Ava felt Langston’s lips form into a smirk when she grabbed the back of his head, holding him firmly against her breast. If he wasn’t making her feel so good, she’d smack him upside his head for being so cocky and arrogant.
A soft moan of disappointment escaped her when his lips left her breast. She didn’t stay disappointed long, though, as his lips found hers. Ava welcomed the deep thrusting of his tongue. Wrapping her arms around Langston’s neck, Ava stood on the tips of her toes, further deepening the kiss and crushing her breasts against his chest.
Langston let out a groan. He could feel Ava’s hard nipples against his chest. Reaching down, he lifted Ava off her feet. Automatically her legs wrapped around his waist, bringing his erect manhood snuggly against her center. Oh, man, this was a bad idea, Langston thought as Ava’s hips slowly rotated.
Squeak-squeak-squeak . . . squeak-squeak-squeak. The sound of tiny, running footsteps grew louder. Zoe was awake.
Breaking the kiss, Langston dropped Ava to her feet like they were two teenage kids getting caught in the act. Flustered, Ava’s hands fumbled to readjust her night clothes and robe. Langston ran a large hand down the front of his suit and tie.
“I’m gonna kill you, Lang,” Ava hissed between clenched teeth. What was wrong with him getting her all hot and bothered while she was trying to cook breakfast? Not to mention there was a seven-year-old running around the house.
Langston let out a short chortle. She wasn’t all that mad at him. She had called him Lang. “Girl, you know you liked it.”
Ava’s hands flew to her hips. Just as she was pointing a finger in his face, ready to tell him that the next time he needed to keep his lips, tongue, and hands to himself, Zoe came bouncing into the room.
“Good morning, Mommy and Daddy!” the child sang as she leaped into Langston’s arms.
Nuzzling the side of her face, Langston greeted, “Good morning, Love Bug.”
Ava stood on her tiptoes and kissed the child on her cheek. “Morning, my Zoe.”
Zoe bunched up her face, giving her mother a peculiar stare. “Mommy, you smell like Daddy’s cologne.”
Langston covered his mouth with his fist to pass off a laugh as a fake cough. The wide-eyed, mouth-hanging-open look on Ava’s face was priceless.
Ava looked to Langston to help her out of this jam. She wanted to box his ears when he didn’t say anything, but stood there with that simple smirk on his face. Rolling her eyes at him, she thought, That’ll be the last time you fill me up in this kitchen.
Plastering a smile on her face, Ava rubbed Zoe’s cheek. “I was just giving your daddy a hug before he left for work. That’s why I smell like him.”
“You’re not having breakfast with us, Daddy?” Zoe asked, pouting and forgetting all about Ava smelling like Langston. She liked it when they all had breakfast together.
“No. I have to go into work early today.” Glancing at Ava, he winked. “Your mommy made sure I had a little taste of something this morning.”
What! Oh, you just wait, you little dirty dog. “Come on, Zoe, get down so Daddy can go to work,” Ava said. The sooner she got him out of here, the better. Even though she was pissed with him right about now, her body was still tingling.
Langston gave Zoe quick butterfly kisses on the forehead and cheeks. Ava smiled. Zoe repeated the same gesture to her daddy. One thing she could not deny, the man loved his daughter. And for that, he would always have a piece of her heart.
“Stay here, Zoe, while I walk your daddy to the door,” Ava told Zoe as Langston set her down on her feet.
Ava left the kitchen with Langston on her heels. Once they reached the foyer, Ava spun around on him. “What is wrong with you?”
Hunching broad shoulders, he innocently replied, “What?”
“Lang, don’t make me slap you upside the head. You keep your hands to yourself.”
He lifted a thick brow, staring at her. She wasn’t saying that when she was moaning and cradling his face in her breasts.
Throwing her hands up in the air out of frustration, she snapped, “Well?”
Langston didn’t bother to answer her. Before she knew it, he reached out, grabbing her around the waist and kissing her hard, stealing her breath away.
Ava stumbled backward when he let her go, dizzy from the soul stirring kiss. This man was driving her crazy. Shame on her, but she wanted him to take her right there in the foyer. Looking at him, she saw that his eyes were heavy with desire. He wanted her too.
