Shiver (14 page)

Chapter 17

W
e woke the next morning to sunlight streaming in the window. I yawned and stretched lazily, stroking Ethan’s back as he lay next to me.

“What time is it?” He groaned.

“No clue. But it’s really bright,” I said, squinting.

A long, ink-covered arm flopped across me. I guessed that was the extent of his enthusiasm for the morning. We’d been up way later than we should have been, considering the time change and our exhausting day. But, well, we were just having too much fun trying to see who could stay quiet the longest. I don’t know who won, but definitely no one lost. I peered over Ethan to the side table to get a glance at the clock.

“It’s eight. Wow.” I’d never even slept till eight at home, and it was eleven there.

“Wow is right. I’m going to shower and get some coffee. Wanna join me?” He was still facedown in his pillow.

“In the shower or for coffee?”

“Both?”

I laughed. “Go shower. I’ll see what’s going on beyond the door.”

“Spoilsport.”

I pinched his butt and scurried around to find my previously discarded pajamas, then threw them on quickly. “Come on, lazy. Get a move on,” I said over my shoulder as I walked out.

I headed down the hall into the kitchen. It was empty but cheery, with sunlight shining through the many windows. There was a note stuck to the coffeemaker:

Morning! Coffee is ready for you, just push the button. Please help yourselves. I’ve gone to a meeting and will be back at noon with lunch. Have fun!

I smiled and pressed the button, getting excited at the sounds of my morning drug brewing. I opened cabinets to find two mugs and searched the fridge for some cream to pour in each one, filling them with coffee once the machine was ready. Taking a mug in each hand, I carefully padded back to our room, somehow managing to open the door without spilling. I carried the mugs into the bathroom where Ethan was standing in nothing but a towel, shaving in front of the mirror. I slid his cup over by the sink and stepped back to watch him, leaning on the doorframe.

He smiled at me in the mirror as he dragged the razor over his strong jaw. I breathed deeply, inhaling his scent.

“Are you smelling me again?” He grinned.

“Maybe.” I smiled playfully as I used my foot to reach under his towel, working it free and letting it fall to the floor.

His eyebrows rose in the mirror. “I thought we weren’t supposed to be disrespectful in my mother’s house.”

“We’ve already been ridiculously disrespectful. That ship has sailed. But now your mom is out of the house for a few hours, so…” I shrugged.

“Where’d she go?”

“She left a note saying she was going to a meeting and would be back at noon with lunch. We have a little time to do whatever.”

He rinsed his face and turned around, drying off with a hand towel, which he then tossed at my head.

“Well, my dear, you want to stay in bed till noon or do you want to shop the main drag?”

I started to remove my clothes casually. “Well, there’s no way anything is open until later. How about the best of both worlds?”

“I like the way your mind works,” he said as he tackled me and then carried me to the bed.

“Let’s go run!” I popped up from our position on the bed a little while later.

Ethan propped himself on an elbow and looked at me. “Why do you have so much energy?”

I shrugged. “I’m inspired by the beach and the boardwalk. And we can run to the ferry and go across. Maybe grab breakfast?”

He groaned and rolled out of bed. “You’re so weird. Okay.”

Laughing, I said, “I like how you follow up telling me how weird I am by just agreeing with me.”

We threw on shorts and white T-shirts and tied on our running shoes, and I caught Ethan checking me out when I bent over to stretch. He teased his fingers under the short hem of my shorts, and I swatted his hand away.

“Seriously. Is this normal?”

He let out a bark of laughter and looked at me sheepishly. “Probably not. But I think we’ve already established how much I like a little weird.”

I snorted.

“Plus that. That always turns me on.”

I swatted him again.

We walked out the door and turned to the boardwalk. Picking up a jog, we ran side by side the long way around the island to reach the ferry, peering in all the houses we passed.

“You know, this is a really neat place to visit. But I don’t think I could live with people like me staring in my windows all the time.”

“I know.” He chuckled. “I try so hard not to look.”

“I’m not even trying. I can’t help myself.”

