by Cindi Madsen
Oh, yeah. We still need to set a firm shove-off time. Which meant I should call Evan. A text would do, but I wanted to hear his voice and relive the thrill of this morning. Unless the spark didn’t carry over the line, because that might end with me being unsure all over again, and it’d felt so good to be sure about something today.
Am I really ready for… ending my dry spell? I’d only ever had sex with one guy, and he’d cheated on me, which made me hesitate to cross that line for two reasons: one, I’d fallen hard, and getting over that betrayal and heartbreak sucked. And two, I worried that I was bad at sex. Because otherwise, why would he need to go search it out with someone else? Someone I knew was a lot more experienced, both from her tales of her sexual exploits, to overhearing guys at school talking about how wild she was in bed—something that far from described me.
Honestly, there were probably more than two reasons I’d hesitated with Evan—i.e., not feeling the thing—but those two stuck out. But how would I truly move on if I didn’t fully put myself out there?
I could always pack some racy lingerie, just in case…
Do I even have sexy stuff that fits me anymore?
I stood, and Tori looked up at me, her arched eyebrows asking where do you think you’re going, missy? without her having to voice the words.
“I just need to change and pack real quick. I’ll try to get it all done before the pizza arrives. Then we can settle in and watch our show.”
Tori swiped her dyed platinum stripe behind her ear, where it stood out from her natural dark brown strands. “Well, I’ll try to be patient, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to wait that long for my Klaus fix. Remember how I’m the one going through a dry spell and you’re about to end yours?”
“I’m still not sure about that,” I said.
But for the first time in a long time, I felt rather optimistic.
5 Ethan
“How’d it go with Gwen?” Evan asked as soon as I answered the phone.
Amazing. I kissed her and felt something I’ve never felt before. I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her smile and her laugh and the way her body molded to mine for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, guilt came along for the ride and took some of the fun out of the memory.
“Ethan?”
I cleared my throat. “It went fine. We planned our route, and I’m set to pick her up tomorrow morning.”
“Awesome.”
Awesome wasn’t the word I’d use. Screwed was more like it. I had a road trip planned with a dream girl, but in order to go, it meant lying to her. If I were smart, I’d forget about the trip and Gwen and just ignore any and all future shenanigans my brother tried to rope me into.
“Now that you’ve met her, I’m sure you see why I didn’t want to crush her. She’s one of the sweetest, most genuine people I’ve ever met. Add in working with animals, and she’s practically a saint.”
“I do get it,” I said, and I did. I recalled the jokes she’d made about moving her pet food “product,” and a swirl of warmth went through my chest. The good-natured teasing about my—A.K.A. my brother’s—work ethic, or lack thereof, cracked me up, too.
“You good to go, then?”
I was in too deep to bail on her now—the idea of letting her down made me feel one-inch tall. “I wouldn’t say good, but I’ll take the trip and get her through the wedding.” She deserved to have someone to take her to the sights she wanted to see, and I promised myself that I’d at least make that part of the trip memorable for her.
No doubt it’d be memorable, as well as semi-torturous, for me. Having her sit by me in the car, listening to her as she talked a hundred miles an hour, sharing a room with her at night… “Wait.” I sat up. “What about… sleeping arrangements?”
“We haven’t slept together yet. She was holding back, and I didn’t push. I always initiated the kisses, and I could tell she’s not really into PDA, but if you have to kiss her, just keep it quick.”
Too late for that, and she seemed fine with PDA this morning. In fact, she was the one who initiated that kiss. Of course, I was the one who had taken it to the next level, but she’d felt so damn good, and all I could think about with her lips against mine was more.
“I was also thinking you could drop some hints about how much you like being her friend and really play up that part of the relationship, so she won’t be so surprised when I…” Instinctively, I knew the pause meant the wheels in his head were spinning, and that sent a prickling sense of foreboding across my skin. “Or maybe at the end of the trip you could break up with her for me. Say something about how she’s amazing, and you always have a great time with her, but think we’d better as friends.”
“I’m not breaking up with her for you.” The trip would leave me with enough guilt, and I’d do whatever it took to avoid having to see sorrow flicker through those pretty features. Just the thought made a pit form in my gut, another strong reaction that hardly seemed logical. Yes, she was gorgeous, but this ran deeper than physical attraction. From the minute I entered her orbit, I wanted to keep on circling.
“Fine. But just make sure to hint at the ‘friends’ thing.” Yelling and cheers carried over the line, and from the sounds of it, the keg had just arrived to help them kick off their several days of nonstop partying. I could barely do one night, and if his hangover this morning was anywhere near mine, I wasn’t sure how Evan could even think about getting drunk again. Then again, he had a lot more practice than I did. “I’ll talk to you later. And if Gwen references anything you’re not sure about, just text me.”
I hung up, then unpacked my duffel bag partway before repacking it with the things I’d need for the trip. Luckily I’d left one suit out of boxes in case I needed to go into the office for anything before I’d settled into a new place.
