by Rose Harris
****
Whether Jace approached her in the hopes of staking his claim or just to relieve the squirming adolescent of any more embarrassment, he would have to contemplate later. Without consideration of his celebrity status, he slipped right up behind her with the confidence of someone who always got what he wanted. Unfortunately, the teenager instantly recognized him.
“You’re Jace Johnson!” the young man stated, without sparing another glance at Ava.
For a moment, Jace considered denying his name, but the idolatry that emerged from the cashier stroked his ego, and he reached across Ava’s shoulder to shake the sweaty hand of a boy who had conveniently forgotten about the beautiful woman.
When Jace noticed Ava was about to remove her checkbook from her purse, he pulled out his wallet and dropped a fifty on the counter. He grabbed the suitcase she had standing beside her, placed a possessive hand on her elbow and ushered her out of the mechanical doors.
When he had pulled up to the front of the store, he knew he should have parked legally but now was grateful for his car being close. He noticed Tony-the-cashier, who apparently spilled the beans about his famous customer, and a crowd had gathered to watch their exit, camera phones snapping. Managing to squeeze Ava’s bag into the small confines of his sports car and making a hasty exit before anyone got a good shot of them became his sole goal.
“What was all that about?” Ava demanded when Jace made it out of the parking lot.
Jace checked the rearview mirror before merging into the oncoming traffic, “What?”
“Why did you pay for my purchases, rush me out of the store and act as if you didn’t want to be seen with me?”
The groan that escaped him was just ammunition for Ava to continue her tirade. Half listening to her bitching and moaning about his Neanderthal ways, Jace let her have her say until she finally blurted out, “I thought we were friends.”
God save me from irate females.
Jace pulled off into an abandoned parking lot. “Woman, are you listening to yourself? Of course, we’re friends. Hell, you’re one of the best friends I have. The reason I was rushing you out was so we weren’t swarmed. For someone who only days ago made me duck in her car so no one would see me, you sure are ready to jump down my throat for trying to protect you.”
“Why did you pay for my stuff?”
“I didn’t want the kid to have your name. The way the press is hounding me, I didn’t want to drag you into it. I practically had to beg you to stay at my house the night before your interview. I thought you would appreciate it.”
“I’m sorry for snapping at you. It’s just been a long day. I’m exhausted.”
Jace took a moment to look at her. He noticed the lack of make-up. The circles she normally hid so well appeared deeper in the overcast car. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”
“No, but I will.” After relaying the confrontation that had occurred that morning, leaving out the parts about him being labeled a manwhore, she said, “I guess this means you can take me to Nashville with you. I’ll be able to do my internship before my interview. That is if you don’t mind us staying with you?”
“I would love for you both to come stay at my house. Do you want to go back and get Ashlyn?”
Ava sighed. “No, she is staying with my mom this weekend. I’ll call Mom and see if she can bring her to me. She and your mom are always talking about going to Nashville for a girls’ trip. This would be the perfect opportunity. They could also bring my car. I guess I should call now. She didn’t answer earlier.” Ava seemed drained, and at his strong suggestion she not do anything drastic about her job or lack thereof, she sank back in the soft leather seat and promptly fell asleep.
Jace contemplated firing Bob and staying with his normal attorney for the paternity testing since it was already out in the open, but he didn’t want to hurt Ava’s reputation by causing her any more problems with her old employer. She wasn’t telling him the whole story; he just didn’t know how to get the real reason for her abrupt departure from her without calling her out.
When she adjusted in her seat, Jace couldn’t stop himself from noticing the way her shorts rode up her legs with only the barest fabric covering her most intimate spot; memories of kissing her inner thighs and the taste of her had his dick hardening. Averting his eyes from the view that captivated his attention and trying to focus on the wet roads that stretched ahead, he allowed himself the memories of a more innocent time when he drove her home during a thunderstorm.
The skies had opened up, as only they could during a late summer thunderstorm in East Tennessee. Summer storms were as common as bikinis at the river, and they normally passed within an hour.
Ava came down the stairs of our house and approached me. “Will you take me home?”
Not bothering to look up from the sports show I was watching on television, I said, “Wait out the storm and then you can ride your bike home.”
The sound of her sniffling as she sat beside me on the couch caught my attention, and when I saw the tears that filled her eyes, they broke my heart. At that moment, I would have agreed to anything to get her to stop.
Once we were in the car, I asked her what happened as I pulled out of the drive.
“Roxi and I had a fight. She thinks I’m trying to steal her boyfriend. Oh shoot! That was supposed to be kept secret.”
I squirmed in the way only a teenage boy would when a discussion about his little sister’s love life occurred.
“I would never do that to her, she’s my best friend. I love her like a sister. Why would I want her nasty boyfriend anyway?” Ava sounded angry over the situation; Roxi should know her better than that.
“What happened that made Roxi think you would want her friend?” No matter what, I could not say boyfriend in the same sentence with a reference to my little sister.
“He tried to kiss me. I didn’t let him. I actually punched him in the stomach, and he told Roxi I punched him because he wouldn’t kiss me.” Ava sounded so aggrieved I pulled to the side of the road so we could talk a little easier.
