Ethan (Face-Off Book 5)

by Jillian Quinn

  “Your reporting on that story was perfect. It wasn’t you. He’s a dick because he wants to fuck you, and you want nothing to do with him.”

  She sticks her tongue out and makes a gagging sound. “Gross. The last thing I want to think about is Fred and dicks. He makes my skin crawl with the way he stares at me during staff meetings.”

  “Unfortunately, he’s our boss. It sucks. Get used to it. He likes to stare, but he’s harmless. Flirt back. It could do wonders for your career.” I say the last part with a wink, completely joking with her.

  She lets out a frustrated groan. “You can’t be serious.”

  “Fred’s a creeper, but you can’t pick your boss.”

  “But you can pick your job,” Clarke counters.

  “I pay him no mind. He makes advances on occasion. I ignore all of them. It hasn’t affected my ability to work with him. Being nice to him goes a long way. He gave me the go-ahead to work part-time on this case. Fred is like a little kid. If you give him some attention, he’ll simmer down and go play in the corner with his toys.”

  “Ugh,” she groans. “Fine. Whatever it takes to get back to real journalism. Covering this local bullshit is boring me to death.”

  “That’s why you should take our stakeout seriously. Imagine what a story like this could do for our careers.”

  She bites her lip. “The dealers have ties to the Mafia, right?”

  I drop the binoculars into my lap and look over at Clarke. “Other newspapers have covered similar cases related to the ring, but no one can confirm the supplier with absolute certainty.”

  “And you think they run it out of this rinky-dink record store?” She stares at the storefront again and shakes her head.

  “Better than slinging crack under the El.”

  “Dumb place to sell drugs, don’t you think? I thought drug dealers hung out on street corners.”

  “Nope, not anymore. Dealers are more sophisticated now. It’s like a drug delivery service. You make a call, and someone meets you. You can get anything you want. Sex. Drugs. You name it, and you can find a way to get it.”

  “Should I be worried that you know so much about how to order drugs and hookers?”

  I laugh. “It’s part of the job. I have to know a thing or two about how their business works if I want to bust them.”

  “You should involve the cops. We can’t take down a bunch of thugs by ourselves.”

  “I will. Don’t be silly. I’m not delusional.”

  “You never told me about what happened with Ethan last night.”

  A beat passes between us before I confess. “We almost had sex.”

  Her mouth hangs open in shock, confusion scrolling across her face. “Almost? Why was that? Fill me in. I need the dirt. My sex life sucks ass. Let me live vicariously through you and hockey hottie.”

  I cringe at her nickname for Ethan.

  “There’s not much to tell. We pretty much air humped each other on the dance floor. Ethan kissed me, bit my neck, and I rubbed up on his dick. It was super hot, in case you’re wondering. Then, we went back to my apartment, where he gave me a few orgasms before Will came home. We were so close. Ethan was ready to put on the condom when I heard Will’s voice. Talk about the biggest buzzkill ever.”

  “At least he didn’t catch you. How did you manage that one?”

  “Easy, I never gave him a key. But now, he has one, so we have to be more careful.”

  “Sorry.” I peek out the window at the record store and sigh. “I thought this would be more eventful than the two of us sharing Cheetos and talking about Fred and Ethan.”

  “The Ethan part I can handle. Fred not so much. Go on, I want to hear the rest of the story. What happened after Will came home?”

  “Nothing.” I sigh. “I told Ethan to pretend he was sleeping in the spare bedroom before Will could see him. I took my room. Will slept on the couch. He almost caught me with an open condom, though.”

  She covers her mouth with her hand and giggles. “How would you have explained your way out of that one?”

  “I guess I would’ve had to get creative. I’m glad it didn’t come to that, though. Sneaking around behind Will’s back is eating at me. Ethan hates it, too. I told Ethan we had one night to get it out of our systems.”

  She leans her arm on the console between us, her eyes wide with curiosity. “You said that to him?”

  I nod in answer.

  “How bold of you? You’re full of surprises lately. And here I thought you were Jane the Virgin.”

