I sit up and scoot back until my back hits the wall of pillows behind me, giving Ethan more room to spread out and relax. “You want a snack?”
He peeks up at me. “Sure. I can always eat.”
I smile. “Good. Go make yourself useful and pop us some popcorn while I flip through Pay-Per-View.”
He smirks. “Make myself useful?”
“Chop-chop.” I clap my hands together. “I need my movie snack.”
Ethan shakes his head at me. “You are lucky I love you.”
“You’re lucky I let you.”
We both laugh.
Ethan drops my legs on the couch and pushes himself up. He blows out a puff of air. “Women.”
That’s all he says before he walks into the kitchen, giving me a nice view of his firm ass. Dress pants look good on him. Hell, everything looks good on my man. He’s mine. All mine. I lick my lips, the thought of his naked body burned into my mind. Maybe I’m not so tired after all.
By the time Ethan sits next to me on the couch, he has a bowl in hand and is stuffing his face. With my arm draped over the edge of the couch, I click the remote with the other hand to start the movie before dropping it next to me.
“Take some.” Ethan shoves the bowl in front of my face with a smile. “Before I eat it all.”
I look down and find that he’s already eaten most of the bag he popped, and I grab a handful. After I take my share, he places the bowl on his lap. For a second, I am jealous of the bowl, wanting to take its place. Instead, I shove the popcorn into my mouth.
“I love the Saw movies. If you get scared, feel free to jump in my lap.” He pats his knee with a wicked smirk on his lips.
“I will keep that in mind. It takes a lot to scare me, though, and I love these movies, too.”
He sets the almost empty bowl on the coffee table and cuddles up next to me, moving me in front of his massive body. Ethan’s so big that he takes up the entire couch. With me being petite, it’s easy for Ethan to tuck me under his chin and wrap his arms around me.
“All better,” he whispers against the shell of my ear.
Yes, all better. With Ethan, I feel safe and loved, and even though I don’t need him to hold me during a horror film, I find comfort in knowing that he’s here for me.
My breath hitches when he readjusts his position and lifts his arm, grazing my leg and leaving a trail of fire on my skin. I have no idea what’s happening on the screen. People are screaming along with the usual suspense music. All I can think about is the way my skin tingles from his touch.
Halfway through the movie, he pushes my hair off my neck and brushes his lips against my skin. The heat from his breath sends a chill down my spine that makes my toes curl with anticipation. When he notices the rapid increase in my breathing and the way my legs part for him, he places his big hand on my thigh to test the waters. I don’t stop him as he moves his fingers upward and toward my throbbing core.
Ethan slides his hand up to the seam of my panties and leans over to kiss me. At first, it’s a small peck on the lips, nothing more than a tease. But I want more. Parting my lips with his tongue, he kisses me softly, the passion between us growing more intense by the second. He threads his fingers through my hair and tugs hard enough for it to hurt, deepening the kiss.
He rubs my sensitive spot over my lace panties, my insides burning from his touch. I moan into his mouth, a desperate plea for him to go further. Ethan moves the fabric to the side and slips two fingers inside me. I clamp down on his fingers, and he grunts against my neck.
“You’re so fucking tight. And wet, always wet for me. You drive me fucking crazy, my little lamb.”
I open my legs wider, allowing him better access that he willingly accepts. He’s a greedy bastard and takes what he wants. But so I am. My body tightens, and my mind goes blank from the intense pressure building within me.
His lips stifle my moans. I practically combust when Ethan increases his speed, his thumb circling my clit. I bite down on my lip, a fire burning beneath my skin.
“Come for me.” He takes my ear into his mouth to suck on it. “Come all over my fingers, baby.”
My entire body trembles as if he commanded the orgasm from me. Trying to catch my breath, I peek up at Ethan who raises his fingers to his mouth to suck on them. “Mmm…Best pussy I ever tasted.”
I chuckle at his comment and pull down his bottom lip. “That dirty mouth.”
He smirks. Then he’s on me again, pushing my dress up over my hips and sliding my panties down my thighs. Running his hand over my bare ass, he groans with pleasure. The sound he makes I know all too well. He wants to fuck me. Hard. But he stops himself from smacking my ass like I know he wants to do. So he rubs me, soothes my cheek with his calloused palm.
Ethan withdraws his hand and sits back, my body already missing his touch. Grabbing my shoulder, he rolls me onto my back and gets off the couch to remove his pants. Not wasting any time, he strips for me. Not in a seductive way, more like his skin is on fire and he needs to rip his clothes off. The couch sinks beneath his weight when he drops his knee to the cushion and kicks open my legs.
Staring down, he licks his lips at my exposed pussy. “Take off your dress,” he orders.
I reach behind me to pull down the zipper and raise the dress above my head, adding it to the pile of Ethan’s clothes on the carpet.
“Much better.” He grabs his long, hard cock in his hand, his gaze traveling up to my breasts. “I love your fucking tits. Pinch your nipples for me.” I do as he asks, and he licks his lips. Ethan throws my left leg over his shoulder, kisses my inner thigh, and inches his way to my throbbing core. Then, he wraps both of my legs around his waist and bends forward to take my nipple in his mouth.
