Kiss Me at Midnight (Entangled Flaunt) Page 4

  “Well, maybe.” Ashley sighed. “But I’m going.”

  “Why?”

  She rolled over onto her back, flinching at the sensitivity between her thighs. He’d taken her and left her wanting more, despite the orgasms he’d brought her. “I think I might want more than a night with him. It was that good, Rhi.”

  Rhiannon whistled through her teeth. “Are we talking the forbidden B word?”

  “No. No way.” Ashley rested a hand on her stomach. “He can’t be my boyfriend even if I wanted him to be. He’s leaving on Monday for California. And he’d never come back here to live. Not in a million years.”

  “So you just want a one night stand…extended into a couple of nights? And you expect not to get attached or want more?” Rhiannon snorted. “I’m telling you now…bad idea.”

  Ashley could picture the look of disbelief on her friend’s face as clearly as if she was here on the couch with her. “I know, but I’ll be fine. I know what I’m getting into here. It’s a short-term fling, nothing more. I just want a few more times with him. Hell, he could hold me over for the rest of the year if I had him enough times. It’s that freaking amazing.”

  “Maybe I should go to that bowling alley,” Rhiannon said, her voice soft.

  “Find your own orgasm god. He’s mine.”

  “Caring is sharing, you know,” Rhiannon said, the music getting louder in the background. “But since you refuse, I’m going to do exactly that. Find my own.”

  “Any prospects?”

  “I’ve got my sights set on a guy, and it’s time to close the deal. Wish me luck.”

  Ashley smiled. “Good luck, but you don’t need it.”

  “Don’t you know it,” Rhiannon said, ending the call.

  Ashley dropped the phone on her chest and stared up at the ceiling. It was a quarter after midnight, and she was still wide-awake. She fidgeted for a little while, feeling restless and impatient for tomorrow night. She wanted it to come already so she could get another taste of Ethan. He was addicting.

  She picked her phone up and searched him out on Facebook . Funny that she hadn’t done so before. Some part of her had been scared to see him again—to see if he was happily married in another town. But after tonight, she wanted to know more.

  She found his page within seconds. His profile picture was of him standing on a stand-up paddle board in the water, a huge smile on his face. He was wearing a pair of swim trunks and nothing else. He didn’t have the tattoo on his chest in the photo, but it was only two months old. His abs taunted her, even through the photo, and she wanted to lick them all over again. She hadn’t spent enough time on them, enjoying the way they played over his skin, stretching it tight…

  Ugh. She was already desperate for more and he’d just left.

  She scrolled down his profile, reading his status updates. With how closed off his life seemed to be to others, she couldn’t believe he hadn’t set his profile to private. There were no mentions of girls or drinking or sex with strangers. All he posted about was going to ball games and work and hanging with the guys. There wasn’t a single mention of a girlfriend within the last year…probably longer.

  She stopped looking after a year, though.

  Next, she went through his pictures, eagerly looking at each one and reading the caption beneath it. He spent a heck of a lot of time at sporting events, which wasn’t too much of a shock. He’d always loved sports, even if he didn’t play them.

  She shook her head and scrolled through his friends list, noticing right away that her suspicion of him not keeping in touch with anyone back home was right. There wasn’t a single friend listed from Rehoboth. The only one? His brother, Alex.

  He’s obviously put this part of his life behind him. That was perfect. It meant this whole thing didn’t stand a risk of getting sloppy or emotional. They were in the same place in their life…

  And neither of them would want more than this weekend.

  Chapter Five

  The next night, Ethan entered the bowling alley at five to eight. He’d had no expectations of Ashley actually showing up, but damned if she wasn’t standing there watching for him. His heart stuttered in his chest then sped up painfully, and he waved at her with a big smile.

  Well, I’ll be damned.

  “You came.” He reached out and cupped her cheek. He pressed his lips to her forehead, savoring her scent, then pulled back. His cock hardened, and his heart softened just from that innocent gesture. “I’m glad.”

