Touchdown Baby (19 page)

Ashlyn’s current fussing brought Ava quickly out of her daydream, and she finally managed to bypass the bus and head toward home. She wouldn’t get dinner at her usual time, but hopefully Jace had some cookies. One would tide Ashlyn over for a little while.

The smell of fried chicken came from the kitchen in waves as Ava opened the front door. Sniffing the air as only a bloodhound would, she followed the smell of potatoes, gravy and corn on the cob. Entering the heaven Jace called a kitchen, she stopped at the sight that appeared before her. The table was set for three with the booster seat conveniently situated between the two chairs at the end of the table. Jace stood with his back to them and placed pieces of Kentucky Fried Chicken on a platter. The sides were already waiting for them in dishes, not the Styrofoam containers she usually served out of.

“I hope you’re not planning on taking credit for the food?” she joked as she crossed the threshold of what felt like a fantasy: the mom, dad and child sharing dinner at a table so they could discuss their day.

“Of course I was, but since you’ve caught me, I’ll have to give the credit to the Colonel. Damn good man.” Jace looked so relaxed Ava assumed his day had gone smoothly.

Dinner conversation flowed as Ava described her first day. When she told Jace about the little boy who ate his glue stick during art and the teacher who didn’t freak out because he apparently ate at least one a week, Jace laughed so hard sweet tea started coming out of his nose. The casual way he handed Ashlyn chunks of chicken just the right size and even fed her bites of potatoes from his fork warmed Ava’s heart. Maybe this is what we needed, time to be together without outside interference?

Pride and admiration for her showed in his artic blue eyes as she recounted the conversation with Mrs. Hawkins. When he reached across the table to stroke her face, he was gentle. “You’re going to get this job. When is your graduation day?”

“May twenty-third. I told my mom and Lexi about the potential job offer after this internship when they were here. I think, when the shock of the situation wears off, she’ll realize what a wonderful opportunity this all is. Honestly, I think she’ll miss Ash more than me if I get a job in Nashville.”

“Don’t doubt yourself. I’m sure they’ll miss you almost as much as her.” The laughter in his voice was infectious, and Ava smiled at his attempt to be funny.

“After what I’ve put my parents through the last few years, I’m sure they’ll be happy to get rid of me.” When she continued, the laughter in the room died. “They both have been wonderful, and I owe them for giving me the opportunity to finish school. So many girls who get pregnant quit, and unfortunately most don’t ever go back to finish. It never even crossed my mind to give up my education. Honestly, it would have been easy to terminate my pregnancy or even to give her up for adoption, but from the moment I found out I was expecting, I loved her. I wanted to give her someone to be proud of, and being a college dropout with no career aspirations wasn’t someone I thought would impress her.”

“You’re her mother, she would have thought you were perfect no matter what your profession.”

“I know, but what kind of example would I have set? I decided to become a teacher because of the overwhelming responsibility I felt for her, and now I am most thankful for the inspiration, whether she’ll ever realize it or not.” Looking down at the table with the empty bowls, she focused on the present instead of the past. “When did this conversation get so serious? We should really clean up.”

“What about Ashlyn’s father? Does he see her? Does he even know about her?”

Those eyes, identical to her daughter’s, were mesmerizing, and the pressure to tell him the truth consumed her soul. Then the sound of plastic and liquid hitting the floor made her jump. Ashlyn had dropped her cup, and it splattered across the formerly pristine tile.

“Apparently she’s done. I guess I should get her up stairs so she can get her bath. Thanks for dinner.”

“Before you go, I asked a question. Does her father know about her?”

The patience and acceptance in his voice unnerved her. If she didn’t know better, she would have thought Roxi spilled her secret, but Roxi would never do that.

With a hug for Ashlyn, Ava held her a little closer to her body and inhaled the smell of toddler and fried chicken, and she spoke softly. “No, and I regret not telling a little more every day.” With those parting words, Ava escaped to the sanctuary that was her temporary bedroom.

Chapter Seventeen

Muscles burned with every movement, and the strain felt good. The tightness of the ligaments and tendons across his chest, a direct result from the strenuous workout, were much easier to deal with than the pressures weighing on him.

Sweat ran freely down his unshaven face, burning his eyes and soaking his shirt. With every pump of the weights, another hurtful comment that was made about him, or even worse Ava, slipped from his mind. The newspapers, both local and national, were making more out of an innocent embrace than he could ever have imagined.

I’m a football player, not a movie star
.

If he was one of the Hemsworth brothers or Nick Jonas, he could fathom the interest in his personal life, but somehow, with one possible transgression, he’d managed to become someone to gossip about. The media coverage over the paternity issue was skyrocketing.

“Eighteen, nineteen, twenty.” Finishing the last set and sitting up to wipe his forehead with the back of his arm, Jace envisioned his body exhausted enough to allow him eight hours of mindless sleep. Pulling out his ear buds, his way of having music without disturbing Ashlyn while she slept, he could hear his own heavy breaths.

