Ethan (Face-Off Book 5)

by Jillian Quinn

  He stops when I can’t take any more and glances up at me, his lips covered in my juices. He licks every bit from his lips before sucking his fingers clean. “Mmm… you taste good. But I’m nowhere near done with you.”

  I release my grip on his hair and sink back against the cabinet to collect myself. “Good,” I whisper. “Because I want more.”

  He places his hands on my thighs and pushes himself up. “What do you want, Mia? I want you to say it.”

  I hook my leg around his back and dig my heel into his toned ass. “I want you to fuck me. I want that hate fuck I’ve been waiting years for.”

  He snickers. “I don’t hate you. Never did.”

  “Well, I’ve hated you for a long time, so give me what I want. Fuck every last ounce of hatred from my body. This is it. Your only chance. Give it to me, E. Fuck me like one of your puck bunnies.”

  Ethan drags his thumb across my bottom lip. “You have such a dirty mouth for a goody-two-shoes. Do you know what I do to dirty girls?”

  I shake my head. “No. Why don’t you show me?”

  He tugs at my shirt, practically ripping it off my body in one fell swoop, the lace bra I’d worn for the occasion falling to the floor along with my top. With my breasts exposed to the cold air, my nipples grow harder. But it’s not until Ethan massages them between his fingers that the tiny buds become so taut a sensation of pure pleasure rocks through my body.

  He bends down to suck on my nipple, taking it between his teeth and nibbling on it while massaging my other breast. A hint of pain washes over me in waves. But I don’t care. With each bite of my nipples, I come undone. I lose control of myself.

  Ethan kisses his way up my chest and to my mouth, leaving soft kisses on my skin as he continues to navigate my body with his rough, calloused hands. His massive erection digs into my thigh, long and hard and so perfect. I reach between my legs to touch his sensitive skin, stroking his shaft with both hands. He moans into my mouth, a few obscenities escaping his lips.

  “I’ve gone easy on you,” he says between kisses. “Are you sure you’re ready?”

  I nod. “Yes, give it to me. I want it all.”

  He grabs me by the hips and pulls me off the counter so fast my head spins. I wasn’t expecting that. With a firm grip, he presses his fingers into my skin, burrowing so deep he could leave his mark on me.

  “Turn around.” His voice comes off like a growl, as he moves one of his hands to my shoulder and spins me around.

  Without hesitation, I lean my forearms on the counter and lift my ass, giving him the perfect view.

  He rubs his hand over each cheek, caressing my skin. “Good girl.”

  Ethan pins me down with his muscular body, the tip of his cock pressed between my cheeks and teasing my opening. “Is this what you want?”

  “Yes,” I mutter, breathless. “More than anything.”

  He slides his hand beneath my chin and tilts my head back until our eyes meet. Consumed by the hold he has over my mind and body, I block out the noise from the floor below us, and the ambulance sirens blaring from a distance. I even ignore the jiggling of the front door handle. It’s not until a loud bang followed by Will’s voice that I come out of my Ethan-induced coma.

  “Mia, open up.” Will slams his fist into the door once more. “I don’t have a key.”

  “Fuck,” Ethan says under his breath. “He was supposed to be gone until morning.”

  I stare up at Ethan in horror. “So much for having one night together.”

  He looks as if he wants to jump out the window. I wish I could, too. In a hurry, we bend over to retrieve our clothes, balling the material in our hands.

  “Go hide in the bathroom,” I tell Ethan. “I’ll deal with Will. Better yet, sleep in my room tonight, and I’ll take the couch. It’s better if Will thinks you’re sleeping already.”

  “No, he’ll get suspicious if I sleep in your bed. I’ll take the guest room.”

  “Mia, C'mon,” Will shouts. “Open the door, baby sis.”

  Ethan steals one last kiss, a quick peck that leaves me wanting more. I have to push him away, so I don’t have the urge to kiss him again. He’s too tempting, intoxicating, an illness that has no cure.

  As he walks away from me, I admire his perfect backside and muscles that define every inch of his back and shoulders. My heart beats hard against my chest, the longing and desire still burning my skin.