He positions himself between my legs, and I close my eyes as he pushes into me, my entire body clenching as he hits all my pleasure points at once.
“Fuck,” he says, his big, strong hands gripping my hips as he moves faster. “You feel so fucking good, baby.” He dips down to kiss my breast and says, “Mine.” Then, he kisses the other, “Mine.” He kisses me on the lips. “Mine.”
“Yours,” I whisper. “I was always yours.”
He pushes deeper inside me, forcing me to take all of him at once. “Damn right you were.”
I moan in response, too focused on the heat spreading from my cheeks to my toes. It doesn’t take long for Ethan to make me tremble beneath his bulky frame. After another mind-blowing release, I’m riding a sex high that has me teetering on edge. My body feels as though it could snap in half. And that’s with Ethan going easy on me.
He mumbles a series of groans and curses under his breath, gripping me hard as his body spasms. His chest rises and falls, his breathing still labored. Ethan smacks a kiss on my lips, his cock still pulsing inside me.
Our eyes meet for a second, and the corners of his mouth turn up into a wicked grin. “I’m never letting you go, Mia.” His voice is almost a whisper.
I smile and reach up to push the sweat-slick hair off his forehead. “I don’t want you to.”
He winks. “Good girl.”
28
Ethan
One Year Later
On our relaxing Sunday drive to the suburbs of Philadelphia, I roll down the convertible top, and Mia throws her hands up in the air. She glances over at me, flashing a smile at me that lights up her entire face. I pulled the old Mustang out of storage for the occasion since it only seemed fitting to recreate every memory of our past.
Mia lowers her arms, drops her hand to my knee, and squeezes. “Where are we going?”
The wind blows her hair in front of her beautiful face, billowing around her head. I tuck some of it behind her ear so I can get a better look at her. “Patience, little lamb. It’s a surprise.”
She crosses her arms over her chest, pushing up her perky tits, and pretends to sulk. “Stupid wolf,” she mumbles under her breath, even though I can hear her.
I laugh. “Would you let me pl
an something without nagging me to death about every detail?”
“I’m an investigative journalist. It is my job to ask questions.”
I nod in agreement, a smile tugging at my mouth.
After giving up the Old City Records case, Mia found her big break. She followed a tip from one of her sources and landed a front page spread with her story on a local politician’s campaign tampering. I couldn’t even contain my joy over seeing Mia’s picture accompanied by her article on the front page of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
“Wait…Are you taking me to my parent’s old house?” She turns her head from side to side, her mouth opening wide in shock. “Why are we here?”
My mother moved back to Boston after my father’s death. She said Philly never felt like home, and she missed being able to visit my brother’s grave.
“I want to do something,” I tell her. “For old times sake.”
She smiles when I pull into her parent’s old driveway and turn off the engine, but it fades. “We’re not breaking into the house.” The seriousness of her tone causes me to laugh. “I will do just about anything for you, but I am not getting busted for breaking and entering.”
“Don’t be silly. I asked for permission.” I open my car door, and Mia follows suit.
She comes around to my side of the car, meeting me in front of the two-car garage. “I don’t get it.”
I hold up my finger to her mouth. “Shh…Let me do what I came here to do. Okay?”
She nods, and I pull my finger away from her lips. Slipping my fingers between hers, I grip her hand tight and lead her into the backyard. I stop in front of the swing set that is showing it’s age. The metal bars are rusty and the seats are worn, but this is still the same place where I fell in love with the girl next door.
She smiles up at me as if she knows what this means. At least I got her here without ruining the surprise. The Tiffany’s ring has been burning a hole in my pocket for months now. It was only a matter of finding the right time to pop the question. But I always knew the place. I’d marry her right here in this backyard if I could.
I grab the metal rope and hold out the swing for Mia to sit. She does as I want and without complaint, kicking up her feet as I push her off the ground.
“Tell me something good,” I say to her.
Her face brightens. “You,” she says in her singsong voice. She stops moving and plants her sneakers on the ground, the same kind of Chuck’s she wore when she was a kid. “It was always you.”
I bend down on one knee in front of her and place my hand on her thigh. “You were always mine. If only I had told you that when we were younger.”
She shrugs. “Ancient history. All that matters now is that we are here together, creating new memories of our own.”
“Exactly.” I reach into my pocket and remove the blue box.
Mia’s hand flies up to her mouth, and her eyes widen with surprise. “Oh my God! You’re doing this.” She lowers her hand, her body trembling in the process.
“I thought we should start our life together where it all began.” I flip open the box to reveal a five-karat diamond ring.
She stares down at the diamond. “It’s so beautiful.”
“My mom helped me pick it out. You like it?”
“I love it. I love you.”
“I love you, too, baby.”
She leans forward to kiss me on the lips, a tear falling from her eye and onto my right cheek. “Yes, a thousand times yes.”
I shake my head, laughing. “I didn’t even get to ask you yet. Would you stop being so impatient?”
She wipes away the tears with the back of her hand and sniffs. “Sorry. I got a little excited.”
