Kiss Me at Midnight (Entangled Flaunt)

by Alberts, Diane

  He peeked out of one eye. “That might help me.”

  She crept closer, running her hands up his chest. “Hmm. Let’s see.”

  She kissed his shoulder, then the spot directly over his nipple. When she ran her hands over his abs, caressing him under his sweater, he hissed and dropped his head back against the wall. “Shit, that feels good.”

  “I know.” She pressed her body against his, rising up on tiptoe. “Believe me, I know.”

  She kissed him, wrapping her arms behind his neck and pulling him down lower. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her so gently she almost couldn’t feel it, and slanted his head to deepen the kiss.

  By the time she pulled back, she had forgotten they were outside on the boardwalk in the first place. It wasn’t until a gust of wind whipped her hair that she realized how cold it was getting. She stepped back and wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. “You ready to head back to the truck? I’m freezing out here.”

  “Sure thing.” He grinned and grabbed her hand, leading her back the way they’d come. “Know what? You’d like California.”

  She glanced up at him, her heart skipping a beat. “What?”

  “You’d love it, I’m telling you. It’s warm and sunny almost every single day. And even though there’s no boardwalk where I live, I walk by the ocean every night before it gets dark. And when the sun sets over the Pacific? It’s breathtaking. All the colors and hues over the blue water…”

  “It sounds amazing.” She smiled, picturing him walking along the water, the waves crashing at his feet. “Is the water warm?”

  “Hell no. It’s cold as fuck.”

  A surprised laugh escaped her. “But it’s always warm there. That doesn’t make any sense.”

  “The water comes down from Alaska.” He traced a circle over her knuckle with his thumb. “So instead of the warm Bahamas current we get here, there’s only cold water out there.”

  “Wow. I had no idea.”

  “Me either.” He chuckled and smoothed his brown hair back from his forehead. “The first day I got there, I went running out onto the beach, my eyes on that blue water. I went charging full speed ahead into it, expecting warm, bathwater-temperature water. Instead?” He grinned down at her, his thumb still tracing circles on her hand. “I hauled my ass outta there faster than ever before.”

  She laughed, pressing a hand to her stomach. “I can totally picture the look on your face, too.”

  “I’m sure it said something like, ‘Holy fuck, that’s cold as getting blue balls on a winter night.’”

  She laughed even harder. “Were they the same shade as your bowling ball?”

  “Even worse.”

  “Oh my God.” She shook her head, still smiling. “That sounds…painful.”

  He cocked a brow. “You have no idea. I might not be able to have children after that.”

  “Do you want to have children?”

  He laughed, throwing his head back. “That’s not the point.”

  She shook her head. “You wait. There will be a bunch of little Ethan’s running around some day.”

  The smile slipped off his face, and he glanced away. “I doubt that.”

  “Okay.” She hesitated, sensing something going on inside of him, but not wanting to pry. They approached the truck, and he led her to the passenger side, his fingers still entwined with hers. He opened the door for her. “Thank you.”

  He kissed her forehead, closing his eyes for a second. “I missed this. It’s been fun, Ash.”

  She gripped his arm and smiled at the old nickname. “Yeah, it has. But it’s not over yet. Save the sentimental shit for when you’re walking out the door.”

  “Or better yet?” He spun her into his arms. “How about if we avoid it all together.” He held his hand up in front of his heart. “I hereby do solemnly swear to lay no sentimental shit at your door, so help me God.”

  She grinned and raised her own hand. “I hereby so solemnly swear to keep my weak, feminine emotions bottled deep down inside of me, so help me God.”

  “Amen,” he said.

  He wrapped his arms around her and fused his mouth to hers, his tongue easily slipping inside her lips. She ran her hands down his back, then cupped his ass, holding on tight.

  When he broke off the kiss, his breathing uneven, he dropped his forehead to hers. “Fuck, woman, what are you doing to me?”

