The Complete Irreparable Boxed Set: Irreparable #1-2

by Sam Mariano

She was still confused as he put his arm around her, drew her to his side, and placed a big, sloppy kiss on her cheek. Willow scrunched up her nose and closed her eyes as he snapped. Brian pulled back and looked at the picture, grinning. “Perfect. Sharing right now.”

  “Ethan’s gonna love that,” she stated.

  Brightening, he asked, “Does he check your shit? Aw, that’s epic. I’m gonna have fun fucking with him.”

  “No,” she said, shaking her head, but smiling at the same time. “No fucking with him.”

  “Guy stole my girlfriend and I’m going to cover his ass so he can bang her; I think I’m entitled to fuck with him.”

  Unable to argue that point, she shrugged.

  “Can’t get enough of this girl,” he read as he typed, cutting a grin in her direction. “Just gotta tag you… and… there we go.” Clicking his phone shut with relish, he looked back at Willow.

  “You’re such a jerk.”

  “No, I’m awesome, remember? Maybe your new boyfriend won’t believe you dumped me—maybe he’ll get to feel like the side dish this time.”

  “I’m not worried about that,” she remarked, rolling her eyes.

  “I should sext you later.”

  “You better not,” she warned. “I’ll kick your ass.”

  “Leave messages all over your shit about how much I love you and how the sun shines out of your ass.”

  Standing, she said lightly, “I’m leaving now.”

  “Your eyes shine like stars in the midnight of my life,” he professed, clutching his heart.

  “Leaving the room now,” she announced, glancing back at him.

  He pushed off the couch so he could follow her into the kitchen. “Your lips are but a delicate blossom, whose petals I long to peel back.”

  “If I wouldn’t have dumped you already…”

  Brian grinned, leaning against the doorframe as she walked out. “Seriously though, be smart, okay?”

  Nodding her head, she assured him, “I promise.”

  “And don’t be a stranger. I’d say you could bring him, but… let’s be honest, he wouldn’t have fun here.”

  “Not even a little bit,” she agreed. Then, impulsively, she leaned in and hugged him. “Thank you so much. I can’t believe you’re willing to do this for me.”

  “No problem. If you get bored with the old guy, you know where to find me.”

  Smiling softly, she squeezed his hand, thanked him one more time, then made her way back to her car.

  Ethan hadn’t locked the door.

  Delighted at the prospect of sneaking up on him and pouncing, she didn’t knock, instead letting herself inside.

  Unfortunately, as soon as she eased the door shut she heard Ethan’s voice—and she didn’t think he was in the habit of talking to himself.

  “Aw, really? That’s awesome.”

  There was a hint of gentle devotion in his tone that told her he must be talking to one of his kids. The absence of chaos and noise led her to believe they were not present. Stepping forward and stealing a look around the corner, she saw that he was, in fact, on the phone.

  “Yeah, you said that. That’s very cool.”

  Shoulders slumping slightly, she turned to lock the door behind her and kick off her shoes before heading over to the couch.

  Ethan did a double take at first, clearly surprised that she had let herself in, but she figured she’d explain when he hung up.

  “Hey, buddy? Can you put your mom back on for just a minute.”

  Well, that was even better. Ethan walked into the kitchen and she dropped her purse in the floor, leaning forward to dig out her phone. Since he was otherwise occupied, she figured she’d keep herself busy. Plus she needed something to distract her so she didn’t eavesdrop.

  As soon as her app opened, she clicked the new notifications and saw Brian had just left a comment on her profile.

  “Best girlfriend ever.”

  Rolling her eyes and smiling in spite of herself, she commented back, “Aw, stop it.”

  As she typed it, Candace liked the comment. A second later Brian responded, “How can I when I have such an amazing girlfriend?”

  Candace jumped in, commenting, “Are you 2 losers really sitting next to each other and talking online?”

  Willow laughed to herself and quickly checked out her other notifications. Mostly all to do with the picture Brian had posted of them at his place.

  “Sorry about that,” Ethan said, suddenly much closer.

