Ethan and Ava (Redwood Falls 4)

Josh wanted to stay in Redwood Falls, not only to help his uncle on the farm, but to go into law enforcement as well. The dude wasn't about to leave Hannah behind. Ethan couldn't ever imagine that happening, the two of them were so tight.

Ty was such a fuckup that he'd made only the minimum grade requirements acceptable to play football, let alone get accepted into a university. Idiot. Life could have been so much better for his friend, if he'd put forth any kind of effort at all.

Mandy Thompson, the sheriff's daughter, had been accepted to the University of Houston. Ethan had to chuckle about that one. He'd been sitting across from Ty and Josh when Mandy had sailed into the school cafeteria, waving her letter in the air as if she'd won the damn lottery or something. And when she'd screamed, 'Houston, baby!' at the top of her lungs, the look on Ty's face had been priceless. He'd looked shocked, and then irritated, and then pissed, and then he'd rolled his eyes as if Mandy didn't have a brain in her head and immediately began talking about something else.

Ethan hadn't known what the hell Ty's reaction had been all about and he hadn't asked. Mandy was, well, hell, Ethan didn't know how to describe her. His mother had always called her 'precocious'. All he knew was that she was friendly and outgoing and super popular. Maybe a little naïve, but that wasn't really a fault that he could see. She'd had an obvious crush on Ty, probably since middle school, but Ty acted like a douche to her, sometimes going so far as to treat her as if she were invisible and had been doing so for a long, long time.

All Ethan knew was that everything felt really weird. He and these kids had been together forever, and in just a few short months, they'd be separating and moving on. Some would stay in Redwood Falls, sure, but most, like him, were getting out and moving on with their lives.

January came and went and before Ethan knew it, February rolled around, and that meant National Signing Day. He signed with A&M, as had been his intent, and the relief of knowing it was a done deal was paramount. But with it came the undeniable reality that he'd been dreading having to face: come August, he'd be leaving and Ava would have to stay in Redwood Falls. Thankfully she would only have to stay for one year instead of two. He was so proud of her. She'd studied hard, made up enough classes that she'd caught up with the class ahead of her. As it stood now, she'd have enough credits to graduate the year after him.

And that was fantastic. One year. Not even that, really. School term was only ten months. Surely to shit he could handle being away from her for ten months? They had it planned out already. She'd apply to A&M and she'd probably get in, but if she didn't, she'd go to Blinn, a two-year college that fed into A&M. Her parents didn't have the money to send her to school, but she could get loans and he wasn't too worried. The degree he'd be getting would bring in enough money to easily help her cover any expenses she accrued after they were out of school and married.

Blinn was a good school, several of the kids from his class were starting there, Nathaniel Cox included. It would work. About half an hour away from where he'd be living and going to school, he could handle that kind of distance from Ava. Until then, Redwood Falls would be about four hours away. The drive was very doable in a weekend, even a day trip if push came to shove, if he could make the time between football and classes.

But still, optimism aside, ten months without her. He wasn't looking forward to the separation in the slightest. Could he do it? He took a firming breath. Hell, yes, he could. He could do it because he had to do it, but that didn't mean he was going to like it. It didn't matter shit to him that he was going from a small town to a university so huge that the population would make it seem like a medium-sized city. He knew there would be a shit ton of girls, but he didn't care in the slightest. Nothing, absolutely nothing and no one, tempted him the way Ava tempted him.

Everything would be okay, he just needed to keep reminding himself of that fact. But still, something about actually putting his signature on the documents had really set off his emotions—and Ava's as well.

As soon as he'd gotten back from the signing, Ava had teared up and threw herself in his arms. Of course, his girl was laughing through the tears—she was damn happy for him—but still, emotions were running high for both of them.

And it stayed that way for weeks; nothing seemed to settle him down when he thought about leaving her. He needed to be close to her, to touch her intimately, to feel her close to soothe his frayed nerves. Just the thought of her silky, smooth skin was enough for his movements to be a little jerky. He was impatient—he needed to feel her.

He always needed to feel her; it was as if he couldn't get enough. So, on this particular evening, as soon as night had fallen, he'd driven them out to the pasture and cut the engine. Unable to wait, Ethan lifted Ava over him until her legs straddled his thighs. He glanced down, the denim of her jeans over that one place that he loved so much about to make him go ballistic. He reached down and palmed her heat, already so hot and drenched he could smell her scent through her clothes. He felt his nostrils flare as his erection grew.

She bit her lip and let out a tiny mewling sound, the small noise driving him almost bat-shit crazy. He didn't know how long he could keep this up. What they'd been doing was fantastic, he couldn't deny that. Ava making him come was saving his sanity, but he wanted, he needed, to put it in so badly he seriously sometimes thought he might die if he couldn't.

He tried with everything he had to go slow, not really expecting anything more than their usual—certainly not going to push her for more—at least not yet. But that was okay. He just needed her completely naked this time, that was all. Like an affirmation, you know? His life was changing, but he needed this one constant. Ava. If he couldn't have Ava, no matter how much he loved football, his life wouldn't be worth living.

