“Wow…” Ava drawled in glorification the moment she stepped into the vast and stunning office of her man.
The wall behind the front desk was the first thing that caught her eye. It had a gold background and was inlaid with bold and powerful words ‘Zachary Group’ just like how she saw it in the lobby.
But this even looked magnificent and stood out to people's eyes like a dragon’s nest, making people afraid to underestimate it.
The luxurious well-polished brown office chair behind the desk looked so gigantic and gorgeous like a throne, designated for just the King.
The French case windows that dominated half of the office were so tall and glossy, barely evading the bright sun from outside. The marble floor was polished so well that figures could be mirrored.
“Come have your seat, Miss,” Blake’s voice got Ava’s attention, and she tilted her head to where Blake was motioning her to come sit down.
There were executive home chairs, a center table, and a vase on top of it. Seemingly, that was the meeting area.
Ava sat down on the single couch and kept the lunch bag on the table.
“What would you like to drink? Coffee, tea, or juice? Blake asked thoughtfully.
“Brown espresso coffee, please,” Ava replied with a pleased smile.
“Right away, Miss,” Blake nodded and turned away immediately.
After Blake was out of sight, Ava resumed looking around the stunning office. Everything in the room left her in awe and she thought she'd never seen a beautiful office like this before.
Blake came back a few minutes later with a cup of brewing coffee and dropped it on the table right in front of Ava.
“Thanks, Mr. Wright,” Ava thanked him gratefully, taking the cup of coffee and sniffing the aroma at first, before sipping at it.
“Umm! It's delicious,” Ava complimented, bringing a wide smile to Blake’s face.
“Making coffee is another thing I'm very good at, Miss Taylor. You see, Mr. Gonzalez had never fawned over my coffee or anything but I can tell he likes me making his coffee,” Blake gushed.
“Really?” Ava chuckled, her eyebrows lifting.
“You know, the day he'd asked me to drive down to your coffee shop, I was so shocked because he'd never had coffee outside the company before not knowing he had come because of a damsel… a damsel that almost turned him into a moron,” Blake sneered, shaking his head in disbelief.
Laughing out loud, Ava held her chest while listening to Blake. She never knew Blake had this sense of humor in him.
“He mustn't hear you say all these things or can he?” Ava deliberately asked and as expected, Blake’s playfulness instantly left his expression and became serious at once.
“I’d rather have one of my arms chopped off than for him to hear this from my mouth,” Blake shuddered as if imagining Zac overheard what he said just now.
Another laugh bubbles in Ava’s throat and just as she opens her mouth to say something, the sound of the door opening interrupts her.
Swiftly, she looked in the direction and saw her man standing there.
The man was nothing but bristling, thick muscle, arms, and legs bound in overbearing strength.
The midnight blue Italian suit clung to his bulky frame, accentuating his muscled body.
Ava’s chest swelled with pride as she scrutinized him. She'd never seen a more handsome man. God, her man was so stunning.
“Uh… shall I increase the AC temperature, Miss Taylor?” Blake asked nervously, stepping aside while Zac emerged fully into the office.
His stride was long and purposed, easy, but still, there was a hint of harshness in his stance.
During the meeting, Blake had informed him that Ava was here and he'd told him to entertain her. But what he didn't expect was for Blake to be making Ava laugh.
Like who was he to think that he could linger around Ava?
“What were you doing?” His voice was as cold and fierce as the wind in December.
Gulping, Blake took a step back, throwing a glance at Ava as if seeking defense from her.
“I-I was asking Miss Taylor if she would like m-me to increase the cooling, sir,” he tried not to stutter but he couldn't help it.
This man in front of him was damn intimidating and he most times cursed himself for always acting so weak whenever he was concerned.
“Leave,” he dismissed him with a single decisive word, and Blake nodded sharply before dashing out of the office.
Flaming brown eyes came to smolder when they met hers. The strange swirl of intense emotions that ran in them was unknown to her.
She was pale and out of breath as she pursed her lips slightly and then slowly rose to her feet.
All the while, their gazes didn't break. They did the staring down match for some moments, until he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, calming himself down to some bits.
Once opening them back, he asked, “Where were you last night?”
“With my friends,” Ava replied almost immediately, walking up to him in slow steps.
“And you didn't deem it fit to call and inform me about it?” he rasped, his furious eyes meeting hers.
She held his gaze and began batting her eyelashes, giving him her puppy eyes and saying, “I'm sorry, baby. I knew you were still mad at me for disobeying you the night before that's why I didn't have the courage to call,”
“That didn't justify your actions, Ava. Do you have an idea of how worried I was? I had to get someone to confirm that you were alright before I could gain my sanity back. Are you doing this to me on purpose? Do you like to see me get worked up all the time?”
As much as he tried not to raise his voice, the vein of his temple popped up strongly while talking and Ava figured out that he was really upset.
“I said I'm sorry, Zac. I'm really sorry for getting you worked up and I promise not to do that again, eh,” she apologized sincerely, closing up the distance between them and raising her hands to touch his chest.
And she could feel him relaxing against her mere touch as if he’d been longing for her touch since their departure.
Ava smiled and took the initiative to caress his chest up to the back of his neck and held him closer to her face.
“Did you miss me, baby? Aren't you surprised I came looking for you in your office for the first time?” A smile spread across her face, her eyes burning with the hefty waves of emotions slamming into her chest at their proximity.
Zac looked down at the slender arms holding him close and suddenly felt helpless.
He had thought initially that he was really going to have a real ding-dong with Ava for causing him to worry so much but he couldn't do that again after her apology.
He mentally shook his head and said in his heart that he had it so bad for this young lady, no doubt.
“I’m still mad at you, Tinkerbell,” he let out gruffly, his eyes raking over her beautiful face.
Smiling, Ava pulled him closer again and littered kisses all over his face and neck, whispering, “My Own,”
A frown etched across his face after Ava was done with the kissing, “What was that? Are you testing me?”
“No,” Ava smiled and shook her head sideways.
“Then do you want me to stay mad at you?” he quizzed, his brows crumpled.
Ava pecked her lips and peered into his soul, “I know you can't stay mad at me, Jamal, because you love me all the way to the stars,”
A musical chuckle reverberated through his chest as he finally circled her body in his arms. Her face under his chin and his at the crook of her neck.
Brushing his nose against her skin, he took a deep inhale, “I love you so much that it hurts.”
He rasped into her ear, kissing the junction of her neck and shoulder. A shiver ran down her body along the warmth that spread across her chest at his words.
“Does that mean you'll always find me if I get lost?” she asked, letting her side face plaster against his broad chest.
“I’ll always find you no matter where you go, Ava,” Zac admitted in a hoarse voice as if not liking to imagine her leaving his side.
“Even if I'm all the way up in the sky?” she giggled as she edged back enough to see his face.
“Hm. Even if you're all the way up in the sky,” He responded, peeling off the strands that gelled around her ear.
“Even to Pluto?” she chuckled.
“Even to Pluto,”
Then she wore a gigantic grin while her arms slowly went around him as she rested her face against his chest again and her eyes went shut that instant soaking into his warmth and scent as if they had their own mind.
“And I'm also going to love you forever to the highest mountain, baby,” Ava confessed and then pressed a long kiss to his chest.