Ethan and Ava (Redwood Falls 4)

Because he was getting attention from the media as well. The news had run the damn play over and over again.

He hadn't said a word to Ava and it was probable that she didn't know what a big deal the play had been. She was used to seeing him score touchdowns on the high school playing field (his interception stats were pretty badass), and she probably just thought this was more of the same.

But that was so far from the truth.

He was suddenly being noticed. On a state level—shit, on a national level.

He didn't want or need the attention. It was damn annoying. All he wanted was for Ava's birthday on April 1st to arrive so he could marry her. All he cared about was having their baby born healthy and getting both Ava and his kid away from the 24/7 angst that her parents were making her endure.

He'd decided he didn't like those people. It was a horrible shame, really, because at one time the Andersons had been almost like a second set of parents to him. But no more.

Unfortunately, with the way things had gone down, those days were now long gone.

****

"Ethan."

Ethan looked up from where

he was repairing a hinge on a display case in the grocery store's frozen food section. At the sight of the store's owner standing a few feet away, he rose to his feet and wiped his hands on the towel hanging from the back pocket of his jeans. "Yes, sir?"

"How's that coming along?" the man asked with a tilt of his chin to the broken hinge that Ethan had taken upon himself to fix, mostly because he constantly needed busy work to keep his mind away from the misery his life had become without Ava near.

"The bolt was stripped. It's an easy fix. I'm almost done."

"Good, good. Listen, we'll be closing in a few minutes, but if you need a little overtime I'd appreciate your help with something."

"Yes, sir. No problem. What do you need me to do?" He always needed money and he had plenty of time, with the season being over and no thanks to his pain-in-the-ass roommate still being a complete manwhore. Cade treated their room like one big orgy during the last days of Rome. As far as Ethan was concerned, the more time he spent away from that hellhole, the better.

"Well, when you're done there," Mr. Rowe continued, "there's a pallet out back that needs to be unloaded. Canned goods, mostly. You can put most of the stock in the holding area, but the delivery's a day late getting here so you probably noticed there are already some empty spaces on the shelves. If you can front the shelves before you leave, that'd be a huge help."

"Yep, I got it," Ethan agreed, glad for the additional work to keep his mind occupied.

The older man paused and rested his gnarled, arthritic hands on his hips. "I like your initiative, Ethan. You do good work around here."

"Thank you, sir."

Mr. Rowe nodded slowly. "You keep it up, now. An employee with a work ethic like yours is hard to find. I appreciate your willingness to take things on without being told."

Even as the compliment warmed him, Ethan couldn't help but think of Ty. His aimless approach to pretty much everything was making a mess of his friend's life before it had really even begun.

It took Ethan over an hour to get the new inventory put away in the backroom. As he got to work restocking shelves, he thought about the conversation he'd just had with his boss. Mr. Rowe was right, of course. You didn't get anywhere in life by waiting around or asking for permission to do what needed doing.

Ethan was goal-oriented; he always had been. He couldn't imagine being any other way. He knew what he wanted from his future: a stable life with Ava, raising their family. They had a long road ahead of them to get there, but he was single-minded—hell bent even—in his determination to achieve the life he wanted for them. Everything else was just details.

Ironically, the only time in his life when he'd ever hesitated had been in his pursuit of Ava, and that had only been because of extenuating circumstances: namely, his friendship with her brother. What Ethan hadn't counted on was her parents' resistance to their long-term plans, especially her mother's almost pathological desire to ruin them. Sure, Ava's pregnancy had been a surprise – a most shameful, unpleasant one as far as Ava's mother was concerned. If he was honest, the news had terrified him at first, but that knee-jerk reaction hadn't lasted long. Hell, the thought of his baby growing inside Ava made him feel ten fucking feet tall. It also made the distance between them just about unbearable – and had him remembering every intimate moment along the way that had led up to the conception of their baby.

When it came to intimacy, he hadn't rushed her. He had waited too long to have her to ever risk fucking things up by pushing her into something she wasn't ready for. He had done his level best to tread carefully. He knew Ava had been kissed before and the thought still set his damn teeth on edge, but all her other firsts? They belonged to him. He had made sure of that. Although he hadn't tried to hide the fierceness of his need for her, he'd only ventured into new territory when he'd felt certain she was ready. It hadn't been easy, though. Ava had been eager to do whatever he'd wanted; he'd known that well enough. He had somehow held himself in check even as he'd claimed each new sexual experience with her like a greedy, conquering warrior.

Back in the day, he would have had no qualms about moving straight through the sequence of foreplay that would have gotten his cock where it wanted to be. That approach had always worked for him just fine; the girls he'd fucked before had all wanted the same thing he'd wanted, and they'd never been shy about letting him know. But no way could he have taken his pleasure from Ava so carelessly. When he was alone with her, all he could think about was making her feel good; there was nothing better in this world. His balls tightened as he remembered the first time he'd made her come...

