by Meghyn King
“And so is talking about Sofia when I specifically told you that she’s not a topic I want to discuss. Now get out.”
Ethan stormed over to her, his nakedness distracting her for a brief moment. His muscles strained under the tension in his body, his veins more prominent in his upper arms. His chest heaved in a deep sigh, his abs clenching. Jee-sus. He really was handsome.
She shook her head. She was not going to do this.
“You don’t know what I was going to say.”
“And I don’t want to.” She shrugged. “You ruined it by mentioning her. Now get out, or I’ll call the cops. You wouldn’t want your coworkers seeing you like this, would you?”
He frowned at her, nose scrunched in disbelief. Finally, he shook his head as he grabbed his clothes, shoving his underwear and pants on first. “Wow. You’re a bitch.”
Scarlett spun toward him, eyes wide and teeth clenched. “Excuse me?”
Ethan paused after he clasped his belt together, and stared at her with his deep, dark eyes. “Is this your revenge, Scarlett? Blow back into town to show us how amazing you are? To trounce around with this ‘I’m better than you’ attitude?” His disappointed smile made her heart ache. “We’re trying here. We know we did wrong, and we’re trying to apologize—”
“Get out,” she snapped, pointing to the door. “Get the hell out of my room, Ethan.”
“Scarlett.”
“Get out!” She raised her voice this time, and she knew someone else outside the hotel room would have heard it.
Ethan stared at her with a lost look on his face, like he wasn’t sure what had just happened. She wasn’t entirely sure she knew what’d happened either. They were having such a wonderful time, but one mention of his sister, and everything was ruined.
He grabbed his shirt and threw it on, leaving it unbuttoned as he stormed toward the door. Before he could reach it, Scarlett snapped before she could stop herself, “Why don’t you ask your sister what she did to me? You think that all she needs to do is apologize and everything will be all right, but you have no idea what she did, why she can’t be forgiven. Get out.”
She didn’t look at him—couldn’t look at him. If she did, she was sure she’d break down, and she wasn’t going to let him see that weakness in her. He’d seen it too many times before, back when she was vulnerable.
There was a moment when she thought he wouldn’t leave, but then she heard the door open, and then close with a soft click. It was only when she heard it that she let out a breath. Except, it was less of a breath and more like a sob. She collapsed against the bed.
Fuck Ethan Antonelli.
The next morning, after a night of not being able to escape the thoughts inside her head, Scarlett decided she needed to apologize to Ethan. Big-time. He was right. She had been a bitch to him, and she had no excuse for it. He’d been nothing but sweet to her since she arrived back in town. It wasn’t her intention to make his life difficult. Even though she was angrier at Sofia than her brother, Scarlett had been taking it out on Ethan instead. He didn’t know what had happened that day and didn’t deserve her anger. Sure, he’d done his fair share of laughing along when they were teens, but he never went out of his way to torture her like Sofia had.
Scarlett sighed and grabbed her car keys. She headed out of the hotel and stopped at a restaurant that made the best maple bourbon chicken and waffle sandwich takeaway, then headed toward the station. As soon as she entered, the noise dimmed as a few heads turned her way in surprise. There were people she recognized well, and some she’d be generous to call former acquaintances. She smiled anyway and paused at the front desk.
A very familiar face smiled back. “Hello, Scarlett.”
“Abby!” Scarlett eyed her former school buddy carefully. Abby was one of the few good ones. When the bullying got bad and Abby was around, she used to stand up for Scarlett, which only made her a target as well. While they weren’t friends, they were connected through being victims. “How are you?”
She hadn’t changed much since Scarlett last saw her. She had the same apple-shaped feminine face, slim, straight nose, and soft lips that Scarlett used to wish she had. If it hadn’t been for the large birthmark marring her right temple, she probably would have been pretty enough to be in the popular group. Nevertheless, Scarlett always thought she was gorgeous, both inside and out.
Abby blinked at her from behind round glasses. “I’ve been good. How long has it been?”