  Closing out the app, she dropped her phone into her purse and watched him put two wine glasses down on the table.

  “What’s this?” she asked.

  “You said you wanted wine and roses.”

  “I was joking!” She laughed when he handed her a single red rose.

  “I would’ve gotten you a whole bouquet, but I knew you wouldn’t be able to take them home. Break-up roses aren’t really a thing.”

  She started to inform him otherwise when he placed a candle on the coffee table and lit it, tossing a smile her way.

  “Wine, roses, and candles. I think I got everything on your list.”

  “You better have condoms hidden somewhere.”

  “Trust me, I couldn’t have forgotten those if I tried,” he remarked dryly. He went back to the kitchen and returned with a bottle of wine. After pouring some in each glass, he put it down on the table and sat next to her on the couch. “How’d the break-up go?”

  “Much better than expected,” she stated.

  “Good.”

  “Everything okay with your family?”

  “Yeah, I was just checking in with everyone. You didn’t say you were on your way back.”

  Nodding her head, she said, “My plan was to sneak in and attack you with my mouth.”

  Sighing heavily, he said, “I really like that plan. I’m sorry.”

  “No big deal,” she said easily.

  Since her plan had been thwarted, she leaned forward and grabbed the wine glass off the table, swirling the white wine briefly before taking a sip.

  “Good?” Ethan asked.

  Nodding wordlessly, Willow scooted closer, turning to face him and leaning in, resting a hand on his shoulder and pressing her lips to his. With the flavor of the wine still lingering in her mouth, she opened it, letting her tongue dart out to meet his. Ethan’s hands moved—one resting around her waist, the other tangling in her hair—and he tugged her even closer.

  She loved how quickly her body responded to him. Already desire stirred inside of her, dancing its way up through her body. A shudder worked its way up her spine as Ethan’s fingers moved on from her hair, only to be dragged along her back. A faint noise escaped her throat and without breaking the kiss, her fingers began working the buttons on his shirt. Once they were unfastened, her fingers clung to the stiff material, and she pulled him closer until his chest pressed against hers.

  Finally pulling back, Ethan murmured, “We should move this to the bedroom.”

  A little smile made its way to her lips. “But our wine.”

  “Fuck the wine.”

  Willow grinned in response and moved so Ethan could stand. Immediately he grabbed her hand, tugging her to her feet, and her heart did a flip when his fingers worked their way between hers. It was such an innocent thing to get excited over, but it thrilled her just the same.

  Once inside Ethan’s bedroom, he didn’t waste a second; his hands were on her, pushing her up against the wall and kissing her neck the way he knew she loved. His hands pushed at the hem of her skirt, and a few seconds later it hit the ground. Stepping out of it and kicking it aside, Willow peeled off her top.

  Since the contact was broken, he made quick work of ditching the rest of his clothes and Willow grinned at his eagerness.

  “Missed me, huh?”

  “You have no idea,” he murmured, before coming at her again, that time clad only in his boxer-briefs.

  The sensation of her fingers curling against his skin was intoxicatin
g enough—then he leaned in and captured her lips again. She was lost.

  Pushing against his chest, she regretted the loss of his lips on hers when he pulled back and looked at her questioningly. Willow pointed at the bed, then made her way over, climbing on the mattress and absently brushing her hand across the tidy cotton sheets. She wondered if he made his bed regularly, or if he’d only done it when he knew she would be staying the night.

  The prospect of finding out all of his habits made her grin.

  “What?” Ethan asked with a little answering smile of his own.

  “Nothing,” she said, shaking her head. “Just happy.”

  His blue eyes seemed to warm and he joined her on the bed, giving her one of those tender looks that sent her heart reeling.

  He was so beautiful. And he was hers—at least, as much hers as he had ever been.

  “I thought about you a lot,” he stated, his fingers moving up the length of her smooth leg. “At night, mostly, but other times, too,” he added with a little smile.

  She thought she had better control of herself, but before she could formulate any other response, she blurted, “Were you with anyone else?”