With thoughts of the imminent paternity test scheduled for the next day and the repercussions of what one tiny swab on the inside of his cheek would do, he stood up from the weight bench, walked to the bar bolted to the wall and forced his tired body to pump out chin-ups.

As if life wasn’t complicated enough, his biological father kept calling and insisting they meet. He’d hoped to talk to his mom about the situation and get her feedback, but with his and Ava’s picture being in the paper, things had been chaotic. The two things that were getting him through this situation were upstairs. What am I going to do when they have to go home?

You can’t start anything until you have answers
.

The answers would come after the testing, but he had to forget about it right now.

With the cold metal clasped in his hands and a single goal in his mind, he said, “Forget about tomorrow.” Jace began the first of forty chin-ups before his body needed a different release.

****

The large room smelled like man, sweat and work. Stepping farther into Jace’s sanctuary seemed more intimate than kissing him. This was his space. His mom and sister had designed and decorated the rest of the house, but this was all Jace. Every well-used, gleaming machine, each more massive than the next, beckoned.

Most men had a garage they claimed as their own and spent their spare time in, whether to escape the world or just to fix a car, but Jace had his gym. The knowledge most athletes would have their own equipment seemed logical, but she’d never thought much of it.

Ava never worked out at home, needing the motivation of people around her when she exercised. Sneaking into this private gym to squeeze in a thirty-minute workout was tempting though.

Jace was in the corner of the room. She stood watching him as he lifted his enormous body with ease. With the play of emotions across his face, she understood the workout was more to fight demons only he could see than to keep his physical strength up during the off-season. The power in his body was exhilarating to witness, but the pain etched into his face was deep and upsetting. Ava fought the urge to walk up and hold him close until his troubles went away.

Earlier that evening, she’d walked into his office to fax some papers to the college for her upcoming graduation, and when she had to take papers off the fax machine, she hadn’t meant to look, but they’d just been sitting there.

What was I supposed to do, just leave them on the fax and hope they didn’t get sent with my stuff?

The need to rationalize her nosy behavior wouldn’t get her anywhere, but she had to know what the papers meant. If she had read them correctly, he had purchased the old elementary school building. But why?

Not wanting to interrupt his steady rhythm, Ava silently slipped onto a weight bench and visually stroked the gleaming body that was well sculpted and straining. When Jace finished his last rep and eased his body to the floor, Ava noticed the exhaustion that warred with the tension on his face.

“You should get some sleep.”

When he jerked and turned quickly to face her, flashing his signature smile. “I didn’t hear you come in.

“I just got here.”

Five minutes ago, but you don’t need to know that.

“This is a great gym. I can tell you use it a lot.” The not-so-subtle glance down at his chest and rippling abdomen was meant to break the serious conversation they were about to have, but the flare of sexual tension that sizzled in the air was unmistakable.

Jace grabbed for the towel that lay across an elliptical and wiped his face and chest. The sweat wiped away, his golden skin still shone with perspiration. Who knew sweat was sexy?

Casually draping the towel around his neck, Jace stared at her. “I work out at least twice every day or at least try to. You can use it whenever you want, while you’re here.”

Why did it feel like he was talking more about using him, than the gym? “Thanks, I may have to take you up on it.” The air surrounding them crackled with the pent-up passion, and neither moved for fear of breaking the spell, or maybe because of it. As minutes passed, it became evident it was time for the secrets to come out so they’d be able to both come together freely.

Ava opened her mouth, in an attempt to tell him about Ashlyn, but as usual, she chickened out.

I still have to be here for almost two weeks. I can’t ruin our new friendship
.

The need to fill the silence with an intelligent comment almost caused her to miss his question. “What did you say?”

“I just asked if I woke you up. I thought with the main floor separating us, the clanging of the weights wouldn’t disturb you. I didn’t turn on the music. I know you can hear that throughout the house.”

Rambling was something she did, not Jace.

Nerves, was Jace nervous? Standing in nothing but gym shorts, tennis shoes and a towel around his neck, which he was twisting in his hands as if trying to wring it out, he looked uncomfortable. When he attempted to turn from her, she laughed.

“You can’t escape me in a room full of mirrors. And you didn’t wake me. I haven’t been to sleep yet.”

Gazes locked again, Jace took a tentative step toward her. “I wasn’t trying to escape you. I was looking for my water. Why haven’t you been to sleep yet?”

Ava stood in an attempt to hold her ground while he continued advancing with sin in his eyes. She swallowed hard, almost choking herself.

Who is nervous now
?

When he stopped only a foot in front of her, she wanted him to kiss her more than she wanted her next breath.

“My water is right behind you. Do you mind moving so I can get it?”

So softly spoken was the request, she almost missed the humor in the words. Embarrassment caused her to do something she hadn’t done in years; she punched him in the arm. The surprise on his face was priceless; she just wished she’d had a camera to capture the moment. And maybe some ice, the man’s bicep was like a steel beam.

Once the shock wore off, Jace’s laughter filled the air that felt steamed up with his closeness. “I would never have thought you would be the type to resort to violence.”

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.