Cohen
Iwatched as Ava slid off my lap. She peeled her yoga pants down her long legs, then her panties, navy eyes locked on me the entire time. I swallowed hard.
Fuck, she's sexy.
Completely naked now, she held out her hand for me to take.
As she led me toward the balcony, I couldn’t stop myself from watching the sway of her hips, the perfect curve of her ass with every step. Was this a monumentally bad idea?
One hundred percent.
We’d established boundaries. Friends. Co-parents.
But when it came to Ava, I had no control. I’d take anything she was willing to give me. I’d never craved a woman the way I craved her. Ever since she’d blown up my world, I hadn’t been able to touch anyone else—hadn’t even wanted to. Nothing compared. Nothing ever would.
Tonight felt different, though. Something had shifted. I felt closer to her.
Out on the balcony, I spun her around to face the lake. No buildings behind us. No neighbors close enough to matter. Just water, the stars, and her.
“Grab the railing,” I directed.
She did as she was told, hands braced against the metal as she arched back, giving me a perfect view.
"Good girl." I dragged a hand slowly down her spine. “Now this,” I muttered, “is a fucking view, Trouble.”
She glanced over her shoulder, dark blue eyes on fire; it nearly undid me.
I leaned forward, pressed a kiss between her shoulder blades, then slid my fingers between her thighs. She was already soaked.
“Baby,” I murmured, as I continued to brush my fingers through her slick pussy, “you’re already so wet for me.”
Her head dropped forward on a soft whimper. I eased a finger inside her, then found her clit, circling just enough to make her back arch.
“Fuck, Coh,” she groaned.
The sounds she made, how my name sounded on her lips—it was mind-altering. Addictive.
She was addictive.
I worked her slowly, deliberately, before dropping to my knees and dragging my tongue up her center. Dipping it inside once I reached her ass. She got louder, her breathing heavier. She pushed her hips back in desperation causing my tongue to go deeper.
I briefly pulled away. “You’re gonna have to be quiet,” I warned before dropping my head back down to suck her clit into my mouth. Her legs shook on a loud cry. “Or don’t. Might as well let our neighbors know who’s making you come apart.”
I took my time. Drew it out until I felt her pussy pulse around my tongue, until she was right there—
Then I pulled back again.
Her head whipped around. “What the fuck, Cohen?”
I smirked. I loved to piss her off. “Oh, did you want to come?”
She scoffed and shoved her ass back toward me. “Let’s fucking go, Jordan.”
I stood, shoved my joggers and briefs down in one motion, laughter low and dangerous. One hand gripped her hip, the other twisted into her hair, pulling her head back toward me. “Don’t be a brat, Trouble,” I murmured against her ear. “You’ll come when I want you to.”
Then I thrust into her without warning.
She cried out, arching back, meeting me just as forcefully. I grabbed both her hips, setting the pace, taking everything she gave me. She wanted it just as badly—moving with me, pushing back, demanding more.
“Fuck,” I groaned. “You feel so good. Like you were made for me.”
Shit, did I just say that last part out loud?
Her grip on the railing tightened, knuckles white. “I’m gonna come,” she gasped—pulling me back into the moment with her.
I reached around, fingers finding her clit as I drove into her faster. Harder. She shattered, screaming my name into the night. Her pussy clenched like a vice around my cock, dragging me right over with her.
I held her as we came down together, both of us breathless.
When she turned to face me, she cupped my jaw, searching my eyes for a split second before pressing a soft kiss to my mouth. I pulled her closer, deepened it—slow, unhurried, like time didn’t exist.
Ava broke the kiss first. “You still want to watch that movie?” she asked lightly, as if she hadn't just rocked my fucking world.
I huffed a laugh. “Yeah. Sure.”
After cleaning up and pulling our clothes back on, we settled next to each other on the couch. Ellie was still sound asleep, thankfully. Ava grabbed the remote and scrolled through the options before landing on The Town.
It was my favorite movie. But she didn't know that.
It was late, the apartment dim except for the glow of the TV.
About twenty minutes in, she shifted closer, then lay her head in my lap like it was something she usually did.
I barely thought about it before my hand found her hair, fingers brushing through the soft strands. She sighed quietly and melted into me.
I kept stroking her hair, soft and slow, the way I did when Ellie was fighting sleep. Ava’s breathing evened out not long after, deep and steady. She was out. I should have moved. Shifted. Done something.
Instead, I stayed exactly where I was.
The apartment was quiet in a way mine never felt. Comfortable. Like a home. I looked down at her—at the way she fit, like she belonged there—and felt something twist low in my gut.
I didn’t usually think like this. Didn’t let my mind wander down paths that didn’t have exits.
But it kept happening anyway.
Ellie in between us. Ava’s hand finding mine without thinking. Her laugh filling space that usually stayed empty. Nights like this, quiet and unguarded. All of these small moments stretching into something that didn’t feel temporary.
The thought didn’t scare me at first; that was what unsettled me most.
Because somewhere between her soft breathing and the steady rise and fall of her chest, I realized how easy this felt. How right. And how much damage something like this could do if it were taken away.
My jaw tightened.
I’d learned a long time ago that comfort and safety were never permanent.
I stared at the dark window across the room, Ava asleep in my lap, my hand still tangled in her hair. The lines we'd spent the last year drawing suddenly felt a lot harder to find.
And I wondered whether it was already too late to pretend they were still there.