  She rested her hands on his chest, staring up at him with a small smile. “I don’t know why I did. It’s not my thing to hang out, well, after.” She shrugged. “Like, ever.”

  “Yeah. I get that.” He handed the man behind the counter a twenty. The alley was unusually empty. It looked as if they would have the place to themselves. Maybe everyone else was busy recovering from their hangovers. “Hello.”

  “Hey, Ethan.”

  Ethan did a double take. “Do I know you?”

  “Yeah, it’s Todd. We were in the same homeroom all of high school.”

  Ethan studied him. He’ remembered him now. He’d put on a few pounds and had lost the stoner look in his eyes, but it was Todd all right. “Yeah, I remember. You sat behind me.”

  Todd flinched. “Yeah. I used to put spitballs in your hair. Sorry about that.”

  “It’s fine,” Ethan said, blinking. He’d never expected an apology from Todd. Not in a million years. “It was a long time ago.”

  “Yeah, well…thanks for being decent about it.” Todd cleared his throat and turned to Ashley. “Hey, Ashley.”

  “Hi,” she said. She stepped closer to Ethan’s side. “How’s it going?”

  “Good. You two playing together?” Todd asked, his hand resting on the register.

  Ethan nodded. “Yeah. One lane, two games, and a pair of men’s eleven and women’s…?”

  She leaned on the counter, her ass jutting out as she did so. “Six and a half, please.”

  Todd checked out her cleavage, then went to get the shoes. Ethan fisted his hands, glaring at him, but didn’t say a word. It’s not as if he had a right to care if other men found her attractive, after all. She was fucking gorgeous.

  Ethan paid Todd and took the shoes, inclining his head toward lane six. “After you.”

  She walked in front of him, her hips swinging with each step, and sat down on the seat. “I haven’t been bowling in years.”

  “Me either.” He sat across from her and watched Ashley from under the cover of his bent head. “I probably won’t even hit a single pin tonight.”

  She bent down and pulled her brown boots off. Her hair was loose around her shoulders, and she wore a fitted pair of jeans and a snug, purple sweater. Her long legs teased him every time she crossed and uncrossed them.

  He wanted them wrapped around his waist again as he buried his cock deep inside of her, making her scream and cry and moan and beg for more.

  “It’s empty tonight. We’re the only ones here.”

  Good. It meant they could make this even more fun than it usually would be. “Everyone is probably sleeping last night off.”

  “Yeah, maybe.” She peeked up at him, then lowered her head when their gazes clashed. Even the ugly pair of bowling shoes didn’t take away from her beauty. “You’re staring, Pierce.”

  Yeah. He totally was. He cleared his throat. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure,” she said, looking up at him and dropping the laces. “What’s up?”

  “If you don’t usually see your lovers afterward…” Reaching out, he caught her foot and pulled it into his lap. She sat up straight and watched him. “Why are you here with me?”

  “We have nine years to catch up on. I’d like to think we can still talk between doing…other things,” she said, shrugging.

  He laughed. “I’m only here till Monday. Then I go back to California, and you’ll be free of me.”

  “Yeah, I know how much you hate it here. And with my dad
gone and my mom being, well, my mom...” she drifted off and shook her head. “Suffice it to say, I’m back for good.”

  “Fuck. How horrible that must be.” He shuddered. He couldn’t think of a worse punishment than having to live in this godforsaken town where everything a person ever did as a child followed him for the rest of his life. “I’m truly sorry for your loss, though. I can’t even imagine.”

  She nodded. “I know. But as far as moving back here goes, I don’t mind so much.”

  “More power to you.” He trailed his hand up and down her back, tracing her spine absentmindedly. “I don’t think anything could make me come back here.”

  Hell, probably not even her.

  She cocked an eyebrow at him. “So, hypothetically speaking, if we were to, say, agree to be together for the next couple of days…” She ran her finger down his chest and over his abs, only stopping when she hit the waist of his jeans. “How would you feel when that time ran out?”

  “Sore, pleased, and tired as all hell.” He hauled her against his cock, biting back a groan when her soft belly pressed against him. “How would you feel?”

