Complicated
Page 8
I also kept a watchful eye on Bri. If I didn’t go home, I called her on my way to the office or from it. It became a part of my routine as the weeks passed. She was about six weeks along, but remained unwilling to tell anyone. I couldn’t really push her on it, so I continued to be supportive but silent.
Ethan agreed to go out with Bri and Trey on double dates, and took time to stop at the house so he could get to know Shane and Jackson too. After a few weeks, the chilliness from the boys subsided as Ethan got back into their good graces. I made it clear that nothing they said would change my mind about being with him. Either they got on board or shut the hell up. Bri understood and was friendly with him right away. Something led me to believe that it had more to do with whatever they had spoken about on the phone rather than anything else.
I did my best to keep opening up to Ethan, and he did the same. We gradually found a balance in the chaos. I felt like I had been dating him for years rather than weeks. Saturday night was upon us as we lounged around his apartment. Earlier that afternoon, Ethan had surprised me with front row seats to a Border Battle game. It was a total surprise, since the tickets were insanely expensive. We had a blast eating greasy food as we cheered for the home team.
November was upon us and fall was slipping away, with winter creeping around the corner, but a strange heat wave had surfaced to keep the warmth around for a few days longer. I ran my hand along my arm and watched it fade from red to white. Ethan brought my fingers to his lips for a quick kiss.
We were sprawled out on his couch with a movie on the flat-screen. We didn’t have any real plans for the evening, which was a first. He was like the Energizer bunny at times. Ethan loved being on the go. I didn’t complain because it kept my mind distracted from everything else in my life. He ran his fingers through my hair while I lay content in his lap. His lips curled into a crooked grin as I continued to stare at him. He ran his hand down my arm and the warmth I felt from the sun intensified as he glided his fingers along me tenderly.
“What?” Ethan asked curiously.
“I’m just caught up in you, so nothing new,” I teased.
“If you’re thinking about today, I had an incredible time,” Ethan admitted, flashing his dimples.
I smiled bashfully. “Ditto.”
“I know you haven’t watched a second of this movie. It’s not your taste, but thanks for humoring me by agreeing to it,” Ethan mused.
I beamed. “Don’t worry. I’ll drag you to a chick-flick in the near future.”
Ethan groaned before focusing back on his movie. I didn’t bother. It was a total guy movie with far too much gore. The boys would have loved it. As I thought of my boys, my cell started to ring with Jackson’s ringtone. Ethan hit pause and grabbed it for me.
I had seen Bri every day this week, but it had been hit-or-miss with the boys and their class schedules. I tended to stay with Ethan more than he stayed with me. It made more sense, simply for the privacy. It was a bonus to have the seclusion, especially in the bedroom where we were usually quite loud. A small giggle escaped as I took my phone. I tried to keep my mind from going to the gutter it liked to hang out in when sexcapades with Ethan captured my thoughts.
“Hey Jackson,” I answered happily.
“Mia!” A round of voices cheered.
My giggles turned into a full-blown laugh. Ethan arched an eyebrow so I turned on speakerphone. His hands drifted from my arms down to my inner thighs. I shot him a glare telling him not to start anything. I had no clue what it was about being on the phone in front of him, but he always went out of his way to try to turn me on whenever it happened. He flashed a sinful grin but heeded the warning.
“You’re on with all of us,” Jackson spoke up.
“I kind of figured. What’s up guys? It’s Saturday night. I’m surprised you aren’t gearing up for a party or a night on the town,” I said, looking at the clock to see that it was close to five.
“We’re doing something much better. Something epic, but we need you for that to happen,” Shane replied enthusiastically.
I grinned. “And what would that be?”
“Bri’s dad scored a private venue at theSchly, with the penthouse suites. I know you’ll want to come because we have the outdoor lounge on the roof with SinSanity as our entertainment. Are you and your boy-toy in?” Trey asked excitedly.
My jaw dropped. “Holy shit. How did your dad pull that off?”
