Daddy’s Law by K.C. Crowne

Chapter 20

Theo

We drove in silence, nothing but the wind and the rumble of my truck’s engine to listen to. The sun had long since set, but the temperature outside was still in the high sixties.

Ava was curled up in the passenger seat, knees tucked to her chest as she stared out the window, forehead braced against the glass. She’d stopped sniffling a while ago, but I could tell she was still upset.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked softly.

She shook her head.

“Hungry? We can stop somewhere for food. I noticed you didn’t eat much.”

She shook her head again.

With one hand on the steering wheel, I reached across the center console with the other. I took her hand and squeezed her fingers. “Talk to me, sweetheart. You’ll feel better.”

“What’s there to say? My Dad’s an asshole, but…”

“What?”

“I don’t know why I feel so guilty.” Ava’s lips quivered. “It’s so stupid. I hate that I feel like I should apologize. I shouldn’t have lost my cool like that.”

“I think he had it coming.”

“Maybe. No, you’re right. Definitely.” She sighed in frustration. “It’s not like I’m seeking his approval. Or maybe I am, but I know that’s never going to happen. Dad just has this really awful fucking way of making me feel like I’m the problem.”

I whistled. “Two f-bombs in one night, Miss Cruise? Is there a full moon out or something?”

Ava laughed, but her heart wasn’t in it. “I’m not allowed to swear around the kids. I have to save them up for truly special occasions.”

“Well, luckily for you, I’ve heard far worse.”

“Is this your way of saying I have permission to let loose?”

I chuckled. “Sure.”

The hint of a grin spread across her lips. She took a deep breath and shouted, “Motherfucker!”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at how her cheeks turned pink as she cursed.

At that moment, I knew.

I was falling for her.

I kissed the back of her knuckles. “Fucking adorable.”

Ava rolled her eyes. “Ugh, why am I like this?”

“Too precious for this world?”

“I’m serious.”

“So am I.”

She smiled for real this time. “That’s enough out of you, sweet talker.”

I continued to drive, keeping an eye out. I still technically had a job to do and knowing that Ava was under my protection made me want to work three times harder.

I had all my routes mentally mapped out. I kept even spacing between the vehicle in front and behind. No one was driving in my blind spots, which was good to know in case I needed to make a sharp exit. Ava had her seatbelt on, and her chair was positioned as far back as possible in case of impact. Overall, smooth sailing.

“Hey, Theo?”

“Hm?”

She picked beneath her fingernails. “Do you think you can take me somewhere?”

I arched a brow. “Where?”

“It’s kind of a surprise.”

“I don’t recommend making any unplanned stops. I’d have to do a full sweep of the place and then report back to Jesse about our detour so someone can keep track of us and—”

“Please? It’s perfectly safe, I swear.”

“Ava—”

“Please,” she repeated. “For me? Cory’s with your friend, right? I want to take you some place special.”

I thought about it for all of ten seconds. I couldn’t look into her big doe eyes and say no. It was almost ridiculous how hopelessly wrapped around her finger I was.

“Where?” I asked.

“I’ll give you directions. It’s a little out of the way.”

The voice in the back of my head told me this was a bad idea. I needed to get Ava home as soon as possible. It was a basic fact that the longer she was out in the open, the higher the chances of something happening. The safest and smartest thing for me to do was take Ava back to her house.

But then she batted her eyelashes at me, and I was a goner.

“Where to?”

* * *

We’d passed the city limits of Chicago almost twenty minutes ago. I had no clue where Ava was taking me. For a moment there, I considered the possibility that maybe she was just as lost as I was. She instructed me to take a right turn onto a dirt road. We were surrounded on all sides by trees and very little evidence of civilization. I kept going, headlights flipped on.

We eventually came up on a wide clearing, a sea of tall grass that seemed to stretch for miles. There was a stream nearby, trickling in the distance. At this higher elevation, I was able to see the golden glow of city lights below us, shimmering just like the stars above. The second I parked the truck, Ava climbed out. I followed her without question.

“This used to be a campground,” she explained. She pointed to her right. “Dad used to take me here. Not a lot of people know about this spot, so we had free reign of the place.” She smiled fondly. “He was different. Before he entered politics. When my parents divorced, I thought back to when he’d take me camping. Reminded myself of the father he was capable of being. It’s one of the reasons why I chose to stay with him as opposed to going with Mom to Florida. I didn’t realize how much he’d changed. Suddenly nothing I ever did was good enough.”

“You were a child. You couldn’t have known.”

“I was stubborn. Holding onto an idea of my father instead of seeing him for what he was. I think a part of me wanted to stay in some weird attempt to save him. Change him back.” She laughed bitterly. “I don’t know. I can’t tell if I’m making much sense anymore.”

