Getting Ava

by Hope Carter

  Chapter Nine

  “So, what did you think?”

  Ava forced a polite smile on her face when John pulled the door to her apartment building open for her.

  “It was great,” she said. “Thank you for taking me.”

  “Your welcome. I’m glad that you decided to come with me.”

  A genuine smile filled John’s face while they stepped into the empty lobby. His hand touched the curve of Ava’s lower back when she pushed the elevator button with more force than necessary. It took everything in Ava not to pull away from him. The entire evening had been pleasant and warm, but every time John reached out to touch her knee at their courtside seats, all she could think about was the rush of heat between her legs when Sawyer had touched her earlier.

  A part of her, a big part, had hoped that going out with John to the basketball game would help get the imprint of Sawyer’s hands off her. Instead, she found herself comparing how John’s hands felt clammy and awkward when Sawyer’s hands felt nimble and confident when he had touched her.

  She raised her head to find John’s gaze fixated on her. Shifting on her feet, Ava prayed that the elevator would hurry up before John tried to kiss her.

  “I had a really great time tonight,” John continued, his voice dipping. “Maybe we could do this again if you want.”

  “We’ll see,” Ava said, forcing another smile. “I don’t know if we could though because of the rule at work.”

  “The no romance rule?” John’s fingers splayed over the curve of her back. “Do you honestly think that Greg was serious about that rule?”

  “He was when he hired me.”

  “He’s serious about it because of Sawyer,” John said, shaking his head. “That guy has a reputation and women just fall for him. I don’t get it.”

  Ava’s cheeks burned with embarrassment. She was one of those women, now. The gullible woman who fell for his sinful looks and broodiness. She couldn’t bear to look over at John who was oblivious to the heat rolling off of her in waves.

  “I don’t either,” she said.

  The elevators door opened in front of them. Ava stepped into the elevator without hesitation and turned to give John a quick smile. “Thank you again. It’s been a long day, so I’m going to go to bed.”

  Disappointment flashed across John’s face, but he didn’t follow her into the elevator much to Ava’s relief.

  “Yeah, sure,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I guess call me if you feel like hanging out this weekend.”

  “I will. Have a good rest of your night.”

  The elevator doors closed on John’s reply. Sinking back against the elevator wall, Ava stared up at the burning light above with a sigh. John was a great guy with decent looks. He had a stable and good job and was a complete gentleman, but she wanted that spark. The same spark she had felt in Sawyer’s company in New York.

  Her apartment was dark and the smell of her hairspray still lingered in the air when she pushed the door front door open. Dropping her purse and keys on the table next to the door, Ava kicked her ankle boots off with a sigh. She reached for the front door to close it, but something pushed it back open. The edge of the door bumped into her hip, catching her off guard.

  Ava peered around the edge of the door and stiffened in surprise when she recognized who was standing on the other side of the door.

  “Sawyer?”

  He towered over her like an ominous shadow dressed in a dark blue coat and slacks. Shadows danced across his sharp face, highlighting the tight and angry lines that were around his eyes. He smelt of mint and crisp cold air. The hair on Ava’s arms stood on edge while her stomach fluttered at the sight of him.

  “Did I interrupt something?” Sawyer asked,

  Her heart skipped when she realized that the tint in Sawyer’s eyes was jealousy. Ava clutched the doorknob tightly to keep herself upright.

  “Maybe,” she said, managing an even tone. “Why are you here?”

  Sawyer’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. He took a step forward into her apartment without hesitation and glanced around her dark living room.

  “He’s not here, right?”

  “No.” Ava fiddled with the doorknob. She was half-tempted to slam the door on Sawyer before he completely crossed the threshold into her apartment. “You didn’t answer my first question. Why are you here?”

  “Isn’t it obvious?”

  The searing look Sawyer gave her nearly melted Ava into a puddle right there in the doorway. She clenched her thighs together to fight her arousal.

