Kiss Me at Midnight (Entangled Flaunt) (5 page)

“Sounds boring.”

“It was.” She grinned at him. “But now I’m a doctor, and it was worth it. What about you? What kinds of things do you do in your spare time, besides the beach?”

“Not a whole hell of a lot. I go to a lot of games, hang out with the guys.” He lifted a shoulder. “Normal single dude shit.”

She shot him a look. “Pick up a few ladies here and there…”

“Well, yeah.” He shot her a cocky grin. “No big shocker there, though, right?”

“None at all.” She looked up at the scoreboard and sighed. “You basically sound like me, minus the games and chicks. I don’t go to sporting events.”

“What
do
you do?”

“Concerts. Coffee. Bars.” She laughed and tucked her hair behind her ear. “You know, normal single girl stuff.”

His lips twitched, and he motioned her forward. “Go on. You’re up.”

“I’ll go easy on you. Then again…” She picked up her ball, shot him a smile over her shoulder, and got all but one pin. That’s all right. She’d get the next one. “Maybe not.”

“Yeah, sure,” he mumbled. “Go on. Get your spare.”

She picked up her ball and did exactly that. Before the pins could reset, he was on her, kissing her and burying his fingers in her hair. She clung to his forearms, moaning into his mouth. By the time he pulled back, she could barely stand on her own.

God this was fun. Hot, sexy, unexpected fun.

He nipped at her lip one last time then let go of her. Striding up to the balls, he picked up his blue one and rolled it without lining up at all. Strike. Well, crap.

He turned back to her, grinning at her as if he hadn’t just kissed the thoughts right out of her mind. How could he look so damn under control when she was ready to burst?
So
not fair. “See that?”

“Not too bad, but I’ll still win,” she said, patting his shoulder as she passed him.

She let her nails trail over his hard pecs, loving how solid he felt under his shirt. God, she wanted him. Again and again and again until she got him out of her system once and for all. But would that even be possible? She was starting to wonder.

He trailed his finger over her lower back, giving her exactly what she’d given him. More sexual distraction. “We’ll see about that.”

“Yeah.” Her stomach clenched when he moved his hand a little bit lower, dipping between her legs again. “We will.”

She picked up her ball and took her turn, knocking down all but two pins. She glared at the pins, knowing he was throwing her off her game every time he touched her, but she was enjoying it too much to actually care.

When she missed the last two pins, she sighed and turned around.

He kissed her again, the same way as before, only this time, he didn’t stop. His lips moved over hers, slanting deeper and harder, and her whole body came to life. She ran her hands over his chest, giving back as good as she got. After a few more seconds, she yanked free and took a shuddering breath. “Screw bowling. You ready to go?”

He caught her hand and nodded. “I thought you’d never ask.” She was barely able to keep her hands off of him while they returned their bowling shoes and paid the bill.

As they left the alley, she peeked over her shoulder at the score. She’d been winning. Even though the game hadn’t ended, she was technically the winner.

And she knew exactly what she wanted as her prize.

Chapter Six

They walked out into the night, the fresh, cold air bringing her out of her haze of need. She set out last night to get laid. To scratch the itch and get it out of her system. Instead, she now wanted Ethan 24/7.

She stopped walking, not letting go of his hand, so he’d stop, too. “Did you drive?”

“Yeah.” He cocked his head. “You?”

“Nope. Rhiannon dropped me off.” A ploy on her part to make sure Ethan would have to give her a ride home afterwards.

He led her to a red rental truck with huge tires. As he opened the door for her, giving her a boost up to the seat with his hands on her butt, she barely controlled her urge to rub her ass against his hand and purr like a freaking cat.

He slid into his seat and slipped the keys into the ignition, bringing it to life with a roar. “Your place?”

“Yep.” As soon as he hit reverse and started backing up, she slipped her hand between his legs. Closing her hand around his cock, she squeezed and leaned in. “You know, I’m technically the winner.”

He hissed in a breath through his teeth. “Is that so?”

“Mmhm.” She slid closer, rubbing the palm of her hand against his erection. He pushed his penis against her more fully. “And I know what I want as my prize.”

He stepped on the gas. “What would that be?”

“You. Now.” She undid his button, and then his zipper. “Park on a dark road because I’m not waiting until we get to my place.”

Without further urging, he turned down a street that led to a residential area most tourists ignored. But he kept driving, obviously not content to pull over in front of a bunch of houses. His choice, but she wasn’t waiting. Not this time.