“Get out,” she whispered. Because if he didn’t, she would be tempted to drag him up to his bedroom for a quickie.
Staring down into her face, her well kissed, swollen lips were begging to be kissed again. “You sure you want me to go?” he asked.
Nodding, she said, “Yes.” But her mind screamed, NO!
Langston chuckled. Her eyes told a different story. “I’ll see you this evening.”
“Bye.” Closing the door behind him, Ava slumped against it. I better pull it together, she told herself as she pushed away from the door. Squeaking back into the kitchen, she thought, Yup, this man is going to drive me crazy.
Chapter 32
“Mr. Warrington, there’s a Mr. Colin Shepard here to see you,” Christina said over the intercom.
“Thanks, Christina. Send him in.”
Langston saved and clicked out of the excel file he was working on. His meeting with Mr. Shepard, the hospital’s CEO, had been postponed several times due to Langston’s hectic schedule. Langston supposed that was a good thing. If he had come face to face with the man weeks ago, he was liable to have choked the bastard with his bare hands.
“Come in,” Langston called out to the knock at the door.
“Langston, how are you?” Mr. Shepard grinned, certain he’d been called regarding a hefty donation to help build the new geriatric wing at Georgetown Memorial Hospital.
Standing, Langston reached across his desk and shook the man’s hand. “I’m doing well,” Langston said. He motioned to the chair in front of his desk. “Have a seat.
Taking his own seat, Langston settled his large frame into the supple leather desk chair. Making a tent with his hands in front of his face, he stared at the hospital administrator, struggling to quell the anger that was threatening to erupt. “Listen, Colin, I don’t have a lot of time, so I’m just going to make this quick. I’m resigning my position as board member over at Georgetown Memorial. And Warrington and Warrington will no longer be making yearly donations.”
The color drained from Colin Shepard’s face. He didn’t understand what Langston was saying. Frankly, he didn’t care if Langston resigned as a board member. There was always some wealthy philanthropist standing in line willing to take his place. But the loss of the generous monetary donation would greatly affect the hospital’s operating budget.
“I-I don’t understand,” the man stammered. “Your family’s firm has been donating money for years. We depend on those funds.”
“I’m sure you don’t understand. So I’m going to help you,” Langston clipped out. By the time he finished tearing into the hospital administrator for the role he’d played in denying Ava the chance to hold Zoe, the man was drenched with sweat.
“Mrs. Warrington…your mother…said the baby should be immediately removed from the delivery room.”
Langston gritted his teeth when the man said “removed from the delivery room” as if his child was an object. The muscle in his jaw twitched as he spoke through clenched teeth. “Is it standard hospital protocol not to let the birth mother hold her child?”
“W-why, no. Only if that’s what she wants,” Colin stammered.
Dragging a large hand down his face, Langston growled, “So you gave the green light to your staff to deny a mother the right to hold her child? Is that what you’re telling me, Colin?”
Colin swallowed hard. Mrs. Warrington had been adamant about “that whore” not holding the baby. When he attempted to explain the hospital’s adoption policy al
lowing the birth mother to spend an hour with the baby before handing him/her over to the adoptive parents, she had pulled out her checkbook and written him a personal check for ten thousand dollars. He very well couldn’t tell a lawyer, of all people, that he’d taken a bribe to look the other way.
Colin let out a deep breath. “Yes, that’s what I’m telling you. I made a very bad call in judgment.”
Letting out a bitter chuckle, Langston said, “Yeah, I’d say so.” Eying the man, Langston sensed he was holding something back. He didn’t even want to think about it. All he wanted was for this man to get out of his office and his face. “Something is telling me you’re not being completely honest with me, Colin. Knowing my mother the way I do, she probably paid you off.”
As Colin’s eyes bugged out of his head, Langston thought, Just what I thought. “Colin, get the hell out of my office.” He didn’t have time for the man’s excuses. He was due in court in less than an hour.
eee
“Be careful. Don’t run into anyone,” Ava told Zoe as the small child struggled to maneuver the large, red shopping cart.
