Always

by Maverick, Henley

  Always

  Henley Maverick

  Contents

  Copyright

  1. Ava

  2. Seven Years Later

  3. Ava

  4. Haden

  5. Ava

  6. Haden

  7. Ava

  8. Haden

  9. Ava

  10. Haden

  11. Ava

  12. Haden

  13. Ava

  14. Haden

  15. Ava

  16. Haden

  17. Ava

  18. Haden

  19. Ava

  20. Three Months Later

  About the Author

  Also by Henley Maverick

  Sneak Peek

  Copyright © 2018 by Henley Maverick

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  Printed in the United States of America

  Chapter One

  Ava

  I was just finishing my puzzle when I heard scratching at the back door. Glancing up from the kitchen table, I saw my golden retriever, Dusty whining to be let in. I’d let him into the fenced in backyard a while ago and almost forgot he was out there. It wasn’t unusual for me to get completely wrapped up in a puzzle and shut out the whole world these days. That was kind of the point of why I’d always been so interested in them. Ever since I was a little girl, something about putting the pieces together, and seeing how they all fit, to form this masterpiece of a picture in front of me was just magical. Of course, my friends and family laughed at me about it. They thought it was a silly way for an eighteen-year-old girl to spend her time, but it was a great stress reliever, which was exactly what I needed these days.

  I opened the door and the dog bounded into the kitchen, happily running over to his bowl to lap up several gulps of water.

  “Wow, somebody was thirsty,” I said with a smile. I leaned down and scratched the dog behind the ears. I was going to miss this furry little guy when I went away to school this fall.

  This fall… wow, it was hard to believe that in just three short months I would be away at school. It was exciting, but of course it was also terrifying. It would be the first time I’d ever lived away from home. I was going to have to make all new friends, I wasn’t sure how much tougher the schoolwork would be, and I was going to have to learn to live with a total stranger. Hopefully they wouldn’t be too weird, but I’d heard horror stories on the Internet about crazy roommates.

  At least, I would have Haden. The two of us would navigate the dark, sludgy waters of college together. That was the plan anyway, but the way Haden had been talking lately, it was possible that might not even happen.

  I’d been dating Haden Rutherford for two years. We were high school sweethearts for sure and the envy of every other couple in our school. Our friends had even campaigned to make us both Prom King and Queen one month before prom. I’d fantasized about hearing Prom King and Queen: Haden Rutherford and Ava Andrews in my head too many times. It was a sweet one, and I could hardly wait for it to come true. When it finally did, I was overwhelmed with joy. It was the happiest day of my life, and I knew I’d never forget it.

  Haden was the only boy I’d ever loved, and the only boy I’d ever been physically intimate with as well. Hell, he was my third kiss. I wish he’d been my first for that, too, but eighth grade summer camp happened. Truly, I could not imagine us spending any time apart, let alone going on totally separate paths in life.

  But that was the way it was looking. More and more, Haden seemed despondent about the idea of going to school. He’d started talking last summer about seriously going into the army. His grandfather and father had both been in the army. His dad fought in Desert Storm, and his grandfather fought in Vietnam. And now, with the situation in the Middle East in full swing, I just didn’t know what I would do if Haden ultimately chose that path. It brought me to tears just thinking about the possibility of Haden ending up in war and not making it back home to me.

  I understood that he wanted to follow in his family’s footsteps and that he wants to serve his country. It actually made me love him more, if that was possible. But I couldn’t deny that it frightened me. None of my immediate family had ever been to war, and I wasn’t sure that I was strong enough to watch him go and enter a warzone.

  I finished the last pieces of the puzzle and smiled at the image of the book cover that I’d just created. I had to laugh. It was no secret that I was a total nerd and honorably wore the badge with pride. It was by far my favorite series of books and movies. Haden teased me about it all the time, but secretly I felt he found it endearing.

  I carried the puzzle into my room and laid it on my desk. I wasn’t sure how long I would leave it together before I decided to get another puzzle or maybe put this one back together again. I was running out of things to do to distract myself from everything else happening in my life lately. Graduation had happened two weeks ago, and the summer was rapidly moving forward. I could see the days ticking down until I left for school, and I still had no idea if Haden would be leaving with me or not. After that... I just didn’t know. Haden has become so elusive lately every time I asked him about anything, but he couldn’t keep avoiding the decision forever.

  A knock at the door came right then. The clock beside my bed read just a quarter past seven. Haden was a few minutes late. I hadn’t even realized, otherwise I might have been a bit nervous, which wasn’t really like me. I’ve always been able to let stress roll right off my back, but when it came to the future and my future with Haden? That was the trigger that made me feel like my life was about to fall apart.

  I took a deep breath, double checked myself in the mirror, and walked out of my bedroom. My parents were out of town for the weekend on one of their annual fishing trips. They used to drag me along those boring weekends to their cabin by the lake about an hour north, but as soon as I was old enough to stay home alone I promptly stopped going. Fishing had never been my thing. It was about as boring as watching paint dry.

