by Kaci Rose
“All I wanted was for you to talk to me instead of shutting me out. I don’t want to be lied to. I want you to lean on me, let me support you and help you like you have me.”
He wipes his face on his sleeve then puts a hand behind my neck and pulls me in for a kiss. It’s so soft and unsure, but as soon as I kiss him back, his other hand comes up to my cheek and he takes control and deepens this kiss. His tongue running along mine and I try to convey in that kiss what he means to me.
He pulls back slightly and whispers along my lips. “I love you, Avery.”
Those words seal this moment for me. I know this is it. I smile, “I love you too, Denver.”
Chapter 28
Denver
My heart stops. This amazingly beautiful girl loves me back. After all this time, all the pain of waiting up to this moment, and I know I’d do it all over again. Well, not the not telling her about my mom part but the rest of it.
“Say it again, sweet girl,” I say, my voice raw with emotion.
“I love you, Denver.”
“God, I love you too.” I slam my lips back to hers and without breaking the kiss she climbs into my lap, her legs straddling mine and for the first time in weeks, I forget about everything. The stress with my mom, her landlord, all of it, and I lose myself in Avery.
“Wrap your arms around my neck and hold on tight,” I whisper against her lips.
I don’t let her speak before my lips are back on hers and I grip her ass and stand up. She wraps her legs around my waist as I take her to her room and kick the door closed behind me. I’d take her right there on the couch, but I don’t want to chance Kelsey and her boyfriend walking in, because no one gets to see my girl like this but me.
“Please tell me you haven’t been drinking tonight,” I murmur as I lay her down on the bed.
“Not a drop.”
“Thank Christ.” I reach over and pull her shirt and bra off, because after the party all I could think about were these breasts. They stared in every dream I had. I take them into my hands and give them a firm squeeze, causing her to moan.
I suck and nip at her already hard nipples before sitting up to remove my shirt and then sliding off her pants and underwear. Seeing her completely naked on the bed in front of me with a light flush on her face has me so hard. I take a deep breath. This is me showing her how much I love her.
So, I pull her to the edge of the bed and kneel on the floor in front of her as I spread her legs wide. I can see she is already wet for me and I lean in and run my tongue along her slit, sucking hard on her clit.
“Denver!” she yells my name, making me smile.
“I love it when you’re loud for me, baby. It lets me know how much you love it.”
Pushing her legs even further part, I start making love to her pussy with my mouth. A few hard sucks on her clit is all it takes to send her over the edge screaming my name and putting the biggest smile on my face.
I stand up and quickly undress as she scoots back up the bed. I can’t take my eyes off of her. I climb onto the bed and smile.
“On your hands and knees, sweet girl.”
I watch her eyes go wide and she doesn’t move.
“You trust me?” I ask.
“More than you know.”
“Then get on your hands and knees for me.” This time she is up and in position with her perfectly round ass facing me. I scoot in behind her and run my hand up her back. When she looks over her shoulder at me, I almost lose it. Real life Avery is better than any imagination I could dream up.
I line my cock up at her slit and her warmth has me moaning. I get a firm grip on her hips and fill her with one firm thrust, causing her to cry out.
I set a slow and steady pace and slide my hand from her hips up her belly to her breasts. I lean over her and pinch her nipples and her pussy flutters around me.
“I missed this so much, baby. This is my safe haven right here inside of you,” I murmur into her neck.
She gasps and I can tell she is close. I pull her up, so she is up on her knees seated on my lap, my cock fully inside her and her back to my chest. She throws her head back on my shoulder and I slide a hand down to her clit and start rubbing it. Having her skin to skin is sending my body into overdrive.
“I love you so much, baby. I’m going to spend the rest of my life proving it you, making you proud. It’s you and me against the world from now on.”
“Denver...” she moans. “I love you too.”
In that moment I pinch her clit and she shatters in my arms. I only get a few more thrusts in before I start coming inside her, coating her, and marking her once again as mine.
When my balls are finally empty, I lay us both down and she turns to rest her head on my shoulder and wraps an arm around my chest. I slip out of her.
We lie there just soaking each other in, as I run my hand up and down her back, just wanting to enjoy this moment of her in my arms.
“I have an idea for your mom,” Avery says, breaking the silence.
“I’m open to anything, because I’m out of ideas.”
“Well, I know a nice old empty house in Nashville that needs a little love.”
“Avery...” I whisper her name.
Is this girl suggesting what I think she is?
“I never rented it out and I don’t need the money. She could work it off by helping repaint and redecorate the place. I had an alarm system put in right after we left for Christmas break. Mr. Burns was there with the guy for me. There is no chance of her getting kicked out, I heard the landlady is pretty cool. I know the neighbors love her and would help watch out for her. Yard work is taken care of including shoveling snow. I know it’s far from her job, but with no rent maybe she could get her foot in the door at a décor firm?” She shrugs like it’s no big deal. This is a huge deal.
“You mean it?”
