16
Cole sat down on the couch with Ava as soon as Ruby was asleep. They were settled into the house together the way it should have been for years. Ava stared at the ceiling with a permanent smile on her face that hadn’t left since they found out the guardianship had been approved.
“Do you think my mom and Frank will come banging on our door?” she asked.
Cole thought about it. It wouldn’t surprise him if they did, but at the same time, they knew they messed up. And now they could continue to be irresponsible without having a child to take care of on top of it. They knew how to get custody of Ruby again, but Cole doubted they would try.
“No. I don’t think they have the balls to admit they are terrible parents who lost custody of their kid to their other kid.”
Ava nodded. “I hope they don’t. I don’t want that kind of confrontation. Especially not when Ruby is around.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it.”
Ava rolled her head to look at him from where she rested it on the back of the couch. “Thank you again. For everything.”
Cole reached out and took her hand. “I’m not going anywhere. You can always count on me.”
Ava sat up and scooted closer to him before taking his face between her hands and kissing him. He hadn’t expected it. But he had hoped for it for months now. He kissed her back, pulling her onto his lap. She ground down on top of him, and he groaned against her lips.
“Ava.”
She pulled back. “If you reject me again, Cole Miller, we are going to have a big problem on our hands.”
He smiled and stroked her cheek. “I was only going to say that perhaps we should take this to my room since we have a kiddo down the hall.”
Ava snorted. “For a second I forgot she was here. We’re going to have to be careful from now on.”
“Does that mean this will be a common occurrence?”
“I guess you’ll have to wait and see.”
He stood, taking her with him, and she squealed before slapping a hand over her mouth. She wrapped her legs around his waist and clung to him. “But I think that means I don’t have to wait tonight?”
She only giggled in response.
They got to his bedroom, and he closed the door softly behind them before locking it. Then he set her down on her feet before gripping the bottom of her shirt and pulling it over her head.
“Eager much?” she teased.
“I don’t want you to think I’m going to back out again.” He paused when his hands settled on her pants. “But, for the record, I only stopped us before because we had been drinking. When we do this for the first time, I want us to be clear-headed.”
She raised her eyebrows. “And tonight is the first time, correct?”
He snorted.
“I just need to make sure we’re doing this so I won’t be left high and dry,” she said.
He gripped her pants and tugged them and her panties off her waist and to the floor. Then he picked her up and laid her down on the bed. “Oh, I promise you. You won’t be left high and dry.”
Without waiting for a response, he parted her thighs and ran his tongue along her seam. She gasped and bucked against him. He settled an arm across her waist to hold her down as he took his time. Several long strokes of his tongue had her gasping. He pulled back briefly to look up at her as he stroked her with his fingers and slipped one digit inside her.
“You taste amazing,” he murmured before descending on her once again.
“You’re going to make me come.”
He smiled against her and sucked her clit and then aligned a second finger with the first, pumping them inside her. She moaned and threaded her fingers through his hair, gripping him tightly.
“Cole, I’m coming.”
