He smirked. “What all women want.”
“You know what all women want?”
He gave a tug, pulling her on top of him.
“Eth!” She propped up on his chest and gave him a disgruntled look.
He framed her face with his hands. “Stay till morning and I’ll show you. I promise to get you to work on time.”
Her eyes went soft and she quickly looked away, focusing on a spot near his ear. “This isn’t a relationship if I spend the night.”
He stroked her back, soothing her. She was skittish; he understood why now. He wanted to throttle Dean but, at the same time, thank him for letting Ally go. She didn’t belong with a man who couldn’t deal with the consequences of his actions.
She belonged with him.
He cupped the back of her neck, drew her down, and kissed her gently. “We don’t need a label.”
She relaxed, shifting to his side. “Okay, I’ll spend the night.” She shimmied off her jeans and tossed them.
He let out a quiet breath of relief, turned off the light on the nightstand, made sure the blanket was on both of them, and pulled her close, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She cuddled up against his side, resting her head on his chest right over his heart.
With no prompting from him, she got chatty, telling him all about her new goals, dreams, and quest for fulfilling experiences now that she was solo married. He liked that she confided in him. He didn’t even raise a peep of concern when she said she was seriously thinking of taking that job with Claire. She was ready for adventure. He let her get it all out, making sure he responded with encouraging comments when appropriate, but all he could think was, get it out of your system. Go nuts. And then come back to me.
Because this wasn’t a onetime thing.
All cuddled up like that, her softness pressed close, filled him with satisfaction. He’d intended another round or two, but the sheer contentment of holding her made him relax into a deep sleep.
He woke early as usual and took her in, her blond hair mussed, her cheeks pink, her lashes resting on her soft cheeks, her sexy mouth with the dip at the top lip and the fullness of her lower lip, those luscious breasts.
Her eyes fluttered open. “Hi.”
He smiled, his chest aching like his heart would burst at this moment he’d longed for with every cell in his being—waking up with a woman who made him smile. “Hi.”
“What time is it?”
“Still early. Only six.”
She stretched. “I usually get up at seven.”
“Gives us time for what women want.”
“And just how do you know this fact?” she asked, all saucy.
He kissed her smiling mouth. “Spread your legs for me, beautiful.”
Her breath hitched and she immediately threw back the covers, pulled off her panties, and did as he asked. He went rock hard and then had to rein himself in with the tight restraint needed to control himself. He’d always been barely leashed energy. Ally was special and deserved what tenderness he could give.
He started with gentle kisses on her sexy mouth, pausing frequently to gaze into her wide blue eyes, so open and trusting despite her best efforts to protect herself. She didn’t have it in her to turn off her open loving nature. He reminded himself to take care. When he was sure he had enough control, he shifted down her body, proving he knew exactly what he was talking about. Yeah, he went down on her. All women wanted that. Just like all guys loved a blowjob.
And she loved it. Her nails dug into his shoulders, her hips rose up to meet him, she moaned and whimpered, and he held her to his pace, slowing down when she was close, more aggressive when she relaxed. When he finally pushed her over the edge, she bowed off the mattress with a keening cry.
When he rose up over her and grinned, she grabbed him and hugged him tight, thanking him profusely. That only made him want to do it more. But she begged him to fuck her, so what could he do?
Much later, she cheerfully made them both breakfast, French toast with scrambled eggs, all while telling him about her first-grade class and the plans she had for the week. He made the coffee, practically whistling to himself. It was clear she loved kids despite her restless quest for life outside the classroom. Like him, she had a lot of energy. He could easily picture her raising wild energetic kids who hiked and fished and camped. His blood, his family.
Rein it in.
She joined him at the table a short while later and, even though he usually just had coffee in the morning, he ate everything with gusto. She asked him about himself and he gave her small pieces of it, his closeness with the Campbell family and his foster brother, Zach, his satisfaction with his job, his tight ties to the community. She already understood about his love for the outdoors. He left out the harsher side of his life—his crummy childhood bouncing from the orphanage to a series of foster homes. Left out the seedier side of his job—the arrests that had turned violent, requiring him to subdue the perp, the ugly domestic situations he’d been called into. He wouldn’t sully her. He wanted to keep her just like this—untouched by the harsher side of life. Besides, no one wanted to hear the sob story of an orphan who’d never been adopted. It made him look pathetic, the boy nobody wanted. He’d made a man of himself through sheer determination and the support of his chosen family, the Campbells.
“You ever been camping?” he asked.
“I did an overnight with the Girl Scouts once,” she replied. “We all slept in a huge log cabin like a giant slumber party.”
“No, I mean real camping. Like sleeping under the stars.”
“On the ground?” she asked, crinkling her nose. “Like all exposed to bears and bugs and snakes?” She shuddered.
“Could be in a tent.” He offered a more civilized version, though he preferred real camping—ground underneath, sky above.
“Sounds rough.”
“It’s fun. Great to get away from civilization and back to the basics.”
She grinned. “As long as the basics include a bathroom with a shower, I’m game.”
“City slicker,” he teased.
“I’ll have you know I’m a suburb girl through and through.”