“We met in this backyard over twelve years ago. I was at the worst point in my life, on drugs and unable to function, and you brought me back to life. Every conversation with you helped to heal me, but I still wasn’t good enough for you. Leaving you behind was one of the hardest moments of my life. I was an ass for a long time because I still knew I wasn’t good enough for you. It also didn’t help that you are Will’s sister, so there’s that. Meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me. So was my condo flooding.”
I love you, she mouths, and I say it back.
I clasp the ring, drop the box to the ground, and take her hand in mine. “Mia Elizabeth Roman, I have loved you since I was eighteen, and I will love and worship you for the rest of my life. Will you be mine?”
“I am yours,” she mutters. “Forever. Always.”
She touches my cheek with her thumb, as I slide the ring on her finger. I get up from the ground, sit on the swing next to her, and slip my fingers between hers. We kick our feet off the ground, the metal bars grinding under our weight.
“How did you pull all of this off?” Mia asks me.
“Easy. The owner of the house flipped out when he saw me on his doorstep. He’s a big-time Flyers fan. I told him about how we met and offered to pay him to bring you here for a few hours. But he didn’t want money. He settled for a bunch of autographed memorabilia from the team and me and pictures of us in gear.”
She laughs. “You got off easy.”
“Tell me about it. I would have paid him anything to make this moment special for you. This house, this backyard, all of it means something to us. I wanted you to be able to look back on this day and remember it the same way you did the first night we met.”
“I remember thinking you were the hottest boy I had ever met,” she says, blushing. “I had an instant crush on you.”
“And now?”
“Still the hottest boy I ever met. Only now you’re a man. My man.”
The corners of my mouth turn up into a smile.
“One more thing,” I say, nervous about how she will react. “Since I had to ask your dad and your brother if I could marry you—”
“You did?” She claps her hands together and laughs. “Was that Will’s idea?”
“Of course. You know your brother. Goddamn pain in my ass. I had to ask him over dinner like we were on a fucking date.”
She shakes her head. “He’s insane.”
“If you only knew.” I think of all the crazy shit Will and I have done over the years, some of it locked away in a mental vault I will never open again, mostly for Mia’s sake. “That wasn’t what I wanted to tell you, though. Since Will is my best man, he already started planning my bachelor party.”
She rolls her eyes. “What if I had said no?”
I smirk. “Look who’s got jokes.”
“Whatever. It could have happened.” She glances down at her ring and smiles. “So, where is Will taking you? On a tour of every strip club in the world?”
“Would you let me go?”
She laughs. “Not like I could stop you.”
“I would do anything for you. If you didn’t want me to go, I would tell Will no. But you’d have a very angry brother to deal with. Will has been looking forward to my bachelor party ever since I told him I wanted to marry you. He even booked our rooms in Vegas.”
“Vegas, baby,” she says, throwing her arms above her head. “I’m coming, too. I can have my bachelorette party there.”
“Are you serious?”
She shrugs, nonchalant as if hijacking my bachelor party isn’t a big deal. “Yeah, why not?
“Because your brother will have a stroke. No women allowed.”
“Same city, different parties. Let me handle Will.”
“Whatever you say, boss.”
Mia grips my hand, and a pulse of electricity dances up my arm. She smiles as if she can feel it too. We swing higher, matching each other’s pace. No more words are necessary. A perfect end to an imperfect beginning.
Epilogue
Ethan: Four Years Later
“Swing, swing, swing,” Erik says, with his chubby little cheeks puffed out, jumping up and down.
“Hold Mommy’s hand, Erik,” Mia says to our three-year-old son. He slips his tiny fingers between hers
and then latches on to me.
I smile down at Erik, and then glance up at Mia, both of us lifting him off the ground at the same time.
“I want to fly, Daddy,” he says to me in his baby voice that makes my heart melt. “Make my fly.”
“You got it, buddy.”
Mia laughs, her smile so wide that it illuminates her entire face. I love this woman and my children more than anything in this world. And I have them, all because of the darkest parts of my life. My brother’s death had set into action a chain of events that I never thought would lead me to this point. Years ago, I thought I would be dead by now. Part of me wanted—no needed—to be with my brother again. My depression and guilt over Erik, mixed with my drug habit, should have killed me. But it didn’t.
With a strong grip on Erik, we rock him back and forth, all the way through the cemetery until we reach my brother’s grave. My mother waits for us, with her hands stuffed into her jacket pockets, her back facing us.
“Grams,” Erik screams, and she spins around.
The second we set Erik on the ground he runs into my mom’s arms. “Hey, baby.” She hugs Erik and kisses him on the cheek and forehead, holding on to him for dear life.
“You made it,” my mom says to Mia and me, adjusting Erik on her hip. “How was the trip?”
“Not bad. We hit some traffic, but nothing major.”
When Mia had found out she was pregnant, we were only married for a few months. I couldn’t wait to make her my wife, and with my hockey schedule, we didn’t waste much time after my proposal. My mom cried for days after I told her our son’s name. She still does on occasion. Today is one of those days. Even though she tries to blink them away, her eyes are watery, filled with tears.
“How long have you been here?” I ask my mom.
More than Roommates Page 17
