by Rose Harris
Secretly pleased with her outburst, Ava rubbed her sore knuckles and smiled up into his almost-too-handsome face. “Normally I’m not, but that was mean. You knew I thought you were going to kiss me.”
Did I just say that? Dumb, dumb.
“Is that what you want me to do? Kiss you?” He spoke as his body surrounded her, only a mere breath separating them.
The decision was hers. The man held her heart in his hands without even knowing it. She would have liked to think she was mature enough to brush off this attraction long enough to get the answers she came searching for. Their gazes collided, and she made the boldest move of her life. She leaned in and ran her tongue across his lower lip, giving him all the invitation he needed.
Mouth to mouth, tongue on tongue, hand to chest. That was all she could think. The feel of his muscles as they contracted from his workout was sexy. Ava let her hands roam across his chest and burrow into the hair that covered it. Unable to get enough of him, she slid her hand around to the back of his head and drew him closer.
Jace’s kiss was devouring her soul, and Ava let her hands slip down his shoulders in an effort to touch every inch of him. She felt bold and brazen. The need to feel him in her was all consuming, and throwing inhibition away, she clutched him against her in an age-old invitation.
Jace broke the kiss, only to place small kisses across her face. When his clever tongue ran slowly down her neck, Ava trembled. Heart pounding loudly in her ears and jumping out of her chest, Ava knew he felt her erratic pulse when he stopped and nibbled at the base of her neck. Leaning her head back to give him room to explore, she caught their reflection in the mirrors that surrounded the room.
Their erotic image played out before her. The large, finely toned muscles that stretched across his body were covered by skin that was kissed by the sun, while she appeared ethereal with pale skin under the florescent lights.
When his lips traveled south, she watched as he discarded her shirt and wrapped his large hands around her voluptuous breasts. The silky feel of his tongue as he licked her nipple caused tremors to course through her body. The pressure and urgency built in her and threatened to consume her. Crying out in pleasure at his assault on her sensitive breasts, she held his head firm with one hand as she gripped his shoulder with the other.
The orgasm shot through her fast and intense, but he didn’t give her a chance to recover. With hands that showed great knowledge of clothing removal, Jace had them both naked before Ava could register the reality of what was happening.
“I can’t wait. I need you now, so if you object, say it,” Jace said, as he stroked her face. The look in his eyes was one of raw passion and need. Giving her the option of calling off what she had started touched her, but nothing short of a natural disaster would change her mind.
“Take me.” She’d barely gotten the words out, before Jace had her pinned against the wall.
Ava wrapped her legs around his narrow hips. It was as natural as breathing, and when his large cock slipped into her liquid heat, she felt complete for the first time in years. The fact that her body adjusted to his length was amazing; she remembered the last time he had to go slow because of how tight she was.
When he didn’t immediately begin to thrust, she rocked her hips in hopes of stoking the fire that burned deep within.
“Please, honey, stay still. There’s so many ways I want to love you, but with you moving like that, it’s going to be fast and hard.” The strain in his voice was satisfying in a primal way and gave her the courage to continue her aggressive behavior.
His damp shoulders trembled under her touch, and she settled herself more firmly and continued her quest for satisfaction. “I’m not asking for you to be my hero. Take me now, Jace. You can love me later.”
The wall of mirrored glass felt cold against her back, but the sensation was lost when she felt him touch her deep inside. The hands that cupped her butt held her firmly, and she felt loved whether he meant it or not.
The pace was frantic, and just as she was about to reach her peak, Jace lifted her so he could feast on her breasts with lavish attention paid to her extended nipples. Involuntarily, she picked up a frantic rhythm with her hips and came with a force she never knew was possible.
The tremors that shook her to the core didn’t have a chance to subside before Jace had plunged back into her. The sudden fullness had her body contracting again with a surprising second climax.
“Look at me,” Jace demanded.
Eyes locked with the man who was everything she had ever dreamed of made this encounter amazing. Open to his needs, she took the liberty of kissing him with both hunger and love. The mating of their tongues matched their frantic lovemaking.
Ava could feel Jace holding back, and if she weren’t so selfish, she would question his control. When her body began to shudder again with another mind-blowing orgasm and she could feel the tremors course through Jace, she was shocked when he separated them at the last second. The loss of connection should have been upsetting, but somehow his consideration at their lack of protection was more intimate than she could have ever imagined.
Head resting on his shoulder while her heart pounded against her chest, she didn’t notice immediately Jace had carried her over to the bench. With a gentleness that belied his size, Jace set her down while he walked across the room to pick up his discarded towel.
The act of putting herself back together in front of him was awkward. She debated what to say. The sound of his voice startled her.
“I’m sorry that things got so out of hand.” The tone of his voice divulged both regret and something Ava just couldn’t place.
The air struggling to get into her lungs felt thick. Watching Jace slip back into shorts he’d only moments earlier shed, she felt used and discarded.
Her mouth still swollen from his kisses, she said, “We both let it get out of hand. I don’t regret it.” On shaky legs that barely held her weight, Ava rushed toward the door, her only escape, stopping at his next words.
