"I do suffer for my research." Again, my fingers brush his. I rise to my tiptoes to take a sip. It's perfect. I offer him a thumbs up.
The barista calls my order. I grab my drink and take a taste. It's exactly as I remember it.
The familiarity is comforting.
And the drink itself is fucking fantastic.
I offer Ethan a sip.
He takes it then hands the tea latte back. "Still tastes like grass."
"It's good."
"If you insist."
There's foam all over his lip. I could lick it off. I could lick it off, then throw him on the bench seat in the middle of the room, tear off his clothes, and lick every inch of him.
My chest flushes. Then my cheeks. Dammit. My skin is burning. Judging from the delight in his eyes, he can tell I'm blushing.
"Here." I reach up to wipe the foam from his mouth. His lips are soft against the pad of my thumb. It takes every bit of self-control I have not to stick my thumb in his mouth.
His eyes are wide with need. He wants the same thing.
Slowly, I pull my hand back to my side. But I don't move away.
We're close enough to touch, close enough to kiss.
My chest heaves with my inhale. My exhale sucks up every bit of breath in my body. It's like this moment is frozen— me and Ethan staring at each other, on the verge of o
ur lips connecting.
A woman's shriek pulls me back to reality.
"AHHH! Ethan Strong… is that really you?" The college girl—she's wearing a navy UCI hoodie— grabs onto Ethan's arm.
He frowns for a second, then he's back to celebrity smile. He turns on the effortless charm. "Yeah, sweetheart, that's me. You go to school here?"
"Yeah. How did you know?"
He runs his fingers over the neckline of her hoodie. "Something gave me a clue."
It's a crew neck but it's still a gross player move. It shouldn't surprise me. I've seen Ethan pull this stuff in pictures and videos but somehow I told myself that it would be obvious it's a put-on in public.
The way he's smiling—he enjoys the attention.
"Uh." She groans with delight. "I always liked Dangerous Noise. I saw you in San Diego. You were so good."
"Thanks, sweetheart. That means the world to me."
"Really?"
He shoots her a panty-melting smile. "It really does, sweetheart."
Ugh. This is disgusting. I'm not watching it any more.
I go to cut past Ethan but his fingers curl around my wrist.
He looks at me expectantly. "Where you going, Vi?"