ever do that again.”
It felt like he ’d slapped her in the face. “Me?” she threw back. “What about you?”
“I’m – sorry.” Nicolas’ s face twitched. He looked appalled with himself.
“But this is what you wanted. I know you did,” Ava insisted, her eyes slowly filling up with tears.
Nic let out a short, brittle laugh. “I don’t want this. I can’t want this.” He raised his hands as if to ward her off. “I care about you as your guardian, Ava. I loved your father, and I’m not about to turn my custody of you into something sordid and cheap.”
Before she could object, Nicolas swiveled around and barged out of the shed, slamming the door on his way out. Ava gasped for breath before crumpling to the floor and bursting into hot tears of shame.
She’d thought she could win Nic’s heart. Maybe she’d been wrong if their kiss had felt distasteful and shameful to him. To her, it had felt sweet. Hot, sizzling, but also gentle. It had felt real.
Alen’s words came back to her. Your chances of ever having him the way you want are minimal. Should she let it go?
If so, she couldn’t stay here. Being around Nicolas would drive her insane. It was time to get out of this place for a while.
10.
“You really want to stay in Luna Six?”
Ava nodded with flinty determination. “Yeah. All three weeks. It’s a lot easier to show Georgie around like that. You know. We’ll be close to all the public transport systems.”
After last night’s disaster, she’d decided to invite her best friend from Sutton over to keep her company on the moon for a while. Since Nicolas kept insisting she should want for nothing, she’d asked him to pay for her friend’s ticket, and he’d happily obliged. He just couldn’t understand why she didn’t want Georgie to stay at Carter Manor – or maybe he didn’t want to understand.
“So, shall I book you girls a hotel, then?” he went on, a distraught look in his green eyes. “Something classic?”
“We were thinking of the Neil Armstrong Lodge.” Ava held up a brochure. “They have these themed rooms, so Georgie might like that. Plus, they organize trips to the original 1969 moon landing site every three hours. We should probably check that out.”
“If you want,” Nicolas conceded. “I hope your friend won’t think I’m unwelcoming toward her. We have plenty of room for guests.”
Ava shook her head. “She won’t think that. It’s me. I just need to be away from this place for a while.”
Nicolas looked at her with such wounded eyes that her heart slightly cracked. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Don’t take it personal,” she mumbled.
Nic fell silent, blindly staring at the brochure on the table. When he glanced up again, he unexpectedly grabbed her hand. “Did I drive you away?” he inquired softly.
“Yes,” she replied earnestly. “You did.”
He cringed. “How can I not take that personally?”
“I don’t know. You’ll have to figure that one out for yourself.” Ava pushed back her chair and got up. “It’s just for a few weeks, Nic. I’ll be back.”
“Do you still want to visit Uncle Gerald with me?”
“Sure. Why not?” She smiled wanly. “But you have to promise me he’ll be nice to me. Nicer than your parents.”
“Well, that’s not really a challenge,” Nic muttered sourly.
Ava couldn’t help laughing. “True.” A pang went through her heart when she saw him crack a genuine smile, too. This man was everything she wanted. He was so beautiful – but she had to get him out of her system. If she didn’t, she’d be setting herself up for a broken heart down the road.
“I’ll go make a few calls.” Nic got up and cast her one last, despondent look before he left the room. Ava sighed, whipped out her pad and sent Georgie a message to let her know that they’d be seeing each other soon.
Two days later, Ava met Georgie in front of the Neil Armstrong Lodge. Her friend had used a courtesy Solar
It felt like he ’d slapped her in the face. “Me?” she threw back. “What about you?”
“I’m – sorry.” Nicolas’ s face twitched. He looked appalled with himself.
“But this is what you wanted. I know you did,” Ava insisted, her eyes slowly filling up with tears.
Nic let out a short, brittle laugh. “I don’t want this. I can’t want this.” He raised his hands as if to ward her off. “I care about you as your guardian, Ava. I loved your father, and I’m not about to turn my custody of you into something sordid and cheap.”
Before she could object, Nicolas swiveled around and barged out of the shed, slamming the door on his way out. Ava gasped for breath before crumpling to the floor and bursting into hot tears of shame.
She’d thought she could win Nic’s heart. Maybe she’d been wrong if their kiss had felt distasteful and shameful to him. To her, it had felt sweet. Hot, sizzling, but also gentle. It had felt real.
Alen’s words came back to her. Your chances of ever having him the way you want are minimal. Should she let it go?
If so, she couldn’t stay here. Being around Nicolas would drive her insane. It was time to get out of this place for a while.
10.
“You really want to stay in Luna Six?”
Ava nodded with flinty determination. “Yeah. All three weeks. It’s a lot easier to show Georgie around like that. You know. We’ll be close to all the public transport systems.”
After last night’s disaster, she’d decided to invite her best friend from Sutton over to keep her company on the moon for a while. Since Nicolas kept insisting she should want for nothing, she’d asked him to pay for her friend’s ticket, and he’d happily obliged. He just couldn’t understand why she didn’t want Georgie to stay at Carter Manor – or maybe he didn’t want to understand.
“So, shall I book you girls a hotel, then?” he went on, a distraught look in his green eyes. “Something classic?”
“We were thinking of the Neil Armstrong Lodge.” Ava held up a brochure. “They have these themed rooms, so Georgie might like that. Plus, they organize trips to the original 1969 moon landing site every three hours. We should probably check that out.”
“If you want,” Nicolas conceded. “I hope your friend won’t think I’m unwelcoming toward her. We have plenty of room for guests.”
Ava shook her head. “She won’t think that. It’s me. I just need to be away from this place for a while.”
Nicolas looked at her with such wounded eyes that her heart slightly cracked. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Don’t take it personal,” she mumbled.
Nic fell silent, blindly staring at the brochure on the table. When he glanced up again, he unexpectedly grabbed her hand. “Did I drive you away?” he inquired softly.
“Yes,” she replied earnestly. “You did.”
He cringed. “How can I not take that personally?”
“I don’t know. You’ll have to figure that one out for yourself.” Ava pushed back her chair and got up. “It’s just for a few weeks, Nic. I’ll be back.”
“Do you still want to visit Uncle Gerald with me?”
“Sure. Why not?” She smiled wanly. “But you have to promise me he’ll be nice to me. Nicer than your parents.”
“Well, that’s not really a challenge,” Nic muttered sourly.
Ava couldn’t help laughing. “True.” A pang went through her heart when she saw him crack a genuine smile, too. This man was everything she wanted. He was so beautiful – but she had to get him out of her system. If she didn’t, she’d be setting herself up for a broken heart down the road.
“I’ll go make a few calls.” Nic got up and cast her one last, despondent look before he left the room. Ava sighed, whipped out her pad and sent Georgie a message to let her know that they’d be seeing each other soon.
Two days later, Ava met Georgie in front of the Neil Armstrong Lodge. Her friend had used a courtesy Solar
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