Chapter 19

Ava

I slowly relaxed under the weight of him. I felt safe… secure. My hand looped around his neck, bringing him closer, as one leg bent at the knee. He rolled more, propping himself up on his elbows. He lifted his head, breaking the kiss as we stared into each other's eyes. The sky was a beautiful mix of pink and orange. It glowed against his brown hair, creating a halo effect. His lips parted as if he were getting ready to say something, but he paused. One hand reached up to brush my hair back from my face. He tilted his head as he stared at me. His eyes flared, and then he broke the silence. "You're so beautiful. I wish you could see yourself the way I do."

"You're pretty beautiful yourself." I smiled back. My hands glided onto his shoulders before slowly moving down his arms. I lifted one bare foot and rubbed it down his calf. "What would you do if I told you that I thought I was falling for you, too?" I whispered.

"I'd say I never want to spend a day not being around you. You make me feel things I thought I never would. You're an amazing woman, and just being in your orbit makes my life better."

His smiling eyes had an effect on me, and I almost melted. Why had I put up with Danny for as long as I did when there were guys like Carter out there? "You're never going to get rid of me now." I grinned before crushing my mouth to his. His tongue swept past my lips, one hand moved down my side, finding the bottom of my tee and gliding underneath. I sighed in contentment as he moved higher. I needed him to touch me. My skin was on fire, and Carter was the only one who could quench the need. "No one's here," I mumbled against his lips as the kiss began to spiral out of control.

Carter broke away for only a second. He glanced around, and then yanked his shirt over his head. The sun sank lower, casting a shadow over us. Darkness would come soon, but there were plenty of flames between us.

I slid my palms up his bare chest, using my fingertips to feel every ripple and bulge. "Ava" —he gasped, out of breath— "You're killing me." I worked my hands over his back, pulling him impossibly closer until I reached his ass. I locked my legs around his waist and tugged, causing his hips to be flush with mine. He was hard. The athletic pants did nothing to camouflage that. "Are you sure about this? Out here?" He paused, swallowing, and staring into my eyes. His head snapped up, surveying who might be nearby before looking back at me.

I pressed my lips together and nodded. "I want this. Right here." He waited a moment, I guess to make sure I was aware of what I'd agreed to, and then connected our mouths once again. He rocked his hips forward, grinding his hard cock into me. We both groaned, and then sprang into action. I wiggled out of my yoga pants and panties, using my foot to push them to the side. Carter shoved his pants over his hips and produced a condom from somewhere. He sheathed himself and then paused once again.

"We don't have to do this here. Are you sure?" I could feel his cock warm and pulsing against my thigh.

"I want to. Now, could you stop stalling?" I smiled before leaning up to kiss him.

"You're gonna be the death of me," he growled as he moved on top of me. His lips trailed up my jaw, pausing by my ear. "I'm gonna try to make this good for you. It's been a while." One hand moved between us, positioning him at my entrance. He began to move, slowly at first as he slipped inside. I hugged his shoulder, pulling him closer as I lifted my hips to meet his thrusts. Our breaths came faster, my head tipping back as my body climbed. I've never felt like this before. It's never been this way, and now I know why they call it "making love". It's different when you're in love with the person.

"Fuck!" Carter growled as he moved faster. "I'm sorry." His hips pumped as his arms flexed. He reached down once again, this time placing his thumb on my clit. He rubbed fast little circles as his thrusts became erratic. The feeling that had been sitting low in my belly roared to life, making my entire body tingle. It rushed to the surface just as he quivered. I threw my head back as my back bowed off the ground. I saw small flashes of white before coming back to Earth, and collapsing in sated bliss.

Carter held himself over me, using his elbows to support his weight. He smiled softly when he backed up slightly, causing his cock to slip from me. "Next time will be better." He chuckled lightly as he reached over to the edge of the blanket. As he moved beside me, he tucked part of the blanket over me as he adjusted his pants. Once settled, he pulled me into his arms and tucked my head under his chin. "You are amazing," he murmured.

As we lay there, the sun finally disappeared, leaving us in darkness. The stars overhead twinkled and the moon glowed. I couldn't remember a time when I was happier or more relaxed. "Tonight was perfect," I whispered.

"It was." He rubbed my back, pulling me closer.

"This is real, right? I'm not dreaming?" I tilted my head to see his reaction.

"This is real. This is forever." He pressed a kiss to my forehead.

Carter

After packing up our things from the beach, I drove back to Ava's apartment. We carried everything up, and I helped her inside. It was really hard to not stay the night, but she insisted that she had to be up early and me staying would prevent sleep. I had to agree there. It was going to take massive willpower to not want to touch her every chance I had.

After kissing her goodnight multiple times, I came back to my place. "How was your date?" Maverick opened a beer and sat down across from me on the couch.