“I won’t, Mommy, because I’m a big girl!” Zoe answered, her tiny arms working hard to keep the cart straight.
Ava giggled. Poor little thing was determined to push that cart. “Yes, you are a big girl.”
Mother and daughter had ventured out to the local Target to pick up some things for their girls’ trip to Virginia Beach. The other night during Ava and her girlfriends’ weekly conference call, they planned a three-day trip to the beach. Langston owned a beautiful four-bedroom oceanfront home that he offered to let them use when Ava told him of the getaway.
All the men in their lives were swamped with work and didn’t bark at the idea of the women taking a short vacation with the children. The only demand the men made was that the trip take place mid-week so everyone would be back home by the weekend. When Karen heard of the men’s ultimatum, she jokingly teased the other women about having to get permission slips to leave town.
Getting together was going to be like old times. It had been forever since the ladies had one of their infamous sleepovers, staying up and talking all night. All their lives had drastically changed since the last sleepover. Summer and Starr were now married, Ava’s big secret was finally out, and Karen, unbeknownst to the others, was being pursued.
Ava was totally looking forward to hanging with her girls while drinking white wine spritzers and raspberry martinis until the wee hours of the morning. She definitely needed to talk with them about her feelings for Langston. Each day she spent under his roof, she battled with herself to keep her distance.
After Langston’s mom had busted their groove, she realized it was a mistake to go there with Langston. She had let her emotions get the best of her on Mother’s Day. Letting her guard down, she’d shared Langston’s bed. And if that had never happened, she wouldn’t have ended up in the shower having the best sex of her life. As incredible as the experience of rekindling her love affair with Langston had been, it had come with a price. Just when she thought Beatrice couldn’t hurt her more, the evil witch had reached inside her chest and snatched out Ava’s heart. Intellectually Ava understood that Langston wasn’t responsible for his mother’s actions. However, loving him had always caused her pain. In the past he’d always protected and made excuses for his mother. Even though now he was still on the outs with Beatrice, and refused any communication with her, Ava was still leery. There might come a time in the future when he and his mother would come to an understanding, and all would be forgiven. Then what? Ava was certain Beatrice would be back to her old tricks. And Ava was not in the mood to put up with that woman’s interference if she decided to have a relationship with Langston. So the best thing for her to do was to walk away now.
But how? she wondered. Especially when I’m the happiest I’ve been in a long time. Hopefully some time away from Langston would help Ava sort out her feelings.
Zoe was just as excited as Ava about the trip. Ashley, Autumn, Kyle, and the babies were coming to stay with them in her Daddy’s house at Virginia Beach. She loved having other children to play with, especially the babies. She wished she had her own babies to play with all the time. Maybe Mommy and Daddy can get me a baby, she thought.
Turning down an aisle, Ava grabbed a bottle of adult sunscreen and one of children’s sunscreen. Throwing them in the cart, she asked Zoe, “What kind of snacks do you want, sweetie pie?”
“Some Fruit Roll-Ups and Oreos. Can we get something for Autumn, Ashley, Kyle, and the babies too?” Zoe asked, staring up at her mother.
Ava smiled. She was so glad Zoe wasn’t one of those selfish, spoiled little kids that didn’t like sharing. Whenever she was around other children, she was always willing to share, whether it was sweet treats or her toys.
“We sure can get them something.” Moving behind Zoe, Ava placed her hands on the steering bar beside Zoe’s smaller hands. A few shoppers were in the aisle with them, and Ava didn’t want Zoe banging the cart into the other shoppers.
Neither Ava nor Zoe saw the cart rounding the corner of the next aisle. “Uh-oh!” Zoe shouted as their cart collided with another cart.
“I’m so—” Ava’s words came to an abrupt halt as she stared at the older woman standing in front of her. Tears formed in her eyes as immediate recognition assailed her.
“Well I’ll be,” the older woman said, smiling while looking from Ava to Zoe.
“It’s you,” Ava said softly.
Stepping away from her cart, the older woman went over to Ava and gave her a tight squeeze.
