by Hart, Emma
“Can we talk?” My voice was soft.
He shut the laptop and nodded. “Want me to put some clothes on?”
No.
Not really.
“It’s fine. If I feel too dressed up, I’ll just take my pants off, too.”
“I’d be okay with that.”
I dragged my lower lip between my teeth, fighting a smile.
He didn’t bother fighting his. He sat up and patted the bed for me to take a seat. “We have to talk, so let’s get it over with.”
I perched on the edge of his bed. “You told Leo.”
“Yep.”
“Why?”
“Good question.” He clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth. “The idea of you getting back together with Butler—even that you considered it—made me realize I had to take that chance. The worst thing that could have happened was that he’d be fucking furious, and I’d promise not to date you, and it’s not like you and I are in a good place right now anyway, so it couldn’t get much worse.”
Slowly, I nodded. “I didn’t go out with Butler to get at you. You know that, right?”
“No,” Ethan admitted. “I thought that’s exactly what you did.”
“No. He and I didn’t have a great relationship. It was up and down all the time, and it was a comfortable thing to do. Go right back to him.” I looked down at the floor. “I shouldn’t have done it, even though nothing happened between us. We just ate, then he left.”
“Everything happens for a reason. If I didn’t know you’d called him, I might not have ever told Leo.”
“I know.” I pushed hair behind my ear and peered over at him. “Did you know that he knew?”
“Knew what?”
“That we had feelings for each other.”
Ethan frowned. “What?”
I told him everything Leo had told me before I’d dropped him at his house. “So the last few days were all for nothing.”
“I’m going to the gym tomorrow.” Ethan snorted. “I didn’t know any of that, but I’m not surprised. It’s exactly the kind of shit he’d pull without thinking of the consequences.”
“You don’t need to tell me that.” I rolled my eyes. “What do we do now?”
“I know.”
“You do?”
He nodded, moving closer to me. Without another word, Ethan cupped my face and kissed me. It was gentler than the last one, and I leaned into it, savoring the sweetness of the moment.
It wasn’t how I’d expected this day to end, that was for sure.
“That’s not really an answer,” I muttered.
He grinned, his eyes shining. “We figure it out. Naturally. The way it should be.”
“It’s hardly going to be normal, given that we already live together.”
“Great. At least nobody has to move if it works out.”
“And if it doesn’t work out?” I raised my eyebrows.
“We blame your brother.”
I paused. “Well, everything is already his fault.”
“Exactly my point. One more thing isn’t going to hurt.” He sat back. “There is one thing we do need to discuss. Immediately.”
I paused. “Um, okay. What?”
“Mr. Prickles.” A solemn look crossed Ethan’s face. “You’re gonna have to make an effort, or this isn’t going to work.”
That was… not really that surprising.
“We’re friends. I don’t think we’re going to snuggle to watch Netflix at any point, but I suppose I can try.”
“Try now.”
“Touch him now?” I glanced at the cage. “Maybe tomorrow.”
“You’ve had a rough day, but tomorrow, you’re going to see he’s not all that prickly.”
“Ironic, given he’s covered in spikes.”
He laughed. Slowly, it petered out, but he didn’t take his eyes off me. Not even when they narrowed as if he was considering something.
“What?” I said when he didn’t speak. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
He shook his head gently. “I just wish I’d grown a pair and told your brother how I felt about you before, that’s all.”
“To be fair, I didn’t tell him either. We both share the blame.” I paused. “And you haven’t really told me how you feel.”
“I’ve told you a lot.” His eyes never left mine. “You’re the one who insisted it was all physical until today.”
I shrugged. “I was hardly going to admit to anything else when you were determined that we couldn’t date.”
“I wasn’t determined.”
“You were so determined.” I folded my arms across my chest and gave him The Look. You know, the one that says shut up, you’re fucking wrong.
“Come here.”
“What?”
“Come here.”
I looked between us. There was like a foot of space. “I’m already here. Any closer, and I’ll be on top of you.”
His smile was wolfish. “What do you think I was trying to do?”
I pursed my lips. “Goodnight, Ethan. I’m going to bed.”
“Not yet, you’re not.” He moved faster than I did, grabbing me and pulling me back. I squealed as I found myself falling back onto the bed with his almost-naked body covering me.
I didn’t have a chance to protest. He was between my legs and kissing me before I knew it. Tingles danced across my skin, and I wrapped my arms around his neck to kiss him back.
He flicked his tongue against the seam of my lips, and I parted them, meeting his kiss with the same ferocity.
Blood pumped through my body, making the desire burn red hot with every second that passed. His cock hardened and pressed against my clit. The thin cotton of my leggings wasn’t really a barrier, and I moved my legs so they were around his waist.
I was holding onto him like a little limpet, but his hand was cupping the back of my head and tangled in my hair.
His skin was hot to the touch, and I ran my hands over his shoulders, exploring the muscles that shaped his body. I wanted to keep going, to brush my fingers over every single one, but it wasn’t to be.
Ethan kissed me once more, then sat up, extracting himself from my double grip.