“Could be an adventure,” he said, playing to her quest for new experiences. “Call of the wild. Bring out all your primitive instincts.” He smirked, thinking how awesome sex in the great outdoors with Ally would be.
“I can be primitive just as easily in a soft bed if you’re with me.” She gave him a sweet smile. “You made me feel so good. Thank you.”
He flushed with pride, his chest bursting with happiness. He leaned across the table, hooked his fingers around the back of her neck and pulled her in for a kiss. “My pleasure.” He released her and settled back into his chair. “Still think a vibrator is better than a man?”
She beamed radiantly, pure sunshine. “It’s like you said before when we both agreed men suck—you’re the exception.”
Pure satisfaction washed through him. “Thanks.” He soaked her in, hoping he could keep this thing going long enough to actually reel her in because he was already sunk.
Chapter Twelve
Ally stopped by the supermarket after work, finally calming down from what she was now calling the night (and morning after) that Ethan blew her mind. Only took eleven hours for her to calm down. Ha! The man was a collection of contradictions—tough with a stone expression that rarely cracked into a smile, but then in bed he’d been gentle, almost tender. She’d never experienced that with any man. And the way he’d listened, really listened, to her relationship concerns. He was the most amazing man she’d ever met.
No pulling the rug out from under you, I promise. I like you and want to spend time with you. Ethan’s words came back to her again, bringing a gooey deep affection. She was halfway in love with him.
Oh, God. She was falling for him.
She gave herself a mental shake, pushing her cart down the bread aisle. Focus. She’d spoken to Claire about the assistant opportunity aft
er work today only to find it wasn’t a good fit. So what was she going to do with her life? What was her purpose? This thinking-things-through stuff wasn’t for the faint of heart.
Her cart was full of healthy food when she made her final stop at the freezer section for ice cream. She halted two steps down the aisle. As if conjured from her thoughts, Ethan stood at the opposite end of the aisle.
She made herself continue forward like everything was normal. Like her heart wasn’t racing, her knees wobbly over seeing him so soon after their hookup. Nothing like the early evening after the morning after…whatever. It was always awkward to see your lover fully dressed when the vision of their naked body was still fresh in mind. The things his mouth had done to her. She throbbed at the memory.
He hadn’t noticed her yet as he picked out Hungry Guy frozen dinners.
Just be friendly. Casual. No big deal.
“There’s my stalker!” she called with a wave.
He straightened and flashed a smile that stopped her heart. She flushed and her heart kicked into high gear as she closed the distance between them, parking her cart alongside his.
He tossed two more frozen dinners into his cart, joining the pile already in there. “Yeah, I figured if I stood here long enough, you were bound to come in for…”
“Ice cream,” she supplied. “And ya know, the usual stuff for the week.”
He searched her features for a moment before asking, “How’s the plan to work with Claire? Have you spoken to her about it?”
She sighed. “It’s not going to work out. She says after the movie wraps, she and Jake want to buy a horse farm in Connecticut. They’re hoping to start a family. She said she’ll still be working, but probably more behind the camera with her production company.”
“So she doesn’t need an assistant?”
“No, she does, but it would be more local.” She frowned. “I don’t want to hang around a horse farm in Connecticut. I’ve lived my whole life in Connecticut. I thought it would be so glam too. I told her that and she understood. She said she’d ask around if another actress needs an assistant that would involve more travel for me. She knows, like, everyone.”
Ethan moved to stand by her side. “Sorry it didn’t work out, but I’m glad you’ll be sticking around.”
“Thanks. But there’s still a possibility. Claire could come through with something else. She has incredible connections.”
His voice turned husky, making her knees weak. “You free for dinner on Saturday night?”
“Yes.”
He smiled warmly. “Then it’s a date.”
Her self-preservation kicked in, needing to slow it down, protect her heart. “But I’m not spending the night this time.”
He arched a brow. “Not even for what women want?”
She hesitated, but told herself to remain firm with the boundaries. “Not even that.”
“All right.” He played with a lock of her hair. “I’ve got another thing you might like.”
That got her attention. No, she needed firm boundaries. Besides, next Sunday morning was Lauren’s bachelorette brunch. Her friend was such a sweetheart, she wanted her bachelorette party to be a classy brunch at a nice restaurant. There’d been much debate among her friends over secretly springing a stripper on Lauren at the brunch, but Hailey had put a quick halt to those proceedings, declaring they’d be kicked out of the restaurant for that. They’d settled for the much tamer mimosas with secret gifts of naughty lingerie. Ally personally thought that was more a gift for Lauren’s fiancé than Lauren, but it would be fun to watch her blush and attempt to thank everyone in her usual sweet way.
“I have plans Sunday morning,” she informed him, but then she couldn’t resist. “Tell me the other thing I might like.”
He pushed her hair behind her ear. “You’ll have to spend the night to find out. I’ll make sure you’re not late for your plans.”
She narrowed her eyes. This sounded like a trick. He just wanted to cuddle her and that was bound to get her all mushy and vulnerable.
“Up to you,” he said with a smirk. “Last woman I did it too actually…nah. You don’t need to know that.”
She slammed a hand on her hip. “Not cool to talk about other women with the woman you’re currently propositioning, you know.”