“Not long enough,” Scarlett joked lightly, laughing. “It was not in my future plans to come back to this place.”
Abby gave her a sympathetic smile. “I don’t blame you. I would have left if my daddy never got sick.”
“I heard about that. I’m sorry, Abby.”
She chuckled lightly. “I believe God had a future planned for me, and my daddy’s passing was meant to be. I met my husband at his funeral. He went to my daddy’s church.”
“Really?” Scarlett leaned on the high desk, a grin on her face. “I’m so glad to hear that. Do I know him?”
“I don’t think so. He moved to town a couple of years before you left, but he’s older than us. He’s ten years my senior. I think Daddy would have had a heart attack if he was still alive.”
They both laughed. Abby’s father was old school, much like a lot of older people in the town. He was a religious man, who only wanted the best for his daughter, but the best was always what he had planned for her, which happened to be Maddock Groves, a high school football star, much like Ethan. Maddock had only been a year older than them. She could only imagine how Abby’s father would react to his daughter marrying a man ten years her senior.
“I’m glad, Abby. You deserve it.”
Abby flushed, her pale cheeks brightening with a crimson glow. “Thank you, Scarlett. What about you? What brings you here today?”
Scarlett glanced around the station. “I’m actually looking for Ethan.” She shook her head. “Sorry. Officer Antonelli.”
Abby’s brows rose into her hanging bangs. “Ethan? Are y’all reacquainted?”
She forced herself not to blush. Reacquainted was one word for it, but she certainly wasn’t going to share the details with Abby. As lovely as she was, this was still a small town, and everyone here loved their gossip.
She racked her brain for something—anything—to say, but she didn’t have to worry about it. The door to the station opened and Ethan and Rodriguez entered. Ethan stopped when he saw her, and he frowned. He looked tired, with dark bags beneath his eyes and a line of exhaustion etched into his forehead. While his uniform was neatly ironed, Scarlett noticed the inconsistencies that didn’t seem to usually be there, like his slightly crooked collar for one.
Guilt immediately assaulted her.
“Scarlett?” Ethan glanced at Rodriguez, who rolled her eyes and strolled away toward one of the closed doors to the right.
“Hi, Ethan.” Her lips curled into a soft smile. She hoped it showed him that she didn’t want to fight, and it worked, because he smiled back at her.
“Hey.”
“Can we talk?” She glanced at Abby, who watched very carefully, even though she was trying to look busy. The papers in her hands were upside down, and her gaze kept flicking between Ethan and Scarlett.
Ethan cocked his head toward the front door and they both headed out, with Abby waving at Scarlett before they exited. They headed alongside the police station building and then around the corner, to a grassy area that gave them the privacy they needed. It looked like a small garden, with an outside seat bolted into the wall of the building.
Once he sat down, Ethan patted the space beside him, which Scarlett took.
“I wanted to apologize.” Even though they were in a somewhat private area, she kept her voice low. She untucked his crooked collar and patted it down when it was straight.
Ethan stayed silent, but his lips were curved into a gentle smile.
“Anyway.” She cleared her throat. “I overreacted.
Your sister is still a bit of a sore spot for me.”
“You said to ask Sofia what she did to you, that there was a reason you couldn’t forgive her. What did she do?”
Scarlett pursed her lips. “I said that in anger. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“But you did.” He grabbed her hand, entwining their fingers. It was such an intimate gesture and Scarlett knew she should have pulled away from the touch, but it felt nice. His hand was warm, a solid weight that felt good against her own palm. “What did she do?” he repeated.
“I’d prefer her telling you. She’s your sister, Ethan.” She squeezed his hand.
“Yes, she is, which means I’ll hear her side of the story, but not yours.”
Scarlett dropped her head back, letting it rest against the brick behind them. She sighed. “I don’t want to talk to you about this.”
“Whatever she did, it obviously upset you.”
“What she did made me leave this town.” She closed her eyes, images of it flashing through her mind. “But that’s not my story to tell. You need to hear it from her.”