  “I already told you. We’re getting closure.” She snaked her hands around his body and rested her hand over his racing heart. She’d done that. Made his heart race with excitement. “Want to get some more closure at my place before you go home to your own bed? I promise I won’t kidnap you or give you a sleeping pill.”

  He took a deep breath. “Well in that case, lead the way.”

  Chapter Eight

  The next afternoon, Ethan walked down the boardwalk and sank onto the bench. Alex was grabbing them a few beers, and then he would be off to join Ashley. He stared at the ocean, even though he wasn’t really seeing it. No, he kept seeing Ashley, right before he left her last night. Ashley, after he kissed her goodnight.

  It had been a hell of a lot harder to walk away from her last night than it should have been. They’d fucked twice, and he’d still wanted more. And even worse? He’d wanted to stay with her all night long. Wanted to curl up in bed with her and hold her in his arms.

  That was some scary fucking shit right there.

  As he’d left last night, she’d lifted her head and rested her temple on her palm. “You coming over tomorrow night for one hurrah?”

  He’d hesitated, knowing that it wouldn’t make it any easier to walk away come Monday, but helpless to say no. Crossing the room, he’d bent down and kissed her gently. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world. See you at six.”

  And damn it, he wouldn’t miss it. He couldn’t.

  He needed more of her before he boarded that flight.

  “You awake over here?” Alex said.

  Ethan started. He’d been so lost in thought that he hadn’t even heard anyone come up behind him. “Yep, I’m not that tired.”

  “With all those late nights you’ve been pulling lately, I figured you might have dozed off on me.” Alex handed Ethan a beer and sat down beside him. “Here. Drink up.” He held up his own bottle and clinked Ethan’s with his. “It’ll make you feel better, and you look like you need to feel better.”

  Ethan took a swig. “Beer doesn’t take away the problem. It just hides it for a little while.”

  “Hey, that works for me.” Alex shrugged. “Wanna talk about it?”

  “Not really.” Ethan took another drink and set the bottle down. He could feel Alex’s eyes burning into him, so he shrugged. “I’m fine, man. I’ve just got somewhere to be soon, so there’s not much time for talking.”

  “Who is she?”

  Ethan didn’t even bother to deny there was a she. “Ashley.” He squared his jaw and watched the stormy ocean. “But you probably already knew that. Everyone in this town talks.”

  Alex leaned forward. “I may have heard a rumor about you making out at the bowling alley with a hot, little number who happens to be Ashley, yeah. There’s gotta be a story there.”

  Yet another reason he hated this town. You couldn’t fart sideways without Father Rick hearing about it and inviting you to come to confession Saturday afternoon.

  “Not really.” Ethan took another swig of his drink. “We kissed. I left. And I’ll be heading back to Cali on Monday. So there’s not much to tell.”

  Alex sank back against the bench and crossed his ankles on the boardwalk. “I didn’t know you still had a thing for her.”

  “I did.” He paused, then let out a frustrated sigh. “But I’m still leaving town tomorrow night.”

  Alex whistled through his teeth. “I never said you weren’t, man.”

  “Yeah, well, I just wanted to make that clear.” He finished off his beer. “I hate this fucking place.”

  “I know.” Alex sig
hed and took a sip of his beer. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here to help you.”

  Ethan turned to him. “Why would you be sorry? You were at college getting an education. It’s not as if you ran away and left me on my own.”

  “Didn’t I, though?” Alex met Ethan’s eyes, his own past haunting him, one that Ethan hadn’t even realized existed. “I think I did exactly that.”

  “Alex, you were living your life.” Ethan placed a hand on Alex’s shoulder, squeezing tight. “What were you supposed to do? Put your life on hold so you could save your nerdy brother? I didn’t want that, and neither should you have.”

  Alex flexed his jaw. “I could have went somewhere closer. Kicked ass on the weekend.”

  “You kicked enough asses for me over the years, and then I started kicking them all on my own.” Ethan squeezed Alex’s shoulder one last time. “I was fine without you, and you did nothing wrong.”

  Alex nodded, but seemed less than convinced. “If you say so.”

  “Dude. I’m fine.”

