And he’s making no secret out of his erection. Apparently, he doesn’t give a damn about the fact that everyone can see it.
“Eggs Benedict for me, please,” Mandy says and takes a seat at the table, arm outstretched, as though she’s waiting for someone to hand her a cup of coffee.
“Those are Lila’s, my best hen.” Kellan holds up a bowl with eggs. “I don’t have a Benedict.”
I snort and immediately press a hand against my mouth to stifle it. He has a sense of humor. I like that. Our gazes meet, and something passes between us again. Heat gathers between my legs, and the same slow throbbing sensation from last night returns with a vengeance.
Oh, God. What is it with this guy and my chemical reactions to him?
It’s like I’m a walking pill of female Viagra.
“What about you, Ava?” Kellan asks softly.
The way he says my name, I swear the temperature has just risen a few degrees.
“I’ll take whatever you have.”
Our gazes remain locked.
He moistens his lower lip.
I can see the wet trail on it and wish we were alone so I could run my tongue over it and taste him the way I’ve wanted ever since meeting him.
His thoughts mirror mine. I can see it from the way his gaze brushes my bra and lingers there—way too long. He’s not even subtle about it.
Under different circumstances, he’d probably say something way too inappropriate, but he won’t with Mandy present. I’m not sure whether to be grateful to her or annoyed to the point of kicking her ass out of the kitchen.
“What happened last night? You two disappeared outside, and when you came back, you couldn’t get away fast enough,” Mandy says, drawing my attention back to her.
I could kill her for being so direct.
Instead of following my murderous urges, I sit down at the table and try to focus on someone other than Kellan for a change. “Nothing happened. I was tired.”
Kellan shoots me a strange look. I grimace at him, lest he open that arrogant mouth of his and say all the wrong things, and take a sip of my coffee.
“I think it was all a bit too much for Ava,” Kellan says. “She didn’t expect everything to be so intense.”
I almost choke on my coffee. In an attempt to hide it, I hold my breath to stifle the scratching sensation in my throat until my eyes begin to water.
I can’t believe the audacity.
“You don’t have to talk about me in the third person, Kellan,” I say. “I’m right here.”
Of course, he’d think his tongue is God’s gift to the female clitoris.
“So, what did you do out there?” Mandy asks, her usual prying self.
I peer at Kellan, who’s looking at me, brows still raised in amusement.
Dammit!
He’s letting me do all the hard work.
“Talking,” I say.
Kellan lets out a most irritating snort, and I shoot him a murderous look.
Now Mandy will never believe me.
“Hmm. I bet,” she says and stares right at me.
I shrug and remain silent as Kellan fills our cups.
“Anyway, guys, I have an announcement to make,” Mandy says and takes a sip of her coffee. “I’m leaving today.”
I stare at her. “What are you talking about?”
“Well, I wanted to talk to you last night, but you wouldn’t open the door. I wanted to tell you that Josh, his cousin—” She points to Kellan. “—is taking a trip to Helena. I want to go with him.”
I shake my head, confused. “But that’s not where the gig takes place.”
“I know,” Mandy says. “I’ll be back in time to see Mile High.”
“What about…our plan?”
And me? I want to yell.
Mandy shrugs. “You wanted a vacation. That’s exactly what you’re getting. Kellan will take good care of you. Won’t you?” She slaps his shoulder to get his attention.
“I’ll make sure to feed her,” Kellan says and winks at me.
“See?” Mandy says. “Problem taken care of.”
I stare at both of them, lost for words.
Is it just my impression, or did he already know that Mandy was leaving, because he sure doesn’t look particularly surprised?
“Can I talk to you?” My fingers clutch around Mandy’s upper arm, and I yank hard.
“Sure.”
She leads me to the privacy of her bedroom. I realize all her things are packed.
“What’s up?” she asks as soon as the door’s closed.
“We’ve barely been here for a day, and now you want to leave again? What happened? Why the sudden change of heart? What happened to our vacation in a five-star hotel?”
“You said you weren’t keen on it,” Mandy says.
“Yes, but that was back home. I never said I wanted to stay here either.”
Mandy stares at me. “Look, this is your one opportunity to bury the past. You can’t stay single forever just because one guy let you down.”
I let out a snort. “Kellan and I don’t have a relationship. He’s not even into relationships.”
“Yet,” she says slowly.
“It’s not going to happen. Ever.”
“You can’t know that.”