  I cough. “Not hardly. Just because I’m a selective dater doesn’t mean I’m a virgin.”

  She holds up her hands and shrugs. “Hey, how am I supposed to know? You’re not exactly an open book. I have yet to see you with a man in all the time I’ve worked with you.”

  I contemplate her words, and sadly, I realize Clarke is right. Dammit. I sound lamer by the second. Maybe I needed that night with Ethan more than I thought. Too bad Will interrupted us.

  My cell phone dings with a new text from Ethan. His team won their first playoff game. I type out a quick text and shove the phone into the glove compartment, before cracking open the door.

  “Where are you going?” Clarke says.

  “I want to follow him.” I point at the clerk leaving the record store. He’s just locked up for the night, and now walking down the street toward the subway. “Maybe he’ll lead us somewhere.”

  “Yeah, probably to his house,” she mutters.

  “You never know.”

  Before I can slip out of the car, Clarke grabs my arm. “Get back in. We can tail him.”

  I shut the door and sink into the leather. “I think he’s getting on the subway. If he does, I’m following behind.”

  She nods. “Fine, but let me follow him as far as we can go before pursuing him on foot.”

  Clarke pulls out of the parking space, keeping her distance. From what I can tell, the man we’re following is in his mid-thirties, with dark hair and medium build. The city is still packed at this hour, and with the Flyers winning their first game, people are flowing out from bars, strolling down the street in jerseys. He pushes his way through the crowd, and before Clarke can make a sudden move, the man ducks down a side street where we can’t follow him.

  “Shit,” I growl. “I knew I should’ve gone after him on foot. Dammit.”

  Clarke frowns. “Sorry, babe. I guess tonight wasn’t in the cards for us. You ready to head home?”

  I shrug against the seat. “Might as well. This night is going nowhere fast, and I need some real food. The Chinese place below my apartment is open for another hour.”

  Clarke scrunches her nose in disgust. “I think I’ll pass.”

  “Suit yourself. You don’t know what you’re missing.”

  What a mess. My dating life is a disaster. I can’t nail the bastards I’ve been chasing around for the past few months. At least I have the apartment to myself. Will and Ethan are on the road and won’t be back until tomorrow. I can use some time alone to clear my head and figure out what I’m doing with Ethan.

  I wake to the sound of Ethan’s voice in my ear and his warm breath on my cheek. This is a dream. It has to be because Ethan isn’t supposed to be here.

  “You never answered me,” he whispers, his body dipping the mattress beneath his weight. He crawls into my bed behind me and wraps his arms around me.

  Confused and somewhat startled, I glance over my shoulder at him. “What are you talking about?”

  “My text,” he growls. “You left me hanging.”

  Our last exchange was hours ago in Clarke’s car, where I forgot my cell phone in her glove compartment. Oops. Now, I’m dying to know what he said in his text message that was important enough for him to come back a day earlier.

  “I know you missed me, too,” he says, his voice like gravel. “I drove all the way back here just to hear you say it.”

  I fell asleep in a tank top and panties that Ethan is now ripping off me. �
��Ethan,” I moan as I hear the fabric tear in his hand. “What are you doing? Why are you here?”

  “I missed you.” He drags his teeth along my neck and forces my legs open with his big hand. “I had to see you.” Ethan presses on my shoulder and has me on my back within seconds. “I couldn’t sleep until I knew how you felt about me. Tell me all of the guilt and shame I feel over keeping this from Will is worth it.” His hand dips between my legs, two fingers slowly inching inside me. “Please tell me I’m not alone in this.”

  “What’s wrong, Ethan?” My eyes shut from the pleasure shooting through my body, though I’m still slightly surprised he’s in bed with me.

  “You’re driving me crazy, my little lamb.” I love hearing my nickname fall from his lips. He pushes my shirt over my breasts, exposing my bare chest to him. His fingers move faster, my insides tightening around him. He dips his head down to suck on my nipple, his touch so skilled and precise I’m on the edge, like a lit firework about to explode.