  He didn’t look surprised by her question, and it felt like her heart turned into cotton candy when he shook his head no. “If you weren’t you, I wouldn’t even be with you now. It’s not the right time.”

  “I know,” she said softly, unable to hold back a grin. “I’m glad. I thought about it sometimes.”

  “Me having sex with someone else?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow.

  “Just wondering if you were.”

  “Well, now you know.”

  “I do,” she agreed, her hand moving to rest on his inner thigh. “And I’m pleased,” she informed him, grinning.

  “I do like to please you,” he said with a wink.

  Willow laughed, then after a few seconds when he didn’t say more, she began, “You’re not gonna ask if I—”

  Ethan interrupted, shaking his head. “I don’t want to know, if it’s all the same to you. You may not have noticed, but I can be a little jealous.”

  She smiled at his teasing but then his hand drifted between her legs and her lungs betrayed her. Biting down on her lower lip as she stretched out on his bed, she tried to follow the thread of conversation, but she was too distracted by his hands, and the shortness of breath they were causing.

  Apparently not as distracted as she was, he concluded, “You’re here with me now, that’s all that matters.”

  Melting at the husky timbre of his voice, and then again as he began to tug her panties off, Willow wondered how long it would take her to be as cool as he was sometimes during their encounters. Normally she wasn’t so hot-blooded, but a smile or a look or the briefest touch from him turned her into a breathless maniac, desperate to pull him inside of her.

  Not that he seemed to mind.

  Working his way up the bed so he hovered over her, Ethan placed a soft, gentle kiss on her mouth as he suddenly plunged a finger inside of her.

  Moaning against his mouth, she arched, grabbing his shoulders so she had something to hold onto.

  “You’re so fucking responsive,” he murmured lowly, moving his mouth to her ear and biting down gently on the lobe. He was rewarded with a gasp as she moved her hips against his hand, pulling him closer.

  “I need you,” she whispered.

  Ethan growled low in his throat, pausing, but then continuing his path of kisses down her neck and across her collar bone.

  "I love your body," he told her, pushing a second finger inside of her and kissing the swell of her breast. "I want to learn every inch of you."

  She immediately wished she would’ve taken the damn bra off before she got into the bed. As his fingers moved more quickly between her legs, she released his shoulders to drag her fingers through her hair, pushing her head back against the pillow.

  “How much do you want me?”

  “So much,” she answered readily, writhing against the bed.

  Dragging his mouth back to hers, he kissed away each helpless moan, driving her desire to a fever pitch with his mouth and his fingers. Then he withdrew his fingers, moving over to the nightstand, and Willow relaxed a little.

  At the sound of the foil ripping, she relaxed a lot.

  “Come here,” he murmured.

  She didn’t know where he wanted her, but she didn’t even care. Moving to her knees, she crawled the few inches toward him and waited to see if he had further instructions.

  Instead of direction, he moved behind her, grasping her hips. For a split second, she thought he was just repositioning her, but then she felt him move behind her, felt him position himself between her legs.

  Her body tensed—she couldn’t help it.

  As eager as she was for him, when he pushed inside of her from behind, every feminine muscle she had seized up, making it just slightly uncomfortable. He had one hand anchored on her hip, the other lightly moving across her ass. Willow squeezed her eyes shut, trying to ignore the sudden rush of unpleasant sensation gathering in her chest.

  Shutting her eyes proved a bad idea, so she quickly opened them again, reminding herself where she was and how much she wanted to be there. Her heart raced, but not in the good way.

  It seemed like longer, but it had only been the space of one thrust. She heard Ethan’s voice dimly, but completely missed what he said.

  “Hm?” she asked, trying to get it together.

  “Is this okay?” he asked.

  It made her stomach flutter, but she managed a nod. “Yeah.”

  His hand brushed her hip, moved across her stomach, and then he moved it between her legs, but she reached back and grasped his hip before he could.

  “No,” she said simply. Then, glancing apologetically over her shoulder, she said, “Sorry, just… not this time, okay?”