I tried to figure out a way to respond to her about the situation without actually getting details. “You do realize after Roxi thinks about it she’ll know he’s lying. Every guy, no matter how old, will lie to get himself out of trouble, especially if the trouble is about a girl or involving a girl.”
“But how could she not believe me? I’ve never lied to her. I’ve never even kissed a boy, and if I were going to, it wouldn’t be with a boy like Tommy. He has smelly breath and fish lips.”
I was relieved at least Ava hadn’t kissed anybody yet. “So what kind of boy would you kiss?”
“Somebody like you. He would have to be smart, cute and fun. I don’t want to kiss just anybody; I want my first kiss to be memorable. You only get one first kiss. Bad breath and fishy lips are not memorable, or at least not the kind of memorable I want.”
The air burned in my lungs when Ava said she would kiss a guy like me. I released the breath, but when I tried to inhale again, I choked. Ava reached over to pat my back in a perfectly innocent gesture. My blood ran hot, and before I could contemplate my actions, I pulled her against me and touched my lips against hers. The lightning was so close now the thunder actually vibrated the car, and I slipped my arms around her back.
I had no idea how it happened, but the innocent pressure of this kiss turned hot within seconds. I had kissed plenty of girls, and I recognized her innocence. When I felt her pull back, I kept my embrace gentle.
When she looked up into my eyes, the awe in hers shinned bright. I couldn’t remember who moved first, but before I could form an argument of why this wasn’t a good idea, her arms wrapped around my neck and my hands roamed her back.
Making out was so erotic to my high school mind, and I knew it was as bad as going all the way to Ava, who was just starting high school. But nothing could have stopped me from taking that first taste of her. She tasted just like strawberry licorice, and I
knew I would never be able to eat it again without thinking of her.
When we finally had to pull apart for air, I turned to straighten in my seat to hide my boner. Nothing was said as I pulled the car back on the street, and I took her home.
Apparently, innocent memories could get you hard under the right circumstances, and Ava sprawled across leather in tiny denim shorts and a tight T-shirt made for the perfect storm. He had to get out of the car or explode in his pants like an unrestrained boy, so he pulled into the closest gas station. After a quick fill up of gas and the purchase of a couple sodas and chips, he slipped off his jacket and covered Ava and her temptations. They were Nashville bound.
In the final hour of his return trip home, Jace called Alex and cancelled their plans for that evening. They agreed they would get together the following day after the press conference. Jace made a call to his agent to verify his arrival time at the hotel where his statement would be read to the press. The call proved more informative than he imagined when he found out his paternity test had been set up for Tuesday.
The next thirty minutes flew by while Jace thought of the changes happening so quickly in his life. In a week he discovered he might be a father to a child he never met, had fallen in love with a woman who had stolen his heart eight years earlier, and met a little girl he wanted as a daughter. All of this not in his life plan, which was just football. He knew other guys had both family and football, but it wasn’t in his DNA.
“What are you thinking?” Ava spoke softly.
Jerking his head toward the sound of her voice, he tried to play off the fact she caught him off-guard.
Ava smiled when he jumped, straightened in her seat, and asked again, “What are you thinking?”
“Nothing, it’s just good to be home. I’ll be glad to get back into my routine.”
“It didn’t look like nothing, but I’ll let you slide since you were kind enough to let me sleep.”
“I picked you up a soda earlier”—nodding toward the center console—“but it’s probably hot now.”
“Thanks, my throat is dry.” After downing half the contents of the Mountain Dew, she put the soda back in the console. Why was it highly erotic when she wiped her hand across her mouth to remove the excess condensation that lingered on her lips?
“You do realize you just drank my soda, don’t you? I got you a Dr. Pepper, your favorite.”
“I know, but I didn’t want to open the new one. We can just put it in the fridge at your house.” Jace laughed when Ava covered her mouth in an attempt to hide an unladylike burp.
“We’re only about twenty minutes away from home.”
“Correction, your home not mine. I live several hours east of here.”
“Don’t be a smartass. My home is yours as long as you need to stay, but if you keep drinking my soda, it will be a short visit.” The laughter in his voice and smug twinkle in his eye had Ava relaxing, until he continued. “So what can you tell me about Ashlyn’s father? Does he see her often?”
Chapter Ten
Ava squirmed in her seat, no easy feat in a car the size of a tin can, but neither was responding to the questions Jace just asked. In a last ditch effort to avoid answering a question that would change their lives, Ava noticed the houses that surrounded her appeared to be growing with every mile they drove.
The houses flew past her window. The internal conflict of tell or avoid fought a tough battle.
Do I tell him? Change the subject?
Jace seemed unaffected by the ginormous homes that surrounded them.
“Is your house as big as these?”
“My house is large enough for entertaining.” When he turned and smiled, she realized his house was probably bigger. “Are you biting your lip so you don’t have to tell me about Ashlyn’s father or are you nervous about coming to my house?”
With a shrug of her shoulders, Ava replied, “A little of both, I guess.”
“You don’t have to tell me anything that upsets you. I just feel a connection with both of you. I don’t understand it. With everything going on in my life right now, I don’t have time to analyze it. Just remember I want to know everything you want to tell me.”