She bent down, freed his erection, and closed her lips around him. He swerved but then righted himself. “Jesus, Ashley.”

She didn’t answer, just sucked him into her mouth, swirling her tongue around the head and closing her fingers around the shaft. As she sucked, she jerked her hand, and he swerved again. Last night had been all about him being in control. Now it was her turn.

He slammed the truck into park and then curled his hands around her head, thrusting into her mouth. He reclined the seat and lifted his hips, pulling his shirt free.

As he adjusted himself, she tasted a hint of semen on her tongue. He gripped the door so tight she swore she heard something give way. “E-Enough,” he growled, picking her up and setting her on his lap. “Fuck me.”

“We don’t have any…” She broke off when he held up a condom. “Never mind.”

She watched him slide the rubber on. The sight of his hands moving over himself made her even more desperate to have him. All night long, he’d been kissing her and touching her, and now all she could think about was getting him
inside
of her already.

While he rolled the condom firmly in place, she kicked off her jeans and panties and climbed onto his lap. He stopped her before she could impale herself on him. “Touch yourself for me. Let me watch.”

She drew in a deep breath. He wanted to watch her masturbate? God, that was hot. She was supposed to be in control, though. Did she really want to…oh, hell.

Who was she kidding? She wanted.

Reaching down between her legs, she rolled her finger over her clit, gasping at how good it felt. She’d been aching for some contact ever since he let his finger run over her at the bowling alley. He leaned in, capturing her mouth with his. As he kissed her, she moved her fingers faster against her clit, knowing if she continued like this, she’d orgasm within seconds.

The pressure built up within her, higher and higher. She tensed when he slid his hand over hers. He didn’t take her hand away or stop her, he just joined in, applying even more pressure exactly where she needed it.

She quickened the strokes, and he bit down on her lip. That aggressive, dominating move sent her over the edge. She cried out as she came, stars bursting in front of her eyes and pleasure radiating over her body.

“Fucking hell, Ashley,” he gasped, lifting her up, then lowering her onto his cock. He impaled her with one smooth thrust, sliding inside easily.

He gripped her hips, guiding her in the perfect rhythm that sent her spiraling over the edge again.
What the hell?
She’d never come so much and so often as she did with him.

She dug her nails into his chest, crying out in surprise at the ambush orgasm, then threw her head back. He pumped his hips up harder, moving her faster, and then joined her. Spent, he collapsed against his seat.

The urge to lie down on his chest and cuddle for a second was strong, but the truck wasn’t exactly conducive to that. Plus he’d made it pretty clear this was just sex. He’d be gone in a couple of days, and she’d be here. But even so, the urge was there.

He reached up, curled his hand around the back of her neck, and pulled her onto his chest. Something warm and soft closed around her heart, squeezing tight. He closed his arms around her and rested his cheek on the top of her head with a sigh.

After a few moments of silence, he chuckled and played with her hair. “You weren’t kidding about not waiting.”

“Nope.” She snuggled closer. “It’s your fault for making me want you so badly.”

He took a shuddering breath and dropped a kiss to the top of her head. “Yeah, I know that feeling all too well.”

Her heart raced faster than a Nascar
car on the final lap. If she was reading between the lines properly, then he was saying he felt the same way about her as she did about him. The problem was she had no idea exactly how she felt or what it meant.

All she knew was right now, she was happy.

…

Ethan tightened his arms around Ashley, more than content to hold her in his arms like this for another minute or two. When he’d asked her why she had come tonight, he’d loved her reply. She seemed to be as caught off guard by this…this…
thing
blazing between them as he was. Neither of them knew what the hell was going on, but there was no denying the strong attraction between the two of them.

“You’re being awfully quiet.” She lifted her head and scanned his face. “I thought you might have fallen asleep on me.”

“Nah.” He grinned and smoothed her hair back from her face. “I was just lost in thought, is all.”

“We should probably go back to my place before Sheriff Holt comes and finds us. That’s the last thing either of us needs. ‘
Local doctor found naked in a truck, tonight at five
.’”

He snorted. “That would be a story to tell.”

“For you, maybe. You’re leaving.” She sat up and crawled off his lap and collected her clothes from the truck floor. He watched her go, equally enthralled by the picture she presented while being upset by her not being pressed against him. “I have to stay here and be a doctor for God only knows how long.”