“Mia, the guy is in politics. He’s constantly getting offers like this. Every now and then, he remembers he has a daughter. I’m sure there will be plenty of his campaign people there, but who cares. It’s a private concert with one of the hottest bands on the radio,” Bri responded casually.
I raised an eyebrow towards Ethan. He nodded, flashing a drool-worthy smile. I opened my mouth to answer, but his lips crashed into mine for a brief kiss.
“We’re in,” Ethan answered around my mouth.
I playfully pushed him away. He had no reservations about taking the kiss to another level. I had slipped up on more than one occasion by letting soft moans escape while on the phone. Thank God it was Bri both times, but it was still humiliating.
“Oh, hey Ethan,” Trey spoke up, unmistakably caught off guard.
“Now that we all know who’s on the call, are we doing a divide and conquer with liquor and food?” I asked.
“You can take care of booze. We’ve got the rest,” Bri answered quickly.
“Sounds good. Bye guys.”
“We’ll expect to see you soon. If you’re going to have wild bunny sex, make it quick or have it on the way. We hear you both have pretty comfortable cars for it,” Shane said tauntingly.
Ethan burst out laughing. My cheeks burned to a crisp. “Bri, I’m going to kill you for having such a big mouth. You better run when you see me so I don’t pummel your ass," I warned.
“Love you Mia,” she said in a singsong voice before they hung up.
Ethan was still shaking with laughter as I set my phone on the coffee table. I lightly tapped him in the gut. He tried to straighten his face several times, but his lips kept curling into a wicked grin. My face remained bright red as Ethan continued to stare at me with lust in his eyes. I sat up in a rush and swung my legs to the floor. His hands tightened on my hips as he dragged me back into him and settled his chin on my shoulder. He ran his nose along my neck before placing a soft kiss underneath my earlobe. My body became wet with desire for him, but I wasn’t going to give into it. I hummed in response, but stopped myself from turning around for more.
“You share everything with Bri, don’t you?” Ethan husked.
My lips curled into a wide grin at his seductive tone. “Pretty much. I might have to start curbing my stories from here on out,” I answered, making every effort to cool the heat swirling inside me.
“Please don’t. I like this side of you,” he teased.
“You just love mortifying me any chance you get because my self-control goes out the window.”
“I love it because your guard drops. It gives me another piece of you. And I’m determined to get the whole puzzle,” Ethan admitted with a coy smile.
I tilted my head to his cheek and gave him a kiss before wiggling out of his grasp. I grabbed his hands to pull him up. He towered above me and brought me into his chest. I got lost in the steady beat of his heart. “Maybe, if you’re lucky, you’ll get some more pieces this weekend.”
“I hope so. I’ve loved every one you’ve given me so far,” Ethan professed.
I grinned. “I’ll grab our clothes and meet you in the entryway in ten.”
Ethan refused to release me. His mouth slipped into a naughty smile before his teeth gently bit his bottom lip. I squirmed to get out of his reach. I knew that look. I shook my head while freeing my hands to take a step around him.
“You’re not getting laid before we leave, so forget it,” I said with conviction.
Ethan pouted. “I was only following your friends’ suggestion.”
<
br /> I rolled my eyes. “Sorry. Not going to happen.”
His shoulders slumped in defeat. “Fine.”
Ethan was waiting for me in the entryway as I approached from his bedroom. I shifted my bag across my shoulder. He inhaled quickly as he ran a hand along my cheek. As we were walking out the door, it occurred to me why we were on alcohol detail.
“Shit,” I muttered, stopping suddenly.
Ethan bumped into me, clearly confused as to why I had stopped moving. Always the gentleman, he grabbed the bag from me with an eyebrow raised.
“I know why we’re on booze duty,” I admitted uneasily.
Ethan tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. I gave him a slight headshake. He unbuttoned his black bomber jacket and retrieved two empty flasks from the inside pockets.
“Bri should be able to get by with these. I’m not thrilled at playing into this Mia.”