“Uh,” I said, flustered. My cheeks were hot, and I probably looked like a bit of a mess.
“You can go to bed now.” He grinned smugly, standing up. “Mr. Prickles doesn’t need a show before bed.”
I sat up, and my jaw dropped. “Are you serious?”
“I told you already—you’re not the kind of girl you have a quick fumble in the sack with. You’re the marrying kind of girl. I’m not rushing into anything with you, Ava.”
I got up with a huff and stopped right in front of him. “Then you’re not getting laid until we get married. Ha!”
“Wait—it’s not that extreme!”
I paused in my bedroom door. “Have fun with your problem. I have a solution to mine.”
“To what? Being turned on?”
“Yep. It’s called a vibrator. Enjoy your right hand.”
“It won’t be the first time it’s fixed that problem.”
“Are you saying you make it a habit to jerk off to the thought of me?”
“Habit is an exaggeration. It’s happened a few times.” He smirked. “And if I hear you using a vibrator, I won’t be responsible for my actions.”
“I will be,” I retorted smartly. “That thing is hard. I’ll knock you out with it if you interrupt me.”
His nostrils flared. “I change my mind. Come back in here.”
“Nope. Goodnight.” I spun and stepped into my room, pushing the lock just in case.
Did I win that?
I feel like I won.
If you ignored the annoying throbbing between my legs.
Oh, well. I might not be able to use the vibrator, but that’s what fingers were for.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
* * *
AVA
Back to Basics
“I didn’t
hear any buzzing from your room last night.”
I peered over my shoulder at a still-half asleep Ethan. “I can’t imagine why you would have. I don’t keep bees in there.”
“You’re funny. Is there any coffee?”
“In the machine, yes.”
“That was a not-so-subtle way of asking if you’d make me one.”
I turned, sipping from my own cup. “I didn’t hear a please. But I am grateful to be reunited with my socks.”
“You and those fucking socks.” He scrubbed his hand through his dark-blonde hair. “I’d like my insoles back this morning, please.”
I stepped to the side so he could get a coffee. “They’re in my trunk. You can have them.”
“Thank you.” He hit the button on the machine, and it whirred to life. “So. Are you working today?”
“Twelve ‘til seven.”
“You wanna get dinner together?”
I raised my eyebrows. “As opposed to me cooking something and you bringing in pizza?”
“Exactly that.” He grinned, pulling the cup out from the machine. “We could go out.”
“Like a date?”
“Not like a date. A date.”
“Where there are other people?”
“Don’t tell me that after all this, you’re ashamed to be seen with me.”
I choked on my coffee. “No,” I squeaked. “I just—” I stopped when I saw the shit-eating smile on his face. “Oh, go away.”
He laughed way too hard for so early in the morning.
“Ugh. Go be a morning person somewhere else.” I sipped the coffee again. “I have no idea how this is going to work. I was determined to date a night owl like me.”
“I can’t be a night owl. I start work at eight. Why are you awake now, anyway?”
I sighed, sitting on one of the stools. “I woke up to pee and couldn’t get back to sleep.”
“That’s more information than I was going for.”
“You asked. I answered.” Another sip. “Besides, if you think that’s bad, wait until I’m on my period and run out of tampons. That’s your job now.”
“My job? To buy tampons?”
“If I’m desperate, I’m desperate. You’re the new first port of call.”
Ethan gripped the edge of the island. “Can I take some time to reconsider my options?”
“No.” I put the mug down, meeting his eyes. “Sorry. You should have thought about that before you decided you wanted to tell my brother you stuck your tongue down my throat.”
“You have such a beautiful way with words. Really poetic.”
“Thank you. I happen to agree.”
“I had a feeling you might.” His eyes sparkled as he lifted his mug to drink from it. “Well? Dinner?”
“Do I have to wear pants?”
“One thousand percent not.”
I pretended to think about it. “Do I have to wear a bra?”
“Ava, you can show up naked if you want.”
“That’s a dinner date I can get on board with.” I grinned and rested my chin on my hand. “Am I cooking, or are you going to bring food?”
“Hmm.” He leaned right over the table. “Are you cooking naked?”
“That’s a hazard. I’d like my nipples to not get burned off by wayward sauce splashes, thank you.”
“That would be uncomfortable.”
“No shit.” I rolled my eyes, glancing at my phone right after. “You know you’re running late, don’t you?”
Ethan leaned over and pulled my phone toward him. “Oh, shit!” He drank the coffee really fast, then put the mug down, flapping his hand in front of his face.
I watched, amused, as he ran into his room. There was a clatter that was followed by a loud, “Fuck!” and it took everything I had not to burst out laughing. Especially when a second, quieter one followed it—and a creak of the bed.
“All right in there?” I called in my most innocent voice.
“Shut up!” he shouted back. “I stubbed my fucking toe!”
“Wake up earlier, then!” I returned.
“Says the person who hates mornings!”
I laughed into my hands, desperately trying not to let it escape. If I gave in to it too much, I’d never stop.
