Eleven

Griffin

 

 

I’ve been thinking about Ava all day. I’ve fucked up several orders, gave a customer back the wrong change, but it was when I spilled an entire tray of drinks on the floor, James, one of my managers, told me I needed to go. Yep! I’ve been kicked out of my own restaurant, but for the first time I’m okay with that because I have somewhere else I’d rather be.

After stopping by the Mexican restaurant and picking up several orders of tacos—since it’s Tuesday—I knock on Ava’s door. She swings it open, and I can’t help but rake my gaze down her body. Every damn time I see this woman I swear she gets sexier and more enticing.

“Tacos.” I hold up my hand to show her the bag.

“Access granted,” she replies, dramatically bowing down and swinging her arm out to indicate I’m welcome to walk through.

When I get through the foyer, I notice right away Levi isn’t there. My heart starts pumping a little faster as my eyes dart from the couch to the floor. I walk farther into the apartment to check the kitchen, dropping the bag of food on the counter.

Before I can convey the question I’m figuring out how to ask, Ava says, “He’s been asleep in my bed for maybe thirty minutes. He did eat around noon and it’s four now. Should we wake him or let him sleep?”

My shoulders slump in relief but I do my best to hide my biggest fear—most parents biggest fear—of my son missing. “We can let him sleep.” Grabbing the bag of food from the counter, I start pulling its contents out and placing it all on the table.

“Did you guys have a good day?” I hand her a couple of tacos before unwrapping mine and taking a bite. Ava goes to the kitchen and grabs me a beer and her a Mike’s Hard Lemonade.

“We did. We played at the park for most of the day, took Maverick to play in the pond, and then we came back here and made lunch. We also made rice crispy treats.” Her face lights up as she tells me about their day and I know I made the right decision leaving Levi with Ava. I don’t trust many people with my son, but I already know Ava is someone I can trust, but more importantly she’s someone I want to trust.

I could’ve brought Levi with me today. I do it all the time. But when he asked to stay with Ava, I think I viewed the opportunity as a way to see how she would react. Too many women I’ve been with want me without Levi. It’s one of the main reasons I had a hard time taking things with Karen to the next level. She wanted me but she rarely acknowledged I had a son. She always asked if I could get a sitter. Eventually, when she realized I was holding back because of this, she tried to back track but it was too late—I already knew how she really felt. Levi and I are a package deal, a two-man team, and anybody who sees it differently isn’t welcome in either of our lives. End of story.

“He was so tired while we were watching a movie, I moved him to my bed before he passed out.” Her lips wrap around the taco and she crunches down. A soft moan escapes her lips as her eyes roll back slightly, and I swear this woman just had a tacogasm, if there’s such a thing.

We finish eating, and after throwing away our garbage, I suggest we take our drinks out to the back patio. Ava looks weary of my intentions but agrees. She plops down onto a lounge chair, and after I crack the door open enough to hear Levi if he wakes up, I join her on her chair.

“Is there something wrong with that chair?” She nods toward the other lounge chair.

“Yeah, it’s too far away from you.” I turn sideways so we’re facing each other, and after taking a pull of my beer, I set it down. “We need to talk.”

Ava takes a dainty sip of her drink as well, but instead of putting it down, she holds it in her lap, almost as if to use it as a barrier between us. I’m not having that shit, so I pluck it from her fingers and set it down next to mine.

“Thank you for watching Levi today.” I push a strand of hair behind her ear and she smiles warmly.

“He’s a great kid, Griffin. You should be proud. I know I’ve said it before but you’re such a great dad.” Our eyes lock and my hand comes up to her cheek. Stroking the soft skin with my thumb, I take a moment to look at Ava, really look at her. Her bright green eyes are spellbinding. They don’t match with her dark hair and bronzed skin, yet they fit her perfectly. Her lashes are naturally thick and cover her eyes when she peers down to hide from me.

My eyes scan down to her lips, full and supple with a little bit of a shine to them. My thumb glides from her cheek to her fleshy bottom lip. Her lips part and she softly exhales, her cold breath hitting my thumb. I push it inside, wetting the pad before I drag it along her bottom lip, smearing her wetness along the way.

