Zane enjoyed the moment of quiet he had with Ava in the car to the club. The day had been hectic, to say the least, and he had barely seen her. In one week, he had become used to having her by his side and found he missed her not being there.“Is something bothering you?” Ava asked. He looked at her. She had her hair down, and it flowed over her naked shoulders. Ava was wearing a black, skintight, shoulder-less dress with a rhinestone harness. She had been in a good mood all day, which was odd when he considered the day she had had yesterday.“No, why are you asking?”“You looked lost, I thought, like you were trying to solve a problem,” she told him. Had she been watching him? The possibility sent a warm feeling through him, and he found he wanted to share his thoughts with her.“The meeting Jax and I went to this morning was with the mayor. Apparently, the city’s finances are tight, and he is asking businesses in the city to donate funds so they can keep healthcare and humanitarian

Zane and Jax had finished the talk they had had with Dave and Tobias. The talk had been rough and not all that had participated would be leaving the room alive. Zane felt a little better afterwards. He needed to go check on Ava and her friend. Just to make sure she had a good time, before he headed to his office. As they walked into the club, his eyes were drawn to the dancefloor. He was surprised that not everyone in the club was staring at the spot where Ava and her friend were dancing. They looked ethereal as they moved together to the beat of the music. Two angels in a swirl of movement. A surge of jealousy took hold of Zane. He felt a need to yank his angel away from the man dancing with her. But he got a grip of his emotions and focused on the serene look on Ava’s face. She was enjoying herself and even though she and her friend moved provocatively to the music, they never touched except for fleeting moments. The more he looked, the more he could see the absence of attraction be

“I did as you told me, angel,” Zane lied. “You did not. It wouldn’t be as swollen if you had. But you are an adult and the one that will have to live with it,” she told him. She then encased his hand in between the both of hers. Zane liked the feeling and let his hand be there. It was throbbing if he was being honest, and he didn’t doubt that she was right. It would have helped if he had kept the ice on it. “I liked Gabriel,” he told her and kissed her neck. He could see the smile on her face. “I’m happy. So, you don’t mind me having lunch with him next week?”“Not at all.” He kissed her neck again. A part of him wanted to take back his hand and use it to move her hair out of the way. The other part of him was happy having her hands around his and told him not to move. He let that side win and settled on kissing her cheek. She leaned her head on his shoulder. “Tired?” he asked. “A little, mostly just content.” He smiled at that. They arrived home and for once she had to get out of

“It’s not the happiest of stories, I don’t want to ruin the mood,” Ava told him.“Don’t worry about that,” Zane said and played with her hair. He just wanted to get to know her, see all the sides she had. “I was just out of nursing school and had landed my first real job in the E.R. I wasn’t new to working, I have been working since I was fifteen. I started as care assistant in a nursing home, and I continued working there until I graduated nursing school,” Ava started. “Was that what made you decide to go into nursing?” Zane asked. “Maybe a part of it. But then it was also a stable career where work would be easy to find, and I knew I would be able to gain my independence if I became a nurse. And I like to help people,” she told him. “Anyway, I was feeling grown up and I started dating this guy my last couple of months in school. I met him when me and some friends were out and it was my first real serious relationship.”“Why is that? You are gorgeous and warm-hearted, men should b

“How can I help you, miss A?” Ryder asked, glancing at Gabriel.“Gabriel and I are going for a walk and Zane asked me to take you or Tom with us, and here you are. Do you have time to accompany us?” “Sure, no problem,” he said and tried to steal a cookie and got a slap on the hand from Anna. “Thank you. Anna, could I ask something from you as well?” “Of course, miss Ava, what do you need?” “Gabriel and I were thinking of spending the afternoon by the pool, but Gabriel didn’t bring any swim shorts. Do you know if there is a way he could borrow some?” Ava asked.“Yes, we have some for guests. Let me guess,” Anna said, sizing Gabriel up. “Size 40?” “That’s spot on,” Gabriel said with surprise. “They will be in your room after your walk, miss Ava,” Anna said. She held out the platter with cookies for Ava and Gabriel while keeping an eye on Ryder.“Don’t I get one?” Ryder asked, sounding like a sad puppy.“No, you tried to steal one. This is your punishment. It will teach you to have