Closing her eyes tightly, Ava held on to Carol Wexler. This woman had risked her career as a nurse to give Ava her most precious gifts. Because of this sweet soul, whenever Ava felt like she was losing her mind, she had a little piece of Zoe to give her hope that one day she would be reunited with her baby.
Breaking the embrace, Carol held Ava away from her. “Oh, honey, you look so good.” Staring down at Zoe, Carol knew without a doubt that the adorable little girl standing before her was the tiny, squirming baby from whom she had removed an undershirt and cut a small lock of dark curls so long ago. “And you are?” Carol asked.
“I’m Zoe. Are you a friend of my mommy’s?”
“I sure am. My name is Carol.” The older woman winked at Ava. “Me and your mommy go way back.”
Zoe tilted her head to the side, staring up at the nice lady. “Way back where? Where did you go?”
Ava and Carol laughed at the child’s innocence. “My Zoe, what Ms. Carol means is that she and I met each other a long time ago.”
The child’s small mouth formed into a perfect circle when she said, “Oh.”
Carol had always wondered what had happened to Ava Peretti. She had never forgotten her, had never forgotten the devastating lines of pain etched on her face. At night while the world rested, she could still hear the younger woman’s soul-wrenching sobs. Carol’s heart had gone out to the young woman who had repeatedly begged to hold her baby. She knew she had to do something, anything to ease the pain for her. Sneaking back into the nursery had been the craziest thing Carol had ever done in the history of her twenty-eight-year nursing career. But she had to do something. Now seeing Ava with her child, Carol knew she had done the right thing.
Ava and Carol talked for a few more minutes before exchanging phone numbers and promising to meet for lunch within the next few weeks. Going their separate ways to finish shopping, Ava couldn’t wait to get home and tell Langston about her day.
Chapter 33
Lounging on the comfy sofa, Ava peeked up from the novel she was reading and shook her head. I guess the honeymoon phase is over, she mused, flipping a page.
Sitting on the floor with coloring books and crayons sprawled all around her, Zoe looked as if she’d lost her best friend. She didn’t understand why she couldn’t have cookies since she ate all her dinner. Daddy always let her have something sweet after dinner.
Closi
ng the book, Ava stood. “You sure you don’t want a piece of fruit, Zoe?”
Shaking her head, Zoe whispered no, then picked up a crayon, not looking at her mommy.
“Suit yourself,” Ava mumbled under her breath, blowing out a frustrated sigh as she made her way to kitchen for a glass of water. As far as she was concerned, Zoe could pout all night long. She was standing firm on her decision not to let her have anymore junk food for the rest of the night. The child ate too many sweets as it was.
Opening the fridge, Ava slid over the container of orange juice and pulled out the pitcher of water. Her eyes drifted to the crisper at the bottom of the fridge where green grapes, cherries, and strawberries sat. All this fruit in here, and she wants to eat cookies.
Their battle started at Target earlier when Ava only allowed Zoe to get one small snack box of Oreos, and not the huge regular-sized package. Things just went downhill from there when she wouldn’t let the child fill the cart with M&M’s, KitKats, and MilkyWays. Ava had thought she was compromising when she let Zoe get potato chips and Doritos.
“Daddy lets me get what I want,” she told her mother as if that was going to make Ava change her mind. If anything, it annoyed Ava more.
“Well, my Zoe, I’m not your daddy. Now you can pick out one of the candies, or don’t get anything at all.”
Dejected, Zoe had put back the KitKat and MilkyWay candy bars. Ava felt awful upsetting her little girl, but the one thing she had noticed since living with Zoe this summer was that the little girl consumed a lot of cookies, candy, and chips. If Zoe had the choice of selecting an orange over a piece of chocolate, she’d choose the chocolate every time. Little by little Ava had begun to introduce her to healthier choices. Not wanting to take everything away from her, she had decided to allow her to eat no more than three high sugar snacks a day. So when Zoe had met her max for the day, Ava had offered her some cherries. Well, that hadn’t gone over well. For the last forty-five minutes the child had sat on the floor sulking and pretending to color.
Key To My Heart (Love Conquers All) Page 18
