Page 5 of Deacon (Men of Clifton, Montana #52)

His hands moved to her breasts, gently kneading them, his thumbs brushing over her nipples until they were hard and begging for his mouth.

“Deacon,” she gasped, her head falling back as she felt him fill her completely as his hands gripped her hips, guiding her movements as she began to ride him, the sound of their moans and gasps filled the room.

Her nipples were hard and begging for attention.

Deacon sat up, capturing one in his mouth, sucking and licking until she cried out in pleasure.

“Oh, God,” she moaned, her hands tangling in his hair as she rode him harder, faster.

His hands moved to her ass, gripping her cheeks as he thrust up into her, driving his cock deeper with every stroke. The bed creaked beneath them, as they lost themselves in the heat of the moment.

“Deacon,” Ava gasped, her body trembling as the pleasure built inside her.

“Let go, baby.” Deacon growled, his hands tightening on her ass as he fucked her harder. He pressed his lips to hers, taking them in a deep, passionate kiss.

Her body convulsed as she came hard. Deacon wasn’t far behind, as he buried himself deep inside her.

They collapsed together, their bodies slick with sweat, their breaths coming in ragged gasps. Ava rested her head against his chest, her fingers tracing lazy circles on his skin.

“That was amazing,” she murmured, a satisfied smile playing on her lips.

“Yes, it was,” he replied, his hand sliding down to cup her ass once more. “Now I need to get some rest. I have to leave before sunrise.”

“Okay.” She kissed his lips, rolled off him, while he made his way into the bathroom, then she fell asleep.

The following morning as she watched him get dressed, he stared at her. It was too bad they lived hours apart. She wouldn’t mind seeing him again, but they had agreed to one night and she wouldn’t pressure him. If they lived in the same town…

Once he dressed, he sat on the edge of the bed, brushed her hair from her face, and she smiled at him.

“You don’t have many buttons left on that shirt,” she said with a grin.

“I’m sure housekeeping will pick them up. I’m just glad it’s early enough that not many people will be up.”

“Yeah, I’m sure they’d know why your shirt is missing buttons.”

Deacon grinned. “No doubt. I need to go. I had a great time,” he said .

“Me too.” She sat up and the sheet dropping to her waist and he stared at her breasts. He chuckled and shook his head.

“I have to go. I wish I could stay a little longer, but I have to find out where those men are.” He touched her cheek. “I will never forget last night, Ava. I hope you get all you wish for in life.”

Ava’s arms wrapped around him in a hug. “You too, Deacon. I’ll never forget you or last night. Please be safe.”

He got to his feet, picked up his hat, and placed it on his head.

“Yes, ma’am.” After looking at her for a few seconds, he nodded, then walked out the door, closing it behind him.

Ava snapped back to the present and shook her head.

She should have told him. He deserved to know he had a child.

She’d been shocked when she found out she was pregnant since Deacon used a condom every time, but she also knew they weren’t one hundred percent safe, so she knew the shock he was feeling and they would have to sit down and talk.

She prayed he wouldn’t fight her for custody, she’d let him into Ellie’s life as often as he needed or wanted to be.

****

By the time Deke pulled up in front of the hotel, it was dark and with heat still roiling through his veins, he sat in the driver’s seat and stared at the streetlights dancing in the windshield.

What the hell had just happened? Why hadn’t Ava told him about their daughter?

He closed his eyes for a moment, picturing that wide-eyed little girl’s face and feeling a punch of regret mixed with anger.

His daughter. His heart thundered in his chest. He’d dreamed of kids for years, and now she’d kept this from him for close to three years?

What the fuck? She should have gotten in touch with him the second she knew she was pregnant.

Every second he’d been in the dark was another betrayal.

He slapped a hand against the steering wheel.

“Damn it,” he muttered into the silence, voice rough as gravel.

“We used a condom every time.” He knew condoms weren’t infallible.

Why hadn’t Ava taken birth control? He inhaled sharply, forcing himself to let go of some of the blame.

It was no one’s fault about the pregnancy, but she shouldn’t have kept it from him.

