Page 39 of Unexpected Love

She rolls to face me, mirroring my position. “I haven’t even told Declan about it.”

“Sometimes it’s harder to talk to the people you’re closest to.”

She’s quiet for so long that I don’t think she’ll say anything, but she also doesn’t move. Her eyes bouncing between mine, studying me, trying to decide something. I don't say anything, letting her see whatever she needs from me to feel comfortable in this moment.

I don’t know what happened—or is still happening—but I know what it’s like to feel like you’re losing control of everything. I wish I had allowed someone to support me through that instead of trying to figure it all out myself.

“My parents aren’t who I thought they were,” she says finally.

“You alluded to something like that after dinner with my dad.”

She takes a deep breath as if mentally preparing herself. Letting it out slowly, she starts, “I always knew our family was different than the typical family growing up, but I never would have said my parents didn’t love me and Declan.” She messes with a loose thread in the comforter beneath us.

Normally, I would be entirely focused on the fact that there’s a naked woman in my bed, unashamed of her nudity and completely exposed to the air around us. But all I can focus on is the pain in her eyes.

“Now I wonder why they even had kids because there is no way they love either of us. Definitely not the way a parent should love their child.”

“Ava,” I say softly, waiting for her eyes to meet mine. “Did they hurt you?”

She shakes her head instantly, then stops. “Not physically.”

“Rebel,” I practically beg. For what? I’m not entirely sure.

I don’t know what to say or do. I know what I want to do, but that would entail getting on a plane and flying to Boston, something I don’t think Ava would appreciate.

“No.” She shakes her head, rolling to her back again. “I don’t want to think about it anymore tonight.” She tilts her head to look at me. “Can we just have fun and not worry about anything else?”

I want to help her through this. I want to make all of it go away. I want to help her figure out the so-called “mess” of her life, but that feels more like a serious relationship than the casual fling we agreed to. And it scares me to think about how badly I want to do those things.

“Yeah.” I smirk, trying to cover up my racing thoughts. “We can definitely have some fun.”

I reach for her waist, pulling her to me and letting my lips trail across her skin, down her neck, and across her chest, following an imaginary trail toward the apex of her thighs.

I let the feel of her beneath my fingers, the warmth of her skin against my lips, and the sounds of her moans drown out all the other thoughts in my head. I focus entirely on playing the part she needs from me right now, giving her enough pleasure to block out the reality of a situation she's not ready to share while being thankful for the small pieces she was willing to give me tonight.

seventeen

GAGE

When I wakeup the next morning, I honestly expect to be alone. But Ava is curled up on the other side of the bed when I open my eyes five minutes before my alarm.

I surprised myself last night when I gave her a shirt after our shower and pulled her back into bed with me instead of letting her change into her clothes and leave like she tried to. But then again, maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised with all the thoughts racing through my head. All the worst-case scenarios. All the ways I could help if she just told me everything.

I may not want a serious relationship, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be Ava’s friend. That doesn’t mean I can’t support her.

I grab my phone from the nightstand, turning my alarm off so it won’t wake her. Instead of getting out of bed, I roll to my side, giving myself these five minutes to study Ava.

She’s on her side, facing me—her face perfectly at peace, not a single furrow in sight, no stress weighing her down.

She’s breathtaking.

After she told me about her parents and I worshiped her body, we ended up back in my kitchen looking for something sweet to eat. While I didn’t have anything immediately on hand, Ava discovered I had the ingredients to make chocolate chip cookies—something I probably have my mother or sister to thank for. She pulled them out and immediately began mixing them together while I sat at the kitchen island and watched.

We didn’t talk about her parents again, but we talked about practically everything else. We laughed and had fun, exactly like she wanted.

And while we waited for the cookies to bake, she decided it was her turn for a taste.

Sex with Ava is out of this world. More intense and vibrant than anything I’ve experienced before. But a blow job from Ava might surpass even that.

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