Chapter 122

Deric POV

The sheets still smelled like Ava, warm, faintly sweet with a hint of something floral she always wore. The warmth of Ava pressed against me was a comfort I hadn’t realized I’d craved so badly. We lay tangled in the sheets, breath still mingling after the kind of intimacy that leaves your skin tingling and your heart stubbornly full. Her fingers traced lazy circles on my chest as I tried to steady the erratic beat in my chest.

“I learned some new tricks,” she murmured, voice thick with that sultry, slightly tipsy that made my stomach flip. “You’ve got to come out with me tonight. You have to see them, drunk Ava style.”

I laughed softly, pulling her closer until her head rested on my shoulder. “Drunk Ava is a whole new level of dangerous, huh?”

She smirked, eyes sparkling with mischief. “Dangerous, yes. Fr