Knocked Down_A Single Dad Romance Read online

  Sean laughs then asks, “How long did it take you to get Bella pregnant?”

  Marco uncovers his ears. “The first time it wasn’t on purpose. The second time, a couple months.”

  Sean nods, frowning. “What about you?” he asks me, referring to my getting Rebekah pregnant.

  “It was an accident. A couple times without a condom.” I immediately regret saying that when I see his face fall even farther.

  “Hey, everyone’s different,” I add. “It will happen.”

  “Yeah, I know,” Sean says then excuses himself to the bathroom. I hate that my brother is going through something I can’t fix for him. We’ve been there for each other our entire lives. When I’ve needed him, he’s been there, and when he’s needed me, I would do anything in my power to come through. But this is something I can’t fix.

  Eighteen

  Ava

  There’s a knock on my door and when I glance up from the computer screen I see it’s 2:00 in the afternoon. I’ve been working on this website for the last four hours and I’m almost done making the changes the author requested. There’s a knock again and Maverick runs to the foyer to greet whoever is there.

  When I open the door, I see Griffin and Levi standing in the doorway. Levi is off this week for spring break and we’ve spent several days together. We’ve visited a few different parks, the local aquarium, the wildlife center, and spent the day at the children’s museum.

  “What’s up, boys?”

  “I have a delivery someone needs to be at the restaurant for and my night manager just called in sick.”

  “Can I stay with you?” Levi asks.

  “I would take him, but I think I’ll have to stay late. I called Lilly but she’s at an appointment and Sean is with her.”

  “You don’t need to explain.” I shake my head. “Of course, he can hang out with me.” I open the door farther. “I think I have some cookies on the counter,” I yell to Levi as he runs in, going straight for the pup to pet him before darting to the kitchen.

  “Thanks, babe.” Griffin leans in to give me a quick peck on my lips, and knowing Levi is in the kitchen, I let him. “See ya later, bud!” he calls out to Levi who doesn’t acknowledge his dad leaving.

  “Go…we’ll be fine.” I push his chest then close the door once he’s turned around and is walking away. “All right, what should we do this afternoon?” I ask Levi once I reach the kitchen. He’s chewing on a cookie with Maverick standing next to him, hoping for him to drop some crumbs.

  “The park!” Levi yells once his mouth is no longer full.

  “Somehow, I knew you were going to say that.” I give him a wink and get Maverick ready to go.

  Nineteen

  Griffin

  “What can I get you?” I place a napkin down on the bar top as my phone buzzes in my pocket.

  “A glass of red wine, please.” The woman grins at me indicating she’d like a whole lot more than red wine but I ignore the subtle hint and nod my head before turning to grab the bottle of wine and a glass. My phone buzzes again so I pull it out to make sure everything is okay since Levi’s with Ava. It’s an image of the two of them on the Easter bunny’s lap. I completely forgot Easter is in two weeks. I scroll through the other images. Levi at the park, playing with Maverick, on the play equipment, at lunch, eating an ice cream.

  “What has you grinning like a fool?” I glance up and see my brother and Lilly sitting at the bar. I push my phone over to them so they can see the image of Levi and Ava with the bunny, then I pour the red wine and hand it to the woman.

  “Anything else I can get you?”

  She smirks. “Not right now…but maybe later.” I give her a smile and a nod.

  “When was this taken?” Sean asks, pointing to the image.

  “Sometime today.” I swipe over and show them a few more pictures.

  “Before you came to work?” Sean clarifies and I know where he’s going with this.

  “Levi hung out with Ava today. I had to come in for a shipment since Dawn’s home sick and it’s James’s day off.” Sean gives Lilly a look. “What?” I ask, annoyed he’s silently speaking to his wife about me.

  “Nothing. I’m just shocked. Other than Lilly, the only people you ever let watch Levi was the daycare, and that was only because they had cameras you could watch from your computer and you were fucking Christin, the daycare owner. Yet you’ve left him with Ava a few times now.”

