Beautiful Innocence (8 page)

After two hours of revisiting all the details it’s not making sense. Something is off. She’s either being deceitful to us or we’re missing something big from the puzzle. Why would she still be so scared? And why would her mama just disappear without one damn word?

Dane and Jason come in with their beautiful brides right next to them just after nine. “Hey, Josh, I heard you have the hots for our new babysitter?” Ashton shouts, peeking her head in from the hallway.

I look up fleetingly as she passes by, then back to the papers in front of me and continue the staring game I’ve been having with them for the last two hours.

Dane saunters in and flops down on one of the chairs in front of my desk. “What’s up?”

“I got to get this girl to talk is what’s up.” I glance at him momentarily before taking a swig of my now cold coffee.

“What did you find out?”

“Nothing, that’s the problem. I have Annapolis police looking into those scumbags she lived with, but nothing is coming up on her mama’s whereabouts. Don’t you think that’s weird? I mean, she just takes off and leaves someone like Ava alone in that house with those men. It doesn’t add the fuck up and it’s pissing me off. And I still don’t have a last name for the one kid missing.”

He sighs and crosses his ankle over his thigh. “What’re ya thinking?”

I peer up. “I’m thinking I don’t like what I’m thinking.”

“Murder?”

I shrug uneasily.

“Angie tells me that’s all she talks about, her mama coming back down here to get her and start a new life. She’s gonna be devastated if what you think turns out to be true.”

“Fuck!” I slam my fist down onto the desk.

“Whoa! Calm down. We know shit right now. Call them boys back up north and do some more digging into that nameless prick and then we could keep our eye out for him.” He stops and leans on my desk. “I know you like her, so stop being stubborn and just do what you gotta do. Just be careful with her.” He starts to walk out, but turns like an afterthought. “Oh, and by the way, she’s sittin’ for the kids on Sunday at three. Maybe you should pop on by.”

The rest of the day is spent making calls that lead nowhere but to my own restlessness. The cops can offer me nothing but the information I know. No one would want his or her daughter or any female living in that house with those sons of bitches. That’s two damn years she endured and walks around acting like she hasn’t been fazed by it. As much as I want her, I’m starting to rethink that whole scenario. Not because I don’t want her, because I do—real bad, but because heaven knows what she’s been through, and with my past I’ll just do her more harm than good.

After I head out from the office that night, I know I shouldn’t be here, but I am. In the one hour that I’ve been sitting at the bar waiting for her to acknowledge me, I convince myself I’m here and only here to protect her. Regardless of Sam and his ever-present pissed off grunts and moans he shoots my way, I stay put.

It’s just after eleven on Friday night and those little angel eyes have only found mine once tonight. She seems very aware of Sam and most likely is doing her damnedest to avoid me. I have no idea what’s going on between them, but it’s definitely present by the way he watches over her like a damn protective mama bear.

After finishing my third beer I leave. Instead of jumping in my truck, I head up to her place and wait on the top step outside for her to get off. It’s not long before I hear the sound of her shoes clomping up the steps. I hear the sharp intake of her breath when she sees me.

“Josh, you scared me.”

I stand up. “Sorry, I just wanted to see you.”

She tilts her head and bites on the corner of her mouth. “Didn’t you just see me downstairs?”

I roll my eyes. “True. Let me rephrase. I wanted to talk to you.”

“About what?”

I shake my head. “About anything.”

She sweeps her hair up into her hands and tosses it over one shoulder and then runs the back of her hand on her forehead. “You want to take a walk? There’s a pond way out there.” She points toward the field behind the bar. “We can cool off.”

Is she serious? How the hell am I supposed to say no to that invitation? “Yeah,” I bob my head. “A walk sounds good.”

I follow her down the stairs and we make our way through the parking lot until we hit the grass. “Have you ever been back here?”

“Yeah.” I nod. Okay, apparently I’m only able to speak in monosyllables at this point.
Get it together, asshole.

“Ever swim in it?”

“Once back when I was younger. A little wilder.” I wink, trying to gain control of this situation, because I’m starting to feel like she has the upper hand here.

“I’m not used to this heat, and there’s no fan or air in my place. I’ve been wanting to come back and swim, but I’m too afraid to come by myself.”