She props her head up on her elbow and looks down at me. “Of course, I mean it. We can move her in this weekend, and I want to call my dad about her current landlord, I’m pretty sure he can put some heat on him and she might even get her security deposit back, seeing how this wasn’t her fault.”
I roll her over and kiss her, because I have no words.
Chapter 29
Avery
Once Denver and I had a plan for his mom, it took a little convincing to get her on board. She said she was sad to leave her job because she really liked her boss. She was worried because she would be giving up her benefits. She and Denver had a heart to heart that night about the talks with the NFL and how he plans to take care of her no matter what.
In the end, she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to help with the house. When I started talking about using it to launch her interior decorating career, her eyes light up and I know that didn’t escape Denver either.
The next battle I had was them letting me hire movers. They refused and we went back and forth before they let me rent a Uhaul truck and they got a bunch of guys from the football team to help.
So that’s where we are. It’s been two weeks since I made the suggestion she move into my house and today is moving day.
When Denver went to his coach and explained his plan asking to miss a few days of training and offering to do double the work when he got back, the coach refused to make him train double then offered guys to help him move and take the weekend off from training. So now there are ten bulky football guys plus Denver in and out of Gina’s house, helping pack up the last of it.
One guy turned out to have worked on his dad’s construction crew growing up and is fixing some of the damage so less will come out of her pocket at the end.
Gina and I are currently outside sitting on the tailgate of Denver’s truck watching the guys move her couch into the truck.
“If I was ten years younger.” She sighs and shakes her head, causing me to laugh.
“There are advantages to dating a football guy but there are disadvantages too. Do you know how much he eats?”
Gina laug
hs. “I used to cook for him in high school, when he hit a growth spurt, I couldn’t keep enough food in the house, he would eat anything and everything. I caught him eating a raw potato once when I got home from work because there were no clean pots to cook it in. He got a hard lesson on doing dishes that day.”
We are both laughing when Denver steps out of the house with a huge smile on his face.
“This is what I like, to see both my girls smiling, happy, and safe.” He kisses his mom on the cheek and gives me a chaste kiss on the lips.
Just then, a black expensive-looking car pulls up on the curve.
“Who is that?” I ask.
“He wouldn’t,” Gina whispers, and the smile falls from Denver’s face.
A well-dressed man steps out. He looks to be in his mid 40s with dark brown hair which is greying at the temples. He is wearing jeans and a sweater, but you can tell with just one look they are expensive.
“Mom, who is that?”
“Clint, my boss. Well, ex boss.”
I’ve recently learned when Gina says her boss, she means the owner of the whole company. That makes sense, he just oozes money. We all watch him look up at the house then when his eyes land on Gina his whole face softens, and he smiles as he walks over to us.
“Oh shit,” I say, and Denver’s eyes snap to me.
“Clint, what are you doing here?” Gina asks as he gets closer, but she makes no move to get off the tailgate and Denver acts as a bit of a buffer between her and him, which makes me smile.
“I get back from a week of meetings and find out you quit,” he states with no emotion on his face. I have to stop myself from rolling my eyes and saying, no shit, Sherlock.
“I did.”
Clint smiles at Gina again. “That means you no longer work for me.”
“Does it now? I had no idea.” Gina manages to keep a straight face, but it doesn’t take a blind man to see what’s going on and I can’t help but burst out laughing.
“You’re moving?” he asks.
“No, we just thought we’d load up all my stuff and take it for a drive then put it all back,” Gina sasses back.
At this point, I can’t stop laughing so I slide off the tailgate and walk up to him.
“I’m Avery, Denver’s girlfriend. You have an uphill battle here, try being more direct.”
He shakes my hand. “You wouldn’t be willing to help me out, huh?”
“She’s moving to Nashville.”
“Why?”
“Uhh...” I look back at Gina, who is giving me her ‘don’t you dare’ mom face.
“I guess the answer depends on you. Why are you here?” Gina asks.
I move over and loop my arm into Denver’s. “Maybe we should give them some privacy.” I try to tug Denver’s arm.
“Don’t move,” Gina says, and we freeze.
Then she sighs. “I quit because I’m being forced to move out of here. Denver’s father was leaving weird notes and gifts around the house, I didn’t know it was him, the cops didn’t do anything, then Valentine’s day he broke in, trashed the place bad, you can go in and see for yourself. The landlord wants me out, gave me thirty days.”
I watch the anger cross Clint’s face.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Why would I? You’re my boss, not my therapist.”
“What happened to his father?” Clint asks through gritted teeth.
“He’s in jail.”
“This isn’t the first time this happened, she had to move a few years back too,” I say, and Gina shoots me a death glare. “Okay, shutting up now.”
I try to pull Denver away and he still won’t budge, but this time he puts his arm around my waist and tucks me into his side. When he kisses the top of my head, I just wrap my arms around his waist.
“Why Nashville?” Clint asks.
