“Ava stays here,” Jett spoke up.
“Ava will do what she wants,” Ava replied easily as she stretched up and kissed his cheek. “Remember?”
“Ava will do what she wants,” Jett amended his earlier statement as he wrapped his arms around her. “Which means Ava will stay here.”
“I’m hungry,” Red said to no one before Ava killed her boyfriend. “And I need to call Wade and explain why I wasn’t at practice.”
“I can make food,” Quinn declared as she stood. “Everyone okay to eat what I make?”
A chorus of agreements resonated around the room, but I watched Red as she slipped out of the bedroom. With a quick look behind me, I followed her into my room.
Her back was to me as she dug through her purse, and she didn’t hear me close and lock the door.
“Hey,” I greeted as I crossed the room to stand behind her. “Are you okay?”
Looking at me over her shoulder, she shrugged. “It’s been one of the stranger days, that’s for sure.”
“Harassment in the morning, sound detection in the afternoon, and Onyx Santo in the evening. What more can you want?”
Red laughed at my blunt recap. “Yeah,” she sighed. “It’s been a day.”
Looking down at her, I realized she hadn’t moved away from me, and there was barely any room to move. “Day’s not over yet.”
I saw her reaction as she rubbed her lips together. Pushing her hair behind her ear, she glanced at me and then dropped her gaze to my throat. “I want to go back to my apartment.”
“I’ll move you back myself tomorrow.”
Red tipped her head back to look at me. “Are you coming with me?”
“To stay?”
“Well, not forever,” she teased.
“No, not forever. It really is quite sm— compact,” I corrected myself.
Red gave me a rueful shake of her head. “You’re just too big.”
Hooking my hand around her waist, I pulled her into me. “You never complained about my size before,” I whispered as I dipped my head into her neck, my lips covering her pulse.
Red let out a little huff as I pushed my hands under her sweater, one hand slipping under her jeans to stroke her lower back. “What are you doing?”
“Hmm?” My teeth nipped at her ear lobe.
“Are you seducing me?”
“Am I?” My other hand moved slowly up her back and unclipped her bra. “I don’t think I am.”
“Ash . . .” She stopped talking when I pulled her sweater over her head before I pulled the loose bra straps from her shoulders, over her arms, and dropped it to the ground.
“There they are.” Nudging her shoulder gently, I caught her as she stumbled, and lowered her to the bed. Red pushed herself up the bed, and I followed her up. Sitting back on my heels, I unsnapped her jeans and then lowered the zipper.
“What are we doing?” Red asked me quietly as I tapped her hip to let her know to lift her butt, which she did easily and without protest.
“Hmm?” Pulling the jeans down, I was left with her braless and only in a pair of pink lacy panties. I saw the damp spot, and reaching out, my thumb traced around it slowly. Her breath hitched, and I was torn between looking at my covered prize or up at her.
“Can you stop not answering me and answer me.”
“You sound a little breathless,” I teased as I dipped my head between her legs and let my tongue cover the dampness.
