23. 23
23
Will bolted through the front door and headed toward the teenager sitting on the couch.“Where is she?”
“She’s okay. She’s in her room.” The teen’shair shot out of the sides of a messy braid, braces gleamingbeneath paper-thin lips.“She vomited after dinner. She seems to be doing fine right now, but her numbers are high on her meter. I don’t know what’sgoing on.”
“It’s alright,Amy. I’ll get it figured out.We can take it from here.”He pulled out his wallet and peeled out some crisp twenties for her.
“Thanks,Mr. Jessup. I hope she feels better.”
“I appreciate that. Take care,Amy.Drive safe. They say it’s gonna get down to zero tonight. Stay alert for black ice on the road, okay?”
“Sure thing, Mr. Jessup.”
“Shoot me a text when you make it home, too, just so I know you didn’t end up in a ditch or something, alright?”
Amy nodded and looked at Ava. Ava could swear she saw a flicker of jealousy in the girl’s eyes. Amy nodded and made her way out the front door with a wave.
The second the door clicked shut, Will ran down the hallway and tapped his knuckles on Starla’s door before opening it. The pink room was lit up by a rotating night light plastering garish ballerina silhouettes on nearly every inch of her wall.
“Hey, SweetPea. How you feelin’?”
Starla laid on her side, clutching Gremlin to her chest. The pup’s tail whapped the beddingat the sight of Will.
“I don’t feel so good.”Starla’s voice was small and meek.
“What happened? You were fine when I left.”
Starla shrugged pitifully.
Will sat downbeside Gremlin. The dog lovingly licked at his hand as he reached over to feel her head. “You feel a little warm. Lemmecheck your pump and see where your levels areat, okay?”
“Okay.” She grumbledand handed the monitoring device over.
Will looked down at the device, clicking buttons on the interface, and then glanced back at the doorway where Ava timidly lurked in the shadows of the hall. “Starla, this is my friend.Ava. ”
Will waved Ava inside the room.
Cautiously,she entered.“Hi, Starla. I’m sorry you aren’t feeling well.”
“You look like a real-life princess.”
Ava looked down at her prom gown and chuckled. “I suppose I do. But, alas, I am not a princess.”
Gremlin wriggled free of the girl’s grasp and came to the edge of the bed to greet Ava, tongue hanging halfway down to her furry knees. Starla reached over slowly and grabbed a stuffed bunny with felt horns sewn onto its head.
Ava smiled. “Whoa, cool. You have a jackalope stuffy?”
“Yeah.” Starla grinned. “One day,I’m gonna have a real one. I’m gonna get him a big cage and feed him carrots.”
Will looked at Ava over his shoulder and rolled his eyes in a way that his daughter couldn’t see. “I told her if she could find one in the wild, she could keep it.”
Ava twisted her face to keep from laughing. “Oh. That’s a good plan.”
“I told her they’re really tough to find.” Will stared at Ava like, ‘play along, please. ’
“I already have a name picked out for it,”Starla volunteered.
“Your numbers are verylow, little lady. Did you not eat dinner? ”
“It was gross.”
A disapproving look crawled onto Will’s face. “Itwasfish sticks and broccoli. It’s good for you.”
“I hate fish sticks. Miss Amy doesn’t make them crunchy like you do. Hers are soggy. And the way she cooks broccoli, Dad, itsmelledlike a fart.”
Ava snickered.
Will looked at Starla, eyebrows crinkled.“Star, you gotta eat.”He sighed, long and deep. “Do you want a popsicle?”
“I want ice cream.”
Will rubbed his eyes so hard he saw stars. “You can have a tiny bit of ice cream, but only if you promise me next time Amy is here, you will eat your dinner.”
Starla just stared at him from the depths of her pillow.
“ All of it.”
Starla nodded unconvincingly.
Will shook his head, defeated. “I’ll be right back.” He breezed out of the room.
Starla waved Avacloser. Ava took Will’s spot on the edge of the bed.
“Can I tell you a secret?” Starla’s voice was small and quiet.
Ava looked around and nodded gently .
Starla cupped a hand around her mouth and whispered, “Sometimes I don’t eat dinner so that I can have juice and ice cream. Don’t tell Dad.”
Ava shook her head. “I gotta watch out for you. Too smart for your own good.”
Starla chuckled, holding her finger over her mouth.“Gum’s the word.”
“I think you mean mums the word .” Ava pretended to zip her lips and throw away the key.
Will walked back into the room with a juice box and a small bowl of strawberry ice cream.Gremlin weaseled her body toward the treat, sniffing the air wildly. As Will handed it to her, Gremlin swatted Starla’s arm.
“No. Gremlin. It’s mine.”
Gremlins stubby snout snorted with disdain.
“Eat up, Star. We can check your levels again in a bit. If they’re still low, you can have a string cheese.”
Starla nodded and slurped downthe contents of the juice boxin a few pulls.
“Can we watch a movie?”
