by Susan Hatler
For a moment Ethan held his breath, not moving, not receiving her offer. And then he caught her mouth with his, lips and tongue questing, plunging, plundering, driving all thought out of Sadie’s mind. His breath mingling with hers and the heat from his body pouring over her set her on fire. She shifted, twisting her body against his, then grabbed one of his hands and slid it between their chests to rest on her breast.
He tore his mouth from hers. “Sadie,” he ground out between clenched teeth. “Tell me to stop.”
She shook her head.
“Tell me to stop.” This time the words came as an order, not a request.
She writhed against him in response.
He placed his hands on either side of her head and raised his chest up, away from her. “I want you so much,” he said, “but I can’t give you what you need. I’m floored by what you told me but I can’t feel the same way.”
“Can’t, or don’t?” Sadie murmured. “There is a distinction.”
Ethan dropped his forehead to rest on hers. “I don’t know. All I know is that a relationship just isn’t in the picture. Committed relationships and I don’t mix.”
“I’m not asking for a relationship.” She bit her lip. “Hell, to tell the truth, I’m not asking for just a kiss, either. Ethan—” She took his head in her hands, forcing him to give her his full attention. “What I’m asking for is sex.”
Ethan snapped his head back and stared at her. His eyes took on a dark, hooded expression. “You can’t possibly want that.”
Sadie responded by wriggling her hips. “Pretty obvious you want it, so why can’t I?”
“I’m not talking about the physical desire. I’m assuming you wouldn’t let me lie on top of you with a woodie if you weren’t aroused as well. You don’t know what you’re asking, Sadie.”
“It’s what I want, Ethan. I want to sleep with you.” She did. She ached to run her fingers down his sinewy back, yearned to touch his masculine hardness, trembled at the thought of merging her body with his.
“Sadie, I can’t give you anything more than one night. And that’s just not good enough.”
“It is for me. Ethan—I want you. I need this. I don’t need a relationship, I need this.”
Ethan groaned, then covered her mouth with his hot, wet lips and slid his tongue deep inside her. A harshness overtook the kiss, leaving Sadie gasping for breath when he finally pulled away. His eyes hooded, he simply stared at her for several seconds, as if he was seeing straight into her soul through her eyes.
“You’ve got my mind and body beyond confused,” he said raggedly. “Here you are, this person I’ve known and cared about almost half my life, only you’re suddenly packaged up in a body I could go insane over. I could have wild and amazing sex with you tonight, but I don’t want to hurt you.”
Sadie’s chest felt like a boa constrictor had decided to squish her for dinner. Her breath grew shallow as Ethan shifted to nestle his hard length between her thighs, the fabric of his tuxedo trousers and her black silk dress a barrier to what she really wanted.
“Sadie,” Ethan said, clenching his jaw, “what am I doing to you?”
Frustration poured over her. What he was doing to her was fulfilling a dream. She’d wanted him for so long, and there was no way she would let this chance slip by just because he had some guilt issues.
“Apparently, you’re turning me on.” She wriggled her hands between their chests and began unbuttoning his shirt. “I told you I need this, Ethan—I need this night. I can’t go the rest of my life always wondering what it would be like with you. If we have sex, no matter what happens, at least there won’t be an unspoken question between us. If we don’t, every time we meet will be tense and uncomfortable. I don’t want to be resentful of a missed opportunity.”
“But won’t you feel bad if we do have sex and I can’t give you a commitment?” he asked, concern sketched on his forehead.
“Did I ask for one?”
“No, but—”
“Shut up, Ethan.”
***
Ethan let his eyes drift shut as Sadie flicked her soft, velvety tongue over his lips. He fought against his arousal, struggling to regain control. He shouldn’t be letting this happen. He should stand up, say goodbye, walk out the door. And then Sadie clawed at his shirt, ripping buttons from their plackets. Desire slammed into him, an overwhelming rush of emotion.
Or he could succumb, at least for a moment.
He reached up and snagged his shirt off, cuff links clattering on the hardwood floor. Sadie licked his neck, forcing his breath to come quicker and harsher, then she reached up to kiss him open-mouthed, hot and wet. As he recovered his breath from Sadie’s kiss, her hands reached for his tuxedo trousers.
