Dancer (The Good Guys Book 2)

by Jamie Schlosser

  “Tell me you love me,” he ordered, grinding his pelvis against mine.

  “You know I do.”

  He pinched my right nipple. “Tell me. Say the words.”

  One thumb started circling my nipple while the other went back to my clit.

  “I love you.” My voice came out in a squeak because I was coming. So hard.

  The breath was stolen from my lungs and my mouth fell open with a silent scream. My inner muscles spasmed as Colton continued to rock into me.

  Toes curling and back arched, I heard him groan as he came with me.

  Colton rested his forehead against mine as we tried to catch our breath, and he sweetly kissed the tip of my nose.

  “I love you, Ellie,” he whispered, not bothering to leave my body just yet.

  Our eyes locked—my brown to his gray—and even in the darkness I could see the love I felt for him reflected at me.

  The intensity of the moment, both physically and emotionally, was so overwhelming. The full weight of the mistake I made by pushing Colton away crashed down on me. Because of my fears, I almost made the worst decision of my life.

  I almost lost my best friend.

  But he wouldn’t give up on me.

  I felt a tear slip from my eye and slide down my temple.

  I tried to reach for him, but I was reminded yet again that I was attached to the headboard. The metal clanked and I let out a little growl. My frustration didn’t last long, though, because Colton brought his hands up to mine and linked our fingers, giving me the extra contact I needed.

  “I really do love you,” I said quietly, my lips brushing against his.

  I was rewarded with his signature cocky grin.

  “I know,” he said confidently. “Be right back.”

  He gave me a quick kiss before leaving the bed. Immediately, I shivered from the loss of his warmth. I thought he was going to get the key and unlock the handcuffs, but instead, he cleaned himself off and then hopped up next to me.

  “What are you doing?” I asked, still feeling dazed.

  He tilted his head to the side. “You didn’t think you were getting off that easy, did you? No pun intended.”

  “Easy?!” I huffed out a laugh and tugged at my restraints. “You’re kidding, right?”

  Slowly, he shook his head from side to side before positioning his face inches away from my pussy. “Nope.”

  “My butt’s going numb.” I pouted before squirming on the mattress.

  “That’s an easy fix.”

  Grabbing me by the hips, he flipped my body over.

  Startled, I squealed at the sudden change, my shackled arms now crossed by the headboard. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Colton reach over to get another condom from the nightstand.

  “Oh, my God,” I breathed out in disbelief. “Seriously?”

  “Yup.” Chuckling, he gave my ass a light slap. “It’s gonna be a long night.”

  CHAPTER 49

  COLTON

  TWO WEEKS LATER

  “I’m here! I’m here!” I heard Ava call out after the front door slammed shut.

  Wanting everything to be perfect, I smoothed out the Disney princess throw blanket, then set the pink and white bears next to the pillow on the toddler-sized bed in the corner of my room. Next, I placed a copy of The Giving Tree between the bears.

  It took some rearranging, but I’d managed to create a special space just for Ava. I’d already gotten permission from Ellie because they were going to start spending a few nights a month at my apartment. This was going to be a complete surprise to Ava, though.

  There was a stack of coloring books on my bed. Next to that, a pile of DVDs. A few frilly outfits hung in my closet and Spider-Man PJs were folded up on the dresser.

  The best part? I’d gotten a beta fish. He was blue and totally badass. The small one-gallon tank sat on top of my nightstand and the bubbling sound of the filter filled the room.

  Ava appeared in my doorway and her eyes flitted around at the changes I’d made. A gasp and a huge smile later, she started doing that tap-dancing thing she did whenever she got really excited.

  Giggling, she ran down the hall to find Ellie. “Mom, are we gonna live here now?”

  “No, but we get to sleep over.” I heard Ellie laugh and I followed the sound while carrying an armful of blankets and pillows.

  I dumped them on the couch and crouched down in front of Ava. “My new fish needs a name. Think you could help me out with that?”

  “Goober!” she replied immediately, as if she had the name on standby.

  I laughed. “Goober it is.”

  “Yay yay yay!” More giggling. More tap-dancing.

  “Why don’t you go pick out the movie you want to watch and I’ll make some popcorn.”

  “And ketchup and mustard sandwiches?” Ava requested before taking off down the hall.

  “And sandwiches,” I agreed, turning to see Ellie looking at me with wide eyes.

  “Goober is a dead fish swimming,” she hissed dramatically. “He’s floating down the green mile right now.”

  Shrugging, I started to set up the couch for movie night. “If he dies, I’ll just go get another one. There were ten more just like him at the pet store.” I fluffed the pillows and stood up. “Besides, I bought premium fish food. No Doritos for Goober.”

  Shaking her head, Ellie tried not to smile and Ava came out with her movie choice—The Good Dinosaur. I didn’t really know what it was about, but when I went to Walmart, it was on display with a bunch of other new kids’ movies. Wanting to be thorough, I’d grabbed one of everything.

  With Ellie on my right side and Ava on the left, we snuggled up on the couch. I surveyed the damage we’d done. Sandwich crusts, juice boxes, and several kernels of popcorn littered the coffee table.

