Beautiful Innocence (23 page)

“Baby, no, what’s wrong?” Josh is pulling me to him as I crawl onto his lap. He’s still in his pajama bottoms and he’s wrapping his arms around me tightly, hushing my tears away. We stay like this for some time, me squeezing the life out of him, him rubbing small circles on my back, or running his fingers through my soaked hair. He stops asking me questions when I don’t answer. It’s not that I don’t want to, I can’t. Josh just rocks me in his strong, protective arms, letting the water beat down on us, and holds me.

I barely register his turning the water off, but we’re both shivering lying there.

“Ava, baby, c’mon there’s no more hot water. You gotta get up.”

I separate myself and wipe the few remaining tears away with the back of my hands.

He stands and grabs a towel to wrap me in. He drapes it across my shoulders and rubs his hands up and down, trying to get me warm. “You’re scaring the fuck out of me, babe. Please?”

I shake my head. “I’m okay, I’m okay. I just needed that last time to let it go.”

His beautiful eyes look hopeful for the first time since we’ve been home. They roam over my face as he cups my cheeks in his warm hands. “Are you really all right?”

I nod. “Not a hundred percent, but I’m working on it, thanks to you.”

“You never have to thank me, Ava. Whatever strength I can give you, take it—take all of it. It’s yours.”

I peer down and notice his soaked pants and then look back into his eyes. “Why don’t you take those off?”

“I’m fine. I just want you to be okay.”

My entire body is screaming for him. The usual connection is still there, it just got put aside on the back burner for a bit. I need to get that fire back in his eyes. My eyes meet his quickly before taking a leisurely ride down his body, clueing him in on what I want.

He wastes no time. He grabs my hand and rushes me to our room and pushes me down softly on the bed. His breathing has picked up pace by the time he kicks off his wet pajama bottoms. It’s been rather sweet seeing him wear them to bed. Usually he sleeps naked with me, but while I was mourning he kept it covered and put away. Another reason I love him so much.

For a few heartbeats he stands at the bottom of the bed, looking at my body, shaking his head like he can’t believe that he’s here. He crawls on his knees, kissing his way up my lust filled body until he’s hovering over me. “You are so beautiful, Ava.”

I gently glide my hand down his cheek. He lets out a soft, rumbling moan as he closes his eyes. My hand travels down to his rock hard abs until I grab him, bringing on another throaty growl from my man. “Fuck, baby, you have no idea how good that feels. It’s been too long.”

“I know.” I kiss his mouth. “I’m sorry.”

He palms my cheek with his hand. “Don’t be sorry. Never be sorry with me.” He dips his head down until his mouth latches onto my breast, swirling and sucking as I arch into him with need. He grabs my hips and pushes them down flat to the mattress. “Not yet, baby. I’m not gonna last long.” His mouth finds mine again and his kiss is full of passion and promises. I can feel his need for me rubbing up against my thighs as his mouth consumes me. My desire for him has my body shaking with need. “Josh, please,” I beg.

He smiles mischievously up to me before dropping his head between my thighs. He pushes my knees open and before I know it or can speak his mouth latches on to me.

“Oh, my God!” I scream out almost instantly. My hands slam down to the sheets, gripping them with my fingers as he continues this rampage with his tongue while he pulls my hips up and takes me roughly against his mouth. I feel completely obliterated, shaking uncontrollably at the amount of pleasure that he has me feeling as I let all my inhibitions go.

When I’m finished coming down from my high, Josh slides his body up trailing little kisses, slowing entering me before his mouth comes to mine. He grins. “We got to do that more often. That was so hot, babe.” He kisses me once more, and his eyes fill up with heat and desire as I stare into them. “I missed you so much,” he murmurs between the tiny pecks he places on my mouth.

I couldn’t agree more, but instead of saying so, I just smile, pulling his mouth back down to mine.

It takes him two more rounds before he finally relents and detangles himself from my sweaty body. Not that I’m complaining, but I’m exhausted, and I still have the whole day ahead of me. We’re silent for several minutes as we try to take our breathing to a normal level. Once he does he rolls on his side and hauls me in with his big strong hand and rains kisses on my shoulder and then my neck.