He exhaled and sat back against the seat. They stayed in silence for a few minutes, before he spoke again. “Do you want to go out for lunch? I have an hour break.”
She should have said no. They had sex, and that’s all it could be. She didn’t do dates, and even though he hadn’t called it a date as such, she knew exactly what it was. She also didn’t hold hands either but look at what was happening right now. It blew her mind how easily he could manipulate her values without even trying, but this was also different—this was Ethan Antonelli. He made her feel things she hadn’t felt before.
Jee-sus. She was ruined. She’d barely been in town for two days and he’d ruined her. Then, she remembered the paper bag she still held. She nodded toward it. “I brought you lunch. I got your favorite. A maple bourbon chicken and waffle sandwich from Madge’s Deli.”
He smiled in a way that transformed his whole face. The bags beneath his eyes lightened in color, and his cheeks flushed with a new liveliness beneath his neatly trimmed beard. “How did you know that’s my favorite?”
Scarlett felt her face heat and glanced away from him. She did not get embarrassed under a man’s scrutiny. Confidence. Except, Ethan made her feel like a teenager again. “I remember you bought one for lunch every day before school. I wasn’t really sure if you still liked them.”
“Are you kidding me? There ain’t nothing that could make me love that sandwich any less. Not even a woman.” He winked at her when she looked at him in amusement.
“You’re a dork.” She rolled her eyes and pressed the paper bag against his chest.
He unrolled the top and glanced inside, licking his lips. Scarlett couldn’t help but follow the movement, remembering all too well what that tongue did to her last night. The thought made her clench her thighs together.
“How about we head to the park?” He nodded in the direction of the park she knew was nearby. “It’ll be quiet today, with the kids at school.”
“Let’s go fill your breadbasket.”
“Hell yes.” He rose from the seat and grabbed his phone out of his pocket, texting on it with one hand. “Just letting Rodriguez know.”
Scarlett smiled. She liked Rodriguez. She supposed it helped that the woman hadn’t been around during Scarlett’s teenage years, but the cop was also hilarious. A breath of fresh air in an overly stale town. No, that wasn’t the full truth. Ponchatoula was beautiful, the people were beautiful, but like every town, it had its moments—it had its bad eggs. When it mattered, though, the townspeople stood together, united. That had been proven more than once. But Scarlett had grown, changed, and Ponchatoula wasn’t her home anymore. New York City was.
“Let’s go.” Ethan didn’t release her hand when he stood and headed in the direction of the park, and Scarlett found that she didn’t want him to.
The park was a few blocks away, and while that wasn’t far, there was enough distance for a rumor to start. She could already see the heads swiveling.
They were halfway there when Lois sashayed out of a corner store, stopping in her tracks when her gaze landed on them. Her eyes widened and then flicked from Scarlett and Ethan’s faces to their hands, before her nose screwed up in disgust and she hurried off again. No doubt, a rumor would have begun by the next morning, but Scarlett found that she didn’t care. She’d be gone again in a few weeks.
Once they reached the park, Ethan tugged her to a stone table and chairs located under a tree and put the paper bag on the table. He didn’t waste any time in opening it and handing Scarlett one of the sandwiches, before beginning to devour his own.
The park hadn’t changed a lot since Scarlett went away. It left much to be desired, with a simple set of playground equipment for kids—one slide, a set of swings, and some monkey bars—and a couple of tables and chairs dotted around the sparse greenery. There were a group of tables under a large awning too, but that was used mostly during the Strawberry Festival.
“How did you become a cop?” Scarlett took a bite of her sandwich and moaned. The flavors burst in her mouth from the spices that Madge was well known for. Her deli was the best in Ponchatoula and there was a reason for that.
Ethan wiped his mouth with the back of his hand when he finished his bite of food. “When I graduated, Dad wanted me to go to college and become a lawyer, like him. Wasn’t really my thing, though. I didn’t know what I wanted to be, but I knew I didn’t want to be a lawyer. I’ve seen the people he helped get off for crimes they’d committed.” He licked his lips and rested the sandwich on its wrapping, before grabbing some napkins and tidying his hands. His sandwich was already half eaten. “Sofia….” He paused, eyeing her.