"Ethan…Ethan, I want…" Ava had whispered the words against his mouth, her breath coming in shallow pants as she moved sinuously against him. They'd been kissing forever, the glass inside the cab of his truck covered in condensation, and Ethan wasn't sure how he was going to be able to stop. She huffed in frustration as she pressed her hips forward while she straddled him, trying to align herself with his cock.

"What is it you want, sweetheart?" he attempted to tease, but his voice was little more than a low rumble as he held her bare breasts in his hands. When she had difficulty answering him, he bit down on the sweet spot at the base of her neck and slid a hand down to knead the firm flesh of her backside. With his hand clamped tight onto her hip, he notched her denim-clad flesh over his hard length and began moving with her in a steady rhythm. She became like hot liquid honey in his arms and it seemed to be all she could do to mumble his name in response. Jesus. She was going to be the death of him yet. "You need to come, don't you?" he asked, knowing the feeling well. "Go ahead. Take what you need."

"I don't—"

"Ava." He took her face in his hands, hunger smoldering as he leaned his head back against the headrest and frowned. "Baby, I know no one's touched you like this before, but surely you've touched yourself, right? Made yourself come?" She bit her lip and shrugged and Ethan couldn't tell what that shrug meant, other than embarrassment at his question. She didn't want to talk about it and he didn't care either way because he knew nobody else had ever touched her, and that's all he needed to know. She could have her secret if it would save her some embarrassment. Ethan struggled to form a coherent thought as Ava's hands slid restlessly over his chest, her fingertips lingering over his tight nipples as if she couldn't get enough. He closed his eyes, dizzy from the effort required to stave off the sparks of pleasure that zinged along the base of his spine. He opened his eyes and stared at her, his patience damn near at the breaking point. When she lifted her eyes to his, he couldn't keep his caveman hands off her. Mindlessly, he clutched the curve of her breast and her backside, anchoring her in place against him.

Ava pushed against his chest, but embarrassment still flamed her cheeks. "Hey," he said as he slid a hand along her jaw. He kept his grip firm yet not tight enough that she couldn't move away from him if she decided to. "Don't be embarrassed, not with me. Never with me. I'm just a greedy bastard who wants everything you have to give. Okay?"

She swallowed hard and nodded. "Good," he murmured. "Shhh… Come here, you're too far away…" He shifted his hips beneath her to increase her contact with the hard ridge of his erection. He took a shuddering breath and kneaded one breast as he worked the other one with his mouth. "Now," he said, his voice muffled as he slid his tongue over her nipple, "hold still and I'll give you what you need."

Her bra and shirt lay crumpled next to his t-shirt on the floor of the truck. He'd made a point of keeping her jeans on so all the important stuff was covered. He knew that when he finally saw her naked, it would be all over; he wouldn't have a shred of control left. For now, this would have to be enough. All he wanted in this world was to be skin-to-skin with her, and in a damn bed. He'd move heaven and earth to have that to look forward to every night. But for now, even with two layers of denim between them, he knew this would be enough to get her there.

Ethan wanted this 'first' with Ava; he wanted to be the first man to give her an orgasm and he wanted the memory of i

t forever sealed in her mind. He clamped his hand onto her hip and helped her move against him. It didn't take long until the breathy, needy words that tumbled from her lips no longer made sense. He covered her hands where they rested on his chest, and with their fingers entwined they moved feverishly against each other. It didn't take him long to realize they were going to come together. He was so close and she was about to detonate in his arms. He had a moment of panic when he realized exactly how good it was with her. Going forward, it would always have to be with Ava, because anything else would make life unbearable. He pushed the thought from his mind because it was untenable and she was hot and wet in his arms. Ava was literally his entire world and if she'd bewitched him, he really didn't care. She was sheer perfection as she clung to him and rolled her hips against his. He held onto her with everything he had and when she found the mountaintop, he joined her there.

Ethan surfaced from the memory, cut open the last box, and finished up what he was doing.

He held the sweet picture of Ava close to his heart and let it soothe him as he climbed in his truck and drove back to the dorm and his lonely life there.

****

Ty packed up and left after the New Year. Ava was still in a state of shock and mourning about his leaving. He'd giving her less than a twenty-four-hour warning, coming into her room after knocking.

"Hey, I need to tell you something," he said as he poked his head in.

"Come in, then," she'd invited, not having a clue how detrimental this conversation would be to her future.

He walked inside and looked around her room, giving it more than a single, cursory glance. He looked around almost as if he were memorizing it. With the look, she got a bad feeling in her stomach. "What's up?"

He seemed to take a deep breath as he studied her where she sat on the bed with her back against the headboard. "I'm leaving tomorrow."