We finished the rest of the run in comfortable silence, pulling up to a walk when we saw a few cars lined up, waiting to get on the ferry.

“Let’s get some coffee for the ride across, and there’s a great breakfast place on the other side.” Ethan pointed across the water.

We grabbed our drinks from the corner store and walked onto the ferry, settling on an empty stretch of bench. We were seated with Ethan curved around me, his arm extended on the rail behind my back. I reached to the side to link my hand with his on the rail and leaned into his chest contentedly, not caring that we were both a little damp from sweat. He dropped a kiss onto my neck and I sighed.

“I love you,” he said quietly.

I turned my head to kiss him softly, lingering before I pulled away. “I love you too.”

We both stared out over the water, watching some seals sunning themselves on the boats anchored at their designated spots in the middle of the bay, and the few people paddling around. I’d been imagining the moment when Ethan would tell me he loved me for a while now. I think I’d always known I could fall in love him and then fell hard on New Year’s. Every moment together since then had been so effortless it was almost scary. But I might have imagined a more dramatic moment, something a little more tearful and movie-worthy. It turned out, in this moment, none of that was necessary. It was just… perfect. Natural. And the absolute truth.

After breakfast, we rode the ferry back over and strolled hand in hand back to Susan’s. It was still fairly early, so we took quick showers and decided to see the shops before lunch. I threw on a cute black maxi skirt with a pink top and slid on my flip-flops, loving the weather. A lot. Ethan was ridiculously sexy in worn, faded jeans, a plaid button-down with sleeves rolled, and his own flip-flops. I eyed him up and down and let out a low whistle.

“It sure is nice to see you without a jacket on all the time.”

He walked over to me and traced the low neckline of my shirt. “I hear you. I’m so ready for spring.” He gave a half smile and dropped a quick kiss on my lips.

We walked the few blocks to Main Street and strolled the shops, just browsing. When we passed a shop with nothing but flip-flops, Ethan dragged me in.

“Come on, sweetheart. Let me indulge you.”

“Wow,” I said in amazement as I gazed around me. I was in flip-flop heaven and managed to find a different pair for every possible occasion.

“You’re lucky, you know. What if I was super into jewelry or purses?” I widened my eyes at him.

He actually shuddered. “I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t work.”

Laden with a large plastic bag full of nothing but sandals, he told me we were going to his favorite spot on the entire island. When we stopped in front of a shop with a giant banana sign, I was the one who shuddered.

“What was that for?”

I pointed at the offending item.

“You don’t like bananas?” he asked incredulously.

“Have you ever seen me eat one?”

“No. But who reacts that way to… just a banana?”

“Ugh. It’s the texture and the sound they make. And the smell.”

He started to laugh. “They make a sound?”

I pretended to vomit in my mouth. “Why are we here?”

“Frozen bananas.”

“No way.”

“They’re delicious. They dip them in chocolate and roll them in whatever toppings you want. You’ll love it.”

“I won’t.”

He laughed again. “I had no idea you could fascinate me even more. Okay, they have other things. How about a Balboa Bar?”

I raised an eyebrow. “What is that?”

“It’s just an ice cream bar, but they do it all right in front of you.”

I smiled brightly. “Much better.”

We stepped to the counter and I placed my order with dark chocolate and rainbow sprinkles. Heaven. But my jaw dropped when Ethan actually ordered a frozen banana dipped in chocolate and peanuts. We carried our treats to a nearby bench and regarded each other silently.

“You’re really going to eat that?” My lip curled in disgust.

He just waggled his eyebrows and took a bite.

“Fine but you can’t kiss me until you brush your teeth.” I sucked on the corner of my bar. It was amazing.

“You have to be kidding me.”

I shook my head. “I’m totally serious.”

“After all the things we’ve done with our mouths together, a banana is your hard limit?”

I burst out laughing, drawing the attention of other customers. “It’s my only hard limit, baby.”

“Well, that’s a relief.” He leaned in to kiss me and I turned my cheek, which he promptly licked.
Shudder
.

