Fighting (40 page)

Ethan's
eyes were warm on mine as he reached over and took my hand.  My laughter died
down and we both watched our fingers intertwine on the arm rests between us.

"Um. 
You sure there isn't any news you would like to share with us?" Spencer
asked, not bothering to keep the disbelief from his voice.

"It's
about time," August said.  We all looked at her in surprise. 
"What?" she asked.  "You two have been dancing around each other
since you've met.  Ollie and I took bets on when you would fall in love,"
she said.

"Are
you serious?" I asked, not addressing the
in love
comment.

"Even
Brooks thought you two were meant to be."

"Brooks,
that sneaky bastard," I muttered.

"Who
won the bet?" Ethan asked.

"When
did you two get together?" August asked.

Ethan
looked at me and I had flashbacks.  Very vivid flashbacks.  He squeezed my hand
and I said, "This morning."

"Ollie
won," she said.  "He figured one of you would seduce the other if you
were locked together long enough."

"Oh
God, he didn't use the word
seduce
, did he?" I asked.

"No. 
I believe his exact words were, 'One of them will attack the other and they'll
finally get together.'"

Oh. 
Well he was right on the money, then.  I flicked my eyes over to Ethan.

"He
was right," Ethan said.  "Alex mauled me."

"What!"
I cried out.  "I did not!  You liar."

He
laughed and said, "Nah, she didn't maul me."  He looked at me darkly
and I knew he was thinking about how
he
mauled
me
.  "She let
me kiss her, though."

"Okay,
that's about enough of that," Spencer said.  He stood up and stretched his
arms above his head.  "I'll be inside watching TV.  August?" he
asked.

She
bid us goodnight and followed him inside, probably less grossed out but wanting
to give us privacy.  Ethan and I were still connected as we stared out at the
waves. 

"Ethan,"
I said.

"Yeah,
baby."

My
stomach fluttered and I looked at him.  "How is it that we were able to
hide this from each other for so long?" I asked.

He
laid his head back on his chair and adopted a thoughtful expression. 
"Well, you hated me for a while.  And then --"

"I
never hated you," I interrupted him.  "I just really disliked
you."

"Like
I said, you hated me for a while.  And then we were friends and I knew that if
there was even a chance that you returned my feelings, I'd do something about
it.  But you didn't like it when I touched you." 

He
looked over at me with a curious expression and I answered his unasked
question.  "I just thought you were a touchy-feely kind of guy.  That it
was normal for you to touch people so casually.  You weren't shy about putting
your arm around August and the others.  And then that time we woke up wrapped
around each other on the couch, I knew I couldn't handle that every day and not
burst at the seams from frustration, so I kept you at arm's length."

"Hmm,"
he said.  "Which made me think that you didn't like me."

He
stood up and pulled me up from my chair.  He sat down in my seat and then
pulled me down to sit on his lap.  He put a hand on my knees and swiveled me
around so my side was pressed against his chest and his arm was around my
waist.  His other hand stayed on my knees.  He pulled me against him and
reclined in the huge chair. 

"Hate
to have you burst at the seams," he muttered.

Instead
of pushing him away like I was used to doing, I reveled in the fact that I had
the right to loop my arm around his neck and kiss his cheek.  "How
thoughtful."

His
eyes flicked to my lips.  "I'm a thoughtful guy," he murmured.

He
pulled my face back to his and kissed me softly.  I slid my free hand through
his stubble and took my time memorizing the feel of his lips grazing mine.  He
kissed me more firmly and I felt stuck sitting like I was, twisted at the
waist, so I moved.  I put one foot flat to the ground and drifted my other shin
across his thighs, settling it beside of his thigh and putting my weight on my
knee, then did the same with the other so I was kneeling in front of him,
gazing down at him.  I lifted a hand to his jaw and tipped his head back.  My
usually wavy hair was curlier than normal from the humidity and it danced
around our faces in the breeze as I lowered my face to his.  I kissed him with
renewed fervor and he slid his hands down my ribs to my hips, pulling down so
that I straddled him with my ass resting against his thighs.

We
kissed like that for a while, neither of us asking for anything more or
anything less.  His hands never stayed in one place for too long but never
strayed to any sensitive areas, either.  They mostly explored the safe zones,
ghosting over my back, hips and thighs.  He slowed the pace down so he was
teasing my lips lazily as his hands finally smoothed over my ass. 

"You
have no idea how many times a day my resolve almost snapped and I did this to
you," he said.

"I
think I do."

His
hands swept under my shirt and across my back as he recaptured my lips.  My
pulse skipped around as his fingers teased around the clasp of my bra and
that's when I heard a throat being cleared.  I leaned back and whipped my head
to the left of us.  Ethan's hands left my back and landed heavily on my thighs,
back in the safe zone.  I pushed even farther away from Ethan so only my hands
were resting on his shoulders. 

"Hate
to interrupt, but just wanted to let you guys know we're heading to bed.  It's
getting pretty late.  Anyway, there's an alarm we set here.  So . . . you'll
need to come inside," Spencer said awkwardly.

"Sure
thing, Spence," I said sheepishly, mildly embarrassed to be caught making
out like we were teenagers out past curfew.

He
stood uncertainly for a moment, waiting for us to join him.  Ethan jerked his
head at Spencer, motioning for him to leave us alone.  Spencer fled the deck
and I looked back at Ethan. 

"I
almost forgot we're not alone," I said. 

I
fought against a yawn, because while Ethan set fire to my body, it didn't
change the fact that I still hadn't slept in over thirty six hours.

"You're
sleepy.  You should have let me drive the other half of the way here," he
reprimanded me.

"I
couldn't have slept then if I tried.  I was too busy analyzing your
silence," I said honestly.

"And
now?" he asked.

