“So then what’s with you coming over here and checking in on me?”
My arms fold across my chest. “I’m doing Zack a favor… apparently against my better judgment, since you don’t seem very grateful for the attention.”
He slowly nods. “That’s just it… all the attention. Last I heard from Zack, you didn’t even consider him your friend.”
Now my cheeks get really hot. I don’t know what to say. Zack is right. I’ve told myself over and over he’s not my friend, he’s nothing to me.
I shouldn’t even be here.
Ethan’s eyes slide up and down my body, studying me. My core fills with desire at the same time my hands bunch in frustration.
“So I’m making a mistake, huh?” I volley back. “I should have just left you here? Because, honestly Ethan, it doesn’t seem like you’re doing a very good job of taking care of yourself. You’re lucky you haven’t torn your side open. Most people would be back at the hospital by now after walking around like you’ve been.”
He rolls his head around and looks thoughtfully past me. “Thanks for the concern, but, again, what’s with it? I find it hard to believe you’re coming here and doing me a favor without looking for anything in return.”
“I don’t need anything from you,” I spat.
He studies me again. “That’s good, because you’re not going to get anything else other than sex.”
A shooting pain travels through my chest. The way he says it makes the promise so final, so cold and callous. There’s an unnecessary viciousness in the words.
“Wow,” I breathe. “You are so full of yourself.”
He chuckles. “You like that?”
I bite my bottom lip to keep myself from smiling. His prior statement still hurts me, but somehow I also can’t help but be amused by him. As annoying and cocky as Ethan can be, there actually is something appealing about his attitude. He’s upfront about things, even when those things cause pain, and I like that. He doesn’t beat around the bush.
A second after I realize just how much I like his pomp the smile naturally falls from my face. This is bad, bad news. I bend down and pack up my bag.
“Zack has a thing for you, doesn’t he?”
I look up through my curtain of hair then slowly stand. “I don’t know.”
“Hm.”
He looks like he doesn’t believe me.
“Why are you even asking me about this?” I question. “If things are just going to be sex between us then why even bother with the questions?”
His lips tighten and his shoulders straighten. I hold back a smirk. Bulls eye.
“Don’t turn this around on me,” he says. “You’re the one coming over here acting like you’re a saint, expecting me to pat your back just because you’re patting mine.
“You jerk,” I breathe. “You really think I’m like that?”
“That’s what most people are like.”
I angrily throw my bag over my shoulder. “No wonder you don’t have a woman,” I growl. “You’d be such a douche to her she probably wouldn’t stay longer than a week.”
“I don’t have a woman,” he slowly says, “because I don’t need one.”
“Thank God for that. Any woman would have to be insane to stay with you.”
His face flushes red. He’s probably formulating his next biting comeback, but I don’t need to hear it.
I turn on my heel and rush from the room. The whole walk down the hall I keep one ear cocked, half hoping Ethan is going to call out to me and apologize. He was an asshole, sure, but I’m not happy with the conversation we just had.
I make it all the way to his front door without so much as a peep from his bedroom.
Fine. Whatever. If he’s going to be this way then me just leaving is for the best. This whole thing with him and Zack was supposed to be nothing more than sex.
But now it’s becoming something larger and more complicated. I’m starting to see that maybe things can never be so simple.
6
Ethan
Zack eyes me from the other end of the limo. Though I can’t see him straight on, I feel his gaze on me, burning a hole into the side of my head.
I finish typing my email, taking my sweet time. Zack’s eyes remain on me, watching every tap of my fingers.
When I’m done I sigh and put my tablet down on the seat next to me. “What?”
He cocks his head a little to the side, thinking. Or just pretending to think. Or just purposefully aggravating me.
“Spit it out,” I command. “I haven’t got all day.”
His lips purse. “Have you talked to Mindy?”
“Should I have?”
He gives me a tired look.
“I didn’t realize this was going to be a regular thing,” I state. “We were pretty clear about that, no?”
“Only if all three of us want it to be. We also talked about the potential.”
“And you want it to be regular?”
He doesn’t answer, but I can tell from the look on his face that he’s craving another go with her. I am too, but wanting a woman is precisely what encourages me to put some space between me and them. Go too hard, especially in the beginning, and people get the wrong impression. They start reading into your actions and thinking you’re not letting onto wanting something serious, even when you’ve sworn up and down you actually hate commitment.
Mindy storming from my apartment that afternoon left me with one of the worst cases of blue balls in the history of mankind. I didn’t really expect we would hook up once she got there, but seeing her tight ass and pouty lips did something to me. I may have been somewhat incapacitated, but for that woman I would have made it work.
Us fighting and her leaving kind of makes me resent her, and though I would love to dig my fingers into her curves again, I also know things will be easier without such a, for lack of a better word, tempestuous woman around.
“If you want her,” I go on. “Then go for it. Don’t worry about me.”
A dark look crosses his face. “It’s not like that with us.”
I nod. “All right.”