“I’m sorry. I wish she’d just tell Trey, but she hasn’t yet. I promised her I wouldn’t say a word,” I said in a faint whisper, as the color drained from my face.
Anytime withholding the truth came up, it took me to my own personal purgatory. The guilt and self-disgust competed with each other to remind me just how much I had screwed up on so many levels. Ethan and I still weren’t on solid ground when it came to trust. It was my fault we had the issue, so the last thing I could do was pick a fight about it.
His long fingers ran under my chin. I blinked before tilting my head up. He swept in for a tender kiss, and tangled our hands together as we walked down the hallway. We made the elevator ride down and loaded the trunk of his car in silence. I became anxious that we were going to end up in an argument before we even met up with the others. As my hand hit the car door, Ethan slid his own over it and pinned me against the car before slowly turning me to face him.
My lips twitched as he inched his body closer to mine. He leaned down and swept his tongue down my neck and collarbone. My pulse quickened and all the heady sensations from upstairs returned in full force. My breathing became heavy. I ran my hands up the contours of his chest and grabbed handfuls of his green muscle shirt as my lips traveled across his throat.
Ethan groaned and pressed his body into mine. I let out a soft moan before sliding my lips up to his ear to give it a gentle bite. It broke the wicked work he was doing along my neckline.
We delved into each other without a care that anyone could see us. He grabbed my leg and hitched it up against his backside as his lips devoured mine, making me yearn for more. I hungrily licked and swooped inside his mouth. He answered with just as much zest. After several minutes, I was without another breath and pulled away. Ethan went to dive in again, but I moved my head to the side. This was not the first time he had gotten me completely turned-on before we had to hop in the car to go somewhere. To say I was shameless in those circumstances didn’t even cover it.
“Let’s go,” I panted, releasing his shirt.
“I wasn’t quite finished,” Ethan purred, slithering his fingers along the hem of my black leather jacket. I grabbed his hands and gave him a slight shove. He squinted his eyes before a sexy grin replaced his annoyed expression. “Fine, but I swear I’m getting you out of your clothes within the next few hours. It’s been far too long since I appreciated your gorgeous body.”
I rolled my eyes while opening the door. “We had sex when we got back and this morning before we left. It’s not like you really end up going more than twelve hours without it.”
Ethan gave me a smug smirk. “Don’t forget about during halftime at the game.”
I flushed crimson. “Shut up and get in the car.”
His lips curled to bring out his dimples. I shook my head at my own lack of control. Ethan hopped in on his side and quickly started the car. The current between us was still strong. We sat in silence, evening out our breaths. Ethan drove to the liquor mart near his apartment. I hopped out and we walked hand-in-hand towards the store. As we entered, he grabbed a cart and scrambled to get in front of me.
I was skeptical of his weird behavior, but didn’t say anything. From where I was, I could stare at his fine ass. In the faded indigo jeans he had on, I was practically drooling. Ethan made his way up and down the aisles and grabbed a variety of bottles. I paused to get two non-alcoholic bottles so that Bri would have something. I picked up my stride again to catch Ethan, but he moved faster. I opened my mouth to say something when Ethan stopped to peer over his shoulder with a devious grin.
“You’re crazy, lady. Quit following me around,” he shot out, serious as could be.
People stared at me like I was a damn stalker. Ethan shook his head at me as if I really was insane. It more than fed into what the people around us were witnessing. I was frozen to the floor, completely mortified. The color shooting to my face matched the dark-red hooded sweater I had on.
Bastard. I can’t believe that just happened.
Ethan scurried into another aisle and was almost shaking as he tried to keep from laughing. I turned around with the bottles in hand and was close to a sprint on my way to the checkout counter. The cashier rang me up, giving me the strangest looks as he did it. I wanted nothing more than to have the ground swallow me up. I signed the receipt and tossed it at the clerk.
Once I was out of the store, I actually did sprint to Ethan’s car. The wind picked up and the orange leaves that littered the parking lot swirled with it. Before shoving my free hand into my jean pocket, I pulled the hood of my sweater over my head to conceal myself. People were still staring at me as they left the store.