When no one answers, I sigh. “My grandma passed away over the summer and left me her house. I grew up there and plan to keep it but still have another year of school and it needs some work. Mostly painting and redecorating. Gina is moving in there to help me out. She has always wanted to do interior decorating and I loved her ideas when she came up with me over Christmas break, so it was a perfect fit.”
Denver squeezes my hip and his mom shoots me a stern look, one my mom used to give me when she wanted me to stop talking.
“Listen, apparently I’m the only non-blind person here, stop give me the death glare. Christ, Clint, put us out of our misery before they kill me” I give him a glare.
“Won’t kill you, sweet girl, but you will pay later,” Denver finally speaks.
Clint takes another step toward Gina, and Denver steps to the side to allow him.
“I wish you’d told me what was going on, I would’ve helped. The thought that you were scared kills me. I should have paid better attention.”
“Maybe secure your parking lot?” I suggest.
“What?” Clint asks.
“Some of the notes were left on her car while she was at work,” I tell him.
“Avery...” Denver growls.
“What? He can make it safer for his employees, he should know.” I shrug.
Clint rubs the bridge of his nose. “You should have reported that to me, Gina,” he says softly. “You know I value everyone’s safety there.”
“The cops said it wasn’t threatening, why would I have thought you’d believe any differently?”
It’s then Clint laughs and it’s a full laugh. “Guess I was better at hiding my feelings then I thought.”
“Ya think?” I laugh.
Then he rolls up his selves and holds up his arms. “Well, I’m here, put me to work.”
Gina’s jaw drops causing me to laugh.
This time when I pull Denver away, he comes with me.
“They are so cute,” I sigh.
“You are in so much trouble,” he growls into my ear.
“I’ll gladly take any punishment you dish out, it’s obvious Clint cares for your mom and has been hiding it because she worked for him. She quit and now he’s here to make his move. He isn’t happy that she is moving, but I have a feeling he will find a way to make it work.”
Denver’s eyes go wide, and he looks back at his mom and Clint who are smiling at each other before he sighs. “If it had to be anyone, I’m glad it’s him. He’s loaded so I know he can take care of her, plus he’s always been really nice to both of us.”
We finish packing before lunch and then the great debate comes over who is riding with who. Clint wants to drive Gina, but she needs to take her car. I suggest one of Denver’s teammates drive it, since the ten of them came in two cars I’m sure they would be grateful for a bit of space.
Denver is driving the moving truck and wants me to ride with him. I laugh. “No way, because I am driving your truck. Derick said he’d ride with me.”
That earns Derick a scowl from Denver and after some hushed whispers Denver agrees. I make sure everyone has the address and we all head out.
Once we hit the interstate, I glance over at Derick.
“I get a feeling you volunteered to ride with me because something is on your mind, so let it out.”
“You know Denver has liked you for a while,” he says.
“I wasn’t aware until recently, but yes, I know now.”
“I’ve never seen him so down as the week you broke up. If I didn’t make sure he was eating dinner, I don’t think he would have eaten at all.”
“He lied to me,” is all I say.
“I know, he told me the full story. Not saying he didn’t deserve it. Guess I’m botching up my words. I don’t do this romance shit.”
“Well, I don’t need it sugar coated, just spit it out.” I laugh.
“Listen, I know what Kyle did to you. I didn’t agree with it, but coach has this thing about team loyalty. It tore Denver up watching it and I’m guessing he found a way to get you to that party that night.” He laughs. “Denver isn’t like Kyle. I can vouch he w
as never once into the Jersey Chaser scene; he always went home alone, and I’ve seen him make more girls cry for trying to climb into his lap than I can count. You have been it for him since freshman year, I know the whole story, he’s told me.”
I sigh. “I wish I had known.”
“Listen, this is my long and drawn out way of saying Denver is one of the good ones, treat him right or you will have the whole football team to deal with, but many of us were talking after it came out that Kyle had grabbed you and we decided team unity only goes so far. If he hurts you, really hurts you, you let us know and we will take care of him.”
I give him the side eye. “Aren’t you his best friend? Shouldn’t you be on his side no matter what?”
“I am his best friend and that means he ever puts his hands on you I will beat the shit out of him. A few guys had our way with Kyle on and off the field after it came out that he grabbed you and left a bruise. Denver refused to do it because he knew Kyle would go to coach and try to make it look like he was causing problems for stealing you.”
“Kyle did go to coach, then ambushed me at my place later that afternoon. Thankfully, Denver was there but that was our first fight for the way he reacted after Kyle left.”
“I was in the gym, I heard it all while he beat the shit out of the punching bag.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I sigh as I pull up to the house. I park on the road knowing Denver will want to back the truck into the drive.
“Good. Which one’s yours?” he asks. I get out and he follows me up the front door as head up to unlock the house.
“This is your house?”
I cringe waiting for it. I don’t tell people I have money because they tend to treat me differently, thinking either that I think I’m too good for them or they see me as an ATM and meal card.
But throughout the day, not one of the guys treats me any differently. As the guys are unloading and helping move Gina’s stuff in, Clint comes up to me in the kitchen where I’m making some sweet tea.