"I
don't want to sleep right now," I said, leaning in close again.

He
smirked at me and said, "You need to, though."  Then his face cleared
and he looked at me sternly.  "And no more of that analyzing shit.  You
want to know something, you ask me," he ordered. 

"Okay."

"I'm
serious.  You get to looking like you're unsure, and I'll shove you against the
wall and kiss you into certainty.  And I don't care who it's in front of,"
he said crossly.

"I
said okay," I said defensively, though I was fighting a grin.

"Good. 
Let's go inside," he said.

We
walked to my room and he unzipped my messenger bag.  I sat down to take off my
boots and he pulled our pajamas from the bag.  I walked to the bathroom and he
followed me inside.  I put my clothes on the counter that was adjacent to the
door and looked at him in the mirror suspiciously.

"What
do you think you're doing following me in here?"

He
stood behind me, wrapped his arms around my waist and pressed his lips against
my neck.  "Thought you might need some help undressing," he said
innocently.

I
laughed lightly and leaned back into him.  "I think that might be
something I can handle by myself."

His
fingers slipped under the bottom of my shirt and feathered across my belly
button.  "But what if you're not doing it right?" he asked. 
"What if you need coaching?"

I
laughed loudly at that.  "You're struggling here, Boss."

He
met my gaze in the mirror.  "Okay, fine.  I want to finish what we started
this morning."

He
abruptly spun me around to face him and lifted me onto the counter.  He stepped
inside the cage of my legs and palmed the counter by my hips but didn't
otherwise touch me.  He leaned his face close and skimmed his nose along mine,
waiting for my response.

I
swallowed nervously and eyed the open door, debating.  He leaned over to shut
the door gently, lock it and come back to me.  I didn't know exactly what he
had in mind, but at that point, I was pretty much good with whatever he wanted
to do.  My fatigue abandoned me and I was left feeling hyperaware of every part
of my body.  His eyes were dark on mine, and all I knew was that I wanted him.

I
pulled him close by his shirt front and kissed him.  His hands instantly found
my hips and slid up my sides, taking my shirt with them.  He nudged my arms up
and ripped my shirt completely off.  My hair fell in tangles, framing my face
and shoulders.  His eyes scanned over my bra and exposed skin as he took off
his own shirt.  He pulled me closer to the edge of the counter by my ass, and
then shoved his face against my neck, running his mouth over my skin from
behind my ear down to my collar bone.  I wrapped my arms around his shoulders
and held him securely against me.  He recaptured my lips and kissed me deeply,
his tongue sparring with mine ardently. 

I
coasted my hands down his chest to the top of his jeans.  I slid my fingers
between his skin and the waistband of his jeans along the v shape of his hips. 
I pushed farther to skate the backs of my fingers across his skin there and his
hips jumped away from me in shock.  He tore his lips from mine and gave me a
look so severe, he almost looked angry.

"Baby,"
he rumbled. 

That
was all he said before he wrapped his arms around my back and roughly pulled me
against him so that our chests fused together and kissed me harder.  I figured
that meant he liked it.  I pulled at his jeans to bring his hips close again. 
He unhooked my bra and we both froze as a knock sounded at the door.

"Alex?"
Spencer called.

"Can't
catch a break," Ethan muttered crossly.  He palmed the counter by my hips
and scowled at me. 

I
chuckled breathlessly and called out as calmly as I could, "What?"

"Is
Ethan in there with you?" he asked.

Ethan
looked at me sharply.  "Is he serious?" he whispered.

I
licked my lips and he glanced at them.  He leaned in to kiss me again, already
distracted, but I pushed against his shoulders and leaned away. 
"No," I yelled. 

So
much for not lying anymore.

"Well,
where is he?  I need to turn the alarm on."

"Um,
I think he went for a run along the beach," I said.  I shrugged my
shoulders at Ethan helplessly. 

A
pause.  "His shoes are in your room," he said.

I
tickled my index finger down the bridge of Ethan's nose and over his lips,
getting distracted, myself. 

"Dude
likes to run barefoot," I tried.

"Are
you sure he isn't in there with you?" Spencer asked suspiciously.

Ethan
cursed and stepped away from me.  He adjusted his jeans to hide evidence of his
arousal and marched to the door.  He threw it open and crowded the doorway so
Spencer couldn't see in, as I was sitting on the countertop next to the door in
nothing but jeans and a loosened bra.  I turned my head to the right to watch
Ethan, making sure the cups of my bra still covered me.

"Spence,"
Ethan said scolded.  "You have seriously got to stop interrupting me.  You
get a girl, you'll want me as far away from you as possible.  Now get the hell
out of here," he said.  He shut the door as my mouth dropped open.

"You
didn't even give him a chance to talk!" I said, laughing.

He,
in contrast, looked serious as shit as he prowled over to me and dipped his
eyes to my bra.  My smile disappeared as he slowly drew his index finger down
my cleavage and pulled my bra down.  My breathing increased dramatically as his
eyes followed my bra sliding down my arms.  He tossed it aside, put his hands
on the counter and flicked his eyes back up to mine.

"You
want to talk now?" he asked.

I
shook my head and wrapped my legs around his waist.  He kept his eyes hot on
mine as he lightly brushed his index finger over my nipple.  My lips parted and
I gripped his neck and put my other hand on the counter behind me.  The
intensity of his stare alone was hot, but the way he was delicately touching me
made me want to rip the rest of his clothes off and have my dirty way with
him. 

He
moved his face closer to mine and put his lips against my ear.  His finger
circled my nipple teasingly as his other hand cupped my ass cheek, sliding his
fingers under me so I was basically sitting on his hand.  I wrapped my arms
around his neck and tilted my head back slightly, lost in the feelings he was
evoking in me.