Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 83461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
“It’s not fair,” she cries, tears pooling in her eyes before overflowing down her cheeks. “I don’t want to be the only one who feels bad anymore. You’ve moved on, Andrew moved on, all her friends moved on.”
I step up to her, pull her into my arms. “But we’ve never forgotten, Connie. I think about Melissa every day. I focus on the good memories, and we had lots of them before things went to shit.”
“Well, good for you, Cannon.” She jerks free from my embrace and glares at me. “You’re a winner. Achieving something that I can’t.”
Sighing, I tuck my hands in my pockets. “Connie… what is this? Why are you doing this?”
She steps back and sniffs, dragging her hands over her cheeks to wipe her eyes. Her chin lifts defiantly. “I just came to say that I won’t be calling anymore.”
“Connie,” I say gently, with a hint of chastisement. “Don’t say that. Come in, let’s sit down and talk.”
“No.” She looks to Ava again, eyes hard with disdain. “You’ve got your life to live now. I hope you’re happy. I hope you’ve learned from your mistakes.”
She turns for the door, her hand on the knob. I make one more stab at salvaging our relationship. “Don’t leave it like this, Connie.”
Her laugh is mirthless and cold. “There’s nothing here to leave. Nothing at all.”
She pulls the door open, and I do an internal check of my feelings. There’s no compulsion to make an extra effort where she’s concerned. I can’t give her anymore.
So I let her walk out, and I stare at the door when it closes.
I’m startled by Ava’s hand on my back. “I’m so sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry for,” I say, still staring at the door. “She spoke from her heart.”
“But she was wrong, Cannon. She didn’t acknowledge the truth of what you went through and what you did for her daughter.”
I turn to face Ava and her hand falls away. “I failed the marriage. I put my career first. She wasn’t wrong about that.”
Ava shakes her head. “You were one half of a marriage that didn’t work. That wasn’t failing. And in the end, you gave up your career when it mattered most. Don’t let her make you feel bad.
She steps into me and slides her hands up my chest and rests them on my shoulders. “What can I do?”
“I’m fine.” I stare down at her, my gut tightening over the worry on her face. Is she feeling bad for me or is she perhaps wondering if she should run like Connie told her to?
Connie said she hoped I’d learned from my mistakes with Melissa, but have I?
“All I’ve done is set boundaries with you, Ava.” I reach up, take her hands from my shoulders, and squeeze them. “Connie’s right in that I put myself and my career first.”
“That’s fine,” she assures me. “Because I put myself first too. Right now, you’ve done nothing that interferes with that. Right now, we work.”
“But we might not always.”
“Then we’ll deal with it when we get there.” Her hands tighten on mine for emphasis. “But don’t let her get in your head and make you think you don’t have anything good to offer me.”
I do have something good I offer Ava.
Mind-blistering orgasms.
I might not be able to give of myself fully and all the time, but I sure as hell can be super devoted in the time I do have.
I tug my hands free, putting them to her face as I bend to kiss her. I take her by the shoulders and, without breaking the kiss, I walk her into the door. When her back is flat against it, I drop to my knees and tug at her sweatpants.
“What are you doing?” Ava gasps.
“Giving you a piece of myself,” I mutter, pulling one leg free of her pants. I ease her leg over my shoulder, put my other hand to her ass, and pull her to my mouth.
The first strike of my tongue on her clit has her crying out as her hands come to my head. She doesn’t dare push me away but instead rotates her hips, holding me to her.
I eat her pussy like a starved man, listening to her sounds of pleasure. I’m giving her something important.
The doorbell rings, and Ava pushes at my head. “Stop. The food is here.”
I merely lick her harder and she groans so loud, I know whoever is on the other side of the door heard that.
Ava’s voice is strangled, hoarse, but she manages to call out, “Just leave the food. We’ll get it—” I suck on her clit and she bucks hard, crying out as she starts to orgasm. Her head falls against the door and she sags.
I tip my head to look at her, pleased to see her so utterly wrecked. I surge up, lift her in my arms, and walk toward my bedroom.