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Ava fell willingly with a giggle that vibrated through her body.
    Within seconds and without Ava knowing how, she was pinned beneath Tyler, his arms framing her face and her robe abandoned on the floor. Lifting herself up, Ava kissed Tyler lightly before letting her head flop back against the pillow.
    Tyler kissed her with everything he had. He held nothing back, but before things had a chance to get out of hand again, Tyler rolled to Ava’s side. Ava felt a chill pass through her body at the loss of Tyler’s body heat even though he was still there.
    “Ava…do you want me to go?”
    “What?”
    “Do you want me to go home?”
    Startled, Ava forced herself upright, completely ignoring her nakedness. “Why…why would you even think that? I don’t want you to go.” The words gushed from Ava so quickly she could barely contain them. Her only saving grace was the one word she did manage to hold back.
    “You always do.”
     
     
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 7
     
     
    Tyler
     
    His words were barely audible, but at the same time they were deafening.
    Tyler hadn’t wanted to say anything. He’d never intended to, but once the words were out there, there was nothing to be done but deal with the consequences. Even though he’d been the one to initiate the conversation, it didn’t mean it was one he wanted. And he definitely wasn’t about to have it wearing nothing but his birthday suit. Craving the need to be protected, Tyler reached down beside the bed, grabbed his boxers, and yanked them on carelessly.
    “Tyler.” Ava’s voice was soft, broken, and she looked so small. She’d melted back amongst the nest of pillows almost as if she was trying to hide.
    “You gotta tell me why. Please. I need to know. What do I do to make you run?” Tyler croaked.
    “Nothing.”
    “Then why, Ava? Why do you leave?”
    “Because I can’t stay.”
    “But why, damn it?”
    He’d wanted to stay calm. Have a rational discussion. But his emotions had gotten the better of him and he couldn’t sit there a moment longer. Leaping from the bed in one smooth, fluid motion, Tyler found himself pacing Ava’s bedroom, running his hands through his hair.
    With shaking fingers, Ava reached out and pulled on Tyler’s button down shirt she’d ripped off him earlier. Shrugging it on, Ava stood, her legs barely holding her.
    Regret filled Tyler. Moments earlier Ava’s eyes had been alight with mischief and happiness but now they were filled with fear and uncertainty. His stomach turned with the knowledge that he’d been the one to put it there. If only he’d kept his big mouth shut, then instead of standing on the opposite side of the room, the bed between them, the void feeling wider than the Grand Canyon, he’d have been wrapped around the most amazing girl in his world.
    “Tyler, I…I just can’t.”
    “But why, Ava? There’s got to be a reason. Tell me. Please. How am I supposed to fix it if I don’t know what I’m supposed to be fixing?”
    With tears streaming silently down her face, Ava hiccupped. Tyler wanted to jump the bed and wipe away her tears. He wanted to make it better and maybe that’s what made it so hard. What he wanted to do and what he knew he needed to do were so far apart he couldn’t reconcile the two.
    “There’s nothing to fix.”
    “Bullshit!”
    Frustrated and with his blood boiling, Tyler stalked from the room and pulled on his jeans, barely pausing to zip them as he stuffed his feet in shoes. The moment his hand touched the cool metal of the door handle, Tyler realized what he was doing. He was guilty of the exact same crime he’d accused Ava of. Running. Fighting to justify it in his head, Tyler spied the time on the microwave, the red numbers glowing at him. It was the middle of the night. Changing his mind, Tyler kicked off his shoes and collapsed heavily on the lounge. He was exhausted in every way a person could be. Mentally. Emotionally. Physically. Running his hands