“Sadie…” Ethan said, his voice so low he almost growled. “You’re pushing me too far.”
“Too far, or not far enough?” Her laugh was low in her throat. She clasped his hand and once again brought it to her breast, sending shock waves through his core.
“This is your choice.” Ethan reached out and wound his fingers in her hair. “You can stop now or go on. It’s up to you.”
“Here’s my answer,” she breathed.
Her hands fumbled, then he heard a slow zip.
“Oh, God,” he murmured. “You don’t know what you’ve started.” He stroked her cheek as she rose to kiss him on his mouth. “Do you have any idea what you’re putting me through?”
Sadie laughed. “Given that you keep moaning, I guess you like what I’m doing.”
“Me, moaning? You’re the one making purring sounds in the back of your throat.”
“Mmm…guess I am.”
Ethan caught her hand in his. He wanted her. He craved to see her bare body in the candlelight, arching toward his. Sadie had grown up. All the way. This was a complete woman underneath him, a woman capable of making her own decisions. And she’d decided to sleep with him.
A wave of guilt washed over him, then was gone. Smiling softly, he reached behind her and fumbled to untie her halter top. “You are some kind of wonderful,” he whispered.
Within moments, he was naked. She was naked. And he was sheathed with a condom and sliding, oh so slowly, into her warm and welcoming heat.
Moving slowly at first, he gauged her reaction. Adjusted his rhythm. Held her gaze with his.
And then Sadie closed her eyes…and moaned.
He let go then, relinquished control, and followed her, matching her thrusts, her moans, the way she panted as they climbed higher and higher, both riding the wave of ecstasy and desire and passion. Over and over he brought them close to the edge but held back, wanting to draw the moment out. Needing to keep himself buried deep within her. Until finally he could no longer resist and let go even more fully, driving Sadie even higher. When she reached the top, he met her there, and together, they shuddered, united.
It took a few moments for his breathing to settle to normal. When he finally felt grounded again, he opened his eyes to see Sadie, still underneath him, wrapped up in his arms, staring directly at him.
“Ethan?” she whispered.
“Yeah?”
“That was amazing, fabulous, oh-my-god delicious sex.”
He chuckled. Yeah, he couldn’t agree more. It had been good. No, great. Sex with Sadie had been beyond fantastic.
Maybe there was a God of Eligible Bachelors, after all.
Chapter Six
The sounds of robins twittering outside the open window brought Ethan slowly into consciousness. It wasn’t until he saw Sadie’s golden blond hair spread out over his bare arm that he remembered what had happened the night before. Tension twisted lightly in his chest, then faded as warmth flowed through his veins. He hoped the dawn wouldn’t bring regrets and recriminations. Sadie had appeared satisfied with sex as being a one-time event, but in his experience with the few one-nighters he’d had, he knew the next morning could bring changed expectations. He stretched, loving the silky feel of her naked skin against
his.
Sadie stirred, her eyes still shut, a soft smile playing about her lips. When she opened her eyes and saw him, she immediately stopped breathing.
“Good morning,” Ethan said, chuckling. “Think you could kindly start breathing again? CPR isn’t exactly how I was planning on getting my mouth on yours.”
Sadie gulped a huge breath of air. “I used to do that when I was a kid—hold my breath when I was scared or excited.”
“I remember. You used to freak me out back then, too.” He shifted positions, bringing their faces together. “If I recall, I was the one who had to pick you up off the ground when you passed out after seeing the horse your dad bought you on your thirteenth birthday. I was just glad you were outside the damned arena—you scared the horse so bad when you dropped, the damned thing took off like it thought it was in the Kentucky Derby. You could have been killed.”
“You would have saved me,” Sadie teased.
“Yeah.” Ethan wrapped a curl around his finger. “I would have saved you.” He stroked the underside of her breast with his palm, enjoying how she hitched a breath at his touch. Unable to stop himself, he ran his hand up her chest and neck, tunneling his fingers in her hair. “You have such beautiful hair,” he said, brushing the curl against his lips. “I’m glad it went and got all curly in the night. I miss your mass of curls.”