  “It’s just…” My eyes dart from Sean to Lilly. “It just feels right. Something feels different. I think she’s the one.” Lilly’s eyes brighten and that’s when I realize they weren’t bright before. “What’s wrong?” I ask the both of them.

  “If I can’t get pregnant soon, we’re going to try IVF.” Her eyes fill with tears.

  “Come here,” Sean says, pulling her stool closer to his. “It’s all going to be fine.” He gives her forehead a soft kiss, but I can see it in his eyes that my brother doesn’t believe the words he’s saying.

  “Do you think maybe we could take Levi tonight? That boy always makes me feel better.” Lilly gives me a watery smile.

  “Sure, I can text Ava and ask her to bring Levi to the bar.” Grabbing my phone from the counter, I shoot her a text. She immediately responds they’re eating dinner and she’ll bring him as soon as they’re done.

  “They’ll be here in a little bit. Now, what can I get you two to drink? You hungry?”

  I take their orders then I check on my other customers. It’s Friday night and King’s is hopping. The music is playing in the background and patrons are eating and laughing and having a good time. This place has come a long way from the half-assed bar it used to be.

  “Dad!” I look toward the front door when I hear my son’s voice and see Levi and Ava walking up. My stomach knots at the sight in front of me. Levi’s holding Ava’s hand and he has a stuffed Easter bunny in his other hand. They’re both smiling wide. Ava is dressed in a pair of black skinny jeans with a shirt that reads, “You can’t make everyone happy, you’re not a taco.”

  “Oh my god!” Lilly whisper-yells, “You are totally in love.” I want to argue with her, tell her to shut up, but it’s pointless because as I watch Ava walk through the restaurant toward the bar and several men check her out, I know she’s right. I’m in love with this fucking woman and I’ll be damned if another man is going to get anywhere near her.

  “Look what Ava got me!” Levi lifts the bunny up in the air. “It’s Hop from the movie! I made him at a store where you build animals. I put the stuffing in him and gave him a heart! And they sewed him all up. And look!” He takes the piece of paper from Ava. “It’s his birth certificate.”

  “That’s awesome, buddy.” I take the paper from him so I can read what it says.

  “That’s a cool looking bunny, dude,” Sean says. “You want to come hang out with Aunt Lilly and me tonight?”

  Levi frowns slightly then turns to Ava. “Is it okay?” Levi asks her. “I won’t go if you don’t want me to.” She gives him a fake pout then smiles, and I’m confused as to why he’s asking her.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask Ava.

  “You mentioned working late so we planned out our day and night. We haven’t finished checking off our list yet, but Levi, you know what that means, right?” He shakes his head. “It means everything we didn’t do today, we can do another day.” Levi beams, nodding in agreement.

  “Which way is your restroom?” Ava asks.

  “Over there.” I point to the back.

  “Hey Griffin!” Dante, my other bartender, calls out my name. “I’m out of Vodka and Scotch.” I give him two thumbs up to let him know I’ll run to the back and grab some more bottles.

  “All right, guys. The place is slammed and I’m short staffed, so I better get back to it. Give me a hug,” I say to Levi as he jumps up onto the barstool and I reach over the top and pull him into a hug. “I love you and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Love you, too. Bye, Dad!” />
  After filling a box with several different popular bottles, I make my way back to the front. When I look around and don’t see Ava, I immediately feel bad. She left to use the restroom and I went to the back. She probably left not knowing where I was. I didn’t even get a chance to thank her for watching Levi.

  That’s when I notice her standing on the other side of the bar, slinging drinks like it’s her day job. “Hey man, where’d you find this woman?” Dante grins, nodding toward Ava who shakes up a drink then pours it expertly into the glass. “And can I keep her?”

  “She’s mine,” I growl out and Dante throws his head back with a laugh.

  “Say no more, but seriously, the woman can bartend like it’s nobody’s business.” He grabs the box of liquor from me and starts placing them up on the shelves.

  I walk up behind Ava, pressing my front to her back. “What are you doing?” I murmur softly into her ear. She shivers slightly and it makes me grin at the affect I have on her.