When he reached across the console and laid his large hand atop hers, Ava couldn’t help but intertwine their fingers. The rapidly slowing scenery had her looking forward and into iron gates.
The enormity of the situation had Ava motionless. Not telling him the truth was like being in jail. She vaguely recalled Jace lowering his window to speak to someone named Kevin and putting her name on some list so she could enter at will.
When the gates opened slowly, Ava found her tongue and said the first thing that popped into her head. “It’s like living in a prison.” Jace’s laughter made her own words register, and she laughed at herself.
The lifestyle Jace lived felt so removed from anything Ava could comprehend. Mansions were discreetly spaced down streets with manicured sidewalks and bicycle paths.
She looked from house to house with curiosity and envy. If they didn’t arrive soon, she would have a crick in her neck. Each house had a perfectly groomed lawn and shrubs, and flowers bloomed everywhere. “How can everything stay so perfect?” she wondered aloud.
“We pay a homeowner association fee, and they have gardeners keep the lawns in immaculate condition. Just about everyone who lives here is in entertainment, a musician, an industry professional or an athlete. I have a few teammates who have bought houses within the gates, for the security of knowing their fans aren’t going to go rummaging in their trash. Also, they’re protected from that obsessed fan who attempts to get near their house. Of course, there are also the people who don’t have the time or energy after their work week to deal with the mundane chores that come with owning a house, such as gardening, mowing the grass, and cleaning sidewalks.”
Ava tried to absorb the absurdity of wasting hard-earned money to have someone do the chores that really only took hours. She could have her whole yard cut during Ashlyn’s nap. “You have too much money if you are so lazy you don’t appreciate being able to take care of your own house and would rather have other people take care of it for you.”
“I don’t think it’s a money issue, at least not for me. I’m on the road so much I would be fined by the community. If I had to cut my own grass, it would be weeks before I was able to get it done. Besides I cut my fair share of grass growing up.”
“It didn’t kill you, did it? You’re a better man because your mom and dad made you work for the things you wanted, and now you know you deserve everything you have.”
“Better watch it, honey, that was pretty damn close to a compliment, and you haven’t been handing them out to me lately,” Jace joked.
“Ha-ha, you’re so funny. What I mean is this is such a huge change from the way you grew up.”
“The only thing different is the size of the house. My neighbors are all nice, and they talk to kids who ride by on their bikes. It’s normal, except for the gates you have to enter.”
“Well, I don’t know if I could ever get used to this opulence.” When he turned into his driveway, Ava forced her mouth closed after her jaw dropped. The yard was picture perfect with freshly mowed grass and tasteful landscaping. The house stole her breath; it was gigantic. The white-washed stone exterior stood bright against the brilliant blue sky. The sound that escaped Ava’s lips was more of a gasp than a breath.
“I hope that means you like it?” Jace questioned teasingly. He looked almost nervous about her answer.
“I thought Roxi was lying, but this really is a mansion. It’s the most beautiful house I have ever seen. Do you have servants?” Ava stared at the house and let her mouth run wild with her erratic thoughts.
“Sorry, there’s no help here. I have a cleaning lady, but she only comes in once a week.” Having stopped in the driveway so she could get a good look at his house, he hit the button to open the garage and heard another gasp as she recognized the 1967 Ford Mustang he�
�d had since high school.
“I can’t believe you kept that car. It broke down more than it ran. You were always tinkering with it.”
“Nah, it wasn’t as bad as I let on, I just wanted to look tough under the hood. Actually, I still tinker with it sometimes, just to have something to work on. My Porsche and BMW are in perfect condition, so I can’t work on them, and I refuse to mess with my truck.”
The fact that his garage housed six vehicles shocked Ava, and she was reminded rather abruptly at how much her secret would have affected his life if she had told him years ago. Not only would he have insisted they get married, but he wouldn’t have focused entirely on football and getting to the professional and financial position that gave him the opportunity to own a garage the size of half a football field.
Getting out of the pint-sized Porsche beside the Mustang gave her the chance to look over the changes he’d made to the relic. The interior was now in mint condition, with what appeared to be original parts, which was a change from the duct tape that had held the ripped seats together before. Turning to tell him how much she liked his car, she came face to chest with Jace.
Your car is amazing is what she had wanted to come out, but what she said was, “You are amazing.” The startled look that crossed his face was her first clue she had voiced her thoughts out loud.
The second was the pull of her body flush against his. Jace did what she’d fantasized about for the last four hours. The feel of her body pressed between his and the car broke down all barriers she had assured herself were solid.
Jace’s lips felt soft and lush one moment and then hungry when a sigh escaped. She stroked her tongue across his bottom lip and playfully took a nip. When Jace picked her up and sat her on the hood of the car, playfulness ceased and raw passion erupted.
The kiss was only the beginning of what she wanted; when he grazed her pebbled nipples with his chest, she arched her back to give him access to both her neck and pulsing breasts. Large, rough hands gently stroked her neck as kisses trailed downward. The pressure of his lips and teeth against her flesh had her body begging for a release she’d denied herself for too long.