Chapter 273

Ava's POV "With the authority of your new boyfriend!" He looked at me and smiled, and I burst out laughing. "You think too highly of yourself!" Joseph pulled the car over to the side of the road and turned to face me. "I'm serious." "Why won't you let me help you? Can't one word from me make him disappear better than you getting a lawyer?" He pressed. "Because..." I hesitated, trying to put my feelings into words."Because I don't know what we are, Joseph. " "What do you mean, what are we?" He looked genuinely confused. "You called us 'friends with benefits' before, but I haven't even slept with you once. We go out together, I send you flowers, I introduce you to my family—what do you think this is?" The look in his eyes made my heart race. "I don't know what to think anymore." "Then let me make it clear," Joseph said. "I'm pursuing you, Ava Flynn. Not as a casual fling or a temporary distraction. I want to be with you. I want to be your boyfriend, your mate, your protector if you need