  Is my mind playing tricks on me? I pinch myself to make sure he’s real. Ethan pretended to hate me for years, and now everything has changed overnight. I still don’t understand the sudden shift in our relationship. It was supposed to be one night of sex and then back to our normal lives. Except with him living in my apartment, it’s harder to ignore him, or how I feel about him.

  “I missed you, too,” I confess. “Is this what you want to hear?”

  He peeks up at me with my nipple between his teeth. The look he gives me sends a shiver down my spine. Ethan Waters is the most infuriating person I’ve ever met. But he’s also the sexiest and undeniably irresistible.

  When my body trembles, heat washes over me from head to toe. My skin burns from Ethan’s touch. He has me wound so tight I feel like a twig about to snap in half. And then I hit the peak of my orgasm, like a ball of yarn unraveling I come undone. I lose myself with Ethan. For a few seconds, he’s not my older brother’s best friend, he’s Ethan, my E, the boy from my past I’ve never fallen out of love with.

  “I love the sounds you make when you come,” he says against my skin. “I love everything about you, little lamb.”

  Unsure of how to respond, I remain still in his arms. Was that a confession? Is Ethan trying to tell me that he loves me? I doubt it. He probably just wants sex, or maybe he’s still hyped up on adrenaline from winning his first playoff game.

  He releases his hold on me, his side of the bed dipping as he gets up from the mattress.

  I stare up at him in the darkness. “Where are you going?”

  “I have to get back to D.C. before Will wakes up.”

  I raise a curious eyebrow at him. “You drove all the way home just so you could go back? Why?”

  He digs in the pocket of his track pants and retrieves a set of keys. “I told you why.”

  “Because I didn’t answer your text?”

  He nods. “Yeah, so make sure you answer me next time. I hate waiting.”

  I laugh at his forwardness. “We’re not dating. I don’t owe you an immediate response.”

  “Hours passed and still nothing from you. I couldn’t sleep not knowing how you felt.”

  “I forgot my cell phone, it’s in Clarke’s car. We were on a stakeout when you texted about the game.”

  He leans over me and presses a kiss to my lips. “I really have to go. I have a couple hours’ drive. I’ll probably get back as Will’s waking up.”

  I thread my fingers together and put my hands behind my head, peeking up at him in awe. “I can’t believe you drove all the way here just to give me an orgasm.”

  “I wasn’t planning on doing that. I wanted to see you, and when I found you in bed with your ass in the air, it was like an invitation to touch you. Do you know you sleep like a baby?” He covers his mouth and laughs. “I watched you for a while before I decided to wake you up. And once I got my hands on you, I couldn’t stop myself.”

  “How long have you been here?”

  He rolls his broad shoulders. “About an hour, I guess.”

  “We have to tell Will,” I say.

  “When the time’s right,” he counters, kissing me one last time.

  “The time will never be right.”

  He stops in the doorway, his eyes finding mine. “Will scored the winning goal tonight. Our team needs him focused.”

  “There will always be a reason not to tell Will,” I challenge. “I’m giving you until the playoffs are over, or I will tell him.”

  He tips his head. “I promise, Mia. I’ll tell him. Just give me some time, okay?”

  I nod my agreement as he slips out of my room. The door closes behind him, and after he’s long gone, I still can’t sleep. I stare up at the ceiling, wondering if I imagined Ethan in my bedroom. Because none of this feels real. So, it must be a dream.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Ethan

  After passing out with the worst case of blue balls in history, I slept for two hours before I woke up in my hotel room with a raging hard-on that wouldn’t quit. Mia broke my dick, or at least it feels that way. I’ve been hard all day. No matter what I try, I can’t get her out of my damn head.

  Even after a long, hot shower, I can still smell her on my skin. Every single memory from last night is burned into my mind, making what we did a permanent and constant reminder of how much I fucked up. As if I haven’t done enough stupid shit in my life, I borrowed a car in the middle of the night just to see her. Then, I used the key she gave me to enter her bedroom unannounced.