  “Saving your butt.” She tilts her head, so I can see her beautiful face, and winks. “I bartended through college.”

  “You don’t have to do this. You already spent the day watching my son.”

  “I don’t mind.” She shakes her head. “You can buy me a drink afterwards.”

  The next several hours were spent with Ava and I bartending alongside each other. I never viewed serving drinks as a form of foreplay—that is until I was serving drinks with Ava. The way she would constantly rub up against me when walking by to grab a glass or bottle. The way her hands would brush against mine when she was reaching for something, or the way she would look at me while shaking and pouring the drinks. My goddamn cock was at half-mast the entire night.

  Once the last couple paid their bill, the restaurant went into closing-mode. The servers counted their tills and we counted ours. I divvied up the tips between Ava and Dante, but she refused to accept her portion, saying she was here to help out and to give them all to Dante. The guy definitely made out like a bandit. Once the cook and cleanup crew were done closing down the kitchen and getting things prepared for tomorrow, I saw them out, locking the door behind them—leaving only Ava and me in the restaurant.

  “I just need to write up these deposits to bring to the bank tomorrow and then we can leave. I really appreciate you—” I turn around from locking the door to find Ava standing in the middle of the restaurant, swaying her hips to the song Bad at Love by Halsey over the speakers. My words come to a halt as I take in the beautiful, sexy, woman in my restaurant. For so long I felt like there was a piece missing from my life. Every time I would think I found the matching piece, another would disappear or it wouldn’t fit, but now watching her as she moves to the rhythm of the music, I know with her in my life, that puzzle is complete.

  Cutting across the room, I step up right behind her, our bodies flushed against one another. My hands come around her waist as she continues to move her hips in a fluid circular motion. Her body leans into mine, the back of her head resting against my shoulder. Her arms coming up and wrapping around my neck. There’s no doubt about it. We fit. Our bodies…our lives. It all fucking fits so goddamned perfectly.

  We continue to dance—if you can call it that—it’s more like grinding-slash-dry humping—through several more songs. My hands wander over her curves, up her hips, and feather along the sides of her breasts. When I hear her let out a soft moan, I’m done for.

  Turning her around in my arms, I lift her up by her ass and carry her to the bar top. There are so many things I want to say to this woman. I want to tell her how I feel about her. Tell her I love her. I want her. I want to spend every day with her. But the only words that seem to come out of my mouth are, “I need you.” It’s not enough but it’s the truth. I need her. Like one needs oxygen or food or water to survive. I need Ava. I strip her out of her pants and underwear while she pulls up her shirt and unclasps her bra. I step back to pull my shirt off and when I do, I’m able to properly take her in. Her tits are heavy and her nipples are standing at attention begging to be sucked. She’s leaning back on her elbows with her legs slighted parted, her soft belly and bare pussy on display. She’s like the ultimate buffet waiting to be devoured.

  Twenty

  Ava

  Griffin stands there, shirtless, and my first thought is this perfect man is all mine. Mine to touch. Mine to kiss. Mine to… I push down my last thought, that four letter curse word that begins with the letter L and ends with an E cannot be used. He is not mine to do that with. I’m not even sure if I’m capable of doing such a thing.

  Without saying a word, he stares at me with such intensity, I can’t help but feel vulnerable, like he can see through me all the way down to my soul. I want to close my legs but when he licks his lips, indicating he’s turned on by what he sees, I do the opposite and spread them wider. His beautiful sapphire eyes shine with lust and my pussy clenches, needing him to touch me.

  “Fuck, woman.” He shakes his head slowly as he bridges the gap between us. “I need to taste you.” His eyes roam over my entire body like he’s unsure of where to begin first. Leaning over me, with his body nestled between my thighs, he chooses to start with my lips. He kisses me hard. His lips are soft, yet his tongue is rough and sensual. My heart pitter-patters against my chest. Every kiss with Griffin isn’t just a kiss, it’s an experience.

