I reach for her thigh, a tactical move, and then lean in and kiss her into oblivion. Another tactical move. “Make sure you do,” I order, rising, leaving her dazed, and walking away, smiling to myself. I can feel her desire smacking me in the back as I go. “Have a good day, dear,” I say to myself.

“How old are you, Jesse?”

My smile drops. Are we really going to do this again? After last night, she’s still thinking about that? I pout, turning, but I keep moving, walking backward. “Twenty-four,” I call.

She noticeably sags. “How many times have I got to ask before we get to your real age?”

I’m not cocky enough to be insulted. Clearly, I’m not twenty-four. “Quite a few, lady,” I say, flashing a cheeky grin as I turn and stride away. Quite a few. She’ll keep asking, but how long can I evade?

I jump in my car and roar off, mentally planning my day. It needs to pass quickly so I can call her tomorrow. That’s if she doesn’t call me first. Will she call me first?

My phone rings and I sigh. Back to real life. “Sarah.”

“Where did you disappear to last night?”

Like she needs to ask. “I spent the night with Ava.” I don’t beat around the bush. She’ll see the spring in my step when I get to The Manor anyway.

“Oh,” she breathes, and I frown as I cruise down The Embankment. She is surprised? “Jesse . . .”

“Don’t do it, Sarah,” I warn, my tone automatically deadly. Talk about a drastic change in mood. Not only am I being deprived of Ava for a guaranteed twenty-four hours, but I also have to deal with endless shit that makes me feel like shit—while being deprived of the one thing that doesn’t make me feel like fucking shit. My fists clench around the steering wheel. “I’ll be there soon.” I hang up and put my foot down, blowing out my annoyance.

The moment I land in my office, I get straight on my laptop and look up a member of interest in the system. I dial the number we have on record and relax back in my chair, drumming my fingers on my desk.

“Hello?” Her accent sounds thicker over the phone.

“It’s Jesse Ward,” I say, and I hear her surprise in the form of a subtle inhale. “Hope you don’t mind me calling.” And picking your brain to bits.

“Of course not. How are you?”