With a low groan, he climbed out of the truck, the hot air prickling his skin.

Inside the lobby’s soft light, he padded across the carpeted floor to the elevator and rode quietly up to his room.

Hunger gnawed at his stomach; exhaustion tugged at his eyelids, and he knew sleep would evade him tonight.

He let himself in and flopped onto the bed, kicked off his boots, mind racing with what-ifs and maybes. But duty called. He had a case to solve, and that case wouldn’t wait for him to sort out his personal life.

A rumble in his belly reminded him of one thing, he needed to eat. He wanted a burger. He’d never tasted one as good as Connie’s at the Clifton Diner, but a greasy patty and a soft bun sounded like heaven right now.

He sat up, swung his legs over the mattress edge, and tugged on his boots. As he reached for his keys on the nightstand, his phone lit up, vibrating against the wood. He picked it up and saw Hud’s name on the screen.

“Hey, Hud,” he answered, voice unsteady.

“How’d the trip go?”

“Trip was fine,” Deke said, shifting on the bed. “But once I got here… not so much.”

“What happened?”

He closed his eyes, pressing the phone to his ear. “I’ll tell you once I’ve come to terms with it. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. I’ll be back tomorrow. I’ve got enough info on the case for now.”

“All right. See you tomorrow.”

He heard the click as the call ended and let the phone slip from his fingers. His brothers and his father would have to know. He’d tell them about Ellie in his own time.

Deke squared his shoulders, pushed off the bed, and strode out of the room.

The evening air was hot against his skin as he crossed the street to the diner’s neon glow.

Inside, the familiar clink of dishes and the scent of sizzling beef greeted him.

He slid into a vinyl booth, leaned back, and closed his eyes a moment before signaling the server.

He studied the menu, though he knew he’d order the same thing, a cheeseburger with extra pickles, crispy fries and a cold soda.

He was determined, once he’d cracked this case, he and Ava would have to figure out what came next.

He wanted nothing more than to be a part of his daughter’s life.

And if Ava resisted, he swore he’d do whatever it took to claim his place by Ellie’s side.

He left early the next morning, ready to go home. When he pulled up to his house, he shut the truck off, and sat there. Shaking his head, he stepped out, entered the house and carried his duffle bag to his bedroom where he dropped it on the floor.

Making his way back to the living room, he sat on the sofa and stared into the empty hearth.

“Damn her,” he swore, as he leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

How was this going to work? He wanted to see Ellie every chance he got but between his job and the five hour drive, one way, he wasn’t sure how.

Deke sat up, rested his arms on his knees and knew, for right now, he had a case to finish before he could even think about working something out with Ava. But, they were going to work on this and try to come to some solution because he was not going to walk away from his daughter.

****

Early in the morning, Ava woke up and immediately wondered if Deacon had already left town.

She dragged herself out of bed and stumbled into the kitchen, craving a cup of coffee to start her day.

As she sipped her coffee, there was a knock on the door.

With a sigh, she made her way over and peeked through the curtain to see her father standing outside. She opened the door with a smile.

“Hi, Dad, come in. Do you want some coffee?” she asked as she headed into the kitchen.

“No thanks. Ellie still asleep?”

Ava leaned against the counter, taking another sip of her coffee before nodding .

“Yes. What do you want to say?” she asked, cocking her head.

Her father sighed. “Deke does seem like a good man.”

“I know,” she shrugged. “I thought so from the moment I met him.”

“So, what are you going to do?”

“As of right now, I’m not sure. He has to work on this case for you. He said he’d get back with me once he did.”

“Well, you have to let him see his child, Ava. You know it wasn’t right to keep it from him, and I’m disappointed that you lied to me about the father.”

“What was I supposed to tell you? ‘Oh, hey, Dad, I had a one-night stand and now I’m pregnant’?”

“It would have been better than lying to me. You know how I feel about that.”

“I do, but I felt I had no choice.”

“I know that now, but you should know that you can tell me anything. I should probably head back to the office now. I have some calls to make.” He turned toward the door.

