Page 83 of Wild Heart

“Of course, it is. I just want you to know I’m here for you if that changes.”

“I do.”

Just then, Tate had no choice but to release my hand, because our food had arrived. After our server took off, Tate asked, “So, you’re all moved in to the new apartment?”

“I am.”

“Do I get to come and take a tour sometime?”

I laughed. “It might be a wise idea for you to do it sooner rather than later, because it’s probably the cleanest it’s ever going to be. I suspect as time goes on, things will just always be out of place, and you might break out in hives from the mess.”

Tate burst out laughing, and the sight of it made my heart skip a beat. I hadn’t ever imagined we were going to get back to this place, but being here with him, listening to him laugh like that, I couldn’t have been more grateful.

Following our lunch date, Tate took me back to Westwood’s, so I could get my car and make it to my showing appointment with my realtor. He’d walked me to my car, made me promise to meet him back at his condo as soon as I was finished, and kissed me senseless before I left.

The moment he opened the front door to his condo when I arrived after my appointment, Tate reached for my arm, tugged me inside, and kissed me senseless again. It was a good thing he’d kept a firm hold on me, because I got so caught up in kissing him, I was dizzy.

“How’d it go?” Tate asked when he’d gotten his fill and ushered me away from the door.

“Good. Both places are actually viable options for me. I think, at this point, it’s just a matter of deciding on which I like best. And honestly, it’s going to come down to price and location. I told my realtor I’m going to take a day or two to think it over and let her know.”

“I’m happy to hear they worked out for you.”

“Yeah, I’m eager to get back to work, so I’m glad I don’t have to keep searching for a spot.”

Tate led me over to the couch. I’d barely gotten myself seated when he pulled me into his arms and kissed me once more.

Unsurprisingly, I got lost in his kiss, and if it hadn’t been for him coming to his senses, I wouldn’t have stopped.

“We need to talk,” he said, evidently just as affected by kissing me as I was him.

“Yeah.”

“Maybe we should start at the beginning. Or, I guess, the beginning of today. Ava, it’s been driving me crazy ever since you asked me the question, and I don’t think I can focus on any other conversation until we clear this up. Why would you ask me if I slept with Francesca?”

I winced. “Because I saw you leave with her. I saw you leave with her after I’d asked you to join me on the dance floor and you turned me down. I saw you walk into the cabin after you called me your friend, after you made it clear that you wanted something more physical between us than you believed I was ready for at the time.”

“So, you saw me leave with her and walk into the cabin, and you assumed the entire time that I had sex with her?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

Something dawned on his features. “Were you ever actually sick that night?”

“Oh, I was sick. I threw up in the bushes, but it had nothing to do with having a stomach bug or food poisoning or anything like that,” I insisted.

His shoulders slumped, a pained expression washing over him. “Jesus, Ava, I’m so sorry.”

“I didn’t want to believe it, but then you came into my room that night and said everything you did to me.” My chest tightened, something cold and empty settling inside me, as I recalled that night.

Tate flinched, even though he never released his hold on me. “You heard all of that? You were awake?”

“Yes. You told me you fucked up, that you were sorry, and that you hoped I’d be able to forgive you. That’s the part that still doesn’t make any sense to me.”

He sighed, his arms holding me tighter. “I wasn’t saying I fucked up that night. I meant that I fucked up in this whole situation with you. I don’t know. It just felt like it was getting harder and harder to just remain friends with you, and even if we could be friendly again, I was beginning to worry that we weren’t going to be able to be anything more. That you were never going to open your heart to me again.”

God, I should have just talked to him that night. I would have saved myself so much heartache.

“What’s funny is I had made a plan the day before we left,” I told him. “The girls came into my room and were asking about what was happening between us. Just before we all came downstairs to leave, I had decided I was going to go out that night to dance and have a good time, but when we got back to the chalet, I was going to sneak into your room.”