“No, baby. Finish your ice cream and get some rest. Youcan watch a movie in the morning.”
“But… Daddy.”
Will’s eyebrows rose, and he stared at his daughter .
“Can’t we… watch one of your… old movies… with Miss Ava?” Starla pouted.
Will shot Ava a look, flustered by the further delay of where they left off at the prom.
Despite Ava’s longing, she would never come between a father and his child. “I mean, I’m okay with it,”she said.
“Yay!” Starla croaked, rising from her pathetic display like Lazarus.
As the credits of Singing in the Rain rolled across the screen, Ava and Will looked at each other from across the couch. Starla was fast asleep, stretched across both of their lapslike an accidental spacer.
Will rested his face against the back of the couch and stared atAva. She nestled into her side similarly.
Tonight’s plans were ruined but also salvaged in a sweet way.
“ Sorry tonight was a bust ,” Will whispered.
“ It wasn’t a bust.I got to spend it with you. ”She smiled.
Will stretched a hand out toward her. Shetook it. He stroked the soft fleshwith his thumb.
“ I should head out, ” she whispered.
Will rosefrom his seat, careful not to wake his daughter. “ I’ll walk you out. ”
At the door, Ava swaddled herself in her coat and grabbed her rhinestone clutch. “ Tonight was —”
Before she could utter another word, his lips found hers in the darkness, and he kissed her with passion. His bodypressed her slowly against the front doorwith a pleasurable pressure that took the air from Ava’s lungs. Her body tingled, thighs aching for his touch. Heslid his hand to the nape of her neck, pulling her in closer, savoring the taste of her tongue.
They wanted more.
Needed more.
She pulledhim in closer, wishing they could melt into one another as one being. Every nerve in Ava’s bodybuzzed as she felt the bulge of hiscock press against her mound through the fabric of her prom dress. Tongues explored the mouth of the other with intensity. Ava felt herself grind against the thigh he held between her legs.
“ Daddy? ”
Will and Ava stopped cold, faces burning, lungs heaving with heavy pants.
Ava looked over Will’s shoulder and readjusted his marble-hard erection, grateful for the darkness. “Hey,Star, what’s up? ”
“Daddy, will you tuck me inlike a burrito?” A sliver of moonlight kissed the side of the young girl’s face.
“Yes, baby. One second. Just let me walk Miss Ava out, and I’ll be right back to tuck you in. Go get in bed. I’ll be there in a second.”
“Okay.”
Star’s little legs scurried through the house.
Ava felt a manly hand slide gently up her throat, resting there, bobbing with her pulse. His lips neared hers, hovering. She felt her nipples harden, her legs trembling.
“ You arelike a magnet, pulling me in, Ava. ”
She didn’t say a word.Her clit pounded, aching, longing for him to touch her.
“ It is takingevery… single…ounce of strength that I have... ”
Ava’s body fell slightly slack, intentionally tightening his hand against her throat. Her breath hitched.She wanted to hike up her skirt and let him fuck her right there in the darkness against the cold front door just to feel him inside of her.
His face lowered to her breasts, dragging his lips over the fabric above her nipples. They were hard as pebbles, and his cock pulsed at the thought of her arousal.
“ No bra? ”he whispered into her ear, nibbling her lobe .
Ava was breathless, barely managing the words, “ No panties, either .”
Will lifted the long, flowing skirt of her prom dress, inch by inch. Ava trembled against his touch, legs quivering. His hand trailed up her inner thighs, and he pressed his chest tightly to hers, hungry mouth still hovering over her parted lips. His fingers found her wet flesh and gently probed her soaking slit.
Ava stopped breathing.
“ Mmmmm ,” he purred in her ear. “Is that for me?”
Ava tried to breathe, tried to speak, but could only nod. He felt her swallow hard beneath his grasp.
His finger slid deeper, and Ava rose to her tip-toes, panting in the darkness, feeling the cold knob of the door dig into her lower back.
“ Before you go, ” he slipped his middle finger deep inside of her, feeling her damp thighs part for him, easing open to accept him, “ I want another kiss. ”
Ava leaned forward, lunging to press her mouth to his with a fevered eagerness like nothing she’d ever felt before.
“ No .” The word was quiet, stern. He tipped her chin back so that her head touched the tiny window behind her. “ Not there . ”
The hand on her neck loosened, and his body lowered. Ava’s face was on fire, body trembling. She heard the rustle of fabric as he kneeled down on the mat and pulled her skirt over his head.
“ Oh fuck… ” Ava’s eyes fluttered as she felt the warm, wet caress of his tongue in her pussy. He sucked gently on her clit, diving in again, lapping her up like a man parched.
She covered her mouth to keep from moaning out loud and bucked slowly against his face.
A moment later, the fabric rustled again, and he rose. She could barely make out the smile on his face as he licked her off of his lips. His body pressed to hers, and she juddered with deep breaths. He nudged her ear with the tip of his nose and whispered, “ Goodnight, Ava. Get home safe. ”