Tempting (Inked Hearts 1)

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 our 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?"

The fangirl stares at me with a mix of envy and confusion.

"Excuse me. I need to sit down." I hide behind my drink so no one will see me scowl. Ethan deserves it, but the poor fangirl is just expressing her love of music. It's not her fault Ethan is a cocky player.

"It was great to meet you, sweetheart." Ethan nods goodbye to the fangirl. "Good luck with school."

Her eyes go wide and her jaw drops. "Thank you."

Ethan slides his arm around my waist and leans in to whisper in my ear. "It's crowded in here. Should we go outside?"

This is where I should say: how about we go straight to my car and part forever?

My mouth won't open at all. I'm too caught up in the feeling of his breath on my skin. My eyelids press together. I replay the feeling of his body on top of mine, his cock buried deep inside me.

"Vi?" he asks.

Fuck me, this isn't working. I clear my throat. And, dammit, I nod.

"You okay?"