When am I going to look for an apartment? I could stay with Evan for a while, or my parents for that matter, but both of those options seemed like regressing. Not to mention, Evan and I were now up to eleven out of eleven times of getting drunk together ending in disaster. I wasn’t even going to pretend that this road trip wouldn’t end in disaster one way or another, whether Gwen discovered I wasn’t my brother, or I forgot that I wasn’t her boyfriend, or… Well, listing the ways was hardly productive, so I shoved that all away.
My phone rang, and I glanced at the unfamiliar number. I almost ignored it before my brain kicked in, telling me it probably belonged to the very woman on my mind.
“Hey,” Gwen said, and I was glad no one was around to see the goofy grin that stretched across my face at the sound of her voice.
“Hey. How was work?”
“I had to cram three days’ worth of tasks into one day, so extra crazy. Oh, and one of the groomers talked me into helping out since he was slammed, and I was in the middle of washing a dog when the door opened and he made a break for it. I chased him down Halifax for what seemed like forever. He was streaking suds everywhere, and as punishment for catching him, he shook himself out, coating me in the process.”
“I wish I’d been there for that impromptu wet T-shirt contest,” I said before realizing that wasn’t a very friend-type thing to say.
“Ah! If I were there right now, I’d have to smack you for that scandalous remark.” I could hear the smile in her voice. “But let’s just say I definitely lost.”
“No way. I request a re-vote. I’ll be right over to judge.”
She laughed, and I sunk down on the bed, basking in the happy sound. I could hardly wait to pick her up tomorrow, despite all the complications that would come along with our trip.
“How’d you get into…?” Shit. This is probably something I should know. I, being Evan of course, and I’d really like to forget that I’m supposed to be him.
“Chasing dogs down the street?” she asked. “It’s kind of a boring story.”
“With you telling it, I can guarantee I won’t be bored.”
“Wow, that charm hangover is still really working in your
favor.”
“That’s just my natural-born charm, babe,” I said with a laugh. “Tell me more about your job. I should know more about you.” If I was the one dating her, I would’ve, too.
Another unhelpful thought I needed to shove away. Didn’t I decide I was going to be too busy settling into my new career to date? Even if that wasn’t a factor, Gwen still wouldn’t be an option.
“Working at the grooming side of the animal clinic was supposed to be a temporary gig while I made my way through college, with the added benefit of getting to borrow other people’s pets for a while. Then my boss found out that I was good at math and taking a lot of business classes, and I got talked into balancing the books. After I graduated, I took on scheduling for the vets, vet techs, and groomers, and managing all of the office items. Occasionally, when they get behind at doggy baths, I end up jumping into my old shoes. And that’s the story of how I became a pet grooming accountant office manager.”
I rubbed my fingers across my jaw, picturing her greeting people with her dimpled smile when they came in with their animals and running after dogs that made a break for it. “I gotta be honest, it’s a pretty hot combo.”
“I gotta be honest, you’d be the first person who ever thought that.”
“I guarantee that’s not true. I bet guys hit on you all the time when they bring in their pets.” The thought made me clench my fist against my thigh, so apparently the ridiculous overreactions were around to stay.
“You’d lose that bet. Now, Tori is giving me dirty looks because I’m supposed to be starting an Originals marathon with her, so we better set a time for tomorrow morning. Is seven too early?”
“Nope. I’ll pick you up at seven.” After I text my brother and ask for your address. I doubted telling her I’d forgotten where she lived would earn me any brownie points, and the other option was suddenly becoming clairvoyant, which I also didn’t see happening.
I wished her goodnight and turned to finish packing, thinking that right now, seven didn’t seem early enough.
6 Gwen
Staying up until two with Tori was a mistake. Well, mistake seemed a bit harsh considering all the eye candy we’d partaken in, but as I waited for the coffee to brew, tired was an understatement.
The loud knock at the door made me wince.
Butterflies stirred to life when I saw Evan on the other side of the peephole. When he greeted me with a smile and a “Mornin’, gorgeous,” those butterflies got serious about batting their wings. “You ready for our grand adventure?” he asked.
“Almost. Coffee first.” I grabbed my favorite Harry Potter mug out of the cabinet, the one that said “Espresso Patronum” across the front. Then I frowned at it because there was some reason I wasn’t going to use it, but how could that be? It was my favorite.
“Is there something I can help you with?”
I glanced over my shoulder at Evan. Right. We were leaving, which meant I wanted a to-go cup. I placed the mug back in the cabinet and grabbed my thermos instead. “Want some?”
“Nah. I’m not that big on coffee.”
“Since when?” I asked as I reached for the cream and sugar.
“This morning, I guess.”
I turned to study him, my skeptical expression in place, but then I really took him in, and gah he was sexy. I could write a sonnet about his eyebrows alone. Anyway, I could if I Googled what exactly a sonnet entailed.
So I wouldn’t completely lose my mind and start spouting cheesy poetry, I focused on fixing up my coffee. Where’s the stupid lid?
I opened the cupboard with all of our glasses and mugs and ran my hand along each shelf, still coming up empty. Just when I was about to start cursing and jump up on the counter, I spotted the lid—right next to the coffeemaker. I swear it wasn’t there the first time I looked for it.
When I turned around, the amount of amusement in Evan’s features gave me the inkling that I was the brunt of some kind of unspoken joke. I glanced down and checked that my clothes were in order. They seemed to be. “What?”
