you with me always, Aviana.”

  “Why did we have sex?”

  “Because you’re so clever you figured out a way to set me free from my demons. You healed my hurts. You also happen to be the most desirable woman on the face of the earth.”

  “Why do you want to marry me?”

  “Because I love you with all my heart, body, mind and soul.”

  “Take me upstairs and show me.”

  IT’S TIME FOR AVIANA to see my aggression. Taste my possession. Feel my domination. Because of her, I can now freely unleash the furnace of desire burning so hot and bright inside me. I’ve been to the edge with her. I know I can pull back before losing all control. I can love her wildly without harming her. I can push her while at the same time protecting her.

  I carry her to my bed and set her down facing the mattress. Without saying a word, I grab the hem of her T-shirt, pull it over her head and drop it to the floor. My fingers slip beneath the waistband of the yoga pants. In one fluid motion, I strip them off her hips and drag them down the length of her legs. She steps out of them, and I kick them to the side.

  I make short order of getting rid of my own clothes. Once both of us are completely naked, I place my hands flat against her shoulder blades and say, “I want you on your belly.”

  She puts her knee on the edge of the mattress and slowly moves into a prone position across the thick, fluffy comforter.

  Stretching out beside her, I place my hand heavily at the nape of her neck. My fingers encircle the delicate column of her throat. I can feel her pulse pounding rapidly against the pad of my thumb.

  She turns her head to the side and gives me a questioning look.

  I ga
ze back, knowing my eyes have grown intense with a darker desire. “Is it as big a turn-on as you thought it would be, Aviana?”

  She lifts her face, pushing her nape even harder against my possessive palm. “Oh, God, yes,” she murmurs.

  Shifting my weight, I lightly trace the contours of her neck, slowly caressing her from the tops of her shoulders to the sweet indentation at the small of her back before starting over again. Letting my fingers rest at the base of her skull, I begin kneading the knots I feel bunched beneath my touch.

  Aviana sighs and says, “That feels nice.” Her breathing becomes slower. Deeper. Softer. I want to massage away all of her tension. My woman’s been through some big changes lately: being mugged, experiencing temporary blindness, leaving her childhood home and her awful parents. She deserves nothing but good things from here on out, and I plan on giving her all the pleasure she can stand.

  I place hot, open-mouthed kisses up and down her spine before straddling her. With the inside of my thighs pushing against the outside of hers, I shift my hips forward and press my fully-engorged cock tight against her firm, rounded ass.

  “Oh, Gavin,” she moans.

  “Yes, baby?”

  “I really like this position.”

  I like it, too, and respond by leaning forward and gently biting her shoulder. She arches her back and pushes her ass against me even harder. Sitting back, I roughly dig my fingertips into her hips, then scratch my way down her buttocks. The red, welted lines painting her cheeks look so gorgeous against her creamy, mocha skin.

  The sight of her belly-down and at my mercy makes my cock ache so badly I grit my teeth against the discomfort. It would be easy enough to plunge into her and find my relief, but I don’t want to rush our mating.

  Taking my dick in hand, I drop the heavy length against her ass crack. The slapping sound makes me groan. Using the drop of pre-cum on the head for lubrication, I rub myself back and forth between her sexy cheeks. When the friction becomes too intense for me to hold back an orgasm, I stop and say, “Lift your hips for me, baby.”