Chapter 12
twelve
GAGE
I’d been home from my shift at the station for about an hour when I heard the knock on my door. I honestly thought it was one of my siblings when I went to answer it. I never would have expected Ava to be on the other side. To find her standing there with her hair in a bun, glasses on her face, and in a pair of leggings, a sweatshirt, and no shoes was even more of a shock. When I finally registered that she was actually here, the look in her eyes was like a punch to the gut.
That first day in the courthouse I thought the look in her eyes was empty, but I see it for what it is now—devastation. And knowing her better, I know whatever caused it isn’t something small. Ava Day is far too strong to let something small bring her down, and for her to reach out for help means this is something far greater than I imagined.
“This is me asking for that strength you offered. I can’t do it anymore and I need help.” Ava presses herself closer to me. “Make me forget.” It’s a plea, desperation clear in her voice and eyes.
“Are you sure?” I ask, my arms moving around her waist, holding her close.
“I’ve never been more sure.”
I see the conviction in her eyes, but I need more than that. There’s no doubt I want this, that I crave this. But I won’t take advantage of her. I can’t do this if she’s going to regret it in the morning. I’d never forgive myself.
“We should talk about this.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” She leans forward, trying to kiss me again, and while I want to kiss her more than my next breath, I won’t allow it.
“You don’t have to tell me everything, but you have to give me more than this.” I feel her body stiffen in my arms, and her grip on my shirt disappears. “Ava.” My hold tightens, not giving her room to back away from me. “You’re too important for me not to worry about the future. I’m not saying no. I’m saying talk to me. Tell me how we got here after so many nos.”
She looks at me, disbelief clear across her face, and now I’m trying to figure out why she’s so shocked that I care about how she went from saying “no” to saying “yes.” Has she ever had a man concern himself with her wants and needs?
“Forget it.” She tries to push away from me, but I won’t let her.
“No, I don’t want to forget it.” She won’t meet my eyes so I can’t read what’s going through her mind right now. “Just tell me this is about you and me, and not someone else.” My voice is soft. I want to know so much more than that, but I know she’s not ready to give all of it to me.
“This is all about me and no one else.” She says it with such certainty it’s hard not to believe her, but something in her eye tells me it’s not the complete truth. “Yes, there are other factors, but this? Wanting you? That is all for me.” Her hands come back to my pecs, resting there. “I’m not afraid of going after what I want. I may have forgotten that for a bit, but I know who I am. Help me forget about the rest of it. Please.”
I’m not built to “ forget about the rest ,” but the please on her lips does me in. I see it in her eyes, the truth in what she’s saying. Ava isn’t a woman who shies away from what she wants, and watching her take that back is a privilege.
I pull her in, bending so my lips brush hers as I say, “Okay.”
Our lips barely touch before she’s pulling back. “Just one night. I still don’t know where I’ll be after the new year, and I’m not willing to start something with an end date. Especially with someone I’ll see when I visit my brother.”
I lift a brow and smirk. “You think one night will be enough?”
“We’ll have to make it enough.” She rises to her toes, brushing her lips over my cheek on a path to my ear. “Think you can make it worth my while?” Her voice is husky in my ear, causing a shiver to run up my spine.
“Oh, Rebel.” I chuckle, my voice dropping an octave. “What a silly question.”
I know one night with Ava Day won't be nearly enough to stifle the burning desire I feel between us, but I know I won't be able to convince her of that right now. And I sure as hell know I’m not ready to risk this one moment if it's all I’ll get with her. I'll go along with her plan—for now—but this won't stop me from pursuing her beyond tonight. I won't give up easily on more time with Ava.
I contemplate being gentle for only a moment—Ava wouldn’t want me to treat her like a piece of glass. Bending slightly, I place my hands on the backs of her thighs and lift her, pressing her back into the closed front door. She releases a small gasp, and I take full advantage, claiming her mouth in a heated kiss—a kiss I want her to feel in the morning.
Her legs wind around my waist, squeezing. Her arms move around my shoulders, holding me to her. And her kiss is just as greedy as mine.
My hips push into her, keeping her pinned against the door as my hands travel up the sides of her body under her sweatshirt. The feel of her skin, soft and smooth, is in direct contrast to the roughness of my palms. My hands continue a path up, ghosting the sides of her breasts, finding she’s not wearing a bra. I groan as my fingers slide over her pebbled nipples, pinching slightly.
“Gage,” she moans against my lips, rolling her hips in search of the friction we both need. “I need you inside me.”
My hips jerk unconsciously. A woman unafraid to ask for exactly what she wants is my undoing.
