I watch her tilt the can back and drain half of it in one long swallow. “Didn’t take you for a stoner,” I say, smirking. “But hey. No judgment.”
She wipes her mouth with the back of a hand and sets the can on the counter. “As if you could ever judge me,” she scoffs, rolling her eyes.
I cock a brow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
She shrugs, then stretches her arms overhead, the movement making her shirt ride up just enough to reveal a thin strip of soft skin at her waist. “You just don’t seem like the gold standard for moral fortitude, Ford.”
I pretend to be wounded for half a second, but inside, I’m genuinely pleased. She’s learning. Getting harder, sharper,meaner. I’d love to take the credit, but it seems the Dollhouse did most of the heavy lifting.
“Alright, pretty girl,” I say, pushing out of the recliner and setting my laptop on the side table. “That’s enough backtalk from you. It’s bedtime.”
She lets out an incredulous laugh, warm and a little breathy. “What? It’s like eight p.m.”
“Yeah,” I murmur, prowling toward her. “And I haven’t had you in my bed for over a week. Gotta make up for lost time, Ava baby.”
She folds her arms, arching a brow like she’s daring me to try something. I don’t bother with pretense. I just march right up to her, scoop her up, and toss her over my shoulder in one smooth motion.
Ava yelps, legs kicking as she pounds her fists against my back. “Put me down, asshole!”
I laugh, ignoring the blows. They land light, more for show than anything else. I know what it feels like when she actually fights me, and unfortunately this isn’t it.
I carry her down the hall, her hair whipping my lower back and her curses getting more creative with every step. I’m half-hard by the time we reach my door, hip-checking it open and stepping inside. By the time I knock the door closed and lower her back down to her feet, I’m fully there.
Ava shoves her hair out of her face, glaring up at me. “Are you insane?”
I flip the lock and lean back against the door, crossing my arms. “Strip.”
Her jaw drops. “Excuse me?”
I tilt my head, studying her like I’ve got all the patience in the world. “Come on, Ava baby. We can do this the easy way or the hard way, but they both end with you naked in my bed.” My gazedrifts slowly over her from head to toe. “Might as well save the energy for making each other come.”
She blushes immediately, though she tries to hide it with a scowl. “I’m still mad at you,” she huffs, folding her arms over her chest.
“I know,” I say, grinning. “How bout you take that anger out on my dick?”
Her mouth drops open in indignation, and I immediately step forward and catch her chin, pressing her tongue down with two fingers. “Don’t even try to act like you don’t want it,” I growl. “You’ve been eye-fucking me from the second you walked in tonight, baby.”
Ava’s blush deepens, brown eyes sparking with something deliciously mischievous as her lips close around my fingers. She hollows out her cheeks, the warm wetness of her mouth enveloping my digits as she sucks hard.
My cock jumps behind my zipper, head dropping back on a groan.
Then she bites.
Her teeth clamp down viciously on my fingers, but I barely even flinch, a delighted laugh rumbling in my chest.
“My girl wants it rough today, huh?” I muse, catching her hair with my free hand and winding it around my fist. I yank her head back sharply, the shock of it making her unclamp her jaw and free my fingers. Then I bend her even further backwards, lowering my face down until it’s barely an inch from hers. My mouth curls at the corners as I murmur, “Why didn’t you say so?”
She chokes on a gasp as I release her, stepping back while she stumbles to regain her balance. I peel off my t-shirt as I start backing toward the bed, then kick off my sweatpants, left only in my boxer briefs when I sink down onto the edge.
I don’t miss the way her pupils flare as her eyes roam over my bare chest, mapping out the sharp lines of muscle and ink.
“Go on,” I coax, leaning back on my palms to give her a better view, inclining my chin. “Let me see that sexy body.”
“You’re an actual psychopath, you know that?” she mutters, still trying to pretend she’s not into this.
She grabs the hem of her shirt and yanks it off over her head with a dramatic huff. It falls to the ground, and in an instant she becomes a walking porn fantasy clad in just her bra, little plaid skirt, and knee socks.
Fuck.