  “No,” she said and inched the door closer to Sawyer. “I don’t want to see you right now, Sawyer.”

  Sawyer placed his hand on the door when she pushed it towards him. “I don’t believe you for a second. You’re a horrible liar.”

  Fuck you, she thought, trying to regain control of the situation. She wanted him. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get rid of the memory of Sawyer’s hands and lips on her skin. Pulling away from him at work had taken every particle of strength when her body longed to be touched.

  “I don’t trust you,” Ava said, heart pounding. “Not after this past weekend and what you did with your piece.”

  “It wasn’t my choice to run it,” Sawyer said, shaking his head in exasperation. “I might be a dick, but I wouldn’t do something like to someone.”

  “Oh, good. I’m glad that you’re admitting that you are one.”

  “Fuck, Ava.” He gave her a long and piercing look while he pushed the door away from him even further. “I never do this sort of thing, all right? I came here to your apartment because I can’t stop thinking about you. That’s why I’m here.”

  Ava groaned inwardly with dread when she felt her composure crumble more at Sawyer’s words. It seemed so cliché and irrational. They didn’t know one another aside from one night, but that one night back at New York City had opened the door for more. She couldn’t slam it shut.

  She sucked in a deep breath to calm the storm brewing inside her ribcage. The ache in her body didn’t care about his reasons though. That screamed louder than her brain giving her a list of reasons to pull away.

  “I have a hard time believing that,” Ava whispered.

  “Well, believe it.”

  Sawyer closed the gap between them in an instant. His lips were on hers in a scorching kiss that erased every doubt and warning in Ava’s mind. He wrapped his strong arms around her in a tight embrace while they kissed each other desperately. Burying her fingers into the soft strands of his hair, Ava stood on her tip toes to get closer to him, and he gladly obliged by tightening his grip on her waist. The tips of their tongues met in a sensual dance that promised more to come. A moan rumbled in the back of Sawyer’s throat when Ava nibbled on his lower lip.

  The front door swung shut. She slid her hands down the side of his neck to the buttons of his coat, undoing each one with trembling fingers. Sawyer’s hands trailed down the curve of her spine and found the back pockets of her jeans. His fingers gripped the flesh of her ass and pulled her flush against his hips. The hard bulge of his erection pressed against Ava’s stomach through his pants.

  She managed to get the last button of his coat with trembling fingers. He shrugged out of it and tossed it somewhere in the darkness of the hallway. She let her hands trace the contours of his broad chest, enjoying the chords of muscle beneath his shirt and how his heart pounded beneath the palm of her hand.

  The crisp night air lingered on the tip of Sawyer’s tongue, but also the faint taste of whiskey filled Ava’s senses. She didn’t fight when Sawyer scooped her up into his arms and carried her down the length of the hallway into the living room.

  “First door on the right,” Ava whispered, relishing in the way that he was holding her like a prized and delicate possession.

  The lights from the city spilled through her bedroom window, giving Sawyer enough light to find her bed. He laid her down against the pillows and draped himself between her legs
. They kissed again until they were both gasping for air. She arched up when Sawyer’s hands dipped beneath her shirt to cup her breasts in his hands. His calloused fingertips teased the sensitive tips of her nipples that pushed against the thin fabric of her sports bra until she couldn’t stand it any longer.

  She wrapped her legs tightly around Sawyer’s waist and pulled him closer. Reaching between them, her fingers managed to find the buttons of his shirt. Sawyer broke the kiss to pull her shirt up and over her head followed by her sports bra. He sat up on his knees between her legs, shrugging out of his half-buttoned shirt.

  “See how easy it is when you don’t argue with me?” Sawyer asked, a cocky smile spreading across his lips.

  Ava squirmed on the mattress of the bed when Sawyer reached for the button for her jeans. His fingertips skimmed the sensitive skin beneath the waistband, leaving trails of fire wherever his hands went.

  “Don’t flatter yourself,” she whispered and sat up on her elbows to reach for his belt. “Who came to my apartment out of jealousy?”