  Damn you, Will.

  With my eyes on Ethan, I allow myself one last look as I slip my skirt over my hips and slide my panties up my thighs. I skip the bra, hiding it in one of the cabinets, and throw my shirt over my head on my way to the door. I give myself a once over in the mirror on the wall and smooth a hand down the front of my shirt and skirt. This is as good as it’s going to get.

  The second I unlatch the lock, Will stumbles inside, reeking of sex and alcohol. Or maybe I’m the one who smells of sex. It’s hard to tell.

  “About damn time,” Will hisses as he steps inside. “I was about to get an Uber.”

  I lock the door and spin around to watch him stagger into the living room. “Where would you have gone? Your apartment is trashed.”

  With his back to me, he shrugs. “A hotel. What difference does it make?”

  “I thought you were staying with those girls.”

  “Nah. They’re boring.” Before he hits the couch, he changes his course of direction. “I’m hungry. Got any leftovers from dinner?”

  I follow behind Will and into the kitchen. He opens the fridge and peeks inside. The light casts a shadow in the darkness, drawing my attention to the condom wrapper Ethan left on the countertop.

  Shit.

  In full-on stealth mode, I slide the foil package off the counter. Will removes an extra plate of veal parmesan and spaghetti from the top shelf in the fridge, too busy contemplating his next meal to notice. Or so I think.

  He narrows his eyes at me. “What are you doing? You’re acting weird.”

  “Nothing.”

  Will tilts his head to the side. “What’s in your hand?”

  Fuck. How do I explain this? Oh, it’s no big deal, Will. I open condoms all the time for no reason. No, I don’t think so.

  I tuck the condom into the back of my skirt and hold up my hands. “I told you. Nothing.”

  “Meh.” He offers me the plate of food. “Want some? There’s enough for both of us.”

  Dodged that bullet.

  I shake my head. “Nope, I think I’m gonna get some sleep. Ethan took the guest bedroom, so that leaves you with the couch.”

  Will pops the plate into the microwave and hits a few buttons. “Whatever. I’m cool with the couch. I told E we can take turns sleeping in the bed.”

  I glance up at the clock on the wall and frown at the time. “I have to get to bed. Try not to make too much noise out here. My shift starts in three hours, and I need at least a nap to function properly.”

  “Sounds good.” Will turns around with his back against the counter and folds his arms over his chest, waiting for the pasta to cook. “Night-night, baby sis.”

  I suck in a deep breath, thankful Will didn’t catch me with Ethan or the condom. Awkward.

  “Night, big bro. Tomorrow, remind me to have a key made for you. I won’t be home until around eight o’clock. Go ahead and eat dinner without me.”

  “You shouldn’t work so much,” he shoots back. “Some of the shit you do is dangerous. I’d feel better if you knew how to protect yourself.”

  “I have to work hard if I want to make a name for myself. If anyone should understand that, it should be you. Your life is anything but conventional.”

  He nods. “I get it. Remember to have some fun every once in a while. Don’t work yourself to death. Be careful.”

  I force a smile. “Always.”

  He calls me all the time to check up on me. With Will living in my apartment, he’s seeing for himself how dysfunctional I am. I prioritize work above everything else. That’s why ton
ight was so important. One night of fun with Ethan was all I’d wanted. Too bad it went to shit before anything between us could even begin.

  The microwave dings, the obnoxious sound echoing throughout the apartment. Will retrieves the hot plate and makes a hissing sound when the ceramic burns his fingers. He steps back, almost dropping his food on the floor, but he recovers nicely. He sets the plate on the table and pulls out a chair.

  “Enjoy your food.” I turn my back to Will and walk out of the kitchen. “I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

  He mumbles something with a full mouth. I have no idea what he said nor do I care.