  “We can switch positions,” he said, withdrawing from her body.

  “It’s okay,” she assured him. “I’m fine. Go ahead.”

  He hesitated for a moment, then he grasped her hips with both hands and slowly pushed back inside of her.

  Bracing herself on her forearms, she pushed back against him to meet his thrusts, and in no time at all, she realized she really was fine—better than fine, it felt fucking fantastic.

  He kept his thrusts slow and steady for a minute, making sure she wasn’t uncomfortable, but once she got into it she began moaning and pushing back against him with more force.

  “Faster,” she said breathlessly, losing her position on the bed and not caring at all. That time when she squeezed her eyes closed, her only thought was Ethan giving her what she wanted.

  And he did. Rocking his hips faster, he knocked the breath right out of her and then she was gasping, clawing at the sheets, and crying out, her body convulsing around his cock.

  “Fuck,” he breathed, moving inside of her a couple more times and then groaning as he found his own release.

  Once she was sure he had finished, Willow collapsed against the bed, her face missing the pillow by a couple inches, but she couldn’t be bothered to move.

  “Damn,” she murmured.

  The bed creaked as Ethan moved off it, but just a couple seconds later he was back in the bed and climbing beside her. That time she forced her bones to remain steady long enough to move closer to him. Once his arms were secured around her, she collapsed again.

  “Okay?” he asked, watching her more closely than she liked.

  Exaggerating her dreamy smile to put him at ease, she answered, “Very okay.”

  “I wasn’t sure at first.”

  Nodding blissfully, she assured him, “It worked out in the end.”

  “Don’t be afraid to tell me if you don’t like something we’re doing, okay?”

  “I’m not. It’s really okay. It was just—you took me by surprise for a minute. No biggie.”

  He squeezed his arm around her, dropping a kiss on the top of her head. She tightened her arm around h
im and closed her eyes, lightly kissing his chest where her face rested.

  She didn’t feel completely at peace, but being in his arms certainly made her feel safer.

  The rest of their evening was spent blissfully lazing around the apartment, eventually throwing together dinner and curling up on the couch afterward to watch a movie. There wasn’t really enough room for two people to lie on the couch together, but they made it work.

  After the movie, Willow sent her parents a text to let them know she wouldn’t be home. Influenced by their closeness on the couch, she then took Ethan by the hand and suggested they go to bed a little early. He told her he wasn’t tired yet, and she assured him he would be by the time she was done with him.

  Promise fulfilled, they fell asleep together wrapped up in a heap of tangled sheets and each other.

  Hours later, Willow’s eyes jerked open to the unfamiliar darkness of Ethan’s bedroom.

  There was a leaden weight in her chest, inching down, burrowing into her gut. It felt like a dream, but it was too dark; she slept with a nightlight like a fucking toddler because it still made her nervous to wake to a blanket of darkness—she couldn’t handle the one or two beats while her eyes adjusted and she wasn’t entirely sure she was safe.

  Despite the feeling of dread nestled in her gut, she slowly turned her head to the left. Ethan was lying there, sleeping peacefully. Looking beyond him, she saw a window instead of a door with a little line of light streaming in from the hallway.

  She was safe.

  It had only been a dream.

  If only that knowledge magically swept away the unease she woke up with.

  For a few minutes she remained still, staring blankly at the ceiling. On one hand, she needed to go back to sleep. Not only because it was still dark out, but because she needed to have a new, better dream to push out the lingering anxiety from the bad one.

  On the other hand, she no longer felt tired. What if she went back to sleep and she went right back into that dream? What if she was back in that shitty, cramped bedroom in Chicago? What if she went to work (the logic was twisted in her dream, and she lived at the hell-house while working at the pizza shop whorehouse) or, perhaps even worse, what if seeing Ethan in bed beside her brought him into her dream? It was a coin toss whether he would be a hero or a villain; she would just as soon have him excluded altogether. What if he was the villain, and she couldn’t even stand to look at him or talk to him for the whole day?