  “Damn right I’m jealous.” Sawyer tugged her jeans down past her hips and thighs before tossing them alongside the bed. He smoothed his hands down the curves of her thighs and brushed the pads of his thumbs on the apex of her thighs. “Any man would be if they knew what was underneath your jeans and t-shirt.”

  Her body flushed in pleasure at his words. Unable to resist, she reached up to brush her fingers across the patch of hair that dipped below the waistband of his pants.

  “You’re just trying to seduce me,” Ava murmured, breathlessly.

  Sawyer gripped her hips sensually. “Is it working?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Maybe?” He hummed, arching an eyebrow. “You sound a bit unsure about that. Maybe I should step things up a couple of notches.”

  His fingers hooked on the elastic band of her underwear and tugged them down her legs. Biting her lower lip in anticipation, Ava fisted her hands in the blankets to keep still while Sawyer’s lips seared the inside of her right leg. He nibbled his way down until he reached the one place that she desperately needed him to be.

  “You’re so wet and ready for me,” Sawyer groaned, slipping a finger through her slick folds. “Tell me what you want.”

  Ava’s eyes widened when he slipped a finger inside of her. Pleasure coiled in the pit of her belly until she could barely breathe from the pressure of it. A part of her holding onto her pride refused to give him what he wanted, but the other part of her wanted this. She needed to be fucked, and hard for that matter.

  “I need you,” she gritted out.

  Stars were exploding in the back of her eyes. In the distance, she could feel the stirrings of an orgasm, but Sawyer pulled away before the feeling could magnify. He shot her an arrogant grin, the type of grin she would’ve slapped off his face under different circumstances, before slipping off the edge of her bed. She sat up on her elbows to watch while he loosened his belt buckle and unzipped his pants.

  His cock jutted out proudly. The tip of it glistened in the dim light of her bedroom. Ava forced herself to breathe when Sawyer crawled his way over the bed and settled between her legs. He kissed her deeply before pulling away to press his forehead against hers.

  “I need you, too,” he whispered and nudged his erection against her inner thigh. “You have any idea how much I wanted to take you in that breakroom earlier?”

  Ava smoothed her hands over the strong curves of Sawyer’s shoulders, relishing in the softness and heat of his skin. The tip of Sawyer’s cock nudged her slick folds teasingly, rubbing against the throbbing nub that was hidden there, and it sent sparks up her spine. She was so close to falling over the edge already that she found herself arching up into him.

  “I know,” Ava whispered back, winding her legs about his waist.

  “I’ve been thinking about this all day,” Sawyer muttered against her neck, kissing and biting the skin there. “How good it would feel to fuck you like this.”

  She couldn’t think. Not when he pushed himself into her aching pussy, and how his body shuddered above her from the sensation. Her muscles stretched to accommodate his length and thickness while pleasure built inside of her. Their hands intertwined when Ava reached up to hold onto something to keep herself grounded to reality. Sawyer’s fingers squeezed hers tightly while he dipped down to lightly flick her right nipple with the tip of his tongue. With each thrust of his hips, he coaxed her body to respond to him in every single way possible.

  The sting of tears filled the back of Ava’s eyes when she felt an orgasm stir to life inside of her. She wanted to push him away. Not because it didn’t feel good, but because it felt too good. The way he tasted on the tip of her tongue, or how he felt sliding in and out of her like they were made to fit. She barely knew Sawyer aside from a few personal details and work, but he knew how to work his way around her body, and how to pull feelings out of her without any effort.

  Sawyer groaned against the side of her neck. A fine layer of sweat covered his skin and intermingled with her own. Her lungs ached to breathe, but she couldn’t with Sawyer on top of her. Propping himself on a forearm, he reached between them their joined bodies to press his thumb down on her throbbing clit. Her world exploded into a thousand pieces at the same time she felt Sawyer’s cock twitch inside of her. A moan rumbled in Sawyer’s chest when he came hard. Her inner muscles contracted and squeezed every drop of his release.

