She collapsed against him, her muscles suddenly no longer able to hold her up, and she buried her face in his neck, inhaling his musky, masculine scent and getting lost in the smell and feel of him around her.
The sudden sound of the doorbell intruded, and he uttered a curse, pushing her off him. “Coming!” he yelled out, buying them time. “Go.” He gestured and she grabbed her clothing and ran for the bathroom, leaving him to ditch the condom, get dressed, and rescue her dinner.
Body sore, cheeks flaming, she rejoined him in the family room, where he’d put the pizza on the table by the sofa.
“Umm, want dinner?” she asked, unsure what the protocol was in a situation like this.
He nodded, so she headed to the kitchen, returning with plates, napkins, and cups.
Next thing she knew, she was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, devouring first one, then two, then a third slice of pizza, hunger returning where it hadn’t existed for the last couple of days.
He ate his own slices.
She didn’t count how many, but she couldn’t miss the amused grin on his handsome face.
“I have no clue where you’re putting all that food,” he muttered.
She blushed in embarrassment. “A gentleman wouldn’t mention it, you know.”
He rolled his shoulders dismissively. “Did I ever claim to be a gentleman?” To her surprise, he winked at her and took a long sip of his soda.
Finished now, she slid her plate away and glanced over at him. “Is Sebastian your only brother?” She decided she was going to ask about his family. His life. How else could she get to know this enigmatic man?
He wiped his face with a napkin and placed his plate on top of hers. “Youngest. There’s my middle brother, Parker, who went to Colorado recently to scope out a resort for a corporate retreat, met a woman, and never left, and Sierra, who you’ve met.”
She nodded.
“How about you?” he asked. “I know Ian and I met Olivia. Who else is there?”
She couldn’t help it. She burst out laughing. “Let’s see. If you haven’t heard the story of the infamous Robert Dare, this is how it goes. My father married his first wife as part of a business deal. They had Ian, Tyler, Scott, Olivia, and Avery. Early on during their marriage, he met my mom and they had an affair.” She winced at the revelation that never felt good. “That resulted in a second family. Alex, Jason, and me.” She waved her hand in the air. “The baby of the group.”
“Holy shit.” Ethan ran a hand through his long hair and shook his head. “Soap opera land.”
“You can say that again. Anyway, that’s how many siblings I have, half and full. The rest of the story is for another day and time.” Nobody got the full lowdown on her childhood illness unless they were in her life to stay.
Rising from her seat, she picked up their plates and cleaned up the table. Ethan helped, taking the pizza box and the soda cans and carrying them into the kitchen.
She had no idea where things stood between them, but after tonight, a feeling of hope bloomed inside her chest. Not only had he come after her, they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Surely that meant something.
She bit down on her lower lip and he noticed, pulling at it until she released her teeth. “Stop that. You’re giving me ideas,” he said gruffly. Leaning down, he slicked his tongue over her abused lip. “I can’t keep my hands off you.” The slide of his tongue turned into a prolonged kiss, one that had her grasping at his shirt and hanging on for the ride.
By the time he released her, she was panting and ready to go again, although the soreness between her thighs was begging her to reconsider.
“So I’ve been thinking,” he said.
“Yes?” She leaned against the granite countertop in her kitchen.
“Since I’m going to be here for a while and this thing between us isn’t going away, what do you say we hook up while I’m here?”
She tipped her head to one side. “Hook up,” she reiterated, to make sure they were on the same page. In her mind, that meant just sex. No relationship, no dating. No commitment.
She stared at him until he got the message and began to elaborate.
“Right. While I’m in town, we’ll get together. Like this.” He gestured between them, indicating what had happened on the sofa earlier.
“So … just sex,” she said, needing to be clear.
“Exactly.”
Her stomach plummeted at his affirmation. She hadn’t planned on riding off into the sunset with the man, but she had hoped for … more. A dinner. A date. Something beyond a meaningless hookup.
Before she could fully wrap her mind around what he was proposing, something that hurt but that she might be able to work with – after all, what started out as casual could definitely turn into something more – he spoke again.