Ethan strutted out several minutes later with a cart full of several beer cases, ice, and a dozen bottles. Taking his sweet-ass time, he taunted me even more by whistling a show tune and acting like nothing had happened as he unlocked the car. I flew into the passenger seat and threw what I had purchased in the back as Ethan loaded up the trunk. Once he was in the car, I turned towards him with my mouth open. I was going to cuss him out, but my words abandoned me in this desperate time of need. Ethan howled with laughter before reaching over and snapping my mouth shut. He gave me a quick kiss before starting the engine.
I huffed. “I can’t believe you did that to me.”
He beamed. “I’ve been dying to do that to you.”
“Payback is a bitch, Ethan. Remember that every time you mess with me. I grew up around boys, so believe me when I say, I have more than a few ways to get even,” I fired back.
Ethan gave me a carefree grin. We got to the hotel and he parked his car over having it valeted. We unloaded everything and made our way up to the suites. As we were stepping out of the elevator, I spotted Jackson, who was in a sky-blue pinstriped sweater with a pair of faded black jeans. He already had his hair in spikes and was sporting his VIP pass for tonight.
“Hey guys. I’m impressed you’re here with fifteen minutes to spare. It looks like I won the bet,” Jackson beamed. He gave me a wink and grabbed a bag from me.
My eyes widened. “Ohmigod. You guys were taking bets on us having sex before we left?”
Jackson laughed. “Sorry dude. We really thought she’d give you some.”
“I do have fifteen minutes to mess with your bets,” Ethan snickered.
I scowled at them. They sniggered even harder. I walked towards the suite we agreed to chill in before we went our respective ways for the evening, while the boys talked football. We reached the Karnt suite where Ethan opened the door for me. Shane and Trey were in the living room playing on one of the game consoles and taking shots of whiskey. Ethan went with Jackson to join the boys. I shuffled in the opposite direction to find Bri. Spotting her in the kitchen, I strode over to see what she was cooking.
“Hey chickie,” Bri said with a knowing grin.
“Hey Sass. Do you think this will be finished soon?” I asked, smiling.
Bri gave me a quick nod. It smelled like Mexican, and she made a mean enchilada. My mouth began to water in anticipation of the deliciousness to come. Trey must have bribed her to co
ok, because we could’ve easily ordered take-out. Bri moved around the kitchen to get all the fixings lined up.
Once she was finished, Bri slid over the VIP passes for Ethan and me. Like Jackson, she was ready for the concert. She was in a pink V-neck sweater that matched the flares of pink in the ripped parts of her dark-blue jeans, her pass dangling around her neck.
Bri had to have had a say in what the other two were wearing. Trey and Shane were practically twins in their matching boot-cut jeans with rips everywhere and fitted plaid button-down shirts. They were ready to go, with their VIP passes sticking out of their pockets.
Trey and Shane were excitedly engaged in the video game they were playing with Ethan and Jackson. All four of them had controllers, with shots in their other hands. The boasting over who was the best at the new Madden game was starting to echo throughout the suite.
I walked over to the cooler on the table to grab a beer. I was about to join the men when it dawned on me that I needed to get Bri her supplies for the night. I quickly shut the cooler and headed towards the room Ethan had tossed our stuff in. I ducked in and sifted through his jacket to find the empty flasks. I hustled back to the bags of bottles to retrieve the non-alcoholic ones before returning to the kitchen. Bri was starting to pull food from the burners and oven. Before she shouted for everyone to come over, I dropped the sack on the counter. She gave me a blank stare. I raised my eyebrows.
“Thanks,” she mumbled.
“Bri, I really think—” The sharp look in her eyes cut me off.
She hollered over to the boys to grab some grub. I slammed the beer in my hand and filled up a plate with an enchilada and refried beans. I walked over to plop down on the couch the boys had shoved out of the way. They had angled it towards a view of the heart of downtown. Spending time at Ethan’s place, the view never got old. This was an entirely different sight, but magnificent nonetheless.