  For a moment, the sounds of their pants were the only thing that filled her bedroom. Ava willed her heart to calm down, but it was impossible with her emotions all knotted up. She could feel Sawyer’s heart pounding against his ribcage before it slowed down, and expected him to pull away, but instead, his hands trailed softly down her arms. Her throat tightened at the gesture.

  “I don’t know what it is about you,” Sawyer said, his voice a soft rumble when he lifted his head from her shoulder. “But, I can’t get enough.”

  He gazed down at her, still not moving away. Without warning, he pressed his lips against hers in a soft kiss.

  Ava’s stomach twisted when she realized that she couldn’t get enough of him either.

  Chapter Ten

  It was the sound of Ava’s soft and rhythmic breathing that pulled Sawyer out of sleep. Her warm body was curled up against his side. Their legs were intertwined beneath the tangled sheets where they had made love before falling into an exhausted sleep.

  His eyes popped open to take in the darkness of Ava’s bedroom. The city lights had long since dimmed with the early morning hours approaching. He stared at the curve of Ava’s shoulder and reached out to brush his fingertips over her soft skin. Sleeping and cuddling after sex was never an option for him. It built intimacy and attachment that he didn’t want, but he was willingly in Ava’s bed curled up around her.

  Detangling himself carefully from the sheets, Sawyer slipped out of bed without rousing Ava out of her peaceful sleep. He moved quietly through the darkness of her room, finding his clothes in a puddle alongside the bed, and slipped back into his boxers.

  “You don’t have to sneak away in the middle of the night.”

  He looked up in surprise with one leg in his pants to find Ava sitting up in bed. She clutched the sheets up to her chest. Her short and silky blonde locks of hair were adorably tousled from sleep and his fingers. Lust swept over him in a hot wave all over again, but he pushed the feeling away in irritation.

  “I wasn’t,” Sawyer muttered. “We have to be at work in a few hours.”

  Ava glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table. “Yeah, I suppose we do. You don’t have to tiptoe out.”

  “I just thought--”

  “I’m not stupid, Sawyer. I know that this isn’t your thing. You don’t have to try and fool me into thinking that.” She settled back against the pillows with a deep sigh. “Please make sure the door is locked on your way out.”

  Anger burned in Sawyer at her words. He hated the fact that he was turned on by the a
ssertiveness beneath Ava’s shy and innocent exterior, but it pulled him in. It occurred to him while he stood in the darkness of her room that he was done fighting his attraction for her. He wanted her and only her.

  “I’m staying,” he stated and stepped out of his boxers. “I can drive to my place before work.”

  Ava lifted her head to stare at him through the dark. “That wasn’t an invitation for you to stay. Just lock the door on your way out.”

  “Do you want me to go?” Sawyer questioned, coming to the side of the bed. “Because I have a feeling that you don’t want me to.”

  “My point was that you didn’t have to sneak out,” Ava said. Scooting to the center of the bed, she rolled to her other side and presented him with her back. “I’ll see you at work in a few hours.”

  He watched Ava tuck her legs up against her chest. Grinning, he knew that she was trying to hide that she was aroused all over again. He reached for the sheets and pulled them back. Ava grabbed ahold of the retreating sheets, but it was too late. Her body was bared for him to devour all over again.

  Ava didn’t make a peep when he slipped back onto the bed and wrapped an arm around her body. He pulled her into him and groaned when the flesh of her ass grazed his hardened dick. She wiggled again but didn’t reach out to touch him.

  “I was thinking,” Sawyer murmured against the sensitive shell of her ear, “that we could get dinner together after work on Friday night.”

  “What?”

  “Dinner,” he repeated, nibbling his way down the column of her neck. “I know a great place that is beachfront and the food is delicious.”

  Ava arched her neck to give him more access but pulled away at the last second to catch his gaze.