Ava went down on me. My heart hammered in exhilaration as she moved her mouth over my cock. I couldn’t help but shove my hands into her wet hair. There was something purely sexual about feeling the motions of her head as she moved. My fingers trailed down as far as I could reach— to the back of her neck— and I touched the chain of her key necklace.
She moaned and sucked me harder, and I went spiraling into an orgasm. My whole body quivered as euphoria washed over me. Hell, she was incredible.
Ava swallowed. I practically melted into the forest floor as she came to curl into my arms once more. The rain had let up a little, but I didn’t mind it. We could’ve been curled up on a king bed in a penthouse suite, for all I knew. All that mattered was Ava.
“You like that, huh?” I asked.
“You taste good,” she admitted in a blissful whisper. “I think it’s sexy.”
I pulled her tighter. “I thinkyou’resexy.”
“You, too.” She relaxed into me. We continued to let the rain pelt our naked bodies, moisture dotting over our skin. I ran my fingers over her hips and made trails in the water, feeling like life couldn’t get any more perfect than this.
We must’ve stayed that way for another twenty minutes before the rain let up. Oberi came scampering back into our little corner of the woods, his paws making squishing noises in muddy puddles.
“Oberi, you’re filthy!” Ava cried. Oberi shook out his fur, and I felt a bit of mud splash my face. He must’ve found a puddle and rolled in it.
“Bad dog,” I scolded. Oberi barked, and I heard his paw hit mud. A chunk of dirt smacked my nose, and I scowled as I wiped it off.
“We should probably get dressed and head back,” Ava suggested. “We’ve been gone a long time.”
I didn’t want to leave. This little moss bed was a perfect, private little slice of the Institute. Here, I could forget that we were locked up.
But Ava was right. We had to get back, before people started to wonder where we were. Though our clothes were wet, we pulled them back and headed back to the Institute. I clenched my fists and held my breath the entire way, hoping Ava was too happy to notice what I’d done.
“That was fun,” Ava remarked when we got back to the building. “We should do it again sometime.”
I smiled. “Definitely.”
Ava stood on her toes and kissed my cheek, before we went our separate ways. Oberi followed her. It wasn’t until I could no longer hear the click of her heels or the scratch of Oberi’s paws that I finally dropped my shoulders. She hadn’t noticed the key missing from around her neck— or the fact that I’d been clutching it the whole way back.
I placed my hands in my pockets and deposited the key there. I hated that I had to deceive her, but it was what had to be done. It was the only way to save her from the prophecy.
Now all I had to do was destroy the key.
Chapter Eighteen
Ava-Marie
My head buzzed, and my whole body was warm with the aftereffect of mine and Charlie’s exploration of each other’s bodies in the woods. I’d never been authentic with somebody else like that. What had happened with John was in the forest, but this was so different. It was like the rain falling from above washed my fears away. I could be vulnerable without the worry of having something being taken from me, be open to Charlie while knowing I wasn’t being manipulated or used. I was entranced by the thought of the rain dripping across Charlie’s skin, down his broad shoulders and abs, and across his perfect dick.
And the sight of his nice, supple ass as he went down on me underneath the rain clouds. I smiled with the memory as I washed the moss and mud out of my hair in the showers that evening. Everything had been so magical. I was still humming with the pleasure of it as I dried off my hair in my cell, wishing I could go back in time and relive the moment all over again.
My hands froze when I realized something was missing. My key. It wasn’t around my neck.
My heart stuttered. Maybe I had taken it off in the shower and forgotten about it. I rushed back to the communal showers, but the key wasn’t anywhere in sight. I felt my eyes begin to water, and panic grew hot in my throat. I ran back to my cell and began throwing things aside, desperately searching for my key.
It wasn’t anywhere. Where had it gone? Had I misplaced it somewhere in the Lair? I could’ve sworn I had it on me when I left. But if it wasn’t there, and it wasn’there, where else could it be?
I needed that key. It was priceless. It wasn’t just a precious item that could help us with the prophecy and open the gate to Forevermore. It was a family heirloom, a symbol of Daddy’s love for Mama. I couldn’t lose it. It meanteverythingto me.
I didn’t sleep. I tore my cell apart that night, looking for my key. By morning, my stuff was in a heap around my room, and I was a crying mess. I didn’t knowwhereit could be.
There was a knock on my door. “Ava? What’s wrong?”
Charlie had heard my wailing. He stepped into my cell. His face twisted into concern. I staggered to my feet and wiped my face with my sleeve, which didn’t do much good, because I was still crying.
“I’m so upset,” I sobbed. “My key is missing!”