  I have to be alone. I need time to process what happened between Ethan and me. Time to process what tonight means for us.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Ethan

  My body aches from the lack of sleep. The gnawing pain that comes back to haunt me sometimes is shooting down my arm and leg. Drawing my stick back, I slap the puck, but my aim is off. It hits the boards behind the net, and before the other team has the chance, Tyler Kane retrieves it. Kane dodges the defenseman attempting to block his shot and taps the puck between his legs to Will.

  This time, Will reaches the net. The puck sails past the goaltender’s skate, and the goal horn sounds throughout the arena. I slap the helmets and backs of my teammates, celebrating our first win of the postseason. Less than a minute is left on the game clock. The chances of the Capitals beating us is slim to none, though not entirely out of the question. I had nothing to do with this win. In fact, my shitty playing could’ve cost us. Luckily, it didn’t.

  Over five years ago, Alex Parker was traded to the Flyers from the Caps. He exchanges a few words with one of his former teammates, a guy he used to live with back in D.C. before he skates back to the bench with us.

  “Nice shot, Romeo,” Parker says to Will, nudging him in the arm with his elbow.

  Will grins. “Thanks, man.”

  We look up to Kane, Parker, and Donovan more than the other players on the team. They have more experience and time in the league, and because of their close relationship, it’s helped build our young team up to secure our position in the playoffs. And I feel like I’m blowing it for my team.

  On our way back to the bench, Will skates alongside me and taps me on the arm with his glove. “Dude, what’s up with you?”

  I shrug off his concern. “Nothing.”

  “Your head wasn’t in the game,” he counters.

  We take our places on the bench and drop or sticks.

  I strip off my gloves and then my helmet, wiping the sweat from my brows. “I’m just tired. I haven’t slept much since the apartment flooded.”

  After the other night, thoughts of Mia have taken over my mind. No matter how much I try to shake our encounter in her kitchen, I can’t seem to find my focus. I never allow distractions to get in the way of my game. But Mia is a hard woman to forget.

  “Me, too,” Will says, dropping his gloves on the ground. “The bed in Mia’s guest room is hard as a rock. Remind me to get her a new one.”

  “Try sleeping on the couch. We were supposed to switch up every other night, and you’ve been hogging up the bed.”

  He wipes a bead of sweat from his forehead and snorts. “No, I haven’t. I offered it to you last night, and you went out instead. Where did you go?”

  “I needed some air. Went for a walk.”

  While that part is true, I had to get out of the apartment. Mia was wearing spandex shorts and a tight tank top that made me so fucking hard I couldn’t stand being around her with Will in the same house. I walked around Center City for so long I hadn’t realized I was gone for over two hours until Mia had texted me, asking me where I went. I slipped into the apartment with the key she had made for me and crashed on the couch. Will had already passed out, though I kept my distance from Mia.

  Considering we had to get on the road early, and I needed as much sleep as I could get, I made a stupid mistake, one that almost cost my team this game. Sneaking around with Mia behind Will’s back produces intense guilt inside me. I should tell him how I feel about his sister and stop acting like a pussy. My feelings for her are interfering with my game and my friendship. But how will he respond when I tell him? Will is like family, and after losing my brother, I can’t take the risk of losing him, too.

  “We get to sleep in a hotel tonight,” he says, sounding relieved.

  I nod. “Yeah, thank God for that. I need to sleep on a decent mattress.”

  “What are you two over here bitching about?” Parker leans over with a water bottle in hand and a smirk on his face.

  “We’re crashing with my sister until our condo is fixed,” Will says, peeling off his helmet with a loud sigh. “Her apartment is small and the bed sucks.”

  “And Will thinks he’s too good to sleep on the couch,” I add with laughter in my voice.

  Parker smirks. “Sleeping at someone else’s house sucks. I remember when Charlotte forced me to live with her.”

  He’s referring to my agent, Charlotte ‘Coach’ Coachman—now Parker and his wife. Coach represents most of the guys on the team. She’s one of the top agents in the business and aggressive as hell.

  Will cocks his head in Parker’s direction. “Coach forced you to live with her?”

  He nods. “Yeah, when I was drinking all the time. She wouldn’t help me unless she could keep tabs on me. But she got my life and career back on track. I wouldn’t be sitting here right now if not for her.”