He shrugged and watched her with a confident sexy look in his eyes.
Ooh, she couldn’t take the suspense. “What’d she do?”
He leaned down and whispered near her ear, the words hot against her skin. “She turtled.”
“She what?”
He stroked her hair back from her ear and held it as he cradled the side of her head and whispered, “She made this wheezy sound like a turtle orgasm.”
She was so confused. Also intrigued. And a hot mess of hormones. “And you know about turtle orgasms how?”
He dropped his hand and met her eyes. “YouTube video. Guys at work showed me.”
“So you didn’t actually witness turtles fucking while you were doing your park ranger thing?”
He grinned and looked around. Luckily, they were alone down at this end of the aisle, because she’d said that turtles-fucking thing a little loud. “That would be a no,” he said. “And I’m not a park ranger.”
She crossed her arms. “I’m not sure I want to turtle.”
He gave her his sexiest smirk. “Bark? Meow? Howl?”
She laughed and uncrossed her arms.
He took her hand in a firm clasp. “I’ll pick you up at six on Saturday. Dinner will be all suburban-like with running water and a chef that prepares the meal.”
She melted. “Okay. Will there be benefits after?”
“Up to you,” he said at the same time as he nodded.
She laughed. “All right, it’s a…” She coughed, nearly choking on the word. She was so afraid she was going to get her hopes up again, go all Cinderella on his ass when there simply was no prince waiting to whisk her away to everlasting happiness. Real life didn’t work that way.
“Date,” he supplied.
She took a shaky breath. And then put as much cheer into her voice as she could while she babbled nervously. “Yes. Well, I better get going. I have a lot of cooking to do. I’m making white chicken chili for dinner and three loaves of pumpkin bread for my class tomorrow.”
He didn’t move, still close enough to make her want to throw herself at him. “It’s a nice place; dress would be good.”
She nodded in a jerky motion, waved him to the side and, as soon as he moved, she grabbed her cart and made a U-turn out of the frozen aisle, her stomach doing a jittery dance.
It wasn’t until she got home that she realized she forgot the ice cream.
~ ~ ~
Ethan rarely did the fancy-dinner thing. Not his style. But he needed Ally to know he was serious about her. Casual hookups didn’t get across that message. Not that he’d turn down hooking up with her. He just…dammit, if he was going to do this, he had to do it right. Full-on wooing. He’d never wooed in his life, but his foster brother, Zach, was a professor of anthropology and had shared some good stuff about dating based on real anthropological evidence and biology. He’d explained the dominant male was highly valued for a mate as protector and provider for the young. Dominant didn’t mean pressing the other person down. It was more like strength to fight off enemies and rivals, protect the family and bring home the gift of food. Though Ally brought her own food home and cooked better than he did. Whatever. It had made sense at the time. He was a cop, so he already had the protector thing down.
He peered in the bathroom mirror at the crappy knot in his tie and undid it again. If she understood him at all, she’d know what a big deal this fancy dinner was. He tied the knot again and then loosened it. He hated ties.
He finished getting ready, nerves making him tense and jumpy. He couldn’t remember being nervous about a date since he was a teenager on his first date. It felt like so much was riding on it. He was serious about Ally, had tri
ed to be as straightforward as possible about that, but it still felt like any moment she was going to slip through his fingers. Like he’d turn around and she be flying off to Paris for a year as some movie star’s assistant or off to Japan to teach kids English or something.
But he couldn’t back off. Not when he felt so much. He thought about her a lot—her cheerful exuberance, her beaming smile, her grit, her luscious body, her softness. When he wasn’t with her, he couldn’t wait to see her again. And when he saw her, the whole world was brighter, sights and sounds sharper. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath in and out. What the hell happened to him? He’d only known her up close and personal for four weeks. That was much too soon for…love. Had it finally happened for him? He’d never felt like this before, all out of sorts and wanting another person close so much. He suspected it was, but wouldn’t check in with anyone to ask. He’d just move forward like everything was normal.
Because if Ally didn’t love him back, there was no point in even thinking about it.
He loved her.
Fuck.
He’d never told anyone he loved them. And no one had ever said it to him. Would that bad luck streak finally end?
Or would he be waving goodbye as she left for some grand adventure?
He shrugged on the suit blazer. Enough thinking. Time for action. He marched out the door.
~ ~ ~
Ally was standing in a bra and panties, carefully applying mascara in the bathroom mirror, when the doorbell rang. Shit. He was early! She yanked the bands out of her two braids, tousled her hair into the kinky waves she’d been going for and then raced to her bedroom for her pink fleece robe. “Coming!” Now that she lived alone, she couldn’t count on her roomie to run interference.
She rushed to the door, peeked through the peephole, and yanked it open, a little breathless. “Hey, you’re way early.”
Ethan stepped inside, looking somber and serious in a navy blue suit. “I was ready. I don’t mind waiting for you. Take your time.” His gaze dropped to her bare legs, where the robe ended mid-thigh, and then traveled up to the gaping top that likely gave him an eyeful of cleavage. Finally, he lifted lust-filled eyes to hers.
Mess With Me Page 14