Her eyes are hooded over with lust I recognize because I feel the same way. When she swallows thickly, her lips close and her teeth playfully trap my thumb. I feel her tongue dart out and skirt across the pad of my thumb before she releases it.

Leaning into her—because she refuses to meet me halfway—my mouth presses against hers. She doesn’t move but she doesn’t stop me either. I’ve been with a lot of women, but for some reason, my lips covering hers feels like the most intimate moment of my life. My tongue darts out and runs along the seam of her lips. I hear her moan softly, her body finally relaxing, so I take advantage. Framing her face with my hands, I part her lips with my tongue as I push through to deepen our kiss.

Ava finally gives in and participates, her tongue swirling and mixing and teasing with mine. She tastes sweet like the lemonade she was just drinking, and I slow our kiss, needing to suckle on her tongue. I’ve never wanted a woman the way I want this woman. Knowing my son is asleep inside, I pull away before I push too hard. When we separate, I give her a gentle kiss on her forehead, the tip of her nose, and one more on her lips, needing it to be the last place my lips touch.

She gives me a look of bewilderment mixed with confusion, and the longer I stare, the deeper I go, I see the raw emotion all over her face. I recognize the look because I’ve felt it before. The last time I spoke to Rebekah before she committed suicide.

“Who hurt you, Ava?” Her eyes close and when she opens them, she’s no longer looking at me. She goes to stand up but I place my hand on her knee to stop her.

“When Rebekah sunk into depression and refused to talk to me, I felt betrayed. I was pissed,” I admit, shaking my head. “She was the mother of our son, and she refused to get help. I begged and pleaded and when she still refused, I got mad. We got into a huge fight before I left for work. She told me she hated me, she hated her life with me. I walked out the door and left Levi with her because I had to go to work and Sean had to train.

“I was gone about three hours when I felt like I needed to go home. I never should’ve left Levi with her. My first thought when I found her was, if I hadn’t left that day, she might still be alive, and my second thought was what if I didn’t come home when I did? Levi would’ve been there all by himself for twelve hours. She knew I worked twelve hour days at the bar, yet she took those pills anyway. She didn’t even call or text me to tell me to come home.”

“What she did isn’t your fault.” Ava places her hand over mine, her thumb massaging circles on the top of my hand in a soothing way.

“Maybe not, but it made it hard to trust anyone, to let anyone in. For the longest time I hated Rebekah for taking the coward’s way out, for swallowing those pills, knowing her life would be over and her son would have to live without a mother. She didn’t even care that he would be alone for hours when she chose to take her life, and I hated her for being so damn selfish. I felt so damn guilty for hating her, but I couldn’t stop myself. She was dead and never coming back, and I hated her.”

“Do you still hate her?” she asks softly.

“No. I learned hating someone is a waste of an emotion. It hurts you worse than them, especially when the person you hate is dead. I made the choice to forgive her and moved forward with my life.”

“Have you been in any serious relationships besides her?”

“Not really,” I admit.

“Instead you choose to have different flavors every month.” She smirks, and after a second I know what she’s talking about.

Groaning and shaking my head, I say, “So, my son has been spilling the beans.”

She giggles, nodding frantically. “Kids are so freaking honest and ay dios mio! It’s like he has no filter!” She throws her head back in laughter, and I smile at how happy she is when she’s talking about my son. “I don’t know about other kids since he’s the only one I’ve really been around but he knows a lot! It’s like he’s a ghost and hears everything!”

I chuckle at how quickly she has nailed my kid. “He’s been around adults his entire life. Whether it’s at the bar or the gym or at home. We try to keep it G rated but sometimes he still picks up on it all.”

“Oh yes, he does.” She gives me another smirk that implies she knows all my secrets.

“How bad is it?” I scoot closer, my fingers entwining with hers. She looks down at our hands and frowns for a second before raising her eyes back up and attempting to give me a small smile.

“Not bad. Just typical kid stuff.” Damn, it must be bad. For her to not even tell me what was said…

“I can’t explain if you don’t tell me,” I point out, and her cute nose scrunches up, her head shaking.

“I don’t want to get him in trouble.”

“He won’t be in trouble. I promise.”

She thinks for a few seconds before she gives me a tiny bit. “Without understanding, he insinuated you sleep around a lot. Do you do that because of what happened with Levi’s mom?”