“We have to get up,” I remind him.

“No, we don’t. I want to stay here forever with you. Right here.” I think he’s speaking of his bed, but his hand slips between my legs.

I cup his face in my hands to get his attention. Not that I would mind, but I have something I need to do. “Will you take me to my mom’s grave today?”

His face turns serious and his hand disappears from my heat. “Yeah, absolutely.”

I exhale and stare at his face. “I love you.”

“Baby, I love you, too.” He softly kisses my lips, but moans several times like he’s trying to talk himself down before sitting up and pulling me with him.

“I’ll go make some breakfast. Jump into the shower and then come on out.” He pulls his jeans on and walks out of the room, leaving me breathless one more time at how perfect he is. Who would have thought that little ol’ me would be the one to tame the untamable. I smile and jump up to get ready, knowing that that hunk of a man is mine forever.

JOSH

I hate leaving her after the day we had, but I have to go to work eventually. Once we were at the grave where we buried her mama, I went to walk away to give her a minute, but she held on to me so tightly and begged for me stay beside her that I couldn’t leave.

I’ll never forget those tears or the look on her face as she paid her final respects. When she smiled up to me after placing flowers down, I knew right there she was going to be all right. The second thing I realize is that this girl has owned me since that first dance at Shooters, and I want her forever.

Sam is picking her up to take her fishing for real this time, while I head off to work to get the latest information on those sons of bitches we put away.

Dane, Jason and Johnny are all there when I roll in. All three look up like they aren’t expecting me.

“Hey,” I shout, picking through the mail left up front for me.

“How’s she doing?” Dane is the first to ask.

“She’s doing better today. I think she’s finally turning a corner.”

“Good.” Jason nods while thumbing through some file on the conference room table.

“So, I guess you want the score?”

“It would be nice, yeah. Tell me those fuckers are all gone and done with.”

“Trial isn’t for a while, but everyone is pleading not guilty, according to their lawyers, except David. He has pleaded guilty.”

I slam my fists down on the table. “You do know those guys are never coming out, even if I have to pay off some fucking prison guard, a cellmate. They will never step foot outside a prison again. That is a promise.”

“Man, we know you want revenge, but…”

“Are you fucking kidding me right now, Jason? You have two boys, so you don’t get it.” I turn to look at Dane. “Tell him, Dane.”

Dane just shrugs.

“Let me explain this to you then Dane. If one of those fuckers gets out in fifteen years and takes Lily or Belly to get retribution on us putting them away, what will you think then?”

I can see the anger inside of him swelling as his hands clench into white fists on the table.

“I’m with him,” Johnny speaks up. “If some man took my baby girl, I’d go ape shit. We’ll be doing the world a favor.”

“So what’s the plan?” Dane asks.

“The plan is to wait and see what happens. I want them to suffer, each and every one of them. I want to see how many years they get and then one-by-one, year-by-year I’m having them taken out.”

“How long?”

“I’m thinking three to five should be enough time to make sure each one becomes someone’s bitch every week, and then take each one out by the lesser offense. David first, then Alex, then Roger and then George. One-by-one, year-by-year, until I can breathe again. ”

“Man, what if you get caught?”

“I won’t. We all have friends in high places, especially you, Dane, who can monitor this shit for us. If you don’t want in that’s fine. I’ll go about it myself, but rest assured those fuckers are never seeing the sun again.”

I walk out, unsure of who is with me and who is not. I made a promise to myself and a promise to my girl that I would keep her safe, and I refuse to take my promise back. If I end up getting caught and thrown in jail, I’ll know she’s safe at least.

A few hours later Dane pops in. “You know I’m with you on this, right?”

I look up from a new case file on my desk of some cheating husband. “Glad to hear it. Hey, I need to get those keys for the beach house from Ashton again. Do you think she’ll mind?”

“Nope. Got one here, why?” He starts to detach a key from his keychain.

“I have a surprise for Ava.”

“What kind of surprise?” He sits down and kicks up his boots onto my desk.

“I’m going to sound like a pussy for a second, so bear with me.”

He smiles knowingly but gestures with his hands for me to continue.

