As we enter The Manor, I feel my body tensing, the noise a good indication of how busy it is this evening. I knew it would be—Thursdays always are. My eyes are peeled as I walk with pace to my office, ignoring the looks coming at us from every person and every direction. The cat’s officially out of the bag. Yes, I’m seeing someone. Let’s not make a big deal of it.

“Good evening,” I mutter, my legs moving faster, keen to get us out of the spotlight. I don’t like the sea of frowns coming from the women, and I positively hate the looks of interest on the male members’ faces. My hold of Ava’s hand tightens, my eyes narrowing, firing looks of warning far and wide.

“Jesse.”

I glance up and see John at my office door, his eyebrows high past the tops of his wraparounds.

I get Ava into my office, safe, away from the members of my manor. “Any problems?” I ask, forgetting myself for a second.

“Small issue in the communal room, now resolved,” he answers, clearly forgetting himself too. I throw him a look. “Someone got a bit excited,” he goes on, and then I see the second his brain catches up. John flicks a look to Ava as I stare at him, stunned, feeling Ava’s curious eyes on my profile.

“’S’all good,” he rumbles. I laugh on the inside. Is it? “I’ll be in the surveillance suite.” He slides out quickly, leaving me to face the impending interrogation alone. Think.

Think, think, think.

“What’s a communal room?”

Bollocks.

I grab the collar of her jacket and tug her into me, making fast work of removing her bag and attacking her mouth. “I like you in leather,” I breathe, removing her jacket. She’s mine in the blink of an eye and a crash of her hammering heart. “But I love you in lace.” I reach for the waist of her trousers and work the zipper fast. “Always in lace.”

“I thought you have work to do,” she pants in my face.

Work? Do I? I can hardly remember to breathe when I’m with her, so remembering anything else is impossible. I need an Ava fix. Something to keep me going until I can get her home. I lift her and carry her to my desk, and the delight in her eyes only spurs me on. I pull off her boots and dip, getting close. Her eyes are swimming with anticipation. I’m certain mine must be swimming with love. “It can wait.” Nothing is more important than she is. I wish she’d adopt the same theory where I’m concerned. Be all and end all.