17 Nights

"So where exactly are you taking me?" Ava asked as she tried to look for a suitable dress for her dinner with Marc, but it was proven to be difficult as he refused to tell her where they were going.

Marc laughed as he got out his suit from the dresser he'd been occupying since he and Ava started spending more time at each other's homes. "No Ava, just dress nice," he advised her.

Poking her head out of the walk in closet, she narrowed her eyes at Marc jokingly. "Are you saying I dress trashy?" she asked. "Choose your words carefully, Mr. Staal."

Sighing, Marc walked over to Ava and slipped his hands inside her white robes, holding on to her thin waist. "You dress beautifully all the time," he said seductively.

Ava bit her lip, trying not to get turned on. "You, Marc Staal, are going to be the death of me," she warned him, standing on her tippy toes and kissed him on the lips. "Now get out of my closet so I can change," she instructed him and patted him on the arm.

Marc let out an airy laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. Ava was something else; she was different from the girls that he'd dated. She was beautiful, with a wicked humour that matched a college male.

She was sensual and sexual no doubt, but she wasn't the type of girl that would sleep with just anyone, they had to mean something to her. Ava emitted confidence in everything she did, the way she talked, walked and she carried herself.

How a guy from a small town like Thunder Bay could ever end up with a girl like her, he wondered, but he knew he was lucky. Marc knew what he had and he wanted to make it official with her.

He was too into his thoughts to notice Ava step out of her huge walk in closet dressed in a body hugging satin off white dress that fell ten inches above her knee.

"So, how do I look?" she asked, her voice deep and sensual. She did a quick pose and looked at him with wanting eyes.

The dress was white and it fell just an inch above her knee. The cut was modest, showing just enough of her tanned breasts, leaving Marc wanting more. Her hair was up, but he could see that they were curled messily and her make up was light.

Marc's breath stopped. He was so used to seeing her in a jeans or t-shirt, and when he did see her dressed up it was on the TV. Seeing her up close and personal, she looked beautiful, like a goddess too far to touch.

"You look beautiful," he admitted and went up to her.

Ava had a smile on her face as he approached her. "You don't look bad yourself," she said and but his white tie between her fingers and played with it. She moved her body closer to him when he grabbed her waist and pulled her body close to his.

*

Sitting at the expensive restaurant, Marc in front of her, Ava couldn't keep her eyes off of him and her smile off her face. She was, more than happy, Marc made her happy.

He wasn't like the usually guys she dated. He was different. He wasn't always about sex and fame, he was respectful of her and was able to make her smile no matter the situation. He made her heart beat fast whenever he walked into the room, or when he gave her that look only meant for her.

"So, how was practice this morning?" Ava asked as she took a bite of her salad. "I heard that my Dad talked to you. What did he say?"

Marc swallowed his food and spoke, "He found out that we were dating and like any father, he warned me not to touch or hurt his little girl."

Surprised at what Marc said to her father, Ava stopped eating and placed her fork back onto the table. "We're dating?" she asked slowly, her eyebrows shooting up.

Coughing, Marc looked at Ava uneasily. They hadn't really defined their relationship and didn't really know what to call what was going on between them. He was scared that he said the wrong thing. He'd hoped that they were dating and hopefully by the end of the night she would be his girlfriend.

"I was going to ask you later, so you know, in case it didn't go so well, but I was hoping you would be my girlfriend," he said uneasily.

Ava let out a loud laugh. "Marc, we're already sleeping together, why wouldn't I want to be your girlfriend?"

Marc rubbed the back of his neck out of nervousness. "I dunno, I just didn't think I'd be good enough for you."

"Why does everyone say that?" she asked no one in particular, sounding truly surprised. "I'm so sick and tired of people thinking that they know what's best for me. Marc, you really think that if I didn't like you I'd be wasting my time and risk my feelings?"

"You're right," he agreed with her, unsure of that he was supposed to say. Marc genuinely wanted to be with her, to forget about Frankie, but he didn't think he was good enough for someone like Ava Hall.

Laughing at Marc, Ava found it adorable when Marc had his moments where he's completely confident and then moments where he could be completely awkward. She thanked the waiter when he set down her plate and began to eat small bites of it.

"I'm so glad I don't have to worry too much about my weight for the time being," she said, having a mini orgasm when she took a bite of her pasta. "Hmm, carbs."

*

After finishing with their dinner, Ava and Marc decided to head to Ava's condo hoping to watch a movie before it got too late as Marc had a game the next day. Throwing her keys in the small bowl in the hallway, Ava walked over to tall windows, opening the curtain to let the moon in.

Marc stood a few feet behind her, watching her as she swayed slightly to the song she was humming. She looked so beautiful.

She let her hair down, the blonde curls cascading against her back. Ava walked over to her speakers, where her iPod was attached. Searching for the song she had in mind, she smiled when she found it.

Josh Groban's voice started to filter the room.

A waltz when she walks in the room
She pulls back the hair from her face
She turns to the window to sway in the moonlight
Even her shadow has grace
A waltz for the girl out of reach
She lifts her hands up to the sky
She moves with the music
The song is her lover
The melody's making her cry

Marc was enthralled. He was seeing another side of Ava he'd never seen before. She had a content smile on her face as she swayed with the song. The moon casting a small light on her, she looked like a goddess, so unreachable.

"Dance with me," she whispered and held out her fragile hand. "Come on," Ava urged him.

Walking briskly towards her, he nervously grabbed her hand. He was so nervous, only Ava could do this to him. "You know, I can't dance to save my life," he confessed and Ava let out a small laugh.

So she dances
In and out of the crowd like a glance
This romance is
From afar calling me silently

"You're doing fine," she reassured him and moved closer to him so that their bodies were touching as they swayed.

Ava looked up at Marc, her eyes meeting his at that moment she felt scared and happy at the same time. Scared that she was falling in love fast with him and happy all for the same reasons. She wasn't used to; she was used to always being level headed and in control of a relationship. But in this one, she was fighting a losing battle and she knew it.

A waltz for the chance I should take
But how will I know where to start?
She's spinning between constellations and dreams
Her rhythm is my beating heart

So she dances
In and out of the crowd like a glance
This romance is
From afar calling me silently

I can't keep on watching forever
I give up this view just to tell her

When I close my eyes I can see
The spotlights are bright on you and me
We've got the floor
And you're in my arms
How could I ask for more?

So she dances
In and out of the crowd like a glance
This romance is
From afar calling me silently

I can't keep on watching forever
And I'm givin' up this view just to tell her