“I didn’t mean to say I regret being with you, I just regret the circumstances. You deserve more than just to be fucked against a wall.”
She turned at his crude words. The guilt that stretched across his face shocked her. “Did I ask you to stop? Did I in any way give you the impression I didn’t want to be with you?”
Jace’s quiet “No” did nothing to alleviate the hurt his careless words ignited.
“If I hadn’t wanted you, we wouldn’t have had sex. Do you understand? It would not have happened, so get your head out of your ass and stop treating me like a princess. I don’t regret ever being with you.” Ava took a step toward him.
“You have given me the greatest pleasures of my life. The freedom I felt with you only moments ago was exhilarating.” Reaching up to cup his cheek in a tender embrace, she continued, “You bring out the best in me, and the fact you were able to maintain control of yourself, when I couldn’t, makes you a great man. The truth is when you touch me, I forget everything but you, and that scares me. We could have made a baby, but you stopped yourself. Pulling out is not foolproof, but it could have been more troubling if you didn’t. Thank you for thinking of us, but you need to promise me you won’t regret this night.”
Ava dropped her hand so she could hide the tremor touching him induced. She took a step back to give him some space.
Please don’t regret it. I love you too much for this to be the breaking point.
Ava would have given anything to be able to read Jace’s mind. His chiseled unshaven face was guarded, as she looked deep into his eyes. Eyes that appeared transparent with their flecks of silver that reflected light. The deep blue depths reminded her of lazy days staring in the bright summer sky while lying around by the pool.
So lost in thought, the touch of Jace’s hand against her tender throat brought a wince. “My whiskers rubbed your face and neck raw.”
“I’ll survive.” The feel of his fingers caressing her burning skin was
sensual, and Ava’s body began to hum from his proximity.
“I wouldn’t take back tonight. I have wanted you for so long that your presence in my house the last few days has caused me physical pain.” The gentle kiss he dropped against her hair when he pulled her close for an embrace nearly broke all of Ava’s resolve. “I want you to know what we did tonight means a lot to me. Your being here is the only thing making me sane.” Jace’s arms tightened, and Ava slipped her own around his waist. “My life has turned upside down, and you’ve kept me steady. The paternity testing is tomorrow. Part of me wants it over and done, and the other part doesn’t want to find out.”
Ava could feel there was more he needed to say, so she held on tight and waited for him to continue.
“Cal has left three messages on my phone today about setting up a meeting, and part of me wants to meet him, but another feels like I would be letting my dad down.” Dropping another kiss against her temple, Jace stepped back enough so they could make eye contact but not lose their physical connection.
“This isn’t exactly the kind of discussion to have after mind-blowing sex is it?”
The attempt at a joke was so typical Ava had to smile at the absurd relationship they had.
“How many women have you slept with who you could actually tell your troubles to?” Ava questioned without expecting an answer.
When his arms dropped from around her, she felt alone. With his back now toward her, she noticed the tension in his shoulders had returned, along with a few moon-shaped scrapes. Apparently, her nails were longer than she realized. The need to touch the markings warred with her feelings of dejection. She took the safe road and left the brooding man in front of her alone.
With the first step on the stair tread to head toward her room, she felt his hand rest on the small of her back. “The least you could do is let me walk you to your room,” Jace said softly behind her.
The walk of shame to her room, changed somehow and their familiarity returned. With one hand on the doorknob to her room, Ava turned toward Jace with a simple goodnight. The kiss he gave her rocked her to her toes.
“Just so we’re clear, there’s only been one girl who made me think of forever or who I would consider sharing my troubles with, and I let her slip away because of stupidity. I won’t let it happen again.”
After another soft brushing of lips, Jace opened her door and gently pushed her through the opening.
Chapter Eighteen
Jace knew hiding out in his room was childish, but he didn’t know what to say to Ava. The night before he’d taken her like a Neanderthal. Images of her wrapped around his body made him hard, and he didn’t have time to take another cold shower.
When the silence of his house surrounded him, he made his way downstairs and headed straight for the kitchen. The empty cereal bowl in the sink and the half glass of orange juice that sat on the counter caused a now familiar emotion, love, to race through his body. The booster seat had uneaten Cheerios stuck to the plastic, and his messy kitchen looked perfect for a family…his family.
The black granite countertop no longer looked cold but inviting in the expansive room. The Brazilian cherry floors that had always had the perfect sheen now had skid marks that looked remarkably like the wheel tracks of Ashlyn’s favorite baby-doll stroller. The normally polished stainless steel appliances now had fingerprints two feet above the floor, and they made his heart swell with pride knowing a chubby-faced cherub had put them there.
The reality was he had to make sure he was the man for Ava and the perfect father for Ashlyn. The nagging sense he might be Ashlyn’s biological father had started on Sunday when he’d been carting the toddler around on his shoulder and caught their reflection in the foyer mirror.
The striking resemblance of their eyes had momentarily stopped him in his tracks. The only thing he couldn’t comprehend was why Ava would keep this secret. She hadn’t let on that he was the father, and he was gearing up to question her about his suspicions, but he had to clear this other paternity issue up first and deal with the unexpected appearance of Cal.