I lean back just enough to tear her sweatshirt over her head, letting it fall to the floor next to us. My gaze zeros in on her rosy nipples, and I can’t hold myself back from taking one into my mouth, sucking hard.
“Gage.” She tugs at my hair, pulling me away from her chest. “Please.” Her hands fumble as she reaches between us, tugging at my shirt.
I bring my lips back to hers in a bruising kiss as I unwind her legs from around me and put her down to remove her pants and underwear in one swift move. On my way back up her body, I pause at the apex of her thighs. I want so badly to give this part of her all the attention it deserves, but I need to be inside her just as badly as she needs me.
I give myself a few moments, spreading her open and swiping my tongue over her wet center. Her hips rock forward, her hands diving back into my hair, and a whimper falls from her lips. The sound makes me groan, the vibrations traveling through her body as I slip a finger inside, pumping once, then twice, before adding a second.
A growl leaves her throat as she tugs at my hair again, pulling me away from her. “I’m not going to ask again.”
I stand quickly, unbuttoning my pants and sliding the zipper down before reaching for my wallet lying on the table next to the door for the condom I keep there.
“I’m going to let you have all the control this time, but next time we’re doing this my way,” I tell her as I push my pants and boxers down just enough to release my aching cock.
I only get the condom out of the package before Ava takes control, sliding it over my length. “I thought we already established there won’t be a next time?”
I lift her by the back of her thighs, pressing her back into the door, lining her center up with my hard length. “We said one night. I plan on doing this a few times tonight.” And then I’m thrusting into her tight heat, groaning at the feel of her against me.
Ava’s head falls back, bouncing against the door as I sink into her, her walls tightening around the intrusion. I give her only a moment to adjust, bringing my hand up to her neck and applying the barest hint of pressure. I don’t want to scare Ava, but when she moans and I see the heat in her eyes as she brings them back to mine, I squeeze just a bit more, dropping my lips to hers in a frantic kiss.
I can’t get enough, and based on the sounds coming from Ava, neither can she. I grind my hips into her, sinking further into her heat, our kiss sloppy. Ava’s legs squeeze around my hips, her bare heels digging into my back as I thrust into her, her hips rocking in time with mine, our rhythm both in sync and wild.
My hand around her neck moves down her body, pausing briefly to pinch a nipple before reaching between us to find her clit.
As I draw small circles over her needy nub, her head falls back again, releasing my name on a long moan. “Gage. Don’t stop.” Almost immediately, she angles her head, bringing her eyes back to mine, and I see it: her untethered need for me.
“Does that feel good? Does your pussy like the feel of my cock buried inside you?” I press my thumb harder against her clit, and her walls clench around me as I drive my hips faster against her.
“God, yes. So fucking good.” Her back arches off the door, and with one more hard swipe at her clit, her pussy squeezes in a tight grip around my cock, causing a chain reaction. Her thighs shake as she comes, and I follow right behind, pumping a few times as we ride out the waves of our orgasms together.
I fall against her, my head on her shoulder as we both catch our breath.
“We are definitely doing that again,” Ava mumbles as she brushes her lips against my neck where it meets my shoulder. I nod against her, unable to form the actual words.
Her arms roam my back for a moment before she speaks again. “How the fuck am I completely naked while you’re still wearing all your clothes?”
I chuckle as I slide out of her, gently removing her limbs from around me and making sure she’s stable on her feet before ripping my shirt over my head. My pants and boxers quickly join them on the floor before I remove the condom, tying it off and letting it fall to the floor as well, a smirk on my face the entire time.
“Someone said they needed my cock inside them and complained I was taking too long.” I surge forward, lifting Ava again and nipping at her lips. “I couldn’t disappoint.”
Ava wraps her legs around my waist, her arms going back around my neck as she rolls her hips, pressing her clit against my lower abdomen. “Well, I think it’s safe to say you definitely didn’t disappoint.”
“Good.” I turn, striding up the stairs to my bedroom, and gently tossing her on the bed. “But now it’s my turn to take control.”
Ava tries to scoot up the bed, but I grab her ankle, pulling her toward me. Her ass perches on the edge of the bed as I sink to my knees before her. I place her feet on my shoulders and cup her ass in my hands, angling her hips for better access.
“I need a real taste of this pussy. Then I’m going to fuck you until the only thing coming out of your bossy mouth is my name.”
I see the shiver that runs up her body at my words, and the heat in her eyes has my dick growing hard far quicker than it should after the way I just came. But I’m right—one night with Ava is never going to be enough.