  A box of crayons had been dumped on the floor and I had a few new pictures to hang on my refrigerator.

  Instead of concentrating on the movie, I thought about the plans we had the next day. My dad was going to meet Ava for the first time, and we were supposed to go over to his place in the morning for breakfast.

  I hadn’t seen my old man so excited in a long time.

  After Ellie and I made up, he’d made it a point to apologize to her for his wrong-doing when we were kids. Said he wanted to bury the hatchet. Start off on the right foot. At first I’d been afraid that Ellie would be hurt or angry at him, but she looked at him with understanding and forgave him, no questions asked.

  Ava gasped at something that happened in the movie, bringing my thoughts back to Arlo the dinosaur, and I held her a little tighter.

  By the time the end credits were rolling across the screen, both girls were asleep. I woke Ellie—because I couldn’t carry them both—and she sleepily followed me to the bedroom.

  Laying Ava down, I made sure she was tucked in, and I noticed she was almost too big for the toddler-sized mattress. It would do for now.

  Joining a much more awake-looking Ellie in the bed, I lay down to face her.

  “I think I know why I can never win thumb war,” I whispered to her in the darkness.

  Our faces were so close that her nose brushed mine when she propped herself up on an elbow.

  “Oh yeah?” She smirked, the blue glow from the fish tank illuminating her features. “Please, enlighten me.”

  “Clearly, your right hand has some kind of supernatural defect,” I explained in hushed tones. “We’ve never done it left-handed.”

  She scoffed and held out her left hand.

  After whispering the chant, our thumbs danced together and she put up a good fight. I fought harder. For the first time ever, I pinned her thumb underneath mine.

  “Fuck yes!” I hissed quietly, giving a fist pump. My victory had to be toned down because I didn’t want to wake Ava, but nothi
ng could stop the triumphant smile on my face.

  Well, almost nothing.

  “Good job. Congratulations.” Ellie patronized while rubbing my shoulder.

  “Wait a second. Did you—did you let me win?” I asked incredulously.

  She gave a mock gasp. “Of course not.”

  “You did,” I accused, outraged.

  Ellie’s quiet giggle turned into a snort and Ava stirred on her little bed. We both froze, afraid that we might’ve woken her up, but after a few seconds she rolled over and let out a sleepy sigh.

  “We’ll talk about this later,” I mouthed as went back to lying down.

  Ellie bit her lip to keep from laughing. I gently rubbed at her chin with my thumb and she ran a finger over my eyebrow.

  “I love you,” I whispered.

  “I love you, too,” she whispered back. “Three…”

  “Two.”

  “One.”

  We grinned at each other. “Goodnight.”

  *

  Sometime in the middle of the night, the end of the mattress dipped and I felt Ava crawl up the bed. She wedged her little body between us. I helped her get under the covers and she turned to face me. Letting out a contented sigh, she closed her eyes before lightly gripping my ear.

  I loved this. Loved having my girls stay the night.

  A few times a month wasn’t enough, though. I wanted more. I wanted it every night.

  It was too soon to bring that up to Ellie, but one way or another I was determined to make it happen.

  EPILOGUE

  THREE MONTHS LATER

  BRIELLE

  I stared down at the address Colton sent in a text.

  Colton: Meet me here in 30 minutes

  Me: Oookay. Why?

  Colton: Just do it

  Although he couldn’t see it, I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

  So bossy.

  Twenty-five minutes later, I was pulling up to an old white farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. The surrounding cornfields were filled with spring crops, the green rows seeming to stretch for miles. At the back of the property, there was an older-looking metal machine shed along with a two-car garage.

  Since it was such a nice day my window was rolled down, and the air breezing through smelled clean and almost sweet. Nothing like the air I was used to in town. Out here, with no other houses or buildings in the way, I could see the whole expanse of the sky. Bright blue and decorated with a few fluffy clouds. It made the scene even more beautiful.

  Parking my car next to Colton’s truck, I got out and he met me by my door.

  “Hey,” I said. “What’s going on?”

  “Come on.” He linked his fingers with mine. “I want to show you something.”

  Tugging on my hand, he led me over to a patch of tulips and daffodils next to a garden with big leafy plants. “There’s a rhubarb patch here.” He pointed to one section before motioning toward another. “And that’s asparagus.”

  Confused, I continued to stay silent, letting him drag me around while being my tour guide.

  “And back there—those are fruit trees. Two apple and a peach.”

  “Well, it’s beautiful,” I told him. “But why are you showing me this?”

  “Because the house is for sale and I want to buy it. Travis and Angel are moving out of the apartment next month…” Nervously tapping his fingers on his jeans, he took a deep breath, then blew it out. “And I want you and Ava to move in with me.” He didn’t wait for me to say anything before continuing. “I know it hasn’t been that long, but I know what I want. I think you’d be happy here. Ava, too. The house is old, but I don’t mind fixing it up. You can even pick out the color when I redo the siding.”

  “Yellow?” I asked, my heart pounding with excitement.

  “Any color you want.”

  “And we’re in the town of Daywood?” I spun in a circle, searching the horizon for a town.