"Why do I get the feeling this is a loaded question?" I stared at him. We'd been friends for so long we could pretty much read each other's thoughts.

"You seem relaxed," he mused. "This means you got laid." He tapped his chin before snickering. "You dirty dog."

"What I do is my business." I rolled my eyes before setting my water on the table.

"Dude" —he rocked forward and placed his hands on his knees— "She got any single friends?"

"I'm not letting you mess this up." I pointed at him. "I don't need you breaking one of her friends' hearts and then she gets mad at me because I didn't stop this," I warned.

"I wouldn't break their heart. Their bed maybe, but not their heart. The women who date me know what they're getting into when we start out. I'm very up front about my rules." He set the beer on the table. "I'm hurt that you think that about me."

"Yeah, you seem real hurt. I'm just going by all the girls I've given the "it's not you, it's him" speech to over the years." I stared at him. He couldn't be this oblivious, right?

"That must be from before I wised up. I have rules now. You don't get a piece of me without understanding what you're asking for." He gave his chin a quick jerk before grabbing his beer and taking a giant gulp.

"Ok, enough of that. I'm going to go to Ava's practice tomorrow. You're welcome to join me, but I'm hitting the sheets." I stood, gave a non-committal wave, and walked away. I was not going to get into the sex conversation with Maverick. He wasn't going to change, and I'd stopped trying years ago.

"I might just do that," he called to my back.

"I'm leaving at eight." I disappeared down the hall before I could hear his complaint over how early that was for a weekend.

Ava

I blinked against the filtered sunlight coming through my window when my alarm began chiming on my phone. I'd been awake for at least a half hour just thinking. I've always been a morning person, but today was special. I was practicing with the team in hopes of starting the first game of the spring season. I could hear Ashley moving about the apartment, grabbing her things. I smiled as I sat up and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. The scar on my left leg reminded me of how far I'd come. I shuffled over to my dresser, grabbed my practice clothes, and quickly dressed. When I made my way into the bathroom, I took the time to braid my hair. I usually only did this for games, but it was comeback day. I stared at my reflection, just letting it all sink in. So much was different now. I was healthy and I had Carter. Last night was still fresh on my mind. The idea of leaving him to go pro made me want to choke. Things were so perfect right now. I'd never really thought about what soccer was going to make me give up. I pushed the thoughts away as I went out to the living room.

"Made you a smoothie." Ashley handed me a large cup.

"Thanks." I grabbed my bag I'd packed the night before. "Ready?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" She giggled as she slipped her shoes on and we rushed out the door.

The ride to the stadium didn't seem to take as long as usual, and when we climbed out I just stood there. The concrete towered in front of us and thoughts of the last time I played here swirled in my head. "You got this," Ashley reassured as we began to make our way into the locker rooms.

The entire team erupted into squeals and laughter when they saw me, and Coach gave me a nod that said she was happy I was back. "We only have three practices before game day. You think you can do this?" Sara seemed unsure as she tied her cleats.

"I was born to do this." I nodded as I tossed my bag to the side. "Let's do this!" I shouted as we all made our way out onto the grass.

It was a warm day, but it felt great. Every step, kick, and swerve across the field felt right. I dribbled and took shots like I'd never missed a practice. We'd been at it for two hours when the coach called us over to set up scoring drills.

"I want you to take the ball down there. Two on one." Coach pointed to Sara and Ashley, and then me.

This was the move that hurt me. Guess she was testing me to see if I was really ready. I moved far down the field as Ashley and Sara got in position. Ashley gave me an encouraging nod as I made contact. I dribbled up the sideline, tapping away, watching for someone to pass to. This was a two on one, so no one was there, but normally you would pass here. I ducked to the left to avoid Sara sweeping the ball from me, spun so my back was to Ashley, and kept control of the ball. As soon as I was in shooting range, I pulled back with my left foot, and took a shot. The ball soared into the top corner of the net, right where I was trying to place it.

Ashley let out a whoop as I fell to my knees. I was back. I could do this. We were going to win. I leaped up, flipping in the air before jogging back to where Coach was waiting to set up the next drill. "I freaking love this game!" I shouted as I fist pumped. It was then that I saw him.

Up in the stands with his feet propped on the seat in front of him, was Carter. He was wearing sunglasses and a white tee. It was hot today, and there was no breeze so I knew he was uncomfortable, but he came for me. I waved as I grinned up at him in proud excitement. I remember my dad telling me about all the times he'd sit in the stands for Mom's practices. He waved back as I rushed to meet up with the team. I glanced at the blue sky quickly and whispered a thank you before joining the team.

"Alright" —Coach clapped me on the shoulder— "you ready to win this game Saturday?" I nodded. "Let's show them what a comeback looks like."