Coming Full Circle (the Pembrooke series Book 2)

by Jessica Prince

  “Kind of a date?” she asked incredulously. “How is something kind of a date? I swear to God, I don’t understand young people these days.”

  I let out a small laugh. “Okay, so it is a date, all right? Happy now?”

  “Extremely,” she answered exuberantly. “But you’re going to need to tell your father before he finds out from someone in town. You know how he gets. How a man as hotheaded as he is was ever granted access to firearms is beyond me, I swear. He’s not going to like that Ethan didn’t come to him first.”

  My back straightened and I was suddenly overwhelmed with the desire to defend Ethan. “Well he’ll just have to get over it. I’m not a little girl anymore, Chlo. I’m twenty-two.”

  “I know that, sweetheart. And you know that. But when, in all your life, have you known your father to be rational when it comes to his girls?”

  “I just…” God, I couldn’t handle any more stress. “I need you to cover for me for a little while longer, okay? I just need to get my head around this before I talk to Daddy…” I trailed off before giving her the honest truth. “I’m scared,” I said in a quiet voice. “I’m scared, and I have no clue what I’m doing. I just need a little more time.”

  “Okay, honey,” she answered softly, giving me the sweet, nurturing Chloe I needed just then. “I’ve got your back, you know that. I always will. But let me just say this… sometimes the things that scare us the most are the things that turn out to mean everything. You open yourself up to what’s happening between you and Ethan, and I have a feeling you’ll get the kind of happy you’ve always deserved, but never allowed yourself to have.”

  I wasn’t quite sure I believed in what she was saying as much as she did, but that ball of tension that had been coiling in my chest began to loosen ever so slightly. I opened my mouth to thank her when a sudden loud, piercing screech filled the air all around me.

  “Shit! Chloe, I have to go.”

  “What’s happening?”

  “I’m not sure, but I have an idea.” Boy, did I have an idea. Ethan was Harlow’s brother, after all. “I’ll call you later, promise. Love you.”

  “Love you too.”

  Rushing from the bathroom to the bedroom, I dropped my towel and snatched on a pair or loose, cotton sweats and a tank before taking back off in the direction of the kitchen. Because a Prewitt and smoke detectors did not bode well.

  Eliza

  COMING TO A grinding halt at the sight in front of me, I couldn’t do anything other than slap my hands over my mouth and stare, wide-eyed, as I tried my best to suppress my laughter.

  “Son of a fucking bitch, mother of sweet Hell,” Ethan growled as he stood on a chair in the middle of the kitchen, one of my floral patterned hand towel’s in his hands as he waved it frantically back and forth in front of the smoke detector. The kitchen and living room were steadily filling with smoke as Ethan continued to curse and fan the still chirping detector.

  Finally losing the war against my laughter, I dropped my hands and began giggling hysterically. His gaze shot to mine. “Open the door and windows!”

  I spun on my bare feet and ran to the front door, jerking in wide open before moving to the living room window to do the same. Once finished with that, I rushed back into the kitchen, skirting Ethan where he stood on the chair… still waving the towel, and twisted the nobs to the burners, turning them off. I grabbed the now ruined skillet and pot and tossed them both into the sink. I turned the water on and let it cool the scorched metal with a loud hiss as the smoke finally began to clear from the room and the loud screeching thankfully stopped.

  Ethan slowly climbed down from the chair, put it back at the dining room table and made his way to where I stood by the sink. “You destroyed my Emeril Lagasse cookware,” I said in a choked voice, trying not to burst into another fit of laughter as I picked up the skillet and studied the charred-beyond-recognition food that seemed to be permanently bonded to the bottom. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was looking at, but at first glance it looked like a brick of tar.

  I felt his breath on the back of my neck as he said, “I’ll by you more.”

  His low, gravelly voice danced up my spine, sending a shiver through my body. I dropped the skillet and picked up the pot. I couldn’t even begin to guess what had been in there. “What were you cooking? Or trying to cook?” My giggle turned into a yelp when Ethan’s hands came to my waist and he began to tickle.