Something hit him hard, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Was it…disappointment? Nah. That couldn’t be it. He’d known going into this that she was staying, and he was leaving. What the hell was there to be disappointed about?

He had a plan, and it didn’t involve love or marriage or kids. Only he fully knew what he had been through as a kid with the teasing and bullying. It had been bad enough going through it first hand, but having to watch one of his own kids experience that kind of torture and not be able to fix it…

No
. He wouldn’t do it.

He’d finally found his freedom from his past. And now that he’d finally made amends with Ashley—hell, had even fulfilled his high school fantasy of having sex with her—it was time to leave the past in the past and move forward for good. No more looking back.

He cleared his throat and carefully removed the condom, grabbing a plastic bag from the back seat to put it in. He straightened his jeans and buckled his seatbelt, and waited for her to situate herself. When she didn’t buckle up, he shot her a look. “Do you ever use a seat belt?”

“I live a few blocks down the road.” He simply stared at her until she sighed and buckled up. “There. Happy?”

“Ecstatic,” he said dryly. “Now I’ll take you home.”

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. “You’re not staying.”

It wasn’t so much a question as it was a statement. She already knew the answer, but sought confirmation. The second he spent the night in her arms was the second he wouldn’t want to leave her. It just seemed far too…intimate. He didn’t do intimate. Even with Ashley.

Nothing was keeping him in this godforsaken town.

“Right.” He nodded, his hands tightening on the wheel. “Glad we’re on the same page.”

“Totally.”

He nodded again, oddly not at peace despite her assurances she didn’t want anything else from him. It didn’t make any sense. “Want to walk on the beach for a little bit first, though?” he asked.

He didn’t know where the thought had come from, or why he’d gone and asked that, but he knew one thing...

He wasn’t ready to say goodnight yet.

Chapter Seven

Ashley blinked at him, as taken by surprise by his suggestion of walking on the beach as she’d been by his bowling invitation. Every time he pushed her away, he seemed to follow up by pulling her a little closer, too. It made her wonder if he was fighting an internal battle.

“Yeah, sure.” She smiled at him. “That would be nice.”

He cleared his throat and turned down a road that led away from her condo, but toward the boardwalk. “So, how do you like owning your own practice?”

She looked out the window, staring at the moon. It was really bright and full tonight, casting shadows over the tops of the buildings and houses. “It’s a little bit scary, to be honest,” she admitted, still focused out the window. “It’s not at all what I planned to do with my medical degree. I was going to live in the city. Kick some ass and take names while doing it. But then Dad died, and it all kind of…” She turned back to him. “Shifted, you know?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I do.”

“Have you ever had that happen? Had something completely change what you thought you wanted before you even knew it happened?” She crinkled her nose. “Did that even make sense?”

He laughed, his chin dimple peeking out for a second. Wow. She’d forgotten all about that dimple. It wasn’t overly obvious. Just when he smiled in a certain way. “It did. And no, I can’t say I have. I mean, all my life, I knew I was going to leave Rehoboth because I hated it here. I did it, and I haven’t regretted a second of it. I love California. Love being free from any ties that used to hold me down.”

She pressed her lips together. “Was it really so bad for you here, even after school? People grow up and change. I would think most of them would’ve done that.
We
have.”

He parked in front of The Candy Kitchen
, then turned to her. “I wouldn’t know. I left and only come back for holidays.” He adjusted opened his door. “And I tend to avoid people I used to know when I’m here.”

“Then why did you tap on my shoulder?”

He closed the door and walked around the front of the truck, opening her door for her and offering his hand. “The truth?”

She slipped her hand into his and rolled her eyes. “Yeah. Why would I ask if I wanted a lie?”

“You can’t be mad at me, though.”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, spit it out already, Pierce.”

“Fine.” He grinned. “I didn’t know it was you.”

“
What
?” She stopped walking, glaring up at him. “You mean you had no idea who I was, but wanted to buy me a drink anyway?”

“What can I say? You looked good from behind, too.” He entwined his fingers with hers, pulled her up against his body. “And also, you reminded me of
you
. I liked that.”

Her heart sped up at his words, but she ducked her head to hide her reaction from him. She didn’t even really know why it made her happy to hear he’d picked a girl out at a bar that reminded him of her…but it did. “Wow. Okay, then.”

“You can’t hold it against me,” he said, nudging her with his elbow. “You were there for the same reason I was. To find someone to bring home.”

