Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 110113 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 551(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 367(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110113 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 551(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 367(@300wpm)
My phone dings. My stomach drops.
AVA BARTLETT
Thought you said you were going to eat me for breakfast?
Dick perking right the fuck up, I grin.
SAWYER RIVERS
I’m a three square meals a day kinda guy. 5pm too early? I’ll pick you up
AVA BARTLETT
5pm is our usual dinner time so this is perfect. Let me text my nanny to see if she’s free.
BTW Junie was all smiles at pickup. She talked nonstop about how much fun she had with her BFF Yella
SAWYER RIVERS
Funny, Yella did the same thing. Apparently Mrs. Sherman said they were inseparable. I was bummed to miss you at pickup
AVA BARTLETT
How was your day?
SAWYER RIVERS
Long
AVA BARTLETT
As long as your was this morning?
I burst out laughing.
SAWYER RIVERS
You like torturing me don’t you?
AVA BARTLETT
I think Mr straightedge likes to be edged
SAWYER RIVERS
By you? Fuck yes I do
How was your day
AVA BARTLETT
Much better after coffee.
SAWYER RIVERS
You should have coffee every day then. Preferably with me
AVA BARTLETT
Oh! Just heard from my nanny. She’s free on Sat! What do I wear? Obvs will leave the underwear and bra at home
I resist the urge to type out God I love you.
My heart palpitates. Since when is that word part of my Ava-associated vocabulary? I know better than to get in too deep, too fast. But when it comes to her, I feel like I’m standing on a steep slope that keeps collapsing under my feet. Leaves me scrambling to find my balance.
Do I fight to stay upright? Or do I surrender?
What if I’m already on my knees?
My heart’s beating two hundred times a minute. I take a deep breath. Another. And another. There is no need to panic, right? This is Ava. Being with her is easy. Fun.
It’s good for me.
SAWYER RIVERS
But then I can’t add them to my collection
AVA BARTLETT
You’ve stolen enough of my underwear. And Junie’s too.
SAWYER RIVERS
Shit, forgot to give that back to you. I’ll send it in with Ella tomorrow.
For Saturday, wear a coat. Looks like it should be warm but just in case
AVA BARTLETT
This sounds interesting
SAWYER RIVERS
We’ll stay warm somehow
AVA BARTLETT
I have some ideas
SAWYER RIVERS
Hot cocoa?
AVA BARTLETT
Haha yes exactly. I do love chocolate
SAWYER RIVERS
Noted
AVA BARTLETT
Do you have a sweet tooth?
SAWYER RIVERS
I do. My mom loved to bake
AVA BARTLETT
Aw. Junie loves to bake with Mrs. Wallace. It’s really cute. Ella will have to come over and join them!
SAWYER RIVERS
She’d love that
AVA BARTLETT
Maybe Wednesday after school?
SAWYER RIVERS
Should work for us
AVA BARTLETT
Great. Now can we sext?
I laugh again, my dick getting hard at just the thought of all the naughty shit Ava will no doubt come up with. Girl does not give two shits about propriety or playing it cool. She wants what she wants, and she’s not afraid to ask for it.
She’s a breath of fresh air, one I didn’t know I needed until I reach under the covers and slide my hand inside my briefs.
SAWYER RIVERS
thought you’d never ask
And then, because I know she won’t be turned off or offended, I add:
now send me a pic of your tits
AVA BARTLETT
only if you send me one of your
I’m always fucking laughing with this woman. Tossing aside the blankets, I hold up my phone and snap a photo. I send it to her, pulse going haywire as I wonder vaguely if this is the third best night of my life. The first, of course, being the night Ella was born. The second was Austin.
SAWYER RIVERS
because my girl always gets what she wants
AVA BARTLETT
I want you, cowboy
CHAPTER 19
Ava
KNOCKIN’ BOOTS
Ringing the doorbell, I step back to admire the enormous limestone mansion.
It’s got to be at least six, even seven thousand square feet, with a slick metal roof and huge steel windows that glint in the morning light.
Sally told me Lucky River Ranch is an exceptionally beautiful property, but I was still unprepared for just how stunning it is. From the moment I drove through the main entrance—it’s different from the one I used to go to Sawyer’s house—I couldn’t stop staring.
The ranch is green, lush in a way I wasn’t expecting. It’s clear the dramatic landscape of canyons, cliffs, and springs has been lovingly cared for, and my pulse won’t stop skipping at the thought of Sawyer being part of such an incredible stewardship.
Makes sense that Sawyer would take excellent care of his family’s land. Look at the way the man cares for his family.
The way he cares for me. Even while we were sexting the other night, he made sure I came first. He turned me on, but I could tell he was careful not to make me uncomfortable. He constantly asked you like that? Or is that too much?
Oh, cowboy, I’d wanted to text back, it’s never too much. In fact, with you, I’m discovering it’s never enough.
I blink, yanked from my daydream when a gorgeous blonde woman opens the door.
“Ava! Hi! I’m so glad you could make it. I’m Mollie Luck. Please, come in.”