  “Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup,” he answered once he was finished with his tickle torture.

  I couldn’t have stopped my face from curling in disgust if I wanted to… which I really didn’t, because eww.

  “It’s a football season staple!” he shouted at the ceiling before finally looking back down at me. “Okay… so I might have over exaggerated my skills in the kitchen.”

  I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my face. He just looked so cute and disheveled. “Exaggerated by how much?” I asked, having a feeling I already knew the answer, but wanting to make him sweat a little more just for the fun of it.

  Reaching up, he scratched at the back of his neck uncomfortably before stating, “In the sense that I’ve never cooked anything before.”

  Those walls around me just kept getting lower and lower. But at that very moment, I felt way too good to stress about it. I felt light, carefree. Standing in my smoky apartment with my ruined cookware, I actually felt… happy.

  “Come on,” I said, grabbing Ethan’s hand and pulling him toward the door that lead to the interior stairs.

  His fingers tightened around mine as he asked, “Where are we going?”

  “To my real kitchen. It’s time for your first cooking lesson.”

  We walked down the stairs in silence, Ethan’s hand gripping mine tightly as I lead him down the hall and through the door that led into the kitchen of Sinful Sweets Café. The restaurant was closed for the night so we had the whole place to ourselves, and as I flipped the switches, turning on the lights, I released a deep breath, feeling at peace, at home in the place of my dreams. For me, there was nothing better than cooking…

  Or at least that’s how I felt before Ethan came back into my life.

  I had to tug my hand twice to get him to let it go, but once he did I walked over to the shelf and pulled two, freshly laundered and folded aprons down, tossing one to him. “Put this on. You’re going to cook in a legit kitchen, you have to dress the part.”

  With a sexy smirk that did crazy things to my insides, Ethan doubled wrapped the strings of the apron around his waist and tied it off in the front. I did the same as I headed for the walk-in to start pulling out everything I needed.

  “So what are we making?” he asked as I moved past him and over to the prep counter, where I dropped all my ingredients.

  “I’m going to start off easy on you—”

  “Thank fuck,” he muttered under his breath, causing me to laugh again. My laughter instantly died when, in two quick steps, he was directly in front of me, his hand coming up to rest against my cheek as his thumb dragged gently across my lower lip. “I love it when you laugh,” he said softly. “So beautiful all the time, but when you laugh…” He gave his head a small shake. “Fucking gorgeous. Most beautiful girl I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

  My body shivered at his declaration, and I found myself swaying closer to him as if my body had a mind of its own. I cleared my throat and tried to shake the sudden cloudiness taking over my head at Ethan’s close proximity.

  “Um… okay. I’m going to teach you to make spaghetti,” I tried to speak confidently. “You’ll be surprised at how easy it is. Just… do everything I tell you… and maybe stay away from the stove unless I’m right next to you,” I teased, earning myself another one of his killer smirks. Good Lord, I was in trouble.

  I spent the next hour — between all the teasing and laughing —teaching Ethan everything he needed to know about making spaghetti. He chopped the herbs to add to the sauce, he sautéed garlic, I even
taught him how to make homemade meatballs. Surprisingly enough, he was a pretty fast learner, picking up everything I was telling him with ease. It was the most fun I could remember having in years, and it was almost like Ethan and I had slid seamlessly back into the friendship we used to have… almost. Because that charged undercurrent that kept crackling through the air every time we touched most certainly hadn’t been there back when we were kids. That was something altogether new, and I would have been lying if I said it didn’t add an element of excitement. It was thrilling, almost like we were doing something we shouldn’t and were at risk of getting caught. And as the evening pressed on, I found I struggled to keep my eyes off of him.

  The meatballs were ready, the sauce simmering on the stove when I told him, “Okay. You did it! All that’s left to do is strain the pasta, and we’ll be set.”