I understand the unspoken part of his statement. Being with a woman is better when we share her. Once we discovered how much we both loved the thrill and rush of power that came with having a woman under our dual command there was no going back. Any time I go out with, or fuck a girl it just isn’t the same without Zack there. Something lacks. Though I have no sexual interest in my best friend, something deeply primal wakes in me whenever a woman stands in front of us.
Even if something did start to happen between me and Mindy at my penthouse, it would have been only a matter of time before I called up Zack and asked him to come over.
“Call Justine,” I say. “See if she wants to meet up later.”
Zack makes a face. “I don’t know about her.”
I run a hand over my jaw. “Fair enough.”
Justine, although less complicated than many women we know, is one of those who definitely wants more from either me or Zack. She texts me all the time, and though I mostly ignore the messages I respond occasionally just to make sure she stays around for hooking up purposes.
Another sigh wants to leave me but I hold it back. “To answer that earlier question, no… I haven’t talked to Mindy.”
“Neither have I.”
“Well you don’t need to sound so depressed about it. Have you tried to get in touch with her?”
He looks like he tastes something sour. “I texted her once. I think she might be ignoring me. It’s already been a couple weeks.”
I shrug. “Maybe she just got busy. Try again.”
My suggestion is met with silence. Zack and I each watch the other one, waiting for the next move to be made.
“Did something happen with you?” he asks. “I know she only went to change your bandages once.”
“Uh...”
“I knew it,” he says after about half a second. “You did something. Or you said s
omething.”
I guffaw and stretch my legs out. The sidewalks and shops outside the window creep by as the limo slows down. Two minutes in the car with Zack and already our afternoon Yankees game is ruined. They used to be one of the best parts of life, going to baseball games with my best friend, my favorite way to let loose stress.
“Sorry for existing and speaking,” I sarcastically reply. “I didn’t realize I was supposed to be a mannequin while she was over.”
“You fucked it up,” he says in an accusatory tone.
My head swivels around at near break neck speed. “Excuse me?”
“You did something to mess things up with her, to scare her.”
I lean a little closer towards him. “I don’t care about Mindy. Let’s get that straight. She’s a great lay and that’s about it.”
“So let’s call her up. Let’s invite her to the game.”
I practically feel myself twitch.
Zack stares me down.
“Fine,” I snap. “We both said some things...”
“What kind of things?”
“I questioned her motives. It’s weird that she came over to check on me.”
“I asked her to.”
Because you like her?
I don’t say that last part.
“I knew you wouldn’t rest,” Zack says. “And you wouldn’t listen to me.”
“So you thought Mindy might be able to exert some dominance over me?”
He shrugs.
I sigh. This whole thing is complicated and ridiculous. It’s time to bring our relationship with this woman back to the basics.
“Invite her,” I simply say. “See if she’ll come.” I think about it some more. “She was wearing a Yankees shirt that day, by the way. Maybe she likes baseball.”
“You remember that?”
I just look out the window, tired of this conversation.
Zack pulls out his phone and sends a text. After a couple minutes his phone buzzes back.
“She’s coming,” he announces.
My whole body jerks to attention, the sweet remembrance of Mindy’s naked body hitting me full on. Hopefully the game will be a short one. Afterwards we can head home and throw our own post-game party.
“Good,” I murmur.
Zack gives the driver Mindy’s address in the Bronx and we take a detour to pick her up.
“Did you get everything from the house yet?” I ask as we enter Castle Hill.
Zack ducks his head.
I study him. “I can help.”
He gives me a grateful look. “Thanks. It’s fine, though. I’m going to take my time.”
I nod. I think I understand. Clearing out his dad’s house is part of Zack’s grieving process. Since his father owned the place and it’s now under Zack’s name he has all the time in the world.
Once the limo pulls up to Mindy’s house and parks on the curb, I press myself against the window to survey the neighborhood. I’ve only been to it once, for Zack’s dad’s funeral, but otherwise the area remains a mystery.
Though I grew up not far from Castle Hill, the world I was born into seems a million miles away by comparison, the Madison Avenue penthouse my parents still live in ridiculously luxurious compared to the average two story houses and duplexes lining this street.
The door to the duplex in front of us opens and Mindy comes out, dressed in a loose top and jean shorts. When she turns around to lock the door behind her, I immediately get rock hard at the presented view.
Damn, that ass. There’s just something about it. My mouth literally waters whenever it’s in front of me.
Suppressing a groan, I lean back into the seat. The driver is already out and opening the door for Mindy. She climbs into the car and settles into the seat across from me and Zack, her big eyes darting from me to him.
She smells like strawberries and coconut. Being in her presence is like taking a mini tropical vacation.
“Hi,” she slowly says.
“Hey,” Zack exuberantly answers.
I give her a nod. I should probably apologize for the things I said the last time I saw her. Likely she really had just come over to help me out because she was a good person. I’d been too on edge, physically wound up from being home bound for several days and mentally spent from dealing with the legal repercussions of my fight.
Plus Zack and I have been burned by women before. If the result means I’m a tad… over cautious… then it makes sense.