  “Alex?” a feminine voice asked. “Is that you?”

  Alex stiffened, cursed under his breath, straightened his shirt, and stood. Ethan watched in amazement. He’d never seen Alex act so fucking neurotic before. “Hey, Molly. Happy New Year.”

  Molly smiled. “It’s the second.”

  “Yeah, but still.” Alex rubbed his jaw, his gaze focused on Molly. “What are you up to?”

  Molly gestured behind her. “On my way to the office. I have to prepare for a hearing on Wednesday, and I put it off as long as possible. It’s time to get back to it. You know, being the expert witness and all.”

  “And we thought our jobs would only be listening to people’s problems all day.”

  She laughed. “Yeah, well. Added bonus of being a psychologist, I guess.” Her gaze fell on Ethan, and she pursed her lips. “Ethan? Is that you?”

  Ethan stood and offered his hand. “Hey, Molly. Nice to see you again.”

  She grinned. “You grew up.”

  “So did you. You look great,” Ethan said, smiling.

  And she really did. He couldn’t believe the Molly standing in front of him was the same Molly from high school who’d been almost as nerdy as him. She was stunning and seemed completely oblivious to the fact that his brother—the school jock every girl had wanted, including her—was practically drooling all over her.

  Alex elbowed him in the ribs, pushing him back away from Molly. “Don’t you have that date to go to?”

  Ethan grinned. “I’m good here.”

  “I have to go anyway.” She smiled at Ethan, then turned to Alex. Her smile faded. “I’ll see you at work next week?”

  Alex nodded, his grip tight on the beer bottle. “If you need any help later, just let me know.”

  “I wouldn’t bother you on your week off,” she argued.

  “Please. It’s not an issue.”

  She nodded. “Thanks. Bye, guys.”

  “Bye,” Ethan called out.

  Alex just watched her leave with a frown.

  “You should go after her,” Ethan said, chugging back the last of his beer. “You obviously want to. Go for it.”

  “You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Alex said, grimacing. “I don’t want to chase after her. It’s Molly. Just Molly.”

  Ethan snorted. “Yeah. Sure.”

  “Why don’t you focus on your own problems…like with Ashley? Want to talk about your feelings there?” Alex asked, turning to him with a bland stare.

  Ethan shrugged, refusing to show how much he cared about her. “Ashley is just Ashley.”

  Alex laughed. “Ashley was never just Ashley to you.”

  “And on that note?” Ethan handed the empty bottle to Alex. “Thanks for the drink, but I have to go.”

  “Go ahead. Run away again.” Alex grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. “Catch you later, bro.”

  “Yeah.” Ethan bent down and gave Alex a man-hug. “I’ll be home later.”

  “I’ll wait up for you,” Alex joked.

  Ethan waved at his brother and then headed off in the direction of her condo, some weird form of sadness creeping over him. It was as if…as if he was sad to say goodbye again. Which made sense, in a way. She was more than a fling. She was his friend. But then again, there was no reason they couldn’t remain friends. Hell, who knew? On the weekends where he had to come home to the godforsaken town, she might brighten his stay a little bit.

  Maybe he would even look forward to his visits a little bit from now on. Even now, after all these years, they still got along. Still laughed and shared and had fun.

  But enough with the melancholy thoughts. They weren’t his style. No regrets. No attachments. That was him. Not this longing feeling in his heart.

  That wasn’t him.

  Tonight might be their last night together, but at least they’d had the chance to be together in the first place. He had to make tonight count. Had to make it last.

  And after that, who knew? They might not be long-term romance material but it didn’t mean he would never speak to her again. Never see her.

  Then again, how long would someone as fabulous as her stay single?

  He sucked in the frigid air, welcoming the freezing feeling in his lungs. Normally, the cold breeze and invigorating scent of the ocean would soothe his nerves and make his brain work out whatever was bothering him at the time. Not tonight. Not now.

  But he had no idea why tonight was different.