“You’re a goof, Ethan,” Sadie laughed. “You miss my frizzy mop?”
“A ‘mop’ isn’t exactly how I’d describe it. More like a golden halo surrounding an angel’s face.”
Sadie snorted. “You already slept with me, Ethan, you don’t need to butter me up.”
“Just speaking the truth,” he murmured, moving his lips across her shoulder and down her arm. “Everything about you is beautiful and perfect. Even the ankh tattooed on your butt.”
Sadie threw her pillow over her head. “I can’t believe you saw that,” she said, her voice muffled.
“Saw it? I think I bit it last night. Twice, if I recall.”
Underneath the pillow Sadie groaned. “A lesson learned while on vacation in Corfu—never get something permanently inked onto your body after three Cosmopolitans.”
He nipped her earlobe, laughing softly.
“Not funny.”
“I think it’s adorable—a perfect little ankh, right on your cute butt. Do your parents know about it?”
She pulled her head out from under the pillow and rolled onto her stomach. “Are you kidding me? My mom would be horribly embarrassed if she ever found out I have the Egyptian symbol for eternal life permanently etched onto my rear. It’s just not what a well-behaved, proper young woman does,” she said, imitating her mother’s fastidious voice. She plopped her chin down on crossed arms. “She’d probably disown me.”
“Oh, I doubt that,” he said and stroked her back, pausing every once in a while to kiss a small sun spot. “No one would ever want to be away from you for life.”
When she rolled over, he traced small circles across her belly with his fingers. He slanted his head over hers and claimed her mouth. His tongue made slow, undulating passes at the hollow of her throat. She began to quiver, and he knew she wanted him. They’d agreed last night to a one-nighter. Would that include morning sex, too?
“Make love to me, Ethan,” Sadie demanded.
Apparently, she’d read his mind. And had given him the answer he wanted to hear. He raised an eyebrow. “You mean you didn’t get enough last night? Shameless hussy.”
“Are you going to be a brat and just toy with me, or be a man and satisfy me?” Sadie growled out, attempting to look fierce.
He threw his head back and laughed. Sadie wasn’t one for long, drawn-out foreplay, obviously. He raised himself up and covered her with his body. She groaned, then panted. She wanted more. And he had more to give. Much more. But still… “Is this what you really want?” he asked.
“Please,” she said in a shuddering whisper. “Make love to me.”
He flicked a glance toward her nightstand, where he’d found condoms the night before. Had there been more than the three they’d already put to use?
A loud banging on the front door caused him to freeze, his arm in mid-reach. He stared down at a shocked Sadie. “Expecting anyone?”
“Oh, no. Oh, God. Oh, hell.” Sadie shoved Ethan off her and jumped up, dragging the sheet from the bed. She wrapped it around her, covering herself from head to toe. “You have to go. Out the trellis.”
“What the hell? Why would I go out on the trellis?”
Sadie scrambled around the room, gathering Ethan’s clothes and flinging them in his direction. “Wait—don’t go on the trellis, she might see you. Grab your stuff and go to Theo’s room. Pretend you slept there. She’ll never know.”
“Why?” he asked.
“Don’t argue with me! Just go!”
The pounding on the door increased.
“Hey, slow down.” Ethan tried to untangle his tuxedo pants from a stray blanket. Sadie looked so cute, all disheveled and flustered, scurrying around the room like a whirling dervish. “Who am I supposed to be hiding from, your housekeeper?”
“Would I be freaking out if a housekeeper found us in bed together?”
Ethan scratched his head. None of this made sense. “Then who is it you’re freaking out about?”
“Oh, God,” Sadie squeaked. “Your sister!”
***
Embarrassment mingled with excitement, rendering Sadie near breathless. After throwing on sweats and a hoodie, she’d raced down the stairs, shouting loudly that she was on her way. Did she look like she simply had bed head, or did her wild and crazy hair illuminate the fact that she’d just had the sex of her dreams? Opening the door to Lia would mean opening the door to numerous questions if she couldn’t regain control of her emotions. And none of those questions were ones she wanted to answer. Not now.
Not ever.
