She looked over at him, sleeping on his stomach, his arms under the pillow his head rested on. His face was turned towards her, his long, dark lashes lying against his cheek. He appeared younger in sleep with his face relaxed but for the five o’clock shadow darkening his jaw. The sheet barely covered his hips, leaving his heavily muscled shoulders and back bare to her gaze. Physically, he was beyond prime; at least he did it for her, she thought with disgust. Looking at him so much over the last few weeks is what had gotten her into this mess in the first place. Unable to sleep, Ava slipped into the bathroom and took a quick shower before downing a sleeping pill out of her medicine cabinet. She pulled on panties and a big t-shirt before slipping quietly back into bed so as to not wake him. She didn’t want to sleep in the same bed with him but even more, she didn’t want to have to deal with him right now. Let sleeping dogs lie, she thought, before falling into a restless sleep.
Chapter Seventeen
The ringing of the phone gradually brought her awake. She’d been so deeply asleep; several long moments passed before she even realized it was the phone by her bed ringing and not the alarm clock. Without opening her eyes or raising her head from the pillow, she reached out and grabbed the phone.
“Hello?” she answered, the sleeping pill making her groggy.
“Mom, are you still in bed?” Jameson’s deep voice snapped her to reality in an instant. She was instantly wide awake, setting straight up to look at the otherwise empty bed. Nothing but the imprint of Cian’s head in the pillow gave any indication he had even been there. She slowly let out her breath and fell back against the pillows, feeling weak from her momentary adrenaline rush. “Mom!” his voice came through the phone loudly when she had not responded after a few seconds.
“Sorry, Baby.” She apologized, trying to gather her still sleeping wits about her. “Why are you calling so early? Is something wrong?”
“It’s not early. It’s almost noon.” He laughed. “Did you have a late night or what?” The type of night she had flashed through her mind and she shifted in embarrassment to be having those kinds of thoughts while she was on the phone with her son. Thank God he couldn’t see her or he would immediately know something was up.
“I had a date last night.” She said by way of explanation. He asked a few questions about her date before she made it clear it would not be a repeat experience without going into any detail. He let out a long-suffering sigh.
“Mom, I really worry about you sometimes.” He said after a moment when she had told him her date had not been her type. His statement surprised her.
“Why?” her tone puzzled.
“Because you’re always so alone. Do you know I cannot recall one boyfriend of yours that I ever saw more than a couple of times in the six or seven years since you and Dad have been broke up?” He asked in a careful tone of voice. “It’s like you can’t get past the things Dad did…”
“Good God, boy! Are you suggesting I get back with your father?” She asked in an appalled tone of voice. “Because that will never…” Jameson burst into laughter, effectively bringing her rant to an end.
“Hell no!” He stated adamantly, then gently. “But I do wish you would find somebody that makes you happy.”
“Who says I’m not happy?” She forced out a laugh.
“Don’t insult me by acting like you don’t know what I mean, Mom. You’re a grown woman and I don’t mean to get in your business. I would just worry less about you if I knew you had a man in your life that was good to you.” She set in stunned silence after her son’s statement. “You’re going to be forty next year. Do you plan to be alone for the rest of your life?”
“Jameson,” She said on a tired sigh. “I’m not comfortable talking to you about my love life or lack thereof. Is this really why you called?” He was quiet for a few seconds. She knew he was debating with himself on whether to continue this line of discussion or live to fight another day. He always had been like a dog with a bone when he wanted something. Finally, she heard him sigh.
“No, I actually called to make sure everything was going well with you and Cian.”
“What do you mean?” she asked quickly.
“I mean how are you and Cian getting along?” He said with exaggerated slowness as if she had misunderstood his original question. “He is staying at the house with you, remember?” She shook her head in disgust at herself. Of course, that’s all he wanted to know. He had no idea his mother was some perverted old woman that had just spent the night behaving like a slut with his friend. God help her…she’d really done it up right this time.
“We’re getting along fine, though to be honest, I don’t see him all that much.” She said, forcing herself to keep her tone light.
“Really?” He sounded confused again. “I talked to him a little while ago and he said you had been a wonderful hostess and that you and Macy had been spending a lot of time with him.”
“Well, it’s all in perspective.” She said hurriedly, her tone bright, while she winced at the ridiculous answer she’d just given her son. “But he’s not been any trouble.”
“Oookkaaaayyyyyy.” He drew the word out, sounding like he thought his mother might be off her rocker. Maybe she was. Hell, there wasn’t any maybe about it, she thought with self-disgust. After several seconds of uncomfortable silence, he spoke again. “I just wanted to check that everything was cool. I know it was a huge imposition me asking you to let Cian stay for a while. I appreciate it Mom and so do the Secords.”
“Everything is fine, Jameson, so you don’t have to worry. Have you ever known me to suffer in silence?” she asked in a teasing tone that caused him to chuckle and lightened the mood. They talked for a few more minutes about Macy joining Nate on tour and his own plans to hit the road with them for a couple of weeks.