  …

  Ashley opened the door with a smile. She’d been waiting all day for Ethan to come, and now that he had, she couldn’t deny the happiness that settled in her heart at the sight of him. Something about being with him brought out the old her. The sweet, giggling version of her she’d been before she grew up and matured.

  And apparently, she’d kind of missed that girl.

  “Hey, you,” she said, smiling up at him. “Come in.”

  “Hey, yourself.” He bent down and kissed her cheek as he passed by. “You look lovely, as usual.”

  “Thank you.” Her heart skipped a beat. “You look pretty great, too.”

  Ethan chuckled. “Thanks, babe.”

  He walked inside and handed her a bouquet of white carnations. She took them and watched him closely. Carnations had always been her favorite, but she hadn’t expected him to know that. It had been years since she told him. “You remembered?”

  “Of course I did.” He bent down and kissed her temple. “They’re your favorite.”

  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her entire body humming with life and lust at the small touch. It was time to admit it. She didn’t want this to be their last night together. That’s not to say she didn’t accept it for what it was, but it still sucked. She wished he could stay another day or two. As a matter of fact, she didn’t want him to leave her at all. Her eyes flew open at the thought.

  What. The. Hell?

  Where had that come from? And how could she shut that voice in the back of her mind up, once and for all? It had no place being so…there. She smiled up at him even though she was panicking inside at her inner thoughts. “Thank you for the flowers. They’re perfect.”

  “You’re welcome.” He ran his finger over her lower back. “But tell me. What is that delicious smell coming from the kitchen?”

  She grinned and followed him toward the kitchen. “I cooked for you. I thought it might be nice to have a quiet meal inside instead of going out, since it’s your last night home.”

  He turned to her, his brows up. “You cook? The same girl that burned toast—and almost my house with it—in tenth grade cooks?”

  “Ha. Ha. You’re real funny. Yeah, well, I learned. I figured if I could accurately diagnose most common ailments and, oh yeah, save a life, then I could manage a cooking class or two.”

  He lifted a pot lid and peeked in. “Spaghetti and meatballs? My favorite.”

  “I know. You told me in high school. If I was going through all
this trouble,” she waved her hands towards the pots on the stove, “then I might as well make sure it was for something you liked.”

  He didn’t seem to hear her. Bending over, he popped the oven open and looked inside. “And apple pie? I can’t believe you remembered all my favorites, too, after all this time.”

  “Well…yeah.” She leaned against the counter, setting the flowers down. When he closed the door and turned back to her, his eyes intense and his mouth pressed tight, she went on the defensive. “What? You remembered, too. I’m not the only one.”

  “I know.” He closed the distance between them, lifting her chin up to him when he got close enough. He pressed her against the cabinet, his erection pressing into her belly. “But I was half in love with you and everyone knew it. I’m supposed to remember.”

  It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him she’d had feelings for him, too, but what was the point? Her phone rang, breaking the staring contest they’d been having. She scrambled for it, flinching when she saw it was her mother. She sighed. It was the fifth call today alone. She held her finger up to Ethan and then raised her phone to her ear. “Hey, Mom. Now’s not—”

  “I forgot to take my medicine again, didn’t I?”

  She closed her eyes. “No, Mom. Remember? I came over earlier and gave them to you. You didn’t forget.”

  Her mother made a weird noise. “I think I did. I think I need to take more.”

  “No.” She rubbed her forehead, wanting nothing more than to scream. “I gave you the medicine, Mom. Trust me. Besides, I have it all here at my place, remember?”

  “Bring them back to me,” her mom said, her voice pleading. “What if you forget?”

  Ashley shot Ethan an apologetic smile, then turned her back on him. He was watching her way too closely, and the pity in his eyes was loud and clear. “I won’t forget, Mom. I’m a doctor.”

  “But—”

  “Mom, you’re missing the news. Didn’t you say you wanted to watch that tonight?”

  Her mom shuffled the phone, and Ashley heard the TV click on. “Yes. You’re right, of course.”

  “Don’t forget about Dancing with the Stars tonight, too.”