  What is wrong with me? She’s doing things to my head I don’t understand.

  On our way home from D.C., I slept most of the way. Will had no idea I ever left the hotel. He was busy entertaining the woman he met in the lobby after the game, which gave me a lot of time alone to make a hasty decision. As soon as we got back to Philly, I ate dinner with Will at the Chinese restaurant below Mia’s apartment, and then he went out to meet the waitress from The Sixth Floor.

  All day I’d thought about confessing what I did to Will. I promised Mia I’d grow a pair and tell him. But with the playoffs in full swing, I can’t afford to ruin our team camaraderie by starting what could be the worst fight of my life with Will. We have to get through this series before I go down that path, which makes me wonder if we’d all be better off if the last week never happened.

  With the apartment to myself, I move into the living room and sink to the floor. I sit on the yoga mat I found in Mia’s hallway closet and laugh. The thought of Mia using this mat is hilarious. Someone must’ve given it to her as a gift, hence why I found it buried under old boxes and covered in a layer of dust.

  Shirtless and in a pair of black basketball shorts, I lie back on the mat. Moving my hands behind my head to support myself, I take it slow, as I sit up just enough for my abs to burn.

  Today, the pain feels good. I welcome it. I need it. Exorcising the bad thoughts of Mia from my brain, I pick up the pace and raise my legs in the air, elevating them at the perfect angle.

  I get lost in my workout, too focused on anything but the tingling sensation spreading throughout my body. Apart from the police sirens blaring in the distance, the silence calms me. By the time I hear the key turn in the lock, I’m on my seventh set.

  Mia slams the door behind her, and I peek up at her. She moves into the room and stands over me, with her hands on her hips and biting her lip. It’s hard to tell if she’s annoyed or turned on. A little bit of both, maybe?

  “At least someone is making use of that mat.” Mia laughs. “Lord knows it won’t be me.”

  “You should work out with me.”

  She slides the messenger bag she carries everywhere off her shoulder and onto the floor next to the coffee table. “You know I’m allergic to exercise.”

  Without thinking, I reach up and grab her hand. She falls forward, and as I’d planned, she collapses on top of me. Her breath hitches when she locks eyes with me. Bright blue irises stare back, causing my heart to speed up.

&
nbsp; Why does Mia have this effect on me? I should distance myself, but I want to be closer to her. And I hate myself for it.

  She slides her fingers through my sweat-slick hair, pushing it off my forehead. Mia shakes her head, a smile already on her lips. “Why do you have to be you?”

  “Not sure what you mean.”

  “It’s just…” She turns her head away from me and sighs. “This is so hard.”

  “I know.” I move my fingers beneath her chin. For what I want to say, I need her undivided attention. “I hate lying to Will. He’s my best friend and pretty much the only family I have other than my mom.” I tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear and sit up, our lips almost touching. “I want you, Mia. I’ve always wanted you.”

  “You were my first crush,” she admits. “My first real friend. Until you disappeared without even saying goodbye.”

  I let out a frustrated groan. “We’ve gone over this more times than I can count.”

  “But you never answer my question. Why did you leave? Why didn’t you have enough respect for me to say goodbye?”

  “Respect?” I close my eyes and sigh, leaning my forehead against hers. “If I didn’t respect you or your brother, I would’ve kissed you ten years ago. I would’ve been your first kiss. I would’ve been your first everything.”

  She gasps. “Everything?”

  I nod. “Everything. I wanted it all with you, Mia, but I couldn’t have you. My life was so fucked-up back then. I wasn’t about to drag you into my mess. You were always too good for me. You still are.”

  “You’re only saying this because of Will,” she challenges. “If anyone was too good, it was you, Mr. Perfect. You were good at everything. There was nothing you could say or do to make people hate you. You were the golden boy of Lower Merion High School because everyone loves you.”

  I touch her cheek with my thumb, feeling her silky smooth skin. “Even you?”

  She turns her head away.

  “Answer me,” I demand.

  She snorts. “When you answer my question, I’ll answer yours.”