“I talked to Dad last night.” He brought the topic of Patrick up tentatively. “He said you two had been talking.” She snorted indelicately.
“I ran into him at the drug store and had a very brief conversation with your father and I do mean brief. If that constitutes ‘talking’ then he was telling the truth.” She was so fed up with Patrick’s crap; he never even bothered changing up his routine. She could tell by her son’s tone that his father had said more. “What else, Jameson?” He took a deep breath, and then seemed to spill all the words out at once.
“He said you’d been down at Hal’s making out with some young dude on the dance floor and everyone in town was talking about you being holed up with some kid.” Her jaw dropped in utter disbelief at Patrick’s gall. The humiliating part of it was Patrick was actually telling the truth but it wasn’t right for him to tell their son things like that. She had never badmouthed Pat to their son; she’d never had to. Patrick had managed to ruin his relationship with their son all by himself. No matter how many times Jameson had asked his father to not talk about his mother to him, Pat just couldn’t seem to help himself. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Mom, listen, the only reason I’m telling you this is so you’ll know what Dad is saying in case you run into him again. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s not the one spreading the rumor if there even is a rumor going around.” He said disgust with his father evident in his voice. “He really pissed me off. He can’t accept you’re finished with him, can he?”
“I don’t know about your father, Baby. When you were growing up, I always tried to shelter you from the dysfunctional relationship he and I had. You’re a grown man now; you know I should have left your father years before I did. The only good thing he ever did for me was give me you, Honey.” Her voice was tired and a little sad. “It’s not all his fault because he didn’t do anything I didn’t allow. I accept my part of the blame. I never wanted to put you in the middle.”
“And you never have Mom; it’s always been Dad. You’ve always said ‘forewarned is forearmed’ and that’s why I told you what he said. If I didn’t know how much you hate being the topic of gossip with the rumor mill, I wouldn’t have even
mentioned this to you. Now you’re prepared. End of discussion.” He said with a soft chuckle. “I love you, Mom.”
She felt her eyes tear up with emotion. She blinked hard and sniffled, a watery laugh escaping. “Oh Baby, I love you, too. You’re the best son, you know that?” He burst out laughing.
“That’s the word on the street.” He teased. He quickly changed the subject, promising that he would be home for a few days before fall quarter started. They said their goodbyes and hung up the phone. She felt emotionally wrung out after talking to Jameson. Learning that Patrick continued to try and discredit her with their son really pissed her off. He always seemed to conveniently forget Jameson had been there through all of those years they had been going back and forth in their relationship. And if there was one thing Jameson Ryan Talbot wasn’t, it was stupid. Patrick didn’t seem to get that the countless times he’d walked out on her; he’d also walked out on his son. Truth be told, Jameson probably had less faith in his father than she did. Her son had never depended on his father for anything and if he had, he would have been out of luck. Patrick had always had a good job and when he and Ava were together, he’d been a good provider. Unfortunately, those periods usually only lasted a few months before he would find a new woman and immediately drop Ava like a bad habit. If she wasn’t having sex with him, he had always seemed to forget he had a son that needed a father. Her reflections filled her with self-disgust that she had ever allowed Patrick to run in and out of her and their son’s life like their home had swinging doors. In some misguided way, she had believed she was doing the right thing so that Jameson would have his father but in reality, she was lucky that her son had a good head on his shoulders. Otherwise, Jameson could have become a self-centered asshole like his father.
She mentally flipped through several possible courses of action; she could confront Patrick which would be a total waste of time, she could go around town defending her ‘good name’ to the townspeople which would be an even bigger waste of time, or she could just carry on business as usual and ignore the entire thing. Since she had become something of a celebrity by a twist of fate no one could have predicted, she had made a career of rising above the fray. Her ex would love nothing more than for her to lower herself to his level. Having firmly decided on ignoring gossip, her mind turned to the man with which she had just spent the night.
She wondered what he thought was going on with them and what his expectations were. Did he expect her to spend every night with him or was it a onetime deal? She wondered where he was and what he was doing when her thoughts came to a screeching halt. She didn’t want a relationship with him, she quickly reminded herself. They had used each other to scratch an itch. It may happen again and it may not, but she was determined to keep it casual, regardless. That meant not wondering where he was, what he was doing or who he was doing it with; it was none of her business. She dragged herself from the bed, feeling a little better now that she had decided on a sound course of action. No more doubts; she would ignore her ex’s trifling stunts and keep things impersonal with Cian and all would be well.
