Noah ran up to his apartment and burst through the door. “Kristina?” He slammed through the space, turning on lights and searching behind doors.
But it didn’t take long to know for certain she wasn’t there.
Which left only one possibility. Kristina had come home with Ethan.
And Noah saw fucking red.
Chapter Seventeen
Kristina sat on Ethan’s couch laughing and joking with him as Hot Tub Time Machine played on the TV. Just before their desserts had arrived, a waitress had spilled a whole pitcher of beer down Ethan’s back, so they’d shelved their plans for checking out a band at a local club in favor of watching movies back at Ethan’s so he could shower and change.
Ethan laughed as on screen the characters spilled the time machine’s fuel over its controls, opening a massive temporal vortex. “God, I think I still smell like beer,” he said.
Kristina chuckled. “No, you don’t. I still say you were way better of a sport about that than I would’ve been.” They sat close enough for it to be more than casual, but not so c
lose they were touching. And despite how cute Ethan was, Kristina couldn’t decide if she wanted them to touch. She smoothed her hands over the snug teal skirt of her dress.
He shrugged and scrubbed his hands through his hair, bringing her attention to the ink that covered his arms. “I think the waitress was more traumatized than me. I couldn’t stand to see her cry.”
“Well, it was sweet how nice you were about it,” she said. And it was true. All night, Ethan had been sweet and charming and funny. He had a million humorous stories from bartending and they’d laughed a lot together. Not only that, but he was hot and thoughtful, having brought her a pink rose.
He was a genuinely good guy.
So why aren’t you more interested?
“Since we never got any dessert, would you like something now?” Ethan asked, pausing the movie. “I have a couple different kinds of ice cream.”
Kristina ignored the question she’d asked herself as her stomach squeezed. Did it have to be ice cream? “Uh, sure. That sounds great.”
“Awesome,” he said with a cute smile. “Come tell me which you want and I’ll get to scooping.” She followed him into the kitchen, noting again how the layout was the mirror image of Noah’s place.
Which had her thinking of him—and their strange text message exchange—for probably the tenth time tonight. Why had he asked her not to go? Kristina’s gut told her Noah didn’t want her seeing anyone else because he wanted her all to himself. But her heart told her that was probably just wishful thinking and she was reading into Noah’s admittedly erratic behavior what she wanted to see.
Especially since, on top of everything else—on top of his constant backing off from what was happening between them, on top of him disappearing from her bed in the middle of the night without saying a word, and on top of him telling her he was maybe pushing her away—he hadn’t responded to the last text message she’d sent tonight.
I don’t want to have a good time, Noah. I just want you.
Just thinking about the fact that she’d sent him those words still made her stomach flip.
But he hadn’t responded. Once again, he was avoiding her.
“Okay,” Ethan said, pulling pints and half gallons out of his freezer. “I have rocky road, pistachio, cherry, and chocolate chip cookie dough. Pick your poison.”
Kristina looked from Ethan’s cute, playful expression to the cartons laid out on the counter. She didn’t like marshmallow so rocky road was out. Pistachio was just gross—whoever thought of that anyway? And cherry wasn’t one of her favorites. Which left… No. No way was she eating cookie dough ice cream. Like she wasn’t having enough difficulties blocking Noah Cortez from her mind.
“I’ll take cherry,” she said.
He scooped it out and nudged the bowl her way, and then he scooped himself…cookie dough. Kristina could’ve banged her head against a cabinet.
As Ethan put everything away again, Kristina watched him work. He’d changed into a pair of jeans and a worn black band T-shirt, and his feet were bare. His hair, his tats, his smile, everything about him—Ethan Black was as sexy as they came.
She should be wanting to jump him…
“Wanna eat out on the couch?” Ethan asked.
“Yep.” Kristina returned to where she’d sat during the movie, which was almost over now.
Ethan sat closer this time, his thigh almost touching hers. It made Kristina’s stomach do a loop-the-loop, but not because it excited her. She suddenly found that she was nervous, despite how easy-going and friendly Ethan was.