Chapter Sixteen

Gavin

"I'm not so sure about this," Ava states, the hesitation evident in her voice as she gazes up at the twenty-five-foot rock wall in front of us.

"No sweat, sweets. You got this," I insist, trying to ease her worry. "We're harnessed so you won't fall, and you have proper grippy shoes. Annabelle and I have been coming here for a few years now. It's fun."

She continues to stare up at the brightly colored pegs on five thousand square feet of climbing space. "This doesn't scream fun to me, Gavin," she mutters, turning worried eyes my way.

I step forward, placing my hands around her upper arms and kiss her soft lips. "You look so stinkin' adorable. If you don't want to, we won't. But I promise, it's not as difficult as you think. We're starting on the beginner's side, which isn't as tall, and the pegs are larger and closer together."

She sighs and meets my gaze. "I haven't done physical activity since PE in high school, and even then, I was the least athletic and coordinated person in the class."

I snort a laugh and kiss her forehead. "And look at you now. A total badass, who's about to climb a rock wall."

Ava rolls her eyes and glances back up at the wall, reaching up and straightening her helmet. "All right, I'll give it a try, but if I fall to my death, I'll be haunting you for the rest of your life."

"I'm certain it won't come to that, but I would look forward to seeing you in ghostlike form," I tease.

Of course, my mind goes to the haunting she's already doing. She has no clue, but she was with me last night when I went home, the memory of her mouth against mine, her body wrapped tightly around me, the desire swirling in her brown eyes, kept me hard and wanting the entire way. She was right there when I tried to take a cold shower and the reason I ended up taking my cock in my hand and getting myself off. I couldn't stop thinking about her.

About our non-date date.

Same thing again from the second I woke. Okay, if I'm being honest, she was in my dreams too, but from the moment I got up this morning, she's been on my mind, so when I say she's been haunting me since last night, I speak the facts.

Her memory is right there.

Ava reaches up and grabs two of the larger pegs and places her right foot on one about a foot off the ground. Slowly, she pulls herself up, setting her left foot down on a peg. She sighs and glances over her shoulder at me. She's barely a foot off the ground. "You know, maybe you should go again so I can see how you do it."

Before I can say a word, a young boy rushes over to the wall about ten feet from where we're at and scurries up to the top like it's nothing. "See? Easy," I retort, trying not to smile.

"He looked like Spider-Man," she mutters, adjusting her hands and glancing toward the top. "You're sure I'm not going to die?"

Grinning from ear to ear, I reassure her, "I'm sure. Take your time. There's no need to try to outdo Spidey over there."

Placing my hands on her hips, I watch as she readjusts her hands, takes a deep, calming breath, and starts to climb. She starts off slowly and with a bit of uncertainty, but by the time she's at my head level, she seems more confident. Ava reaches up, grabs a peg, and climbs higher and higher.

"You're doing great," I say, hoping it doesn't distract her.

Catching movement out of the corner of my eye, I look over to find the employee holding her rope staring up at her. Or, more specifically, starring at her ass. He's gotta be in his early twenties, probably barely old enough to drink, and checking her out like she's a popsicle on a summer July day.

Not that I blame him, of course. She has an amazing ass. I had my hands all over it last night and hope for a repeat very soon, but if Junior over there doesn't peel his eyes off her backside soon, I might have to remove them for him.

"I did it!"

I look up and smile widely, feeling a huge sense of pride in her accomplishment. "Look at you, beautiful," I reply, beaming up at her as she does the same back down to me. "Great job."

"I can't believe I did it," she says, mostly to herself, taking a risk by looking around the massive room.

"When you're ready, you can push off the wall and they'll bring you down."

It must have just hit her how's she's getting down. "You mean…just…let go?"

"Yes, just let go. Remember, you're in a harness that's secured through the pully on the ceiling. Your rope is here, and they have the brake on," I remind her, pointing to the nearby employee ready to lower her to the ground. "You won't fall."

She closes her eyes for a few seconds and inhales. "This is like one of those trust-fall things."

"Yep. Let go and trust me."

Her brown eyes zero in on me and remain locked while she slowly begins the process of letting go of the wall. First, both her feet, and then her hands. She's suspended from the ceiling, tethered by the security device, and slowly lowered to the ground, while wearing the most brilliant smile ever.

The moment she's unhooked, she's in my arms. "That was amazing."