“I’m going.” Ethan swerved to grab his keys. “I’ll see you later.”
“So I’m cooking, then.”
“I can cook. I’ll get something after work.” He raised his hand in goodbye at the front door, stopped, and changed course. He rushed over to me and grabbed my chin, kissing me firmly, then spun back and ran out of the apartment, leaving the door wide open.
Rolling my eyes, I got up and closed it behind him.
Then I went back to bed.
Mornings were for the birds, and I was not a bird.
At all.
***
“So you’re going for it?”
I nodded, passing Reagan the string she’d motioned for. “I think so. After Leo’s interference, everything makes sense.”
Halley wrinkled her nose up. “I can’t believe he did that. Did he think that you and Ethan wouldn’t care that he was your link?”
“I honestly don’t think he thought at all. He obviously thought he was helping, and I guess he was because it’s worked out in the end. I just wish we didn’t have to fight quite so much to get here.”
“That was a little rough,” Reagan agreed. “Think of it this way, though, it’s not like you were deliberately trying to hurt each other. It was all done out of good intentions.”
“Good intentions don’t heal broken hearts, though.” Halley tapped her fingers against her chin. “Well, they do, but not if you’re breaking your own hearts in the process.”
I shrugged a shoulder and picked at the remaining chips on the counter. “I guess. It’s fixed now, though. It’s not going to be the same because we live together, but we’re going to take it slow and see how it goes.”
“Is it weird to say it might be easier?”
“Yes,” Reagan said.
“No, listen.” Halley waved her hands. “You already know each other’s bad habits. Like, holy shit, when Preston moved in with me, it was hell. We argued for like a week straight, and it was because we never had any time apart. Even though we spent almost every night together, we still had a place to go before he moved in. After that…” She shuddered. “Splitting chores was hell. He was useless at just about everything.”
“Well, Ethan isn’t that bad. He already does stuff in the apartment.”
“There you go, then. You’re already off to a better start.” Reagan smirked. “You don’t need to be worried about anything, Ava. The biggest hurdle in your relationship was Leo, and he was the instigator in it all. Now you can just focus on being two people who are dating.”
“Right, but we didn’t really get along before. Is that supposed to just flip now? Are we going to go from not bitching at each other to getting along perfectly?”
“No,” Halley said honestly. “You won’t. But that’s just like any relationship. You’re still going to bicker, and knowing you two, you’re still going to do that passive-aggressive shit just because you found it more fun than anything else.”
“But you’ll be okay,” Reagan added, tying off the bouquet she was working on. “I promise.”
***
I smelled… spaghetti.
My nose twitched as I paused outside the apartment door. Had Ethan actually cooked? Not gonna lie, I was expecting him to not do it.
I pushed open the door and stepped inside. The rich scent of the sauce wrapped itself around me, and I inhaled deeply.
“Hey.” Ethan was standing over a huge pot of sauce, shirtless, and grinning at me.
“Hey. You actually cooked.” I put down my purse and kicked my shoes into the corner. “I didn’t think you would.”
“Ah. I’m not a chef like you, but my grandma taught me to make spaghetti when I was younger. She told me that if I can cook a good spaghetti, I�
��ll make a woman very happy one day.” He winked at me and used a teaspoon to taste test it.
“I do like spaghetti.” I smiled. “I need to change really quick. I’ll be right back.”
I went into my room and changed into my home uniform of a tank top and underwear. I could wear pants, but something told me it would be useless.
It was, after all, just one more item of clothing Ethan would have to take off me.
That’s right. My shift today had been quiet, and I’d been able to think everything over. Too many times, one might say, but whatever.
If Ethan and I were going to go for this and make it work, we were going to go for it. We didn’t need to get to know each other because we already knew one another. We’d known each other for as long as I could remember, essentially my entire life, and maybe it was just me, but I didn’t feel like going slow.
Emotionally, I’d been in this relationship for a while now.
I snorted at myself. I was ridiculous.
I changed my underwear before I went back out, shirking the comfortable cotton panties for some that were a little lacier and a whole lot sexier.
I even took off my bra, too.
Hey. It’d worked last time.
I pulled my hair into a bun on top of my head and cleaned my glasses, then went back to the kitchen. I hadn’t noticed before, but Ethan was wearing gray sweatpants.
It looked like I wasn’t the only one who’d dressed for the occasion.
“You sit down and—” He stopped when he saw me. “That’s unfair.”
I looked pointedly at his sweats. “Says the guy in gray sweats.”
“All right. It looks like dinner is a battle of wills.”
I grinned, sitting at the island. “So, how was your day?”
“Long. Dirty. Full of handiwork.” He picked up a glass of water.
“Exactly what I’m hoping this evening will be, then.”
He choked on his water, almost dropping the glass to the floor. “Jesus. I wasn’t expecting to hear you say that.”
I caught my tongue between my teeth and smiled playfully, propping my chin up on my hand. “I’m full of surprises.”
“Are you now?” He peered over at me. “Can you do magic, though?”
“I dunno. Does turning you on in two seconds count as magic?”