Chapter Eighteen
Cian had never met a more irritating woman in his life. He had spent the last three nights in Ava’s bed rocking both their worlds. Once he’d warmed her up, she was adventurous and inventive and he loved everything she did to his body. The problem was the whole warm up deal. After their first night together, he had awakened in her bed, his body humming with sexual satisfaction. He’d left her sleeping while he kept to his usual morning routine and headed for the rink. He’d gone through the routine of his workout then stopped at a local diner for a hearty breakfast. When he had arrived back at Ava’s she’d been gone. He’d swam laps in the pool, answered some of his more important emails and took out one of her Arctic Cat ATVs and rode through the woods on well-maintained trails. She’d been home by the time he arrived back at the house after several hours of tearing through the hills. He hadn’t known what to expect after spending the night with her but he certainly hadn’t expected her to treat him with stiff politeness. She’d been cordial and a good hostess, but had not asked him once where he had been or any other personal information, for that matter. If that was the way she wanted to play it that was fine with him. He didn’t want a relationship either; he just wanted that lush body in his bed. She could keep the rest of it.
The second night, she had taken herself to bed without issuing any kind of invitation to him. He’d gone to his room, took a quick shower and with nothing but a towel around his hips, knocked on her door. It had taken her longer than necessary to open the door. He could picture her waging a mental war with herself as to whether she should let him in. When she finally opened the door and saw him standing there in his towel, she had reached out and pulled him into the room by his towel. His towel had been on the floor in a matter of seconds as she had kissed her way down his chest and stomach. She had turned him inside out with her lips, teeth and tongue and left him dazed. He’d recovered quickly and proceeded to spend another night getting down and dirty with his gorgeous hostess. The next day, she had once again acted as if he were nothing but a casual acquaintance. For some reason, it had started to piss him off.
Since he’d played Juniors, females had been making fools of themselves over him. There were always rink bunnies offering him any and every sin of the flesh he could imagine and even some he couldn’t. When he’d been young and fresh into the world of being a professional athlete, he’d let a few groupies work him over when he had felt the urge and every one of them had begged for a repeat performance. All his ex-girlfriends, including the crazy supermodel, had always hung all over him, catered to him and treated him like God’s gift to womankind with little to no effort on his part. Not Ava though; she was non-stop effort. The second day of being treated like some door to door salesman she tolerated in her home had brought out a spiteful streak in him that he hadn’t even been aware he possessed. To her stunned surprise, he had begun touching and crowding her every time he was near. If he walked past, he let his body brush against hers, he dropped a kiss on her lips, he ran his thumb across her lips, patted her ass when he caught her bending over in the kitchen and made inappropriate comments at every opportunity.
Yesterday afternoon, she had been in her office, probably thinking she could avoid him in there. He had brazenly entered her office and set down in one of the leather chairs in front of her desk. She had raised a haughty brow as if she was the queen and he was some foul-smelling peasant come to bother her. That had really irritated him. He’d quickly wiped that snotty look off her face when he had proceeded to tell her exactly what he would like to do to her in excruciating detail. She’d tried to play it cool but her quickened breathing gave her away. He described how he would spread her out on her desk and lick his way down her body until he was between her legs, making love to her with his mouth until she couldn’t take it anymore, then he would push inside of her and let her come around him. And that is exactly what had happened. She had succumbed quickly after that and he had spent the next hour having some of the hottest, most erotic sex of his life in Ava’s book-lined office. They had moved from the desk to the overstuffed sofa. He’d been on his back while she straddled him, kissing her way down his chest and stomach to where he’d been standing at full attention, big and hard. She had no sooner touched her mouth to him than he had flipped her around to straddle his chest so he could return the favor. The sex had been phenomenal. When she was back at herself, she returned to treating him like some stranger she’d met in passing which had infuriated him even more. The same pattern had repeated over the next twenty-four hours and he was getting angrier by the minute.
Now he was setting on her deck, eating a perfectly grilled steak and baked potato while Ava chatted with her father, Ben and her stepmother, Allison. Ben Talbot had raised a questioning brow at his daughter when Cian had joined them by the pool for dinner until she had introduced him as a friend of Jameson’s that had come to visit effectively e
nding Ben’s interest in him. Cian had been fuming at this further insult, though he had no good reason to be so angry. How was she supposed to introduce him to her father; as her boyfriend? Not having a legitimate reason to brood didn’t stop him until he realized he was learning more about her listening to her with her dad than he had in all their time together.
“You should be ashamed of yourself, Ava,” Ben Talbot aimed a condemning stare on his daughter. “Fighting with your brother in court over money.” Her mouth had gaped open in momentary surprise before she had schooled her expression to show disinterest.
“Why should I be ashamed? All I’m doing is protecting what’s mine, Dad. Joey is the one that filed a lawsuit trying to take money that doesn’t belong to him. How is that my fault?” Her questioning, angry gaze took in her father and Allison who appeared decidedly uncomfortable, refusing to even make eye contact with either her husband or stepdaughter. Ben sighed as if they had had this conversation many times before.
“Ava, with all the money you have, don’t you think you could share some with your brother? He doesn’t have much…” A disbelieving snort escaped Ava. She was looking at her father as if he had suddenly morphed into some unknown being.
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