What stability can I offer her with all this hanging over my head: the possibility of a child I never knew about, a woman I was too drunk to remember, a long-lost father beating down my door and a career that could be over with one bad sack?
Looking around, he knew it wasn’t the discarded objects that made it feel homey. It was the woman he was sharing it with. He knew deep down she would stand by his side. He just had to clear up the open-ended issues, one by one.
Jace grabbed his keys off the counter and downed the last of the orange juice left in the cup. He headed to get his morning drills out of the way before he had his paternity test that afternoon.
Jace arrived at the training camp with only enough time to change into his workout clothes and exchange a hurried greeting with his fellow teammates. The arrival of the newest players had the veterans buzzing with dread and anticipation. There was not a single man standing in the confines of the locker room or out on the field who didn’t feel he deserved his spot on the team.
Every year was the same. The rookies stood by acting cocky but inside were quivering with anticipation. Jace could still feel what they were going through. He’d come out as a first-round pick and had been drafted to the team with the worst record the previous season. The pressure had engulfed him, and he’d had to prove his importance to the struggling team, not to step on the veterans’ toes but to make his own name. The fact was his first year he’d ended up being the backup quarterback, but his determination to be the best of the best had him going out daily busting his ass. He’d fought to get the coveted starting position, but it took a stroke of luck and a career-ending injury for the starter to make his dreams a reality.
Jace put his left foot on the bench to secure the lace on his cleats and noticed his backups had the same look in their eyes. He knew without a doubt, when the time came, they would toss him under the bus for his position. Ironically, he held no ill feelings toward them. Football was football.
You play to win, and you only get to play if your name is called.
After a casual nod toward the rookie who had shown up only yesterday for his first practice with the team, Jace made his way onto the field to take in the green grass mowed at just the right height and the excitement for another year of doing what he loved.
****
The pain and physical exhaustion associated with football was part of the game. The need to put ice on his shoulder made him curse the traffic. He just wanted to be home, not on his way to a doctor’s office for paternity testing. Whoever said southerners were polite had never driven in rush hour traffic in Nashville. He would have loved to give a couple of inpatient drivers the one finger salute, but his publicist would have his ass.
The press was always around when they ended their minicamp sessions, but the personal questions were becoming ridiculous. The ache in his shoulder had him snapping at a couple of guys who always treated him well. He’d have to apologize tomorrow for his behavior so they didn’t started badgering him like the other slime balls.
The excitement over the picture in the Sunday paper had died down when news broke of a popular baseball player’s juicing habit. The photo hounds were still hot on his heels, but his name no longer blasted from every sports channel. Unfortunately, the few who held out for some dirt had him on edge.
When his exit came up on the right, he took the turn a little faster than he would have liked and almost cut a poor old man off.
Shit, this is not my day.
Throwing up a hand to alleviate the annoyance of the other driver, he stretched his tender shoulder and cussed some more.
After parking his car, Jace downed two ibuprofen with the last of his Gatorade. The medical building loomed ahead in the spring afternoon. With one last deep breath, Jace exited his silver Mercedes. Every step took him closer to a life-altering test, and he said a silent prayer the truth would come out and he could move forward with hi
s life. A second prayer sent up was for Ava and Ashlyn; he needed them to be his future.
****
The ringing of the phone caught Ava off-guard, and she jumped. Jace had silenced the phones throughout the house recently, so the ringing sounded foreign in the large family room. For the last hour, she had played numerous games with her daughter, and not once had there been any noises in the house.
Ava grabbed the closest phone, not even thinking twice about who might be on the other end. “Hello, Johnson residence.”
The sickeningly sweet voice that responded back was even more surprising than the sound of the phone had been. The voice belonged to the one and only Carmen Lopez, and Ava had seen enough of her movies to recognize the saccharine that oozed from every word the woman spoke. “Hi, sweetie, is Jace there?”
The need to hang up and squeal like a teenager fought with the unexplainable urge to hang up and cuss like a sailor. “I’m sorry he’s not in right now. May I take a message?” Ava questioned with polite southern girl charm.
“Sure, just tell him Carmen called. He has my number. Bye, sweets.”
Ava hung up the phone and stood there staring at the offending object with both love and hate. The fact that she’d spoken to one of the up-and-coming Hollywood starlets should have her jumping for joy and calling Roxi to tell her about her encounter with a real celebrity. The other part, the evil side of her, wanted to pretend the call never happened and conveniently lose the message.
What right do you have to hide his messages? One romp around his gym doesn’t give you the right or the privilege to question his friends.
Ava rushed back to keep an eye on Ash with pen and paper in hand. She then wrote the message down with the efficient manner that had been engrained in her at the law office.
It turned out it was a good thing she’d brought the note pad out to the family room; the phone didn’t stop ringing. The messages ranged from football players she caught glimpses of on the television to family and friends. The last call that came in before Jace’s arrival home shocked her more than the one from Carmen and upset her more than she’d ever imagined a phone call could.