“Makes sense to me,” I said, shrugging my jacket off and draping it over her shoulders. “It’s nice here. I think Cory would appreciate the view.”

“Maybe we can bring him here some time.”

“Really?”

“Of course. You can’t tell anybody, but he’s my favorite.”

My chest warmed. I knew for a fact that Ava was telling the truth. It made me so unbelievably happy to know that someone out there cared for Cory as much as I did. If something ever happened to me, I could rest well knowing that Cory wouldn’t be entirely alone.

I scanned the secluded area, a thought suddenly popping into my head. Rounding the length of the truck, I took Ava to the rear and pulled down the tailgate. I picked her up at the hips and set her down, listening to her bubbly light laugh.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“What’s it look like?” I climbed onto the tailgate after her. “Can’t have you lying in the grass. Ticks are a nightmare to deal with.”

“I see,” she replied, setting my jacket on the cold surface of my empty pickup. Ava sat down, her back braced against the back wall of the truck’s cabin. She patted the empty spot beside her. “Join me.”

I settled down next to her, staring up at the night sky. Ava curled up against me, resting her cheek against my chest as we stargazed together.

“Thank you,” she whispered, “for defending me earlier. You didn’t have to.”

“I was just doing what I thought was right. Your father has no right to speak to you like that.”

“You could have gotten into a lot of trouble.”

“Ooh,” I responded dryly. “I was so scared for your five foot fuck all father.”

Ava frowned. “I’m serious, Theo. He has the power to fire you. If he sent you away…” She trailed off, lost in thought.

I kissed her forehead, unwilling to push the subject any further. The truth of the matter was I didn’t know what would happen to us —to Ava and me— if my contract was suddenly closed. I hadn’t thought that far ahead, which I realized now was a miscalculation on my part.

Would we still be together after my duty as her bodyguard was over? Would she still want to be around me once her summer program had wrapped up?

I wasn’t the only one I had to think about, either. What did this mean for Cory? What would he think if he learned that I’d been seeing Ava in secret?

“What are you thinking about?” she asked.

I didn’t want to think about the future, what it entailed. I blanked my mind and focused instead on her. The softness of her hair, the light freckles across her cheeks that only I could get close enough to see, the reflection of starlight in her eyes as she peered up at me.

“You’re good enough,” I told her. “More than good enough.”

“Theo…”

“I meant what I said before. At dinner. If he doesn’t see what a wonderful person you are, then that’s on him.”

She caressed my cheek. “You mean that?”

“Have I ever lied to you?”

Ava leaned forward and pressed her lips to mine, her hands flat against my chest. I embraced her, raking my fingers through her hair. It was a sweet kiss, so soft it was barely there. Yet it meant everything.

Shewas everything.

It wasn’t long before our chaste kisses simply weren’t enough. Ava crawled onto my lap, straddling me between her thighs. I no longer minded the chill of the night air; I was too wrapped up in her warmth and scent and taste to care. I staved off the uncertainties of the future and decided that this —being present for her— was more than enough.

“I have no opinion,” she said.

“What?”

“When you were asked if I was pretty, you said you had no opinion.”

I smirked. “I just said that to get him off my back.”

“So what do you really think?”

“You’re not pretty.”

Ava pulled back. “What?”

“You’re beautiful,” I corrected, grinning. “Gorgeous. Breathtaking.”

She giggled, hitting me playfully on the shoulder. “Jerk.”

“You’re feisty, too.”

“Yeah? You like when I’m feisty?”

I nodded. “And you’re intelligent. Talented beyond measure. An amazing person.”

When her eyes glossed over, I thought I said something wrong. Ava clutched my shirt and leaned in closer, pressing her forehead to mine. “But am I disappointment?” she asked, voice tight and on the verge of cracking.

I held her so tight, I was afraid I’d break her. “Never,” I assured.

“And am I a good girl?”

“The best.”

She kissed me hard after that, feverish and ravenous. She moaned loudly, no longer required to keep her volume under control. Ava rolled her hips against me, instantly making my cock harden. It throbbed uncomfortably in the confines of my pants.

I reached between us, slipping my hand beneath her shirt to feel the silky softness of her stomach. I massaged her breasts, pulling her bra to the side to tease her nipples. They hardened against the cold air. She looked like a snack, one that I wanted to devour whole.

“Such a good girl,” I murmured, reaching down the front of her pants. I slid my fingers between her folds and marveled at how wet she was. “Do you want to make me happy?”

She nodded, licking her lips. “Yes, please. Tell me what to do.”

“Take your clothes off.”

“H-here? What if someone—”

I shushed her. “There’s no one around, baby girl. It’s just us. Do you trust me?”

She nodded again, moving to undo her belt. “Yes. More than anyone else in the world.”