"I knew you could do it," I tell her, squeezing her a little tighter than I should, because I love the feel of her against me.

"I'm so glad I did it," she beams up at me.

"See? Stepping out of your comfort zone isn't so bad, is it?" I whisper.

Her answer is to go up on her tiptoes and press her lips to mine. I fucking love it when she does that.

"Wanna go again, or would you like to grab something to eat?"

She looks up at the climbing wall. "Food. Definitely food. As fun as that was, I think I'll keep my rock-climbing record at one and oh and call it a success."

I snort a laugh and reach for her hand. As I lead her toward the counter where we can turn in our gear, I notice the young guy checking her out once more. Bringing her hand to my mouth, I place a kiss on her knuckles, and the moment he looks up and finds me watching him, I throw him a wink and a smirk.

He glances away quickly, winding up the rope in his hand and preparing for the next climber.

"Where do you want to eat?" I ask after we return our gear and pull our boots and coats out of our assigned lockers.

She shrugs. "I'm not picky."

Before stepping outside and heading to my truck, I turn and face her. "Well, if you could be picky, what would you choose?"

She nibbles that bottom lip again and contemplates. My eyes zero in on the action, like they always do. "Well, there is this really great seafood place not too far from here, down by the river."

"Done," I insist, guiding her through the parking lot to my truck. As she climbs in, I add, "I love seafood."

"Me too, though I don't get over here too often."

We make small talk as I drive to the seafood place she wants, and I can't get over how easy it is being around her. Julia was always indecisive when it came to eating. She'd tell me all the time she didn't care where we ate, but no matter where I picked, she'd complained. It got to the point, I'd always go to one of her known favorites, because at least I knew she'd find something she liked. After a year or two of doing that, then she'd complain I always went to the same spot.

It was exhausting.

But Ava picked. She may have said she didn't care, but when I asked her to pick anyway, she did. It wasn't a fight. It wasn't a game. She chose something she enjoyed eating, despite worrying if I'd like it or not.

She's a breath of fresh air.

One I can definitely get used to.

We find the restaurant and park. As soon as we're out of the truck, the scent of fresh seafood fills the air, making my mouth water. I wasn't super hungry until just now, with the delicious aroma of buttery fish and savory shrimp filling the air.

I take her hand and lead her to the front entrance. It's an old building, one you'd probably not give a second glance at if you were to pass it on the street, but by the way the seats are mostly filled in the middle of the afternoon, I can tell this place is a hidden gem. One known by the locals and probably not frequented by many out-of-towners.

"Have a seat wherever," a server hollers the moment we step inside the building.

My eyes start to scan the walls, taking in the nautical décor and old boat pieces. "There's a booth available," I state.

"Let's grab it," Ava replies, heading in that direction.

We claim the booth and sit side by side after taking off coats and laying them across the unused bench. Warmth spreads through my veins as our arms brush against each other, despite the fact it's not skin on skin. Ava's wearing a pair of blue jeans, comfortable ankle boots, and a souvenir sweatshirt from Bluff Preserves.

Scanning the menu, I ask, "What looks good?"

"I can't decide between the butterfly shrimp and scampi meal or the fish and shrimp combo," she replies, giving some serious consideration to both options.

"How about you get one and I'll get the other, and we'll share."

Her eyes twinkle with happiness. "Okay."

When our server stops by the table, we order drinks and both meals. "So, tell me about your family. I think your sister, Analise, and my sister, Ginger, were in the same class."

She nods. "They were. I remember going to watch Analise's basketball games and seeing your sister. She had the most beautiful curly brown hair. I always wished mine was like hers."

"I bet most girls said the same about yours. Still do."

Shaking her head, she takes a sip of water when it's delivered to the table. "No way. Growing up with red hair, freckles, and glasses wasn't any fun. Kids always made fun of the kids with red hair and freckles."

"Three of my favorite features," I assure her. Her hair is a darker red color and her freckles are a light dusting over her nose and cheeks.

She blushes, just as I predicted. "Well, thank you. Now, everyone loves redheads, but back in school, it wasn't the case. Anyway, your sister had the best curls. I envied them."

"She gets them from my mom," I tell her. "But she hated them back then. Curls aren't easy to tame, that's for sure, so Ging keeps her hair shorter now. Her youngest, Bethany, has them."

