pleading for me to do.
It’s the filthiest, dirtiest sex we’ve ever had, but it’s also the most meaningful. Because we let go of the past, and we let go of ourselves. We find comfort in each other, in asking for what we want. We take our time to explore each other’s bodies, to claim them.
The room is constantly filled with the sounds of our sweaty bodies slamming together, of the moans of pleasure, of the screams and grunts of our releases. Over and over. Again and again. We don’t stop. Can’t. But we take breaks every now and then, and we talk, we drink a little more, we laugh, we shower together, and then we go back to the exploring, and the teasing, and tasting until finally, finally, we’re done. Spent. We collapse in each other’s arms, exhaustion taking over us. “One day,” I breathe out, my chest rising and falling, “when I’m in the NBA, we’ll live in a house so big that we can do stuff like this all the time, and we can be this loud, and your mom won’t hear us.”
Ava’s head pops up from my chest. “Why would my mom be there?”
“Because she’ll live with us.” My eyes narrow. “Duh.”
“She will?”
I nod. “Who’ll take care of the horses?”
“What horses?” she asks.
I flick her forehead. “Her therapy horses, stupid.”
She smiles wide. “You’re going to buy my mom therapy horses?”
I roll my eyes. “Obviously.”
She shakes her head, laughing quietly. “Why do you say all this like it’s something we’ve spoken about so many times before?”
“Oh yeah. I never actually told you.” I adjust my head on the pillow. “I’ve just thought about it.”
A frown tugs on her lips. “Do you really think about that stuff?”
My eyes drift shut, sleep quick to consume me. “Ava, my future with you is all I think about.”
Chapter 25
Connor
I wake up to my phone ringing, and my eyes feel like they’re burning when I open them. Every one of Ava’s limbs is somehow wrapped around me, and it takes me a moment to untangle myself from her to search for my phone. I find it in the pocket of my discarded jeans and cringe when I see Dad’s name on the screen. “Hey, Dad.”
“Hey. You still sleeping?”
“Yeah, Ava was over last night and uh…” I try to swallow, but my throat’s too dry. “Hey, is there any chance you could call the school…” I trail off.
He’s silent a beat before answering, “Yeah, I can do that.”
“You’re the best dad I’ve ever had,” I mumble.
Dad chuckles. “Big night?”
“Kind of.”
“No drinking and driving, I assume?”
“No. My car’s still at Rhys’s, and I’m not going to lie; we had a little here, too. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I prefer you to be honest, but just remember, you’re still a minor, Connor.”
“I know.”
“Is Ava taking the day off, too?”
“Yeah.”
“So, I’ll see you both when I get home?”
Next to me, Ava stirs.
“Mmm-hmm,” I murmur.
“Should I bring home some breakfast from the diner?”
“Literally the best dad in the entire world and I’m not even joking this time.”
“I have to use the bathroom,” Ava mumbles, climbing over and around me to get out of bed.
“We need to call Ross, too.” My agent. He’ll be thrilled to hear how bad my stats were from last night.
“Sure.”
Ava skips her pile of clothes and opens my drawers, finding a pair of boxer shorts and an old jersey. She throws them on.
“All right. Well, I’ll let you go,” Dad says while Ava rummages through her bag. She pulls out her phone and a plain white box. She throws the box on my lap before exiting the room.
“Don’t forget to call the school,” I remind Dad.
“I won’t. I’ll see you soon.”
“Bye.” I hang up and open the lid of the box.
My heart stops.
My breath halts.
Two toy cars.
One red. One blue.
Lightning McQueen and Sally.
My hands shake when I flip them over, a part of me already knowing what’s there: the initials CL carved into the metal, so everyone at daycare knew they were mine.
Bile rises to my throat, and I lurch forward, get to the trashcan just in time. Ava rushes into the room, dropping to her knees, her hand on my back. “Damn, how much did we drink?”
Another bout, and this is not how I want her to see me. Or smell me. I wipe my mouth along my forearm, my eyes on hers. “Where did you get that?” I breathe out, my heart racing, panic rushing through my bloodline.
“What are you talking about?”
“The cars!”
“What