We’re walking side by side. Every few minutes her arm grazes mine and I’m desperate to reach down and grab it, but I shove my hands into my pockets to avoid making the first move. I’m assuming she’s not wearing a suit under her clothes, which means skinny-dipping, which means me finally seeing what she hides under those clothes. Which means sex might be on the table tonight. And, I’m hard thinking about the possibilities of all that and where this nightly swim is gonna lead.

She smiles at me once we reach the pond. It’s a man made one that’s been around since I was kid. Old man Shuster had a place out here when I was growing up. He had the pond put in for his wife and kids, but the place burned down to the ground ten years after. The pond is all that’s left.

A little later, under the guidance of the full moon Ava slips her toes in the water and sighs. “That feels so good.” She turns around and I can tell she’s wondering what could possibly be going on in my head right now. “Are you ever going take off that greasy ball cap? Or, do you wear it everywhere.”

I fiddle with the bill of my cap, and then shove them back in my pockets. “I love this hat. It was my daddy’s. He’s gone. It means something to me.”

“Oh, god, I’m so sorry.” She rushes up to me and pulls me into her, trying to console me.

I’m taken aback slightly by her sudden gesture, but like a selfish bastard, I let her. It feels too good. “It’s all right. You didn’t know.” I pull my hands out and let them do exactly what they’ve wanted to do since the first time I met her. I wrap them around her and drop my head onto her shoulder, taking the scent of her in. We stand there in a very weird, but very nice embrace for several minutes.

“I’m going to jump in. Are you coming?” She whispers in my ear softly, but I don’t want this moment to end, but it has to, so I force myself to pull back.

“Yeah, jump on in.” I’m waiting for the clothes to come off, but Ava slinks into that damn pond fully dressed. And all hopes for sex go right out the window. She tips her head back far enough to get her entire head wet, and then comes up, looking so breathtaking that I’m barely hanging on watching her. Her shirt is clinging to her body and since the moon is full, I can see the outline of her bra and the soft curves that lead down to her waistline. Without thinking I step out of my jeans, and unbutton my shirt and drop it to the ground along side my boots.

I slip in while she’s floating a few feet away. My instincts are telling me tonight is the night to make my move and that she wants me to. Otherwise, why the fuck would she ask me out here? She senses me coming toward her, so she stands. Her sweet little laugh bubbles out of her when I reach her. “Give me that thing?” She grabs my ball cap and places it on backwards on herself before I can stop her. No one has ever worn that but my daddy, and me, but it looks too damn good on her for me to take it back.

“You look good wearing my hat, baby.”

“Why did you call me that?”

I chuckle at her brazen question and shake my head. “I don’t know. It just felt right.”

She gazes into my eyes for a beat too long and I know she’s waiting on me to make the first move. I tug on her hand. “Come here.”

She comes willingly as I gently pull her to me, but she drops her head like she’s embarrassed. “Ava, if you don’t want me to kiss you, tell me now before I do.”

“I want you to, but you…you scare me.”

I tilt her head up so I can look in her eyes again. “Why do I scare you?”

“I don’t have a ton of experience and well, apparently you do.”

I grin at her accusation, but I can’t deny any of it. “It’s just one kiss and then I’ll take you back home.”

She barely nods in agreement but I catch it. With my hand still holding her chin, I move until my lips softly brush against hers. She makes this gasping sound that halts me, not to mention that I can literally hear the fast beat of her heart.
Talk about rendering someone speechless.
I want to take it further, but something holds me back from diving into her mouth and sucking all the air out of her like I want to. I don’t want to push her or move too fast. I need to take this one slow. So instead of grabbing her and doing what I’ve been dying to, I give her a sweet kiss goodnight, hoping it’ll lead to the little bit more that I’m looking for another time.

AVA

Dane and Ashton (who I adore by the way) have only been gone one hour and I’m up to my eyeballs in cupcake batter and have read three different Disney stories already. Each one makes me wonder if I’ll ever have my own fairytale ending. I envy what Ashton has with Dane, a beautiful family, a beautiful farm with horses and a house that screams come sit, kick your feet up and stay a while. Everything I’ve always wanted.