  I stood back and watched as he carried the pot over to the sink and dumped the contents into the colander I’d put down for him. The way his biceps bulged as he lifted the heavy pot made his t-shirt pull across his broad chest and back. His muscles rippled and flexed in a hypnotizing manner as he poured, and with his attention momentarily diverted, I was able to stare at his perfect ass in his faded jeans. I’d never considered a man to be beautiful before. I’d seen rugged, handsome, hot, but those words didn’t properly describe Ethan. He encompassed all of that and so much more. He truly was beautiful.

  He turned from the sink, and by the knowing grin on his handsome face, I knew I hadn’t diverted my gaze in enough time. He knew I’d just been checking him out. Ignoring the low, rumbling chuckle he released, I pulled some plates down for us. We piled our dishes high with food and I went and grabbed a bottle of red wine and two glasses from the bar to drink with our meal. We sat on stools pulled close to the counter and dug in.

  As soon as the first bite hit my mouth, I let out a moan, the slight tang of the tomatoes wasn’t overpowered by the garlic and basil in the slightest. It was fabulous. “Ethan, this is really good,” I said through a mouthful of food. “Definitely an A plus worthy meal.”

  I swallowed and lifted my wineglass to take a sip. He remained silent, and when I placed my glass back on the metal counter to meet his gaze, what I saw staring back at me made my chest tighten.

  “Glad you approve, baby.” His voice was ten times rougher than normal and the lust glinting in his eyes had darkened the unusual color substantially. “But I’m going to need you to stop making sounds like that.”

  I had no clue what came over me just then, but with the way we’d been dancing around each other all night, and how my body felt like a livewire every time he touched me, I just couldn’t help myself, I pushed. My mouth opened and the words came out with no thought.

  “Or what?”

  I could have sworn I heard him growl as he pushed his plate aside and leaned in closer to me. “Or I’ll be forced to lay you out on this counter and fuck you until my name is the only goddamned word you’re able to say.”

  My thighs clenched reflexively at the rush of desire that suddenly waved over me. My breathing picked up and some part of me, a part I’d never experienced, was unleashed. Gone was hesitant, guarded Eliza. In her place was a daring woman who wanted every single thing Ethan had just spelled out.

  It was like an out of body experience. Leaning closer, I swiped my finger through the remaining tomato sauce on my plate and closed my eyes. The moan was much lower and much longer the second time around, and when I opened my eyes to meet his, I knew mine were full of challenge.

  And in that moment I didn’t want anything more than for him to accept that challenge.

  His chest rose and fell manically as he reached up and grabbed my face between his hands. “This happens there’s no going back. You understand me?”

  Unable to form words, I nodded.

  That must not have been good enough for him, because he continued with his warning. “Once I feel what it’s like to be inside you, that’s it. Your mine. No more fucking around. No more games. It’s me and you. You sure you want that, baby?”

  “Yes,” I moaned, wanting nothing else in the world more than that.

  “You’re going to be mine? No more fighting? No more pushing me away?”

  I nodded again, my brain so clouded with lust I wasn’t fully absorbing what he was saying, but I would have promised anything at that moment for just a taste of him. “Yours, Ethan.”

  His lips came so close, they brushed against mine as he said, “Then tell me what you want, baby. Tell me and I’ll give it to you. I’ll give you fucking everything.”

  Reaching up to rest my hands on his strong chest, I opened my mouth and told him exactly what I wanted.

  “Fuck me, Ethan.”

  Ethan

  WITH ONE SWEEP of my arm the dishes on the counter went flying to the floor, shattering into pieces, but both of us were too consumed in each other to care. Grasping Eliza by her hips, I pulled her from the stool she was sitting on, pinning her hot body against mine as I went for her mouth in a brutal, punishing kiss.

  She met the kiss with the same exact intensity, nipping and biting and thrusting her tongue against mine in a passionate battle for dominance. My hands left her hips just long enough for my fingers to slide into the waistband of her sweat pants and rip them and her panties down her thighs. She stepped out and kicked them away without removing her lips from mine.

  My hands glided over her bare ass and a deep, throaty moan rumbled up from her chest and down into mine, causing my fingers to clench against her warm, soft skin. “Oh, God,” she whimpered against my mouth, spurring me into action. With my hands already in place, I lifted her up and set her down on the countertop. “Off,” she panted, disengaging just long enough to pull at my shirt in a desperate attempt to get it over my head. “Take this off.”

