“Hey, what are you doing?” Brennus strolled into the bedroom, bringing the scent of fresh air and grass with him.

Avery slammed the diary shut. Having mentioned that she was having journal withdrawals, Brennus had promptly produced one for her.

“Writing,” she replied softly, tucking the journal behind her back.

He smirked, throwing her a look. “I’m not going to sneak a peek at your diary like some pre-pubescent girl.”

She snorted, not really picturing Brennus doing anything so undignified. “I guess you wouldn’t.”

Smiling at her, he shrugged off his coat, dropping it lazily onto an armchair. She knew by the change in his body language that his attention was entirely focused on her. As he strolled towards her languidly, Avery felt her breath hitch at his approach. The bed shifted under his weight as he braced his hands on either side of her and leaned down for a kiss. She inhaled his musk, her eyes locked on his, her mouth already falling open. Her hands reached up to clutch at his chest and her heart sped at the feel of his breath across her face. Her skin tingled. His lips brushed across hers softly, one stroke, two. Playful. Teasing. Excruciating. She tried to catch them but he kept drawing back, laughing softly under his breath. Without thought Avery took his face in her hands, cupping his jaw tight. He stiffened, his eyes flaring a little with apprehension. She hadn’t touched his face before. Gulping back anxiety, Avery struggled to breathe normally. She swore she could hear his heart fluttering like a mouse caught between the paws of the neighbour’s cat. Her own picked up pace in response. Tentatively, afraid he’d be angry but needing to do it nonetheless, she trailed the fingertips of her right hand up across his cheek, running over the haggard lines of his scar. He flinched but her hold brook no argument. She followed the lines of his scar over his cheek, nose, his forehead. Brennus’ eyes fluttered closed and he leaned into her touch. Pain flared up her arm shooting for the direction of her heart. She hated the man who had done this to him. But more than that, Avery hated the fact she’d recoiled from him because of it.

This man was more beautiful than she’d ever be.

Trembling now, Avery leaned up and pressed the sweetest kiss to his cheek, to his scar. Brennus shuddered against her, his arms wrapping around her waist and drawing her close. Not finished, she peppered fairy kisses to his wound, trailing them down in a magical course of acceptance to his happy ending mouth, where she pressed a kiss of such… longing. He groaned harshly and kissed her back, hard. Avery clung on as he deepened the kiss, his tongue searching hers, needy and wanting; his arms binding her tight, his hands gripping her skin so hard he almost left bruises. A heat, this unimaginable flush, charged through her and she felt that tug in her lower body that Sarah had told her all about. The tug, the heat she had never felt with any guy; the tug and heat she’d been jealous of as Sarah expounded upon her night of passion with some French guy during the school’s business trip to Paris. But now she was feeling it; that fever, that need. She almost smiled in exhilaration against Brennus’ mouth. Finally, she was feeling all grown up.

Any further thoughts were obliterated when Brennus reached for the hem of her t-shirt. Even his fingers brushing against her bare skin sent these sparks shooting out of her nerve endings. Her eyes nearly rolled back in her head. Feeling drugged, Avery let him pull the shirt over her head, barely allowing a second of separation before she was pressed back up against him, his hands running up and down her back frenziedly, as if trying to find a way inside.

“Sir!”

They broke apart abruptly, Avery’s eyes flying to the door. Thankfully Ames was nowhere to be seen.

“What is it, Ames?” Brennus snapped into the room at large.

“I apologise, sir, but you have a visitor.”

They tried to catch their breath. Brennus groaned and leaned his forehead on Avery’s shoulder, his hand making circles on her naked back.

“I’ll be there in a minute.” He sighed and Avery realised he was using that telecom system thing. Ames was probably downstairs somewhere.

Brennus groaned again and Avery smiled softly at his frustration… her frustration too. She sighed and brushed her hand through his hair. “You better go.”

He nodded and lifted his head to gaze at her.

Her breath caught.

No one had ever looked at her like that before. His eyes spoke words his mouth could never so poignantly convey. Selfishly, she was glad he felt that way about her.

She wet her lips self-consciously and Brennus took it as an invitation, brushing a kiss across her mouth before jerking away from her.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” he promised and ran his hands through his hair, attempting to restore his flustered state to presentable. He didn’t look at her. Shaking her head, Avery searched for her shirt and found it discarded on the floor. Quickly, she pulled it on and he threw her a grateful look.

“Who will it be?”

“The visitor?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t know. I’m about to find out.”

***

Avery didn’t know why she did it. It was his visitor. His home. His private business. But she gave him five minutes and then tip-toed out after him, praying Ames didn’t bust her. At the sound of Brennus’ voice her ears lifted, and she mocked herself for acting like a puppy hearing her owner’s keys turning in the lock. Making sure Ames was nowhere to be seen Avery followed the voices to the sitting room. One of the double doors was cracked open a little and she peered through the gap, her breathing stuttering to a halt at the sight of Brennus standing opposite a tall woman. She was so tall she came to Brennus’ chin. Her light brown hair was pulled back off her face in a knotted messy bun that somehow managed to be stylish. She wore tight black jeans that accentuated the slender long lines of her legs. A leather jacket and matching boots completed the ensemble. Like Brennus, she wore all black. Avery could just make out her profile but what she saw of this woman amounted to gorgeous.

“This is a difficult time.” Brennus moved around her and leaned against the fireplace. The woman turned and Avery felt a twinge of jealousy. She was stunning. Not cute. But beautiful. Fine featured. Dark, exotic eyes.

The woman grimaced at Brennus. “I know. That’s why I’m here. Rumour has it you’ve bagged a human.”

Avery’s heart sped up. That would be her.