Chapter 18

“T
his is the longest day ever.” I groaned, tapping my feet impatiently on the floorboard of Ethan’s truck as we drove home from the airport.

We’d had a really nice time with Susan, and I’d made sure she and Ethan had some time alone before we left. I thought they were making steps to repair their relationship, and both seemed happy about it. Ethan even offered to fly her out our direction for a visit. But I was ready to be done traveling.

He laughed at my antsyness. “How did you survive cooped up so long when you broke your arms?”

“I got through it by drinking a lot and reading smut. It was misery.”

He shrugged. “Doesn’t sound too horrible.”

“Reading smut with no outlet is not fun.”

“Oh, that’s true. You didn’t even have any hands to work with! You poor thing. I’m sorry I wasn’t around to help you out.” He ran his hand up my thigh suggestively.

I laughed and squeezed his hand between my legs. “It definitely would have helped pass the time.”

“Are you ready to get back to reality here?”

“Not really.” I yawned. “You?”

“Nope. We have a new lady coming to take lessons tomorrow.”

I looked over in surprise. “Really? Who? I didn’t even know you taught.”

“I don’t that often. But she’s a friend of Ben’s owner. She’s going to take lessons on him for a while to see if she wants to buy him.”

I nodded.

“You’re going to teach her too, you know.”

“I am?”

“Yeah. I don’t want to be tied down to teaching her every single time. And teaching is a great way to add some cash flow, which we could use after all this crap with my mom. It wouldn’t hurt for us to start up more of a lesson program.”

“All right. I’m in.”

He smiled. “So easy.”

I shrugged ’cause it was still true.

The next morning, I crawled out of Ethan’s bed early and flopped on the couch to snuggle up to Charlie. Steph had had her waiting here when we got home the day before, and I was so happy to have my pup back. Ethan strolled in wearing just a pair of pajama bottoms and looking edible and rumpled. He raised an eyebrow at me.

“Does the dog trump me?”

I nodded into her coat. “Sometimes.”

He laughed and went into the kitchen to make coffee, then brought me a cup and sat on the opposite side of Charlie.

“You guys ready to move in?”

I coughed and choked on my first sip, then gently set my mug on the table in front of me. “Excuse me?”

“Oh come on.” He grinned. “We’ve spent maybe a total of four days at your place. It just sits empty. I don’t even think you have to go back for clothes anymore.”

“I can’t believe that you, formerly Mr. I Don’t Do Relationships, is all ready to play house with me.”

“Oh, I’m not playing, babe. I love you. I want a home with you. Move in.”

I smiled and leaned over the top of Charlie to kiss him. “Okay.”

“Really, that’s it?”

I nodded.

He shrugged his bare shoulders, and my attention was drawn to them, then lower to his impeccable abs. “You’re so easy.”

“You have no idea.”

“Come on, hornball,” he said, standing. “We have work to do, and I can’t spend my day servicing you.”

“Bummer.”

I threw on breeches and a long-sleeve Henley, completely unattractive struggling into the tight material. Ethan watched me in amusement.

“It’s a good thing those are easier to get off than they are to get on.”

I huffed out a breath. “Men have it so easy.”

He slid on some loose-fitting cargo pants and tucked a button-down shirt into the waist. We pulled on boots in the mudroom and grabbed jackets to walk down to the barn. Charlie lazily followed behind. We greeted José and went over our list for the day, working out which sets to do together and when we’d split up. He would teach the lesson at eleven, and after that we’d work the young horses.

We kept up our playful banter throughout the morning. Spring was nearing, and the early-April warmth allowed us to even take our jackets off eventually. It was almost eleven and Ethan switched from his helmet into a ball cap to teach his lesson. He tipped his head to kiss my cheek without bumping hats and gave me a panty-dropping grin. “You riding Batman next?”

“Yep, my superhero.”

“I thought I was your superhero?”

I shook my head seriously. “No, I’ve never said that.”

He pinched my side sharply, making me yelp. “Can you stay out of the ring while I teach this chick in case she’s horrible?”