  “About a mile outside of it actually,” Colton replied. “It’s about 10 minutes to Tolson, and 15 minutes to your parents’ house. Daywood has a grocery store and a couple restaurants. And if you’re still not convinced, the shed has a horse stall.”

  I gasped. “You can’t buy Ava a horse.”

  “Well, she can ride it, too, but it’s for you. Didn’t you tell me when we were kids that every girl wants a horse? If you want it, then I want to give it to you.”

  “Colton,” I breathed out, feeling my eyes sting with happy tears.

  “But that’s not all,” he said, dropping down to one knee, and my breath caught in my throat. He opened his hand. In the middle of his palm sat a white-gold ring with a princess-cut solitaire diamond. “Marry me.”

  All the air left me with a whoosh and I blinked rapidly. I refused to be one of those people who cried on their engagement day.

  “Are you asking me or telling me?” I joked, unable to resist giving him a hard time.

  He gave me a cocky grin. “Telling you.”

  There was only one word that popped up in my mind. “Yes.”

  A brilliant smile spread over Colton’s face, crooked bottom teeth and all. Grabbing my hand, he started to put the ring onto my finger but paused. “So that’s a yes, you’ll move in with me? Or yes, you’ll marry me…? Because you only get the ring if you agree to all of it.”

  I laughed. “Yes to both.”

  “Good.” He finished sliding the sparkling object on. I sighed as I looked at it, wondering how much it cost him.

  Speaking of cost… “We should probably talk about the price of the house.”

  “I’m getting a good deal on it,” he replied, aloof.

  “Colton, you’re going to have to let me help with the payments.”

  “That’s not what I was going for when I asked you to move in. All you have to do is live here.”

  “And I will live here, while making payments,” I said stubbornly.

  His lips quirked up and he ran his thumb over my chin. “We’ll talk about it later.”

  I huffed because that was Colton’s code-talk for ‘end of discussion’. My irritation didn’t last long, though, because the sun peeked around the clouds, causing an almost blinding light from my ring. I went back to admiring it.

  “One last thing,” Colton told me, looking even more nervous than before.

  “You’re very demanding today,” I teased, knowing my answer was going to be yes.

  Yes to everything.

  “When you take my last name I want Ava to have it, too. I want to legally adopt her, if she’ll have me.”

  Crap.

  Maybe I really was going to cry.

  I tried to hold it back, but the tears welled up and ran down my cheeks anyway. Drawing my lip between my teeth, I tried to keep it from trembling. My throat was so tight that all I could do was nod, and he wrapped his arms around me. I returned the embrace, running my hands down the muscles of his back.

  “Thank you,” I whispered shakily.

  “Thank you for saying yes.” He huffed out a laugh as he squeezed me tighter.

  “As if you would’ve taken no for answer,” I retorted with a smile, then the reality set in. “Oh, my God,” I gasped, pulling back to look at his face. “We’re getting married!”

  Smiling, he leaned down to give me a kiss.

  “And we’re going to do those traditional engagement photos. You know, by a meadow with wild flowers or some shit,” he said, repeating my words from months before about the maternity pics I’d wanted so badly.

  I launched myself at Colton, wrapping my legs around his waist. He laughed as I rested my forehead against his.

  “How do you feel about a little outdoor sex?” he asked, eyeing the shady area under a nearby maple tree. “I fucking love this dress.” His hand traveled up the back of my thigh u
ntil it reached the edge of my panties.

  Giggling, I released my hold on his body and shook my head. “We’re going to be late to the picnic. My parents are already there with Ava.”

  “You’re right,” he agreed with a sigh. “My dad and everyone else is there, too.”

  “I’ll follow you there,” I told him because I had never been to Elmer Lake before.

  Colton gave me another toe-curling kiss before hopping into his truck.

  COLTON

  My family and friends had unknowingly ruined my plans. I’d wanted to bring both Ellie and Ava to the house, then I was going to ask them to move in with me along with the proposal.

  But then Travis sent me a text letting me know that we were having a spontaneous picnic at Elmer Lake. He’d already gotten the plans hashed out with my dad, his mom, and Angel invited Beverly, Ernie, and Ellie. Then Ellie invited her parents.

  So before I knew it, I was scrambling to change the agenda and asked Ellie to meet me at the house beforehand.

  After getting Ellie to accept my proposal, you’d think it would be smooth sailing.

  Nope.

  As I touched the second, much smaller ring in my pocket, I felt like I had to remind myself to breathe. The thought of asking Ava to let me be her dad was scary as fuck.

  What if she didn’t want that?

  Sometimes Ava was brutally honest, and I’d learned over the past few months that it was pretty fucking difficult to make a little kid do something they were hell-bent on not doing. Plus, I didn’t want to make her accept me as her dad—I wanted her to want that on her own.

  “…Four, five, six,” Ava counted the pieces of bologna on the wooden dock by the tackle box. “That means we’ll catch six fish?” she asked, glancing up at my dad.

  “Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched—that’s what I always say. Or, in this case, don’t count your fish before they’re caught.” He chuckled, seeming proud of himself, like he’d just given Ava the greatest words of wisdom ever, but she just looked downright confused. From the baffled expression on her face, it was obvious she had no idea what he was talking about.