Scarlett nodded, forcing a smile on her face. She didn’t want to fight with him again, and whether she wanted to admit it or not, Sofia was Ethan’s sister. She was part of his life.
“Sofia idolized Dad, though, so I knew she’d follow in his footsteps. I took the year off after school, used the excuse that I wanted to work at Wally’s and make some money.”
“I remember that. Wally loved having you as an employee.”
Wally Nungent owned a small electrical store in the middle of town. Ethan worked there after school, and Scarlett remembered the times, before the bullying got bad, when she’d slowly walk past the store just so she could see Ethan. He’d been in his element as a salesman, but that could have been partly a result of his popularity, mostly due to his high school football career.
“Yeah, well, six months after you and Sofia graduated, Dad and Momma got a divorce. Dad cheated on her.”
Scarlett grimaced, but she wasn’t surprised. Ethan’s dad had always been a jerk, the kind of man who thought he was better than a small town like Ponchatoula. It was at this point she realized that she was acting exactly the same way, and the realization made her frown.
“Momma told him to leave, and Dad left Ponchatoula completely.”
Ethan reached across the table, his hand curling over the back of hers. He turned hers until her palm was facing up and caressed the skin there with his thumb. It was a calming action, something he’d always done to keep his mind focused. He’d find something, anything, to keep his hands busy when he talked about a topic he was uncomfortable with. She remembered him doing the same thing in a school expo when the teacher asked him what career path he was looking at going into. He played with a pen between his fingers, his gaze focused on it rather than the teacher as he shrugged his shoulders.
“I’m sorry, Ethan.” She entwined their fingers and squeezed.
“Don’t be.” He snorted. “Everyone knew it was going to happen eventually. Momma and Dad were never a good couple to begin with. Momma was fine. Sofia took it the hardest. For a few months there, she began drinking and doing drugs. We tried everything to get her on the right track, but it didn’t work. Dad didn’t bother to contact her after he left. We were his past, even Sofia.”
“
Is that how she got the scars?” Scarlett hated to ask about it, but they looked wrong on Sofia’s face and neck. And as much as she hated her, she’d never wish something like that on Sofia. On anyone.
Ethan scowled at their hands. “No, but that’s not my story to tell.” He shook his head. “We finally got her back, but it took a while. Momma got her into rehab. Ain’t nothing else we could have done for her, but she did the rest. She was healthy. It was at that point I knew I needed to help this town. Do something that’d make up for all the criminals Dad put back on the streets. So, I became a cop.”
Scarlett nudged him gently. “And what a fine-looking cop you are. The uniform is delectable on you. Never thought I’d like a cop uniform so much.”
Ethan threw his head back and laughed. “Is that what attracted you to me, huh?”
She shrugged, smirking. “You’re not so bad out of it either.”
His eyes darkened as his gaze flicked to her chest. She wore another fifties-style dress today, this one a light blue, with a U-shaped neckline that dipped low. The top of her breasts peeked out from the collar, with some help from one of Scarlett’s favorite pushup bras.
“See something you like, Officer?” she teased.
His tongue flicked over his bottom lip as he glanced back up and into her eyes. “The things I’d do to you, Scar.”
“Didn’t get your fill last night?” Scarlett felt a familiar stirring in her loins. Her words sat heavy in the air between them, and she had to squeeze her thighs shut to stop herself from opening her legs and begging him to get under that table and use his tongue. The things he did to her last night had her almost keening for more.
“I could never get enough of you.” He brought her hand to his lips and lightly kissed her palm. “I’d fuck you right here and now if I wasn’t in my uniform.”
Jee-sus. Her breath stuttered in her chest and she bit her lip to stop herself from begging for it. The simmering hunger churned low in her gut; she wanted him so badly it hurt.
“Imagine the gossip,” she said, smirk stretching her lips wider. “Lois Harper is already spreading some about us.”