Precious little AJ is cruising around the kitchen is some sort of saucer contraption I found and the girls are coloring in their coloring books at the kitchen table when I hear the sound of his truck. It’s quite hard to miss the way he has it all souped up. My stomach jumps at the thought that he’s here. Why would he show up now?

He walked me back home after barely kissing me two nights ago and, to be honest, I was surprised how he didn’t push me for more. Not even a lame attempt at the door, just a sweet kiss on the cheek good-bye. When he left I had to take matters into my own hands to relieve all my pent up sexual tension, and I still couldn’t find satisfaction. Watching him walk away was sheer agony because that kiss, that mouth of his, lit me on fire. He said it was just a kiss goodnight, but it felt like so much more. Thank god we were in that pond, because if we’d been in a room with a bed I think I would have jumped him.

Shoot! I rip the apron off and toss it over the island and smooth out my hair just in time before he barrels in with a pizza in his hands.

“Who’s hungry for pepperoni?”

Both girls turn and run smack into his thighs and wrap their little bodies around him screaming, “Me, me, me.”

He gives me a curt nod but says nothing. He places the pizza on the table and scoops the girls both up easily, one in each arm and blows raspberries on their cheeks. They squeal and yell for him to stop, but I get the idea that they love it. AJ wheels around squealing and reaching his chubby little arms up. “What are you doing in there, little man?” He places the girls down and hoists AJ onto his shoulders before turning to me. “He’s a little old for that thing isn’t her?” But then he smiles and takes the few necessary steps to reach me.

“I feel horrible, but he gets into everything, so I put him in there. He seems to like it and then Annabelle said it was her birthday tomorrow and begged me to make cupcakes for her and I hate to disappoint her. And then Lily wants me to do her hair. I’m only one person, how they do all this?”

“First of all, hello.” His knuckles graze my cheek. When he runs his fingers through my hair, I find myself leaning into his touch like it was the natural thing to do. He holds up his hand, grinning, and all I see is yellow batter on the end of his finger. He narrows his eyes at a retreating Annabelle. “Second, it’s not her birthday until late summer,” he yells loudly enough for her to hear as she tries to sneak away. “She likes her sweets.” He reaches up and lowers AJ to the floor but not before giving him a little peck on his chubby cheek.

I pout and place my hands on my hips. “She lied to me?”

“Don’t take it personally. That little girl can wrap anyone around her finger just by batting her eyelashes over those dang green eyes of hers. Trust me, I know.” AJ waddles off into the direction the girls went, but Josh just stands there and studies me like he has some big test tomorrow and he has to cram a month of work into one minute. “So I brought pizza, and if you want I can stay and help with the little hellions, or I could leave if you want that.”

“That’d be great. Please stay. I have no clue what I’m doing,” I admit. He shoots me a wink before rushing off to the room they’re all in.

I finish up and slide the cupcakes into the oven. I take a huge deep breath before allowing myself to find them all. After cleaning up my mess and checking the entire downstairs, I hear a little giggle come from the second floor.

With each step I stop, listening to his voice as he talks to them. I’m not prepared when I hit the top step to have him dead in front of me on his knees. All three are on his back and he’s galloping around until he realizes I’m watching. He looks up embarrassed, and I can’t help but fall to my knees laughing. Here’s this giant of a man, and I mean all man, crawling around on all fours and having the best time doing it. “All right, squirts, off you go.”

“Aw,” the two girls cry out, but AJ just slides down and runs off. “What are you laughing at?”

“Nothing,” I lie, wiping the tears away from crying so hard.

“You think that’s funny?” In two-seconds flat I’m on my back and he’s straddling me and shooting the sweetest smile down at me. “I wonder if you’re ticklish.”

“Don’t you dare.” Squirming under him, I stop instantly when I realize he’s getting turned on. He peers down to my stomach and lifts my shirt a few inches and I let him, forgetting everything else. His blue eyes stay on mine, and I can tell he’s gaging whether he should continue or stop at once. His rough hands slide on my waist, and I close my eyes, enjoying the heat of his touch, feeling like I am about to blow up into a million tiny pieces. He leans down, his warm breath tickling my ear. “Go time,” he warns.