  Reaching behind my head, I grabbed the collar of my tee and ripped it off, dropping it on the floor by her pants. I moved in for another kiss when her hands came up to my chest and halted my progress. Instead, her lips and tongue slid across the flesh of my pecs. Her teeth bit down on my nipple just hard enough to elicit a groan from me. “God, you’re beautiful,” she muttered against my heated skin as she moved up and bit at my collarbone, leaving a scorching path in her wake.

  My hands moved down and hooked into the hem of her shirt. The second I began to pull it up, her hands and mouth came off me. She lifted her arms to help guide my movement. “Jesus,” I breathed once I had the shirt off. She hadn’t been wearing a bra beneath her tank. Anything my mind had conjured up about Eliza’s body paled in comparison to the real thing. She was perfect. Absolutely, unequivocally perfect. And the need to taste her everywhere rushed over me like a tidal wave.

  “God, Ethan,” she moaned, her fingers sliding into my hair when I lifted her breast on my hand and sucked the dusty pink nipple into my mouth. Her skin tasted even better than I could have imagined. I couldn’t get enough. I sucked and pulled at her nipples until they formed tight, hard peaks. By the time I moved away from them, sliding my way down her body, she was a writhing, panting mess. Her hips circling frantically as she begged, “Please. God, please don’t stop.”

  “Not stopping,” I told her in a rough, hungry voice. “But I need to taste you, baby. I’ve been dying to put my mouth on you.”

  Placing a palm in the center of her stomach, I gave her a gentle push, moving her backward to just where I needed her. Eliza’s head fell back on a desperate cry as her hands went behind her on the countertop to hold her up. “Christ. I’ve loved you for so long. I’ve been dreaming of this since I ran into you at Mabel’s,” I growled against her belly as my hand skated down her trembling skin to the juncture between her thighs. “Never stopped thinking about you,” I said softly as my fingers trailed through her folds, feeling just how wet she was for me. “Not once in six goddamned years, baby.”

  “Ethan, please,” she said on a pained whisper, needing me to touch her just as badly as I needed to.

  Wanting to g
ive her everything she craved, I pushed two fingers into her tight, drenched heat, reveling in the gasp she let out as her back arched. Unable to wait another second, I bent down and put my mouth right where I’d wanted to be for so long. The instant Eliza’s taste flooded my mouth I was lost, crazed with desire to claim every inch of her as my own.

  My fingers plunged in and out of her as my tongue circled her clit over and over. I felt her getting tighter. That, coupled with the way her fingers were suddenly yanking at my hair, told me she was close. I wanted to feel her lose control. I wanted to feel that release against my mouth. Knowing just what she needed to go over the edge, I shoved my fingers in and curled them up at the same time I sucked her clit between my lips.

  That did it. Eliza’s entire body locked up as her climax overtook her. “Ethan,” she shouted as she pulsed against my lips. Her sweet, musky flavor was like ambrosia, and I knew there was no way I’d ever get enough of all things Eliza. She was branded beneath my skin.

  I stayed with her, petting and licking softly as the last of her orgasm seeped out of her, until her upper body gave out and she collapsed back against the counter, unable to stay sitting any longer.

  I stood tall and reached into my back pocket, pulling out my wallet. Thank Christ I’d been of sound mind enough to put one of those condoms in my wallet while she’d been in the shower.

  “Sit up,” I ground out, drunk on lust. I yanked the condom out and tossed the wallet aside, dropping the foil packet beside her thigh as my hands moved to the button of my jeans.

  Just as I’d demanded, Eliza sat up, still breathing heavy, and once she saw what I was doing, her fingers went into action, pushing mine out of the way as she ripped at the button fly, popping them open in quick succession. Her head tilted up, her lips puckered just slightly in a silent request that I was all too happy to oblige. I moved back in for a kiss and her tiny hands slid around my waist and down, pushing at my jeans. Her nails dug into my ass as the kiss grew more heated.