I woke up to the smell of coffee and soft baby giggles. I stretched my arms up over my head and glanced toward the kitchen—I was still on the couch.
Ava had Ellie propped up in her Boppy on the counter, her dark hair piled high on her head as she poured herself a cup of coffee.
She took a sip between tickling and kissing Ellie’s toes, looking at our daughter with such ease and adoration that Ellie mirrored it right back up at her.
Warm. Uncomplicated. The kind of moment I wanted to step into and never leave.
I pushed off the couch and padded into the kitchen.
Ava glanced over her shoulder, offering me a soft smile. “Good morning.”
I leaned down and pressed a kiss to Ellie’s head. When I straightened, Ava handed me a cup of coffee before turning back to the counter, busying herself with the dishwasher—putting space between us without saying a word, but I felt it.
I took the cup. “Thanks.” I lifted it and took a sip, my eyes lingering on the back of her head. I cleared my throat. “Ellie looks a lot better this morning. Did she have a fever when she woke up?”
Ava shook her head, still focused on the dishes. “Her temp was still a little elevated, but no fever.”
“Good.”
The silence that followed felt heavier than it should’ve been. The air between us went ice cold.
We’d just had incredible sex. She’d fallen asleep in my lap. I’d opened up to her in ways I never had with anyone. And now she couldn’t even look at me.
I rocked back on my heels, my gaze drifting back to Ellie. “So… I can stick around and help with her today if you want.”
Ava paused for just a second before resuming what she was doing. “That’s okay. You should go enjoy your day off. She seems a lot better today.”
“Are you sure?” I hated the edge of disappointment in my voice. The hurt.
She nodded. “Yeah. If she’s still good this afternoon, I was thinking of taking her to Primrose Hill.”
I exhaled slowly. “Okay. Well… I guess I’ll head out.”
I bent down and kissed Ellie one more time.
Ava stayed at the sink, unloading the dishwasher, her body still angled away from me. Her walls hadn’t just gone back up—they’d been reinforced with steel.
I let myself out, trying to shake off the whiplash of thinking something had changed.
Maybe nothing had.
Maybe it was better that way… it was probably better that way.
Because if something had changed, then I would’ve had to decide what to do about it. And I wasn’t sure I was ready to make that decision.
Today was one of my few days off as we ramped up for the playoffs. I should have been at the gym, but I couldn’t seem to peel myself off the couch. I flipped through the channels, trying to find something to watch, but I kept getting distracted by thoughts of last night.
I told myself nothing had changed.
But it didn’t feel that simple.
Is it all in my head?
The way she looked at me. The way we moved through stressful parenting situations together with ease. Her trust in me. It felt like a preview of something real. Something steady. Something I never realized I craved. Or better yet, something I’d convinced myself I didn’t want.
And if I felt it… she had to have felt it too. Right?
She’d given herself away last night, whether she meant to or not. That comment about Beckham’s girl in San Francisco, and then the date I went on. The way her mood shifted. It bothered her. She cared.
So, what the hell was this now?
Why did she pull back?
I didn’t regret opening up to Ava—it felt right at the time—but I couldn’t help noticing that she hadn’t shared a single thing about herself. I felt like I only knew the parts of her she wanted me to know; everything else was locked up tight.
I landed on some random cooking competition and scrubbed at my jaw. My mind was a mess, and I needed someone to talk to. Normally, I’d call Walker, but I still wasn’t super comfortable going to him about his sister.
I grabbed my phone and dialed my sister instead.
After a few rings, Callie answered. “Hey, Coh. What’s going on?”
“I need advice,” I sighed.
“Oh! I’ve been waiting for this day to come!” she said, her voice bubbling with excitement.
I blew out a breath and summarized the events of last night, obviously leaving out the explicit details. “I don’t know if I’m imagining that something changed between us, or if she really just isn’t into me in that way.” I paused. “And if it’s the latter… I feel slightly used.”
Callie cackled. “That’s rich coming from you, Coh.”
“Ha ha,” I deadpanned, my tone heavy with sarcasm.
“Ava is… complicated. I’ve gotten to know her pretty well, and I don’t doubt she cares about you.
Just in how she talks about you. I see how you two are together, and it isn’t nothing.
” She paused. “But she has her guard up, and I’m not entirely convinced it’s solely because of your reputation.
There’s something else there—I just don’t know what it is. ”
I groaned. “Well, that wasn’t super helpful.
I mean, I opened up to her, Cal. I never talk to anyone about our parents.
The only other person who knows anything is Walker.
All of my other teammates just assume both my parents passed.
” I sighed. “And she gave me nothing in return. Not one goddamn thing.” I hesitated, then pushed on.
“And it isn’t even that I needed her to open up to me.
But after we—uh, you know—last night, I didn’t expect her to completely shut me out again the way she did this morning.
Fuck, I think her walls got even higher. ”
Talking about my mom wasn't easy for me. I'd never felt such a soul-crushing loss. It broke me in a lot of ways, so for Ava to flip a switch the next morning… yeah. It hurt.
“I’m sorry. I know you don’t give people a lot, and you finally did, only to be met with…
well, nothing.” Her voice softened. “The question is, do you actually want to be with Ava? If that answer is no, then you really need to stop sleeping together.” She let out a soft chuckle.
“Because you’re only making things entirely more complicated. ”
“Tell me about it.”
“So,” she said gently, “what are you going to do, big bro?”
“That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it?”