“Well, if we’re being honest…” She bit her lip. “I
might
have heard you could be showing up at the bar,” she said in a rush. “So that
might
have made me come out last night.”

He stopped walking, his gaze latching with hers. The moonlight highlighted his face, and she ached to trace his sharp cheekbones with her thumbs. “Seriously?”

“Seriously.” She lifted a shoulder, trying to play off the whole thing. “It’s nothing, really. I think we both wanted to get closure, you know? We didn’t have that before. But now we do.”

He dropped her hand, and for a second, she was hurt. But then he threw his arm around her shoulder and hugged her close, leading her further down the boardwalk. “You’re a special girl. You know that, right?”

Her cheeks heated up, but she snorted. “Of course I do. I mean,
look
at me. I’m the whole package, baby.”

“And so humble, too.”

She curtsied. “The humblest.”

“Shit.” He laughed and dragged a hand through his hair. When they reached Grotto’s Pizza
, he stopped in front of the closed doors and stared at them, a far off look in his eyes. “It’s so weird being back here, walking down the boardwalk with you again. Talk about a fucking time capsule.”

“Yeah, but back then, we hadn’t seen each other naked.”

He grinned. “Oh, but I wished I had. Believe me.”

“You should have gotten the nerve to kiss me. I would’ve kissed you back.” She shrugged. “I might have even let you get to second base, if you were a good enough kisser.”

“Back then?” He rolled his eyes. “Doubtful. But then again, I didn’t turn men gay with my dead fish lips, either.”

She gasped and punched his arm. “I
knew
I shouldn’t have told you that, you brat. I’ll kick your ass for that one.”

“All right, all right.” He laughed and backed away from her, his arms in the air. “That was a low blow, even for me. I’ll allow one punch, but no more.”

She crossed her arms and tapped her foot. “One more, to the gut. You owe me that.”

“I already let you hit me once.”

She took a step closer and punched her hand. “It wasn’t enough. I need a good shot.”

“It’s not my fault you totally blew your shot,” he said, his brow up. He took a big step back. “I shouldn’t be punished because you forgot how to punch me properly.”

“That’s it.”

She lunged forward, trying to grab him, but he ended up swinging her into his arms and over his shoulder. She hadn’t even seen him move, he’d been that fast.

“Now who’s lost her touch?” he taunted, slapping her ass with an open palm. “I might suck at bowling, but I obviously win at this.”

She squeezed her thighs together. That slap…ugh. It did bad things to her control.

“Fine. You win.” He fondled her butt one more time, then slowly lowered her to her feet, letting her body slide over his the whole way. When she was on solid ground, she smiled up at him. “But you forgot one thing.”

“Oh?” He cocked a brow. “What would that be?”

She sucker punched him, laughing when he doubled over. It hadn’t been a hard hit, but he’d always been overly dramatic when it came to stuff like this. “It’s not over till someone gets hurt.”

He leaned against the wall of Grotto’s, clutching his stomach. “Well, then, I think we’re good.”

“Oh, stop being such a baby,” she said, grinning. “Want me to kiss it with my dead fish lips and make it better?”

He peeked out of one eye. “That
might
help me.”

She crept closer, running her hands up his chest. “Hmm. Let’s see.”

She kissed his shoulder, then the spot directly over his nipple. When she ran her hands over his abs, caressing him under his sweater, he hissed and dropped his head back against the wall. “Shit, that feels good.”

“I know.” She pressed her body against his, rising up on tiptoe. “Believe me, I know.”

She kissed him, wrapping her arms behind his neck and pulling him down lower. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her so gently she almost couldn’t feel it, and slanted his head to deepen the kiss.

By the time she pulled back, she had forgotten they were outside on the boardwalk in the first place. It wasn’t until a gust of wind whipped her hair that she realized how cold it was getting. She stepped back and wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. “You ready to head back to the truck? I’m freezing out here.”

“Sure thing.” He grinned and grabbed her hand, leading her back the way they’d come. “Know what? You’d like California.”

She glanced up at him, her heart skipping a beat. “What?”

“You’d love it, I’m telling you. It’s warm and sunny almost every single day. And even though there’s no boardwalk where I live, I walk by the ocean every night before it gets dark. And when the sun sets over the Pacific? It’s breathtaking. All the colors and hues over the blue water…”

“It sounds amazing.” She smiled, picturing him walking along the water, the waves crashing at his feet. “Is the water warm?”

“Hell no. It’s cold as fuck.”