“Oh, by the way, where were you last Saturday night?” Ava asked with a mischievous grin.

He turned back to face her. “Excuse me?”

“You were out late. I’ve been meaning to ask, but got busy.”

“I just went out. Alone,” he replied, avoiding her gaze.

Ava laughed. “Now, who’s lying?”

“Are you calling your father a liar?”

“Yep.”

“I have to go,” he said as he opened the door and stepped onto the porch before closing the door behind him .

Ava chuckled as she watched him stroll across the yard through the window. She grabbed the handle and pulled the door open, stepping out into the warm sunlight.

“I’ll find out,” she hollered after him, laughing when he shook his head in response.

As she closed the door, she shook her head. She had some contracts to review and needed to order feed for the animals. After finishing her coffee, she planned on taking a shower before diving into work.

****

Deke walked into the office and saw his coworkers hard at work at their desks. He made his way to his own desk, took off his hat, and hung it on the rack. After pulling out his chair and sitting down, he looked up at the sound of Dave saying his name.

“Good morning, Dave.”

“Deke. How was the trip?”

“I have some photos to go through. Looks like whoever did this used two large trucks with trailers. They definitely knew what they were after.”

“Did you find out if Hollister has any enemies?”

“Yeah, I’ll check into that after I enter these tracks.”

“Good. Sorry I had to send you on this, but Autumn Falls needed our help.”

“It’s no problem, Dave. It’s only a five-hour drive. Well, usually. I got caught in traffic because of an accident and it took me twice as long.”

“At least it wasn’t a wasted trip. I’m heading to grab breakfast, didn’t have time this morning.”

“Alright, Dave.”

Deke entered the tire information into the database and let it run its course.

“Hey.”

Deke looked up to see his brother, Hud, standing next to his desk.

“Hey, Hud. What’s going on?”

“Not much. Heading out to Hartland to investigate some missing horses. What is happening with all these thefts lately?”

“There does seem to be an increase.”

“Yeah. If I get back in time, want to grab lunch together?”

“Sounds good.”

“Good because I want to know what happened in Maple Ridge.”

“I’ll tell you.”

“Okay, I’ll text you when I know for sure about lunch.”

“Be careful out there.”

“Always.” Hud nodded and left the office.

Deke’s eyes were glued to the computer screen as it searched through countless files. Finally, it stopped when it found a match. He sat up straighter and stared at the tires. With this new information, he entered it into the search for what type of vehicle the tires fit.

Next, he scanned for where these particular tires were sold and who purchased them in or near Maple Ridge, Montana.

“Son of a bitch,” he muttered when he saw the name Winchester on one of the receipts. The tires had been bought in Missoula three months ago. Deke sent the information to the printer, pushed his chair back, walked across the room to retrieve the paper, and then called Dave.

After discussing it with him, Deke made his way to his desk, grabbed his hat off the rack, and left the office. He stepped inside the elevator and called Hud.

“Hey, I won’t be able to make it to lunch,” Hud answered.

“Me neither. I’m heading back to Maple Ridge early tomorrow morning. I have to take care of some things at the house then get some rest. I’ve discovered who those tire tracks belong to.”

“Well, that’s good news. Alright, let me know if you need anything.”

“I will. I’m going to call Case to let him know. Talk to you later.”

“Okay, be careful.” Hud hung up.

Deke then called his younger brother.

“Hey, Deke. What’s up?”

“I just wanted to let you know that I’m going back to Maple Ridge in the morning.”

After explaining everything to his younger brother, Deke hung up and drove home to pack.

“Damn, you just got back,” he shook his head as he entered his house and headed toward his bedroom. “You shouldn’t have unpacked.”

Grabbing the duffle bag from his closet, he quickly stuffed some jeans, T-shirts, socks and underwear into it.

He wasn’t sure how long he would be staying in Maple Ridge, so he packed enough to last for a while.

He picked up his laptop, stuffed it inside the duffle bag, and placed the bag beside the front door.

The only good thing about going back was that he would get to see Ellie again, and he was looking forward to that.