Swinging the front door wide, she found not only Lia, but Theo as well, who was charging up the porch steps. Her heart threw itself into full swing.
“Oh, great,” she groaned. It would be difficult enough to keep her guilty conscious from poking its head up around her friend, especially since she’d just slept with Lia’s brother, but to try to hide her guilt from her own brother, too? Time to force on a great poker face.
Too bad she lost every time she played poker.
Theo shouldered past her, headed toward the kitchen and motioning for the girls to follow. “I’m looking for Ethan. He’s not at his B&B, so I’m figuring he’s here.” Once in the kitchen, he stuck his head in the refrigerator, scrounging for food.
Feeling a blush form at the mention of Ethan having spent the night, Sadie ducked her head forward, hiding behind a cascade of hair. Or what should have been a cascade of hair. Instead, the frizz was back, and to say she had “bed head” would be an understatement. Her tangled mop was a walking neon sign flashing the message, “Fantastic Sex Was Just Had Here.”
Lia leaned against the kitchen counter. “Why would Ethan have stayed here?”
Good question. And one Sadie figured she’d better answer quickly and believably, given the curious expressions on the faces of both her friend and her brother. Forcing an air of calm into her tone, she said, “He came after me when I took off in a pout from the fundraiser. We hashed things out, and by the time we were done, it was really late.” She looked at her brother. “I offered to let him stay in your old room.”
Apparently satisfied with the answer, Theo stuck his head back into the refrigerator, then started tossing breakfast items to the girls, not even bothering to look up. Unfortunately, Sadie missed catching the mango he chucked at her, right as Ethan walked into the room. She whipped around to see the mango smack Ethan right in the face.
He raised an eyebrow, bent, scooped up the mango, then headed over to his sister, who he grabbed in a deep embrace. “Even after twelve years, some things remain the same. We’re still having food fights? Some homecoming this is.”<
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Lia snuggled her face against his wrinkled tuxedo shirt. “I’m just glad you’re here,” she said.
Ethan bent low to embrace Lia and quickly buried his face in his sister’s long black hair. Sadie caught a look of pain in his eyes. The devastation of his little sister’s abusive marriage had long been over, but his expression showed that he still bore the unwarranted burden of guilt for not realizing how badly his little sister had been treated.
“I missed you, too, sis,” Ethan whispered. “It’s good to be back.”
Theo interrupted the tender moment by shoving a bowl of chopped fruit at Ethan. “Make yourself useful.”
Grabbing honey, cinnamon, lemon, and basil from the refrigerator and kitchen cabinets, Ethan stated he’d make the best fruit salad dressing ever invented.
“Hey!” Lia exclaimed, laughing. “I emailed you that recipe.”
Ethan waved her off, but smiled. “I have to be good at something. Don’t steal my thunder.”
As Ethan chopped the basil, Sadie edged closer and rubbed her hip against his, whispering so that the others couldn’t hear. “I know what your true claim to fame is, and it has nothing to do with honey.”
Ethan nestled his head close to hers as he drizzled the mixture over the fruit salad. “I think honey could most definitely be incorporated into my claim to fame, don’t you think?”
Sadie’s loud snort of laughter caught the attention of Theo, who looked at her with questioning eyes. She ducked her head behind her mass of curls again, hoping no one would notice her red cheeks. No way could her brother or Lia ever know about what had happened between her and Ethan.
Not ever. Some things had to remain secret.
***
Ethan cleaned the countertops and put the remaining food away in the refrigerator while Theo scraped the plates. Sadie and Lia were outside on the patio, where they’d had breakfast. From the open patio door, he could hear the lilting murmur of the girls as they chatted and laughed. Although the words Sadie spoke were indiscernible, the sound of her voice brought a slow smile to his face.
Last night had been amazing. It was difficult to believe only hours ago they’d been naked, entwined in each other’s bodies. As happy as he was to see his sister and Theo, Ethan wished he could have devoted the full morning to Sadie. In a couple of hours he’d have to leave for the airport, and this magical experience would come to a screeching halt. As great as sex was last night, and as awesome as Sadie had grown up to be, they’d agreed this would be a one-time experience. He paused, dishtowel in hand, listening