  Interesting. I knew Parker had not only a puck bunny problem but an alcohol addiction a few years back, but I had no idea Coach was the reason for his sudden change of heart. In some ways, I understand it. With Mia back in my life, I want to be what she needs. Years ago I wanted that, too. But my addiction had gotten in the way, forcing us apart.

  Knowing Coach helped Parker get his shit together makes me want to confess to Mia why I left her ten years ago without as much as a goodbye. She deserved so much better than me. I knew it then, and I know it now. Mia could have anyone, and yet she wants me for some reason. I’m broken, still unable to get over the past that still haunts me. She has no idea how much of a mess I am on the inside. I can’t offer her anything more than sex.

  When the horn blares, signaling the end of the game, the area erupts into a mixture of boos and cheers. We beat the home team, so we weren’t expecting a standing ovation. My performance definitely doesn’t deserve one. I have to do better. I need to be better for myself and my team.

  After I shower and change, my cell phone is the first thing I reach for. I open my last text message with Mia.

  Ethan: We won our first game.

  Mia: Congrats! So happy for you, E.

  Ethan: Wish you were here. I miss you…

  This time, the chat bubble doesn’t pop up on my screen. I wait a few minutes and still no reply from Mia.

  Shit, what did I just do? It was the truth. I do miss her.

  I’ve wanted to spend time alone with Mia for days, but with Will around all of the time, it’s been a challenge.

  “Waters, you ready?” Kane says from behind me. “Time to go.”

  I glance over my shoulder at Kane, Will, and a few other players, who are waiting for me to leave for the hotel.

  Nodding, I shove the phone into my pocket and sigh, now wondering if my feelings for Mia are one-sided. I sure as hell hope not.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Mia

  I kick my feet up on the dashboard and lean back in my seat with the binoculars in front of my eyes. After three hours of staking out Old City Records, we haven’t had a single lead pan out. One day, my source tells me the dealers are running a major shipment through the store, the next it’s something else.

  “Hand me the Cheetos, would ya?” I point at the bag of cheesy goodness on the dash in front of Clarke. “I’m starving.”

  She picks up the bag, glances at the nutrition label, and sighs. “How do you eat this crap? It’s loaded with saturated fat
and chemicals.”

  I take it out of her hand and laugh. “It says made with real cheese on the front of the bag. That counts as a food group.”

  She chuckles. “You’re impossible. No wonder your brother worries about you. Coffee and Cheetos is not what I’d consider a good dinner.”

  “We’re on a stakeout. Eating junk food and pounding stale coffee is part of the gig.”

  “We’re not cops,” Clarke points out. “Following around dealers in hopes of getting a good lead on the Old City Records drug ring will get you killed.”

  “They have no idea we’re watching them. Stop worrying. For someone who wants to become an investigative journalist, you sure as hell don’t take enough risks.”

  I scan the dark city block for a sign of something. Anything. But no one has walked past Old City Records in over an hour. Inside the store, the lights are dim, casting barely enough light to see the person seated at the front counter.

  “Go waltz in there and make nice with the clerk. Wouldn’t that be easier?”

  I shrug against the leather seat.

  “Well, they’re hiring,” she hedges. “There’s a sign on the door. Go apply for a job.”

  Clarke says this as if it’s the most obvious choice. I would’ve done that sooner if it were an option.

  I snort. “I already have a job, one that pays shit. I doubt Fred will take too kindly to me working at a record store in hopes I’ll find something big enough for him to print.”

  “Show him what you got, and maybe he’ll change his mind.”

  “Doubtful.” I stuff a handful of Cheetos into my mouth, speaking between bites. “All I have are dried up leads that have done nothing but waste my time and now yours.”

  “It’s not a waste of time. This is fun. Better than researching what private schools are the best in the area or some of the boring-ass shit Fred has assigned to me lately. I swear he’s trying to get rid of me. Ever since I turned in my assignment on the school embezzlement case, Fred hasn’t given me anything worthwhile.”