  I was really excited to have this time alone with Haden. He had to work all day with his father, as he did most Saturdays, but the plan was that he would spend the night. Haden told his folks he was staying with his friend, Wyatt, which he would, of course, back up. They all did this for each other when they had the opportunity to spend the night with their girlfriends.

  “Hey, beautiful,” Haden said as I opened the door. He instantly picked me up in his strong arms and kissed me firmly on the mouth. He tasted so good. I felt heat form in between my legs just by smelling his scent.

  Haden was tall, about six feet two, with an athletic yet somewhat lanky build. He was the football team’s star quarterback, not because he could throw crazy far, but mostly because he was so quick and agile. He scored a majority of the touchdowns with quarterback sneaks. His long legs would carry his swift body down the field faster than anyone else in the state. He had several offers to play football from great schools. The University of Indiana, where I had been accepted, was one of them. He also received a scholarship through the ROTC program. So, he could still go to college, and then serve once he was finished. This is what I was trying to convince him to do: go to school, get his degree, and then serve his country.

  “Wow, that was nice,” I said, closing the door behind him.

  The two of us plopped down on the couch together. I lay my head on Haden’s shoulder and just relaxed for what felt like the first time that day. I hadn’t realized how much tension I was carrying
with me until I felt my body ease next to his. Just being close to him was enough to relieve some of the stress I was feeling. It was a bit ironic; he was the one causing a lot of my anxiety, and yet just being close to him was the only thing that really helped me feel better.

  “So, how was your day?” I asked.

  “I spent most of the day helping my dad do drywall on that new restaurant they are building out on the edge of town. I can’t believe the heat wave we are having. I had to take like two showers when I got home to just wash the stench off me,” Haden said.

  “That’s gross,” I smiled, hitting him playfully on the chest.

  “Maybe I should have come over that way? I could have stayed all sweaty and stinky—”

  “Knock it off!” I laughed.

  “I thought you loved my manly smell.”

  “Not so much,” I teased. “I like your body spray.”

  “So, you’d be just as turned on curled up with a bottle of my body spray even if I wasn’t here?”

  “What makes you think I’m turned on?” I cocked an eyebrow.

  “Have you seen me?”

  “Wow, I had no idea you were this stuck up,” I joked. I loved it when he pretended to be a jerk.

  “I think you bring it out of me somehow,” he smirked.

  “I can see that,” I said. “Your day sounds only slightly better than my day.”

  “Uh oh. Is Lyle still giving you hell?”

  “So much,” I replied. My boss at the appliance store, Lyle Anderson, was a total ass. He was always high strung and handed all the crap work down on me. “He had me doing inventory all day long. I’ve done inventory every single day the past four days. We are supposed to rotate that sort of stuff. I mean, my job says sales rep. I have a quota to hit. If I’m not on the floor selling, then how the hell am I supposed to do that?”

  “You should just quit, babe,” Haden said. “You don’t need that stupid job. Find something else. Or don’t. Hell, this is the last summer before college. Have some fun.”

  “Did you forget how much I need the money? I still need to save up for school this year. Books, meals, transportation—you know freshman can’t have cars on campus—all of that adds up.”

  Haden smiled that self-assured, cocky yet charming smile that only he had the ability to pull off so well. It might have been that confident look that first garnered my attention two years ago. He pulled me into a hug, immediately calming me.

  “So, you ready to order the pizza? I’m starved,” Haden said.

  I grabbed my phone and pulled up the website to order.

  “Sure,” I replied. “What do you want on the pizza?”

  “Oh, the usual,” Haden said. “But since you haven’t ordered it yet, I think it can wait a bit.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked. I had a sneaking suspicion what he was up to.

  “I’m hungry for something else first,” Haden grinned.

  He grabbed the phone from my hand and sat it down on the table. His mouth was on mine instantly, his hot, sweet breath invading my mouth and wafting up to my nostrils as I braced myself for what was about to follow. I’d been thinking about this all day in the back of my mind, knowing that soon I would be making love with the man I craved. I did love him. I knew that with all of my being. It was like being addicted to his touch, his presence, and his whole self.

  He was eager, pulling his arms tighter around my waist as our kissed deepened. I loved the feel of his hands on me, it made me know just how badly he wanted me. The way he looked at me, touched me, savored my every taste and my body, as he practically worshipped it—everything about it was perfect.

  Haden broke out kiss and pulled his shirt off revealing his lean, hard body. He naturally had toned abs that I could never resist touching. My hands went to his stomach and began to trace every subtle nuance of his chiseled muscles. I was getting so wet, and I felt a rush of anticipation wash over my body. I wanted him so badly. I wanted it hard and I wanted it rough. I loved how he would dominate me in bed.

  But we weren’t going to make it to the bed. That was clear, as Haden pulled his jeans and boxers down to reveal his throbbing cock, standing up in attention ready and aimed to invade me right then.