I laughed. “Totally planning on it.”

“Just be careful. He’s kind of a dick when he’s by himself.”

“Noted.”

I walked to Batman’s stall to unlatch it and was suddenly pressed into the door from behind.

“You’re so hot,” Ethan whispered into my ear, teeth raking it.

My breath hitched and a smile spread over my face. Before I could retort, we heard the crunch of gravel outside the barn, signaling his student had arrived. We both straightened with a wry look at each other. As playful and completely inappropriate as we were when we were at work alone, if a client came, we turned it off and acted like professionals.

“Later,” he mouthed.

I winked and went to fetch my ride. I heard Ethan greeting the woman in the background as I finished bridling Batman, a stunning dark bay gelding with a funny white splotch on his face. I opened the door wide so he didn’t bump his hip on it, and he followed me out, nudging me on the shoulder with his nose and leaving a huge trail of green slime. I turned to laugh and groaned at him, the slobber fazing me not at all. I poked his nose with my finger and turned back around to see Ethan with a tall, blond woman who was dressed in seriously new, seriously fancy riding gear. Geez, was everyone blond but me? She was ridiculously trim, except for her big fake boobs. She was also wearing loads of makeup. At a barn. I wished I could stick around to see her stuff a helmet on over her coiffed hair. But that was my inner bitch talking. Honestly, she was super hot, and I felt dirty and short.

“Lissa, this is Whitney. She’s here to ride Ben. Lissa is the assistant trainer here and will also be teaching you when I’m unavailable.”

I reached out to shake her hand and she gave the fingertip limp shake. I was reminded of Heather, and again, it made me want to two-hand shake some life into her. But instead I smiled nicely.

“Nice to meet you, Whit—”

She interrupted before I could even finish her name. “Oh, I was under the impression I would be riding with you exclusively, Ethan.” Her haughty gaze was drawn to the slobber on my shoulder and her lip curled in disgust.

My eyes widened a little at her nerve, but I kept a smile plastered to my face.

“Lissa and I work very closely together here. We ride all the same horses and teach all the same lessons, depending on our schedules. You’ll find we both have different strengths that can help your riding.”

After a moment of awkward silence, I cleared my throat. “Well, it was nice to meet you, Whitney. I need to keep this guy moving.” I gave Batman a pat and stole a glance at Ethan’s bemused expression.

“Here, I’ll leg you up.” Ethan walked over to where I was about to mount from the block.

He put a hand on my ankle, the other steadying the reins of the horse. I bounced up, and he effortlessly boosted me into the air. I landed, hovering over the saddle to gently sit, looking down into Ethan’s dark eyes. He gave me a wink and small shrug. “Hey, I gotta get my kicks where I can.” He walked away with a pat to Batman’s rear as I rolled my eyes. I could feel the Whitney woman’s stare at my back as I rode away, but I just chuckled to myself. Women. We were all crazy.

I decided to go for a trot down the road, but Ethan was right. This horse was a complete dick by himself. He jigged and pranced and bounced the entire time, so I had to work him in the field before going back to the barn so he didn’t think he could get away with it. When he finally settled down, we were both covered in sweat and grime, but most importantly, we were friends again. I gave him a pat and let my legs swing out of the stirrups. I arrived at the barn as Ethan was riding out on another set.

“Hey, I was going to come looking for you. That took forever. I was getting worried.”

“Yeah, he was a jerk at first. But he got better. Just took some time. How was the lesson?”

He let out a low whistle. “She’s not the worst I’ve ever seen, but she’s not good. Super stiff, probably scared to death but won’t admit it. Still, she wants to take several lessons a week, so that’s good.”

“She wants several lessons a week with you, my dear.”

He laughed. “Don’t get all jealous now, my dear,” he mocked.

“Oh I’m not worried. If she can’t ride, she can’t be good in bed anyway.” I smirked at him.

“Not like I ever intend on finding out,” he said pointedly. “But you’re right. I bet she’s awful.” He looked me up and down. “I like my women dirty.”

I snorted and rode away, a grin on my face.