He leaned in and kissed her—took the kiss that he'd been dying for the entire day. Not a peck, not a close-mouth kiss like the ones he gave her in front of their friends. No, this kiss was for him. What he needed. He opened her lips with his and pushed inside. She tasted like heaven as always and he couldn't stop from lifting her t-shirt over her head before dropping it beside him. He'd only released her mouth for two seconds, and now, she moaned as he went back for more. She tasted sweet, something he'd always wanted and something he knew he'd ache for until the day he died. If he could keep Ava, his life would always feel complete, he knew that, indelibly.

Her naked shoulders were perfect under his fingers, but they only made him want more. He reached down and twisted the snap between her breasts and pushed the bra off her shoulders until it fell into a heap beside her shirt.

He'd had her this way many times before, but for reasons he couldn't completely explain, he'd never let himself completely undress her. It just seemed too dangerous somehow. She wasn't just any female; she was Ava, and the tight ball of protectiveness he felt toward her seemed to include protecting her from him, too. But tonight, with his future without her staring him in the face, her naked skin was something he desperately needed.

It would be okay, because he wouldn't let Ava talk him out of his own jeans. He'd keep his cock firmly where it needed to stay, and then maybe he could soothe his soul by feeling Ava's totally naked skin under his palms.

He needed to make her come.

He took a moment to hold her breasts in his hands. She whimpered and the sound was so intoxicating that he almost lost it, but he gritted his teeth as he stroked over perfect nipples with his thumbs. Jesus. She was perfect. She wasn't skinny and he loved that. She was full and soft and round and so fucking perfect.

She moaned again as she lifted her hips and the kiss they shared turned almost animalistic. He heard the noises that were coming from his own throat. He couldn't help them, they were just a reaction. Luckily, nothing about what they were doing seemed to scare his girl, all she did was continue to moan in his arms and kiss him back, lifting her hips over him like she needed something more. Friction. Oh, God, yeah. He needed friction too.

He held her up and re

ached down and quickly unsnapped her jeans and began to push them off her hips. She never tried to stop him—she just lifted one leg and then the other and as he slid them down and off her legs one at a time, he peeled her underwear down with them.

As she settled back over him, he briefly wondered if she even realized this was the first time he'd had her completely naked—but then his thought process crashed and all reason left his head. All he felt was a primal need that zapped his sanity leaving him nothing more than a feral animal.

Ava began twisting and turning, rubbing against him and he let her do it. He helped her by putting one hand around her waist and holding her to him in a grip so hard he doubted anything could separate them.

The smell of sex began to permeate the space around them. Son of a bitch, she was fine. As he clenched her tightly, he thought for a moment that he might be tipping a bit toward insanity where she was concerned. Should one person actually hold another person's happiness in the palm of her hand as Ava held his?

He didn't know and he didn't think he cared. She owned his happiness—that's the way it was—and he damn sure wasn't going to worry about it.

But a sliver of panic intruded when he thought about how life would suck when he couldn't drive to her house and hold her for just five minutes like he did so often. He thought about never getting to see her in school, never getting to see her at all except for the few weekends they might manage here and there. The thought fucked him up so badly that his fingers pinched into her just a little too hard. He knew he was squeezing too tightly, but he couldn't seem to keep from it.

She didn't seem to mind. All she did was groan and begin to gyrate harder.

Soon, her hands were on his shoulders and she was leaning over him, kissing him for all she was worth as she slowly slid her naked, wet, silky heat against him, rolling the material of his t-shirt over his skin. Reaching down, he pulled the offending material over his head. He could handle his upper torso naked, could stay in control that way—his jeans just couldn't come off—right?

Gratifyingly, Ava began to take advantage of his bare skin immediately, touching his chest and shoulders like she couldn't get enough. Her mouth came back to his and as they kissed, their tongues and lips melded in perfect synchronization. They turned to grab oxygen at the same time, they slid their lips back together as if they'd been doing it for years. And when she began to slide up and down his torso leaving a trail of humid, feminine heat along his skin, he damn near came unglued.

She reached for the snap of his jeans, but he stayed her hand with his fingers wrapped around her wrist. Their eyes met as they pulled oxygen in and out of their lungs.

As they continued to breathe deeply, he didn't stop her when she maneuvered her hand inside his jeans and straightened out his junk so he would be more comfortable. Ahhhh. Just that and it was all good. Her hands moved back to his shoulders and when she began moving against him, this time the intensity was almost too much to bear. He could feel her dampness bleeding through the material of his jeans and he became hard as a rock within seconds. Within minutes he was about to lose it, as the friction put his control on shaky ground.

It was fucking fantastic—they were riding together and it almost felt as if he were inside of her—shit—maybe he could take his jeans off.

The thought hadn't even had time to properly register in his head and then he was lifting her and ripping off his jeans and underwear.

From the darkened interior of the cab, he was able to register the heated look in her eyes as she wasted no time and climbed on top of him again.

They were skin to skin—finally. Her mouth came back to his as she sank her hands in his hair and began kissing him. He kissed her back, his fingers tangling in her dark tresses, having the feeling that his life was damn perfect now. He'd never take the chance of letting her go. She was too perfect, too beautiful, too his.

