Ethan and Ava (Redwood Falls 4)

She licked her lips and sucked in a breath as he casually wadded up the paper towel and then tossed it across the room toward the trashcan.

Two points, naturally.

He turned back, frowning, and questioned, "Can't get out?"

Breathe, Ava. He's just Ethan. He's just Ethan. No big deal. He's at the house all the time. It wasn't as if she'd actually seen anything before he'd zipped his jeans. "The boys threw me in."

"They threw you in?" he repeated in stupefied amazement.

She blew out the breath she'd been holding. "Yeah. And they're holding the door shut. You can try it if you want, but I'm usually stuck here for a good three or four minutes, at least."

A murderous look crossed his face. "This isn't the first time they've done this?"

She shook her head.

"They're assuming the bathroom's empty when they perform this little prank?"

She nodded her head.

"Have you told anybody this is happening? Told Ty?" he asked with a thunderous expression.

She shook her head again. "I don't want to rat 'em out. They think it's funny and I don't want to get them into trouble. It's not hurting anything, really."

"No?" he questioned shortly, his tone terse.

She shook her head again, barely able to hold his gaze.

His eyes narrowed. "You don't think this could lead to something dangerous?"

Not really. Embarrassment couldn't kill her. "Like what?"

"They thought the bathroom was empty just now, didn't they?"

She nodded her head.

"What if they're wrong again? What if somebody was in here who might, I don't know, hurt you?"

"Hurt me?" The idea sounded completely ludicrous to Ava—right up until Ethan took a step closer and a shimmy of heat settled in her tummy. "I never thought about it like that before."

"Well, this has got to stop, okay?" He lifted his hand as if to touch her face and butterflies went loose in her stomach, but abruptly, he pulled it back down into a tight fist and said, "I'll take care of them for you."

Her heart tripping way too fast, she swallowed and asked, "You're not going to get them in trouble, are you? They don't mean anything by it. They're just stupid boys."

"No, I'm not going to rat 'em out, either. But when they open the door, you best understand that I'm gonna let 'em know I'm pissed, okay?"

"Are you mad at me?" she asked softly. The thought of Ethan being angry with her wasn't making her happy for some reason.

"No, why would I be?" he asked with a frown.

"I don't know." She worried her lip as she held his eyes. "Like maybe this is my fault."

"Hey," he said, almost gently, his gaze running from her eyes to her lips and then back again, almost as if he liked what he saw. "You can't help the way you look, can you?"

Ava surfaced from the past, savoring the memory of the way those heated words had made her young heart feel. Even now, years later, they made her stomach quiver.

Ethan had been true to his word. When the boys had opened the bathroom door, he'd stood a foot taller than most of them and with his words, had blistered the five of them to within an inch of their lives.

And after that, she'd been left in peace. She'd never been thrown into the boys' restroom again.

****

For the next couple of weeks after Nathaniel's party, Ethan tried his best to stay away from the Anderson house. He concentrated on football, his grades, anything at all to keep his mind off Ava. He went to school, went to practice, and made up excuse after excuse to Ty for not having time to hang out.

The college scouts came and Ethan played his ass off and fortunately, managed to play well. His coaches assured him that if he kept up his grades, he'd get at least a couple of offers. It was imperative that he receive a scholarship for his education, and it had to be a football scholarship—he certainly couldn't score an academic one.

He wasn't stupid by any means, but he wasn't crazy-ass smart like Josh and Ty. It was a well-known fact that Josh was sharp. He had an aptitude for math that was unbelievable. His friend was at the top of their class and the dude didn't even have to study to make the grades.

Ty, on the other hand, was fucking brilliant. He was a complete fuckup, but nevertheless, he was brilliant. The dude didn't apply himself; he screwed around, handed in just enough papers to keep from flunking out. It irritated the living crap out of Ethan. It pissed him off that Ty should have that level of intelligence and just fuck it all away. The guy was smarter than anyone Ethan knew, but all his buddy cared about was getting laid and having fun. Ethan had no clue where Ty would wind up, and truthfully, the only reason Ethan remained his friend was because Ty was so loyal.

Loyalty meant everything when it

came to friendship.

The dude would cut off his right arm for a friend, Ethan knew he would. But what the hell Ty was going to do after high school, Ethan had not a single clue. His friend would probably wind up staying here, working at the lumberyard, just as he'd been doing part-time for the last several years.

That wasn't happening to Ethan. He was getting out.

Out of town.

It wasn't that he didn't like Redwood Falls. He did. There just wasn't anything for him here. There were no job opportunities, nothing in the way of a career path he could take if he stayed. If he stayed, he'd wind up farming, just like his father. And there was nothing wrong with that if that's what a person wanted to do.

But Ethan didn't. He didn't want to struggle from crop to crop, season to season, praying for rain and being totally fucked if it never came. Ethan had dreamed of getting out, making money, and seeing the world since he'd been a little kid.

Nothing was going to stop him. Nothing could stop him, not if he kept everything under control.

As the days went on, he studied as if his entire future depended on it. He lived for his grades and for football. And he tried, day after day, to stay away from Ava, because he knew, he fucking knew, that the lust he felt for that girl could be his downfall. There was almost no question in his mind that someday, some way, that girl would be his, if it was within his power to make it so. But that would have to be in the future because right now, he had to make his senior year the absolute best he could, and for that, he needed to hold his shit together.

But his plan to hide out from the world tanked one Saturday night when Ty drove all the way out to his house and wouldn't take no for an answer. Ethan had been studying, but soon, he found himself sitting in the passenger seat as they headed back to town.

"Want to make the strip?" Ty asked, referring to driving around town and hitting all the spots where the kids liked to hang out. But Ethan knew Ty wanted to do that for only one reason.