Ava gives me a gentle smile. "I remember her from Christmas Eve. She's adorable. How many nieces and nephews?"

"Five. My brother, Paul, has two and Ginger has three. Your sister has the twins, right?"

"She does. They're almost fourteen and in eighth grade."

"I bet it's nice having your sister here," I state, referring to the fact Analise is still in town.

"It is." Something passes through her gaze as she adds, "Especially when Mom got sick. She was able to be here and help as much as possible."

My hand is covering hers before she's even done talking. "I'm sorry for your loss. I remember your mom from the pharmacy. She was incredibly kind and friendly."

She visibly swallows. "Thank you. We all miss her every day."

"I'm sure you do." I squeeze her hand before bringing it to my mouth and kissing her knuckle. She turns to face me, her eyes holding so much sadness and pain, and all I want to do is take it away from her. Even if I can't, I want to try. I'd much rather see her smile than what's on her face now.

She clears her throat as our food is brought to the table, and while I'd love to get to know more about her childhood and her mom, the moment has passed. We dive into the meals, sharing what's in both baskets.

"I think the hushpuppies are my favorite," she tells me between bites.

"Agreed. It's all amazing, but these little suckers are to die for. I'll have to bring Annabelle sometime. She'd love it here," I say, wanting to invite her along, but not wanting to push her too far. It's a huge step being out just the two of us, and the last thing I need to do is remind her of the fact she's my daughter's teacher. Not that she'll forget that fact, but I'm sure she's not going to be in too much of a hurry to make our relationship known, especially while we're still in this school year.

"So, can I ask you something?"

She seems a bit hesitant with her question, so I quickly put her at ease. "Of course. Open book."

"You and Julia. You seem to have an unusual custody arrangement," she comments.

I nod and swallow the piece of popcorn shrimp I was chewing. "We do. We tried them all. It took quite a while to settle on this one. It's not easy to go a week without her, but it was the one that was the least stressful for her. Neither of us wanted to lose any time and there was a lot of bickering and stress for a while. But in the end, Annabelle came first and mattered the most, so we agreed to one week on, one off. We exchange every Saturday morning at eight and we split holidays."

"I'm sure it's not easy at all, but kudos to you both for putting her above your personal feelings."

"Like I said, it's not always easy, but she comes first. Always."

She gives me a small smile. "You're a great dad."

"She makes it easy. She's a great kid."

Ava nods. "She is."

When our food is gone and our check is paid, we slip from the booth and walk toward the exit. The sky is now dark, the air crisp and chilled, as we make our way to my truck. I hold the door while she climbs into the passenger seat, and the moment she's buckled in, I take the opportunity to lean in and kiss her lips. It's much quicker and gentler than I'd like to give her, but even though it's dark, we're not exactly in the location to make out like teenagers.

"I've had the best day," I tell her.

"Me too," she says softly, nibbling on her bottom lip.

My fingers instantly trace over the plump skin, my thumb gently pulling her lip from within her teeth. "When you do that, it makes me want to lick the exact spot your teeth just bit." My voice is deep and husky, the lust I feel for her evident with each word.

She blushes, of course, and smiles. "I might like that."

Flashing my own devious grin, I lower my voice and practically growl, "Oh, you'll most definitely like it, Miss Rutledge. I'll make sure of it." With a wink, I step back and close her door. When I reach the tailgate of my truck, I adjust my growing cock in my jeans, hoping it's not a painfully hard ride back to Pine Village.

Climbing into the driver's seat, we set out to return home, and unfortunately, the thirty or so minute drive back seems to only take about five. I'm pulling into her driveway way too soon, wishing I could drive somewhere else, just to spend a few more minutes in her company.

"I had an amazing time," she says, the moment I put the car into park.

"I'm glad. Next time you can pick where we go or what we do."

"And you can pick where we eat," she insists with a happy little grin on her face.

"Deal." Taking a deep breath and releasing my seat belt, I add, "I'll walk you up."

"Wait!" she practically hollers, catching me by surprise. I remain where I am, waiting to hear what she has to say.

But she doesn't say a damn word.

Ava releases her own seat belt and moves, climbing over the console and onto my lap. Before I can even process what's happening, she slams her mouth against mine, throwing caution to the wind, taking a risk, and kisses me.

And managing to steal not only my sanity, but my damn heart too in the process.