  Next, he moves to my breasts. He stops at the left nipple, biting down on it hard enough to elicit the right amount of pain that feels so good. My back arches needing more and he moves to my other nipple, giving it the same attention. When I think I might come from nipple stimulation alone, he moves down my body, raining kisses over my abdomen as he works his way downward.

  Gripping the inside of my thighs, he spreads my legs fully open and dips his head down. His tongue runs up my slit slowly at first. It barely feels like it’s there, and I find myself moving forward trying to get friction. When I feel him chuckling I know he’s fucking with me.

  “Griffin!” I breathe out, frustration evident in my tone. His tongue presses flat against my clit as his fingers push inside me. Between the slow, unhurried licks of his tongue and his fingers pushing in and out, I can feel my orgasm rising higher and higher. I’m being brought to the brink, and then it spills over, and I am coming so hard, my legs are shaking, and my body is convulsing. My pussy is throbbing. I attempt to push Griffin away, feeling overstimulated, but he doesn’t let up until I am completely sated.

  “God damn, Ava, I love watching you come.” My eyelids flutter open and my eyes lock with Griffin’s. This man, in such a short amount of time has become…everything.

  Needing to have his body against mine, I say, “I need you in me.” My tone is pleading and needy but I don’t care. The words are barely off my lips before I’m being dragged down from the bar top and onto a barstool.

  Griffin shoves his pants and briefs down, shucking them onto the floor, then grabbing my legs, he lifts them up and over his forearms, his fingers digging into my ass. In one fluid motion, he thrusts into me, bottoming out deep inside me. He holds this position once he’s all the way in—his lids squeezing shut—needing a second to get a hold of himself. Then he begins to move slowly—steady thrusts into me like he’s not fucking me but instead making love to me. The act is sensual and sweet and I find myself pulling his face to mine needing to kiss him. Needing us to be connected in every way.

  Languorously, he pushes in and stills, his head hitting my G-spot before he pulls out almost all the way. This continues for several minutes. My already sensitive pussy is tingling, another orgasm on the horizon. Griffin can feel it. He knows my body too damn well. He begins to pick up his pace, his hips shifting so his thick cock is hitting my vaginal walls.

  “C’mon, Ava,” he groans. “Come for me, baby. Come all over me.” His words send me over the edge. My pussy clenching tighter, my mind and body wanting the release, and then I let go, my climax hitting me. Griffin feels my insides spasm, my walls choking his d
ick, and with a guttural groan, he lets go, releasing his warm seed into me.

  His movements still, and I can feel the stickiness of our sweaty bodies against each other. He kisses the side of my neck at my pulse point before pulling out. When he backs up, he takes the warmth with him and I shiver. He looks down at my still parted legs, and grins.

  “My cum is dripping out of you.” He doesn’t look up. Instead, he takes his fingers and swipes up my slit, bringing the stickiness up my folds, and pushes his fingers into me, his eyes never leaving my pussy.

  And I think I just came, again…

  I watch him, my chest rising and falling heavily, as he slowly fingers my pussy with his cum like he’s trying to make it all stay inside me. When his eyes lift, he moves his fingers out of me and comes closer, his soft cock brushing against my mound. Bringing his fingers to my mouth, he says, “Suck.” I glance down at his glistening fingers then part my lips. He pushes his fingers through, and my tongue darts out. I can taste his cum mixed with mine—salty with a slight tang to it. Closing my lips around his fingers, I suck hard until they’re completely clean. The idea of me mixed with him has me turned on and wanting this man all over again.

  Twenty-One

  Griffin

  Me: He should be up soon.

  Ava: I’ll come over now! Bringing muffins for breakfast.

  Taking my phone with me to the living room so I can take pictures, I quietly open the front door so Ava can come in.

  “I can’t believe he’s still asleep!” she whisper-yells, giggling. Loving how excited she is, I pull her into my arms to steal a kiss, knowing once Levi is awake she won’t let me anywhere near her.

  “Mmm…” She moans into my mouth, deepening the kiss.

  “I missed you,” I murmur against her lips.