  “The same.” She licked her lips and fisted her hands in his sweater. “But are you sure you wouldn’t want more? You wouldn’t be upset or anything?”

  He held out his hand. “I pinky-swear promise.”

  “Oh my God.” She rolled her eyes but entwined her pinky with his just like they used to do all those years ago. “Hypothetically…I might be able to agree to these terms. If you do.”

  He should probably listen to the warning bells going off in is head screaming that this was a bad idea. He should probably have taken his one-night stand and been damned grateful for it. Because beneath the flirtatious smiled she gave him, she was still the sweet, gorgeous, caring girl he’d once loved with all his teenaged heart. Only now, she was all grown up and drop-dead sexy to boot.

  And one hell of a catch…if he were the catching type.

  But he wasn’t.

  So why the fuck did he say, I’m all in?

  Eager to regain his equilibrium, he added, “But first, let’s see who the reigning champion is here.”

  She grinned and moved closer to him, hiding the fact that she cupped his cock, squeezing with the perfect amount of pressure. “Care to make this interesting?”

  He grit his teeth, struggling to control his libido. The girl was a killer with those hands. “Fuck bowling. Let’s go back to your place.”

  “Nope.” She let go of him and tsked. “We’re doing this.”

  “Fine.” He smacked her ass, laughing when she jumped and looked at him with heated eyes. Two could play at that game, after all. “But only if the winner gets to take control in bed tonight.”

  …

  Ashley laughed and nodded, rubbing her butt with false indignation and looking at him over her shoulder. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had so much fun flirting with a guy—especially after she’d already slept with him. She usually avoided the men she had sexual encounters with more so than the bubonic plague. But this time, it wasn’t so black and white.

  It was a heck of a lot of grey.

  This was Ethan. She couldn’t just walk away…even if he had done exactly that to her nine years ago.

  Freaking, melodramatic teenager that he had been. But now…

  If she could get a few more days out of this affair, then she’d gladly take them. Being with Ethan made her feel alive. Free. Happy. And she didn’t do happy all that often—not with men, anyway. Most had been completely intimidated by her grueling med school schedule and professional success. So now that she had a boy toy, she’d enjoy it while she could.

  She leaned against the scorekeeper and propped a hand on her hip. “If the winner gets to call the shots in the bedroom later, I better be on my A game, huh?”

  “Baby, you have a better chance of getting struck by lightning than you do of beating me.” He picked up a blue ball and shot a cocky grin her way. “Prepare to be amazed by my super skills.”

  She put a hand on her hip. “Keep up that attitude, and your balls will be as blue as that ball by the end of the night.”

  “Touché.” He lined up with perfect form and rolled the ball…right into the gutter. “Well, shit.”

  She covered her mouth and laughed. “I can barely stand from all that stud-li-ness, let me tell you.” She fanned her cheeks. “Whew. Hawt.”

  He shot her a mock glare then walked behind her. As he waited for his ball to return, he traced the line of her butt, slipping inside of her legs for the barest of seconds. Holy crap, the man was good. He managed to do with one simple touch what most men couldn’t do with a compass and a flashlight. “You just wait. It’s all part of my plan. You’ll see.”

  “Hmm. A plan, huh?”

  He didn’t say anything. Just grinned at her and took his next turn. He knocked down four pins then frowned at the scoreboard.

  She shook her head and walked up to the lane. “So, when did you start paddle boarding?”

  His brow wrinkled. “How did you know about that?” He leaned against the scorekeeper. “Wait a second. Were you Facebook stalking me?”

  She grinned up at him. “Yeah. What of it?”

  “Hmm. It’s kind of cute you care enough to look.” He reached out and ran a finger down her cheek. “And I started in college. Kept up with it for fun. I’m hardly a professional, but I’m pretty good at it, I guess.”

  “I saw that.”

  He ran his finger down her jaw and over her shoulder. “So, stalking, huh? Should I be flattered or scared?”

  “Flattered, of course.” She gripped his waistband and hauled him closer. “I had to check you out before I decided whether or not to show up tonight.”