  I smiled as my hands instinctively rushed to grab it, my fingers wrapping around his hard length. I moved my hand up and down his shaft, slowly paying attention and making sure to pause at the head and allow my palm to tease him before drawing down again.

  “Oh…” Haden groaned. His voice was low and rumbling, guttural, and it turned me on even more.

  Haden reached up under my skirt and ripped my panties from my body. He lurched his body forward, and his cock was deep inside of me, spreading me open and sliding through my wetness. My eyes rolled up in my head as my legs spread wider until I wrapped around his torso. He thrust his hips forward and I held on for dear life as he pushed himself deeper and deeper into my hips.

  I grabbed his face and forced his lips to meet mine, savoring the hard kiss. His thrusting intensified to the point that pleasure began to mingle with pain and I pushed my hips up higher to meet his.

  Haden suddenly pulled out of me, moved by legs to one side of him, and with a flick of his forearm flipped me around into a doggy style position. In a flash he was in me again, this time using his hands to pull my hips back into his. I felt my whole body begin to shake, and I knew I was so close to coming.

  “Oooh!” I moaned, as I felt my body being tipped over the edge. My whole body began to shake.

  “That’s right, Ava. Come for me.”

  I let out another loud moan as I grabbed tighter onto the couch cushion.

  I don’t know how it was possible but he was getting bigger and harder, as he thrusted his hips into mine.

  Haden grabbed my hair and pulled back on it hard, jerking my body back towards him. His other hand continued its grip on my hips, pulling my body quickly back onto his.

  I screamed at the top of my lungs, bucking my hips back against him as hard as I could to see if I could drive him even deeper. My climax hit me again sending me over the top. I could no longer scream. My whole body was locked up in some kind of ecstatic spasm of sheer bliss.

  A split second later, he let go inside of me, bursting hard into my body with his heavy release. His warm seed flowed, creating a spasm inside of my body as if I was trying to lap up every last drop.

  We both collapsed on the couch. We were hot, sweaty, and exhausted. It had been a week or so since we’d had the opportunity for sex and it was perfect. God, I loved him so much.

  Afterwards, we got dressed and ordered the pizza. It felt good snuggling together enjoying food and a few movies on television. We didn’t really talk about anything heavy—just enjoyed each other’s company.

  As the night wore on though, my mind started to think about things again. I knew I had to talk to him about it. It was like an elephant in the room that neither of us wanted to talk about. I decided it was time to rip off this band aid.

  “So, have you made a decision?” I asked. It was a bit out of the blue, but there was no sense easing around this anymore. I needed to know where he stood.

  “What?” Haden played innocent, his usual tactic.

  “About school. It’s getting close to the deadline. If you are going to commit to them, you have to do it soon.”

  Haden sighed. “Do we have to talk about that? Can’t we just enjoy the evening?” I felt anger start to bubble up in my stomach. Why did he always have to push this off?

  “No,” I replied. Enough was enough already. “I need to know what you are deciding to do.”

  Haden looked at me, and in his eyes, I could already see the heartbreaking answer.

  “I’m going to the army.”

  I sat there for several moments in shock. I couldn’t believe this was happening. I knew that it was a possibility but as long as it was just that, a possibility, then there was a chance he would still decide to go to college instead.

  “Okay�
��” I said. It was all I could force out of my mouth. The tears were rolling down my face, and a ball of emotion was stuck in my throat. It felt so tight in my chest. I could hardly breathe. An invisible force had just punched me in the stomach.

  “Honey, I’m sorry. But you know that is where my heart lies. I don’t understand why you can’t support me on this.”

  I looked at him in shock. “Are you serious? I never once said that I didn’t support you. It’s just you have to understand that this scares the hell out of me. I have no idea where you will be sent, or what sort of danger you might be in. What would happen to us?”

  Haden leaned close to me. His demeanor was so cool and collected. How could he be that way when I was so clearly distraught?

  “Yes, I understand all of that,” Haden replied. “But, I am going to be fine. When I get out of the army, school will still be there.”

  “But why can’t you do it through the ROTC? They gave you a scholarship.”

  He sat back on the couch and wouldn’t look at me in the eye. It felt like he was worlds apart from me already even though he was sitting right across from me.

  “Babe, I’m sorry but my mind is made up. I’ve already enlisted. I depart for basic training at the end of June.”

  I felt my heart plummet to my stomach. What did he just say? I couldn’t be hearing him right. How could he…?

  “You already signed up?” I asked, hoping that I heard him incorrectly.

  Haden let out a long sigh. “Yeah. Everything is already finalized. I even told University of Indiana.”

  Something inside me snapped. He did this all without even telling me? I jumped up off the couch as I felt anger start to course through my veins.

  “You’ve been planning this and gotten everything set up without even telling me? Now you are telling me we don’t even have the summer together? You are leaving in June?”

  Haden looked at me with concern in his eyes, but a non-apologetic one. He’d made his decision and there was no changing his mind.