Yeah, I should apologize, but I’m sure as hell not doing it in front of Zack. Him knowing what went down between me and Mindy is bad enough. I can’t let him see me grovel on top of it all. No fucking way am I giving him anything more to rub in my face later.
“Thanks for coming,” Zack tells Mindy.
She gives him a smile. “Yeah, thanks for inviting me.” Her gaze settles on me. “How are you doing, Ethan?”
“Just fine.”
Her eyes fall a little lower, down to my abs. “You look good.”
“Oh yeah?” I smirk, then realize she’s referring to my prior injury and shut my mouth.
The rest of the ride passes with a lot of small talk. We share updates about work and Mindy tells us about a big drama involving her cousin and the girl’s boyfriend. Somewhat surprisingly, Mindy is extremely easy to talk to. I never would have guessed from our other short interactions. She’s funny too, reenacting a scene in which her cousin’s boyfriend had to dodge a wine glass thrown at him.
“Are Sunday dinners in Castle Hill always so entertaining?” I ask.
Mindy and Zack catch eyes then both burst into laughter.
“Yes,” they both say at the same time.
In no time at all we’re at the stadium. We pile out and Mindy starts walking towards the box office. Zack touches her elbow and pulls her away from it. She looks at him in confusion. Instead of explaining anything, we keep walking, taking the back way towards the private boxes.
“Wow,” Mindy breathes when we step into the private box Zack and I own. With a coffee table in the very middle, plush arm chairs form two rings facing out towards the baseball diamond. There are walls both to the right and the left, and the tinted windows add a little extra bit of privacy. The box was the nicest one available when we bought it, and it’s gotten as much use as it deserves.
“It’s nice,” Zack agrees. “We love it here. Have a seat.”
She settles down into the very front middle chair. “So you guys must come to games a lot, huh?”
“Whenever we can. We’re pretty devoted.”
I take the seat on her left and Zack takes the one on her right.
“Anyone want a drink?” Zack asks, sitting forward a bit.
“Sure,” Mindy answers. “Any beer will do.”
Zack already knows what I like. He takes off, leaving me and Mindy alone. I wonder if he purposely just gave me a chance to mend bridges since he knows I don’t do that shit in front of an audience. I’ll have to thank him for his generosity later.
I clear my throat and shift in my seat, not even sure where to begin.
Mindy speaks first. “Last time we talked...”
I look at her.
“It was a little intense,” she finishes.
My shoulders droop in relief. At least I’m not the only one feeling awkward in the conversation.
“Yeah,” I agree. “It was. I didn’t… I said some things I shouldn’t have.”
She nods. “Thank you.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Me too.”
“What you do and why you do it is none of my business.”
She pulls her bottom lip in between her teeth. “The same for me. I shouldn’t be getting into your business either.”
I nod. “So we have an understanding.”
“I guess we do.”
“Great.”
“Good.”
We keep looking at each other. A small smile plays on her lips and an intense need to lean forward and kiss her comes over me.
I hold it back. We came here to watch the game, which means we’re not about to start screwing in the private box. There’s no need to tease myself. Maybe once the game is over Mindy will be open to coming over to mine or Zack’s place…
The idea feels me with pleasure and I relax for the first time in days.
Zack arrives with our drinks and we sip them and watch the game, the silence punctuated every once in a while by a comment or emotional exclamation.
“Do you ever come to games any more?” Zack asks Mindy.
“Sometimes,” she shrugs. “My friend Katie is usually good to go a few games a season. But I definitely don’t make it as much as we did in high school.”
Zack grins. “That’s right. We used to come all the time.”
His face glazes over as he takes a quick trip down memory lane.
I reach across Mindy and shake his leg. “Earth to Zack.”
As I pull my hand back it brushes across Mindy’s bare knee. I look up and catch her eye. A slight flush forms on her cheeks, and her pupils grow wide. Without thinking, I reach back over and trail my fingers across her knee once more, this time with more deliberate slowness.
A little sigh slips from her lips.
Zack has noticed what’s happening. He shifts in his seat, watching us.
Screw waiting till we get out of the box. With Mindy so close it’s impossible to resist touching her any longer. Especially since I previously thought I might never see her again. Having her here in front of me is almost too much to handle.
Keeping one hand on her knee, I set my drink down so I can trail my newly free fingers across her shoulder and up her neck. Her eyelashes flutter closed and her head falls back. I run my thumb along her jaw line then up and against her full lips. They part the slightest amount and my thumb slips in. She gives it the slightest suck, setting my cock to throbbing.
On the other side of her, Zack growls. I’m vaguely aware of his hands on her torso but it’s difficult to see anything but the woman in front of me. My pulse is full of fire, every bit of me raging and needing to have its hunger satiated.
I turn more in my seat and press my lips against Mindy’s. Her mouth welcomes mine, parting and allowing my tongue to enter just as my thumb did.
Two Billionaires Next Door: A Dark Bad Boy MFM Romance Page 4