Her chest crashed with his and that wet, silky heat was rubbing against him again, about to blow his mind. His sanity was held by only a thin thread. He wanted his cock in—he wanted it in so damn bad. She slid her body down his, never taking her mouth from his but moving down where their faces were more in a straight line. Her amazing, awesome pussy slid down until it was at his navel and she moved against him, his bunny trail getting wet and sloppy in seconds. Fuck…he was going to die, he really was.

She continued to kiss him and, damn it, he couldn't help it when his own hips lifted. He put his hands on her hips and lifted her just enough—until she was rubbing that perfect, wet spot against his naked cock. He felt her juices over the head of his cock and then down the length of him. She let out a small wail and then lifted back up, the heat and friction of her most intimate place on his cock almost making him explode right then and there. He gritted his teeth and held her hips while she kept at it.

She knew exactly what to do. She humped his cock, coming closer and closer but never taking the head in, but she'd give him just enough to make him go crazy. He felt her slick, glistening pussy lips sliding along his length before she moved back down again, and then up, and then down, and then—

Somewhere between her next downward stroke and his shuddering heartbeat, he lost his brain. Consuming need overwhelmed him as he reached for the glove box—and a condom. Opening it in two seconds flat, putting his hands between them, he smoothed the rubber over his length, making sure it was solidly in place. Tipping her chin up with one hand, he looked into her shining eyes. "Nothing has to change. It doesn't have to go in—but it can if you want."

Shit. Was he trying to talk her into it?

But she didn't need to be coerced and she didn't have talking on her mind. Her hips met his again, her slit opening against the length of his cock, and then she was sliding up and down against him again. Humping against him without taking him all the way in. But her moans and the friction were tearing him apart.

Putting his hands under her arms, he lifted her just enough, just until she was hanging over him. He held her there and found her eyes, asking her a silent question.

Her answer was a shaky, beatific smile. Her hands came to his face and cupped him there. "I love you," she whispered, driving him crazy and sending another ripple of heat down his spine.

"I love you, too." And Jesus, he did.

And with that, she settled onto him; his hands fell to her hips. On the head of his cock, she was wet and juicy, tight, and she was as excited as he was. The condom between them didn't matter to him. He felt only a fleeting moment of regret at the barrier between them before pure, unadulterated satisfaction grabbed him by the throat.

Inch by slow inch, in perfect tandem, he pushed up as she pushed down. There was a moment there when her breath snagged and he thought he might not fit without causing her pain. He opened his eyes and watched as she gritted her teeth and pushed down. He lifted his hips just enough and immediately, her eyes opened and he saw joyous satisfaction staring back at him. Fire smoldered straight to his balls—she was seated all the way over him. Her breath hitched and her eyes closed, almost in ecstasy. His own closed seconds later in sheer fucking delight. Her fingers trembled as she held him by the shoulders, his arms shook as he sank them around her waist, holding her as close as humanly possible.

The moment was nirvana as they remained still, both experiencing the perfect fit, the perfect chemistry between them.

And then they began kissing again. And as the kiss exploded, his feelings exploded. Something happened to Ethan during those seconds. Emotions ripped through his heart as he held her close. Adoration, elation, intense sexual excitement.

And then he couldn't stand it anymore—he lifted her up but not off—and she came back down with a stroke that electrified the current that ran between them. With her fingers biting into his shoulders, she began stroking him, up and down, over and over again.

She broke her mouth from his and began panting near his ear as she continued the frantic motions that had him an inch away from exploding. "Ethan—"

"Y

eah?" he breathed, one hand moving from her waist to palm her breast.

"It's so good—holy fuck—it's so good."

"Yeah," he grunted, the single, guttural sound the only thing he could get out.

They fell into a rhythm easily, but it wasn't an easy rhythm. It wasn't slow and gentle, it was primal and decadent. There was nothing seductive and sweet, their motions were merciless and all-encompassing.

With Ava riding his cock for the first time, fire smoldered down Ethan's spine as his addiction flipped and spun out of control, turning into all-out obsession. Consumed by the visceral urge to claim, to mate, he clenched her hips tightly and began jerking her up and down over his throbbing flesh.

Excitement spiraled away as they held each other. She searched for his mouth and he accommodated her. She kissed him wildly as they strained against each other.

And then she held still and pushed down hard, staying there, milking him, as she splintered into a million beautiful pieces.

Ethan held her there tightly until he couldn't stand it anymore. And then he jerked her up and down his cock with the same movements she'd been using, until all at once the orgasm slammed into him and he came, hot and wet, inside his woman.

Chapter Five

Ethan pushed down on the four-way lug wrench while his dad pulled up on the other side. The maneuver was taking both of their strengths combined and the damn bolt still wouldn't break loose. But it was close, so close. As sweat trickled down Ethan's spine, he attempted with everything he had to push down harder.

With a low growl of defeat, his dad gave up and let go. Ethan stood back to his full height as his dad turned and paced across the barn. "Fuck it. There's more important shit in life than fixing this piece of crap tractor."

"What the hell, Dad?" There was no question that the tractor had to be repaired, so the words that came from his father's mouth threw Ethan for a loop.