“I’m asking her to marry me. I’ve never met anyone who completely owned me before. This kind of total desire is new to me, but she totally consumes me. I wake up thinking about her, I go to sleep thinking about her and then I continue to think about her a thousand times somewhere between those two.” I shake my head. “I don’t know, man. I love her so much it hurts.”

He stands with a big smile on his face. “I’m glad you finally got it, brother. I knew you would. And Ava is a great lady for you to share it with.” He tosses the key on the desk. “Go get her, man.”

Hours later I get home and find Sam in our kitchen, gutting a fish. “Jesus, it’s stinks in here.”

Sam looks up as I come in and grab a beer from the fridge. He shrugs. “She caught it and begged me to clean it and fry it up for her to taste.”

I look down and notice she got a nice size yellow perch. “She caught that?”

“She did. You should have seen her, man. She was jumping up and down so much I thought she was going to throw the rod in the damn lake. She had fun.”

“Good.” I pat him on the back and take off into the bedroom to hear her singing in the shower.

I call out to her to let her know I’m home. She sticks her lathered head out of the shower. “Did you see what I caught?”

I kiss her lips. “I did, baby. You did real good. When you’re done come on out, I have a surprise.”

She bites down on her lip and shrieks before rinsing off. Sam is still cooking away, adding potatoes to some boiling water when I walk back out. “She invited me to stay.”

“That’s fine.”

Ava comes out in a sweet little sundress that I want to rip right back off of her. “It smells heavenly in here.”

A half hour later the three of us are sitting around the dinner table. This is not expected, but accepted. Sam and Ava are very close, and I won’t begrudge her that relationship. She’s lost too many for my ego to step in.

She takes a sip of beer and smiles. “So, what’s the surprise?”

My eyes flick from Sam to her. I pull the key from my pocket. “An entire weekend at the beach, baby. Ashton’s family has this beautiful house in Hilton Head. I think we both could use it. What do you say?”

She springs from her seat and wraps her arms around my neck. “I love it. But, I have to ask Aunt Angie first for the time off.”

I shake my head, grinning. “Done already. All you need to do is turn that fine ass around and pack a bag.” She kisses me quickly, and then kisses Sam on his cheek before sprinting into the bedroom.

Sam keeps his eyes on me, and even though I know he’s always wanted her for himself, he’s accepted her friendship instead. “Anything else you want to share?”

I smile big. I’m not telling him before her. No way. “Nope, just a nice relaxing weekend. She needs it.”

He bobs his head. “She does. I’ll see myself out.”

AVA

I’m lying on the beach the second day since we’ve arrived wearing a very skimpy bikini that Josh bought for me once we got down here. I’ve been thinking a lot about my future and the direction I want it to go in. I just need to tell him and hope he agrees.

He’s up on the deck watching. I can feel his eyes even from here. Dane called about some case that he couldn’t neglect, so I’m waiting for him to come back down and join me.

After an hour passes I get lonely, so I make my way back to the house. The light sound of music is pouring out of the open patio door. I spot him in the kitchen opening a bottle of wine. I start to make my way up when I notice red petals strewn across the patio. Just a few but then the trail leads inside to more. I’m speechless, glancing all around when my feet hit the wood floor.

“Hey, what are you doing up here? You are ruining my surprise, little lady.” Josh’s arms hang loosely over my hips, kissing every inch of my shocked face.

“What is all this?”

“Your future, I hope,” he says before getting down on one knee. My mouth instantly drops to the ground along with my body giving out. “Baby, stand up, I need to do this right.”

I can’t move. I’m as frozen as a statue. The only thing that is registering is that warm tears drip down my face.

He swipes them away with a gentle smile. “Ava,” he pulls out a ring. “Baby, I never in a million years would have thought this day was going to come for me. Not one person has been able to touch my heart the way you do. I never knew making love existed until that night you made the sweetest kind of love to me ever. I fell in love with your beautiful face, your beautiful innocence the first time I saw you. I don’t ever want to be without it. When I look at you I see you with a round belly carrying my babies. I see you growing old with me as we watch our grandchildren. I see us so completely that I know that this is right. I know I want to make you my wife. I want to give you my last name. I want you to marry me, baby?”