Before I can slip out of the car, Clarke grabs my arm. “Get back in. We can tail him.”
I shut the door and sink into the leather. “I think he’s getting on the subway. If he does, I’m following behind.”
She nods. “Fine, but let me follow him as far as we can go before pursuing him on foot.”
Clarke pulls out of the parking space, keeping her distance. From what I can tell, the man we’re following is in his mid-thirties, with dark hair and medium build. The city is still packed at this hour, and with the Flyers winning their first game, people are flowing out from bars, strolling down the street in jerseys. He pushes his way through the crowd, and before Clarke can make a sudden move, the man ducks down a side street where we can’t follow him.
“Shit,” I growl. “I knew I should’ve gone after him on foot. Dammit.”
Clarke frowns. “Sorry, babe. I guess tonight wasn’t in the cards for us. You ready to head home?”
I shrug against the seat. “Might as well. This night is going nowhere fast, and I need some real food. The Chinese place below my apartment is open for another hour.”
Clarke scrunches her nose in disgust. “I think I’ll pass.”
“Suit yourself. You don’t know what you’re missing.”
What a mess. My dating life is a disaster. I can’t nail the bastards I’ve been chasing around for the past few months. At least I have the apartment to myself. Will and Ethan are on the road and won’t be back until tomorrow. I can use some time alone to clear my head and figure out what I’m doing with Ethan.
I wake to the sound of Ethan’s voice in my ear and his warm breath on my cheek. This is a dream. It has to be because Ethan isn’t supposed to be here.
“You never answered me,” he whispers, his body dipping the mattress beneath his weight. He crawls into my bed behind me and wraps his arms around me.
Confused and somewhat startled, I glance over my shoulder at him. “What are you talking about?”
“My text,” he growls. “You left me hanging.”
Our last exchange was hours ago in Clarke’s car, where I forgot my cell phone in her glove compartment. Oops. Now, I’m dying to know what he said in his text message that was important enough for him to come back a day earlier.
“I know you missed me, too,” he says, his voice like gravel. “I drove all the way back here just to hear you say it.”
I fell asleep in a tank top and panties that Ethan is now ripping off me. ?
??Ethan,” I moan as I hear the fabric tear in his hand. “What are you doing? Why are you here?”
“I missed you.” He drags his teeth along my neck and forces my legs open with his big hand. “I had to see you.” Ethan presses on my shoulder and has me on my back within seconds. “I couldn’t sleep until I knew how you felt about me. Tell me all of the guilt and shame I feel over keeping this from Will is worth it.” His hand dips between my legs, two fingers slowly inching inside me. “Please tell me I’m not alone in this.”
“What’s wrong, Ethan?” My eyes shut from the pleasure shooting through my body, though I’m still slightly surprised he’s in bed with me.
“You’re driving me crazy, my little lamb.” I love hearing my nickname fall from his lips. He pushes my shirt over my breasts, exposing my bare chest to him. His fingers move faster, my insides tightening around him. He dips his head down to suck on my nipple, his touch so skilled and precise I’m on the edge, like a lit firework about to explode.
Is my mind playing tricks on me? I pinch myself to make sure he’s real. Ethan pretended to hate me for years, and now everything has changed overnight. I still don’t understand the sudden shift in our relationship. It was supposed to be one night of sex and then back to our normal lives. Except with him living in my apartment, it’s harder to ignore him, or how I feel about him.
“I missed you, too,” I confess. “Is this what you want to hear?”
He peeks up at me with my nipple between his teeth. The look he gives me sends a shiver down my spine. Ethan Waters is the most infuriating person I’ve ever met. But he’s also the sexiest and undeniably irresistible.
When my body trembles, heat washes over me from head to toe. My skin burns from Ethan’s touch. He has me wound so tight I feel like a twig about to snap in half. And then I hit the peak of my orgasm, like a ball of yarn unraveling I come undone. I lose myself with Ethan. For a few seconds, he’s not my older brother’s best friend, he’s Ethan, my E, the boy from my past I’ve never fallen out of love with.
“I love the sounds you make when you come,” he says against my skin. “I love everything about you, little lamb.”
Unsure of how to respond, I remain still in his arms. Was that a confession? Is Ethan trying to tell me that he loves me? I doubt it. He probably just wants sex, or maybe he’s still hyped up on adrenaline from winning his first playoff game.
He releases his hold on me, his side of the bed dipping as he gets up from the mattress.
I stare up at him in the darkness. “Where are you going?”
“I have to get back to D.C. before Will wakes up.”