A surprised laugh escaped her. “But it’s always warm there. That doesn’t make any sense.”

“The water comes down from Alaska.” He traced a circle over her knuckle with his thumb. “So instead of the warm Bahamas current we get here, there’s only cold water out there.”

“Wow. I had no idea.”

“Me either.” He chuckled and smoothed his brown hair back from his forehead. “The first day I got there, I went running out onto the beach, my eyes on that blue water. I went charging full speed ahead into it, expecting warm, bathwater-temperature water. Instead?” He grinned down at her, his thumb still tracing circles on her hand. “I hauled my ass outta there faster than ever before.”

She laughed, pressing a hand to her stomach. “I can totally picture the look on your face, too.”

“I’m sure it said something like, ‘Holy fuck, that’s cold as getting blue balls on a winter night.’”

She laughed even harder. “Were they the same shade as your bowling ball?”

“Even worse.”

“Oh my God.” She shook her head, still smiling. “That sounds…painful.”

He cocked a brow. “You have no idea. I might not be able to have children after that.”

“Do you
want
to have children?”

He laughed, throwing his head back. “That’s not the point.”

She shook her head. “You wait. There will be a bunch of little Ethan’s running around some day.”

The smile slipped off his face, and he glanced away. “I doubt that.”

“Okay.” She hesitated, sensing something going on inside of him, but not wanting to pry. They approached the truck, and he led her to the passenger side, his fingers still entwined with hers. He opened the door for her. “Thank you.”

He kissed her forehead, closing his eyes for a second. “I missed this. It’s been fun, Ash.”

She gripped his arm and smiled at the old nickname. “Yeah, it has. But it’s not over yet. Save the sentimental shit for when you’re walking out the door.”

“Or better yet?” He spun her into his arms. “How about if we avoid it all together.” He held his hand up in front of his heart. “I hereby do solemnly swear to lay no sentimental shit at your door, so help me God.”

She grinned and raised her own hand. “I hereby so solemnly swear to keep my weak, feminine emotions bottled deep down inside of me, so help me God.”

“Amen,” he said.

He wrapped his arms around her and fused his mouth to hers, his tongue easily slipping inside her lips. She ran her hands down his back, then cupped his ass, holding on tight.

When he broke off the kiss, his breathing uneven, he dropped his forehead to hers. “Fuck, woman, what are you doing to me?”

“I already told you. We’re getting closure.” She snaked her hands around his body and rested her hand over his racing heart. She’d done that. Made his heart race with excitement. “Want to get some more closure at my place before you go home to your own bed? I promise I won’t kidnap you or give you a sleeping pill.”

He took a deep breath. “Well in that case, lead the way.”

Chapter Eight

The next afternoon, Ethan walked down the boardwalk and sank onto the bench. Alex was grabbing them a few beers, and then he would be off to join Ashley. He stared at the ocean, even though he wasn’t really seeing it. No, he kept seeing Ashley, right before he left her last night. Ashley, after he kissed her goodnight.

It had been a hell of a lot harder to walk away from her last night than it should have been. They’d fucked twice, and he’d still wanted more. And even worse? He’d wanted to stay with her all night long. Wanted to curl up in bed with her and hold her in his arms.

That was some scary fucking shit right there.

As he’d left last night, she’d lifted her head and rested her temple on her palm. “You coming over tomorrow night for one hurrah?”

He’d hesitated, knowing that it wouldn’t make it any easier to walk away come Monday, but helpless to say no. Crossing the room, he’d bent down and kissed her gently. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world. See you at six.”

And damn it, he wouldn’t miss it. He couldn’t.

He needed more of her before he boarded that flight.

“You awake over here?” Alex said.

Ethan started. He’d been so lost in thought that he hadn’t even heard anyone come up behind him. “Yep, I’m not that tired.”

“With all those late nights you’ve been pulling lately, I figured you might have dozed off on me.” Alex handed Ethan a beer and sat down beside him. “Here. Drink up.” He held up his own bottle and clinked Ethan’s with his. “It’ll make you feel better, and you look like you need to feel better.”

Ethan took a swig. “Beer doesn’t take away the problem. It just hides it for a little while.”

“Hey, that works for me.” Alex shrugged. “Wanna talk about it?”

“Not really.” Ethan took another drink and set the bottle down. He could feel Alex’s eyes burning into him, so he shrugged. “I’m fine, man. I’ve just got somewhere to be soon, so there’s not much time for talking.”