  “Ah, I see.” He leaned in and brushed his lips over her cheekbone.

  “Guilty.” Her cheeks heated because he was pretty darn close to home with that guess. “Can you blame me?”

  “Mm.” He grinned and moved out of her reach. “I bet you’re wondering who took the picture of me on the paddle board, aren’t you?”

  She hadn’t been. But now she was. “Nope.”

  “Not curious at all?”

  “Nope.” She shooed him out of the way so she could get her ball. “I’m not the jealous type. Besides, it’s not like we’re a real couple or something.”

  He came up behind her and hauled her against his chest, his hands on her thighs. “I like the way you think. It’s refreshing.”

  “That’s me. A glass of ice-cold water.” She peeked over her shoulder, toward the direction of Todd and the front door. This was all fun and games, but if someone saw them groping each other in the bowling alley, she’d never hear the end of it. “Watch those hands. Someone might see us, you know.”

  Ethan shrugged. “I think we’re okay.” He nibbled on her neck. “But if you’re that worried about it…you ready to blow this joint and head home yet?”

  Hell yeah, she was. “Nope. I want to win.” Holding her ball up at chest level, she moved out of his arms. “Watch and learn, boy.”

  “Cocky words from a cocky girl,” he called out, crossing his arms. “Show me what you’ve got.”

  “Oh, I will.” She centered herself and let it fly. Strike. Grinning, she held her hands out and said. “Now that’s skills, my friend.”

  He scowled at her. “Maybe I need some of that luck.”

  “It’s not luck. It’s—”

  “—Luck.” He grabbed her and bent her back in a dancer’s dip, her hair spilling over his arm and onto the floor. She clung to his shoulders and let out a little squeal. “It’s luck, and you need to share some of it.”

  He slammed his mouth down on hers, taking her breath away with one swoop of his tongue. As he kissed her, she forgot all about the game and wanted nothing more than to throw him against the wall and fuck him senseless.

  When he pulled away, his brown eyes looked more like molten fire than the chocolate color she’d gotten accus
tomed to. His breath came out a little unevenly. “Now let me try again.”

  He set her on her feet and picked up his ball, walked up to the lane, and threw it. He knocked down one pin. One. Back in school, he’d kicked her ass repeatedly. She shook her head at him. “You lost your touch, Pierce.”

  He cocked a brow and retrieved his ball. “It didn’t look like I lost my touch when you were in my arms a minute ago.”

  “Oh you’ve got that going for you, all right.” She crossed her arms and watched him knock down one more pin. “You just suck at bowling.”

  But the kiss? Ah, now that had been phenomenal.

  “Ow.” He held a hand to his chest. “That hurts. Truly, it does.”

  She smiled in what she hoped was an innocent manner. “If the shoe fits…”

  “I used to be good at this.” He sighed dramatically and sat down, motioning her forward.

  “I see that.”

  “Well, what have you spent all these years doing?” He crossed his ankle over his knee. “I didn’t have the foresight to Facebook stalk you, so I don’t know what you do in your spare time.”

  “I don’t do anything in my spare time because I haven’t really had any.” She shrugged. “Med school takes up a hell of a lot of time, and I basically slept enough hours to stay alive and spent the rest of them studying.”

  “Sounds boring.”

  “It was.” She grinned at him. “But now I’m a doctor, and it was worth it. What about you? What kinds of things do you do in your spare time, besides the beach?”

  “Not a whole hell of a lot. I go to a lot of games, hang out with the guys.” He lifted a shoulder. “Normal single dude shit.”

  She shot him a look. “Pick up a few ladies here and there…”

  “Well, yeah.” He shot her a cocky grin. “No big shocker there, though, right?”

  “None at all.” She looked up at the scoreboard and sighed. “You basically sound like me, minus the games and chicks. I don’t go to sporting events.”

  “What do you do?”

  “Concerts. Coffee. Bars.” She laughed and tucked her hair behind her ear. “You know, normal single girl stuff.”

  His lips twitched, and he motioned her forward. “Go on. You’re up.”