I go for honesty. “Yes, I have. I guess even though I moved forward, I still had trust issues, so instead of dating I kept things noncommittal. Then about a year ago I was dating a woman but it didn’t work out. Since we’ve broken up, I’ve been reevaluating what I want. The truth is I haven’t had sex in almost six months.”

Her eyes go wide. “Maybe you should have kept some of my sex toys…might help.” She bites her bottom lip to stop herself from laughing at her joke.

“Oh really? And what would I do with a plastic dick?” I play along.

“Ha! Not the dildo, silly. There was massaging oil and lotion in there. Oh! And a cock ring and a bullet massager. You could use it while masturbating.” Holy shit! Who is this woman and how the fuck does she know so much about sex toys?

When I don’t say anything, she continues. “I mean…you know, if you needed something while waiting on your next flavor.” She smiles cheekily, her cheeks blushing a soft shade of pink and her emerald eyes dancing with laughter.

Taking full advantage of this moment, I grab her hips and pull her onto me so she’s straddling my lap. She squeals in shock and I laugh. “I don’t need a single one of those items to find pleasure, and if you were with me, you wouldn’t either.”

“Maybe…but being with you comes at a price. One I can’t afford. Plus, when I use my toys, I’m always satisfied.” There’s a smile on her face but it’s not the same carefree one she was sporting earlier. Something is missing. There’s more to this and I’m going to figure out what it is.

“Maybe you just haven’t found the right man, yet,” I point out and she throws her head back in laughter.

“Oh, I’ve found the right man. His name is Bob and he’s capable of multiple speeds and functions. Orgasm guaranteed.” She smiles wide.

I pick her up by her ass and turn us over so she’s under me. Her hair has fallen free from her bun and it’s splayed out across the lounge chair. With one hand at the side of her head, I hold myself up, the other hand running up her naked thigh and over her hip. Her breath hitches, telling me she’s turned on. When I get to her stomach, I lift her shirt up slightly, marveling at the feel of her soft skin. Ava stills, unsure of what I’m going to do, and then I go in for the kill.

Dipping my head down so my mouth is almost touching her ear, I whisper, “I’ll show you multi-functions,” and then I tickle the shit out of her. Her eyes go wide, shocked at what I’m doing as she lets out a loud shriek.

“Oh my god, Griffin! Para! Por favor Para! Please!” She wiggles and squirms, her body jerking back and forth as I continue my attack on her hips and stomach and ribs.

“Griffin! Stop!” Tears stream down her cheeks and her face is flushed. She looks fucking beautiful.

I stop tickling her and say, “You have the sexiest fucking accent. I don’t even know what you’re saying when you talk in Spanish but it turns me on.”

She giggles, shaking her head. “I don’t have an accent!” She pushes against my chest. “You do! And I was telling you to stop!” She pushes harder and I back up, sitting on the top of her shins so she can’t get up.

Pulling out my phone, I hit the camera button. “What are you doing?” She lifts her hands up to block my phone.

“I’m taking a picture of you. Now move your hands.”

Slowly, she drops her hands and tilts her head to the side. “I’m not even doing anything.”

“Yes, you are. You’re laying underneath me and looking sexy as fuck. Your hair is messy and your face is flushed from being tickled. You look perfect.”

Her mouth twists into a shy smile. “In that case, come join me.” I snap a couple photos of her then lay down next to her. Turning the camera to face us, I snap a few more. Ava laughs and smiles and sticks her tongue out. Then she turns her face to kiss my cheek.

Just as I’m snapping the picture, Levi makes himself known. “Are you taking pictures?” he asks, crawling up the chair and situating himself in the middle of us. “I want to take a silly one.” I aim the camera so the three of us are in the photo and once everyone is making a silly face, I press the capture button.

When I pull the photo up, Levi laughs, amused by himself and us. I glance over to Ava and she’s staring at the picture on the screen. “You okay?” I ask, her sudden change in mood worrying me.

“Yeah, can you send me those pictures, please?” Her voice is gritty, full of emotion, and I want to ask her what’s wrong but I remember our conversation earlier and how Levi picks up a whole lot more than he leads on. Then it hits me, I asked her who hurt her and she never answered me.

You might have won this round, Ava, but I’m going to win this game.