He shrugged. “Nothing.”
I pouted my lips. “That’s what people say when it’s something.”
“You caught me.” He stepped closer and cupped my cheek. “You’re obviously tired and it’s cute. I figured you just always spoke one-hundred miles an hour.”
“One, I do, but two, not really, because no matter how fast I talk, it wouldn’t help me travel any number of miles, although that would be super useful.”
His smile spread, bringing out that ridiculously chiseled jaw.
“And three, the state I’m in is sort of your fault. Talking to you on the phone last night made me late for my Netflix appointment with Tori.” Not that I regretted a second of it. “She kept saying ‘just one more episode’ again and again, and then the ‘for realz, last one’ ended on a cliffhanger. So then I said one more, and this tired version of me is a result.”
Evan brushed his thumb over my cheekbone and my breath caught in my lungs.
“It’s probably a relief, my talking slower for a couple of minutes.” Thanks to his touch, I was also talking a lot breathier. Unfortunately, more nearing-an-asthma-attack than sultry-vixen breathy.
“Nope, I miss scrambling to keep up with what you’re saying.”
“You’re so going to regret saying that in about ten minutes when the coffee kicks in.”
“So to clarify, your list with three bullet-points is what you consider slow?” he asked, and I made an offended noise in the back of my throat. But before I could pull away in mock offense, he added, “I’m just teasing you. I say bring it.”
The way he looked at me sent all sorts of amazing sensations twisting through me. Desire, attraction, happiness. It was also more effective at waking me up than coffee could ever be.
I tipped onto my toes so I could feel those delicious lips against mine again. I loved the way he immediately took charge of the kiss, using his thumb to tilt my chin and deepen the kiss. Anchoring me to him with his arm around my back. Sweeping his tongue in to tangle with mine for a second before switching back to all lips.
Now that we’d found our perfect kissing groove, it’d become addictive, and I craved another hit even before it ended.
I ran my hand down the side of his face as I peered into his blue, blue eyes. “Has it always been like this?”
He covered the hand I had on his face with his and let out a long exhale. “It’s never been like this.”
A loud throat-clearing cut through the sound of my rapid pulse rushing through my head. I reluctantly let go of Evan and spun to face Tori. Her hair was mussed and her bloodshot eyes mirrored the red in mine. She blinked at the bright lights. “I came to say goodbye.”
She took a step forward and hugged me, then aimed her narrowed gaze at Evan. “You make sure that my girl experiences the best road trip of her life—and I mean the best. As soon as you’ve made everyone in her hometown insanely jealous of her amazing life, bring her back to me, and I expect at least a whole day to myself before I see your smug mug again. Unless you screw up the trip—then you’ll see me sooner.”
I pressed my lips together, trying to contain the laugh that wanted to burst out at Evan’s stunned expression. Being tired made me less wordy, whereas it made Tori more so, not to mention scarier than usual. Less British as well, but I’d never point that out or she’d turn her threatening leer on me. “You remember my friend, Tori?”
“How could I forget?” He reached for the handle on my large purple suitcase. “I’m assuming this is yours?”
“Yeah. One wheel stopped spinning and it’s kind of heavy, so I can carry it if—”
“Who do you think you’re talking to? Have you already forgotten how much dogfood I can lift?”
I laughed. “I don’t know what I was thinking.” I did a last-minute scan, checking I had everything, then grabbed my bag of snacks and my purse, and gave Tori one more hug. “Coffee’s already made.”
“Blimey, I love
you.” I thought that might be more Irish than British, but she’d landed in the UK region, anyway.
“Love you, too.”
Once we got to the car, Evan placed my suitcase in the trunk, next to his much smaller duffel bag. He opened the passenger side door for me, something he’d only done on our first official date, and I slid inside. I couldn’t help running my hand over the dashboard.
“Don’t mind me,” I said when Evan settled behind the steering wheel, “I’m just petting your car. I like to think I’m above material things, but this car is one of the exceptions. Everything about it says sleek, powerful, and fast.”
“In other words, you’re only dating me because of the car.”
I glanced at him, relaxing when I saw the teasing smile. “Totally. Of course, everything about you says sleek, powerful, and fast, too. Why wouldn’t I go for the package deal?”
“Beats me.” His voice sounded slightly… resigned? Envious?—no, that didn’t make any sense. Unless he envied himself?
Evidently, my people-reader is off when I’m tired. I’m sure more coffee and time will recalibrate it.
I reached over and squeezed his hand, wanting to make sure we were still good. He turned his head to me, his gaze boring into mine so intensely my heart forgot how to beat, and then squeezed back. It gave me that fresh from the roller coaster feeling and put everything right with the world again.
We were finally getting to that comfortable part of the relationship where we knew each other better and experienced that sense of security that came along with the added familiarity. Bonus, it renewed the tingly, magical vibes that usually accompanied the beginnings of a relationship.
“Now I’m ready,” I said, flashing him a smile.
He fired up the engine, revving it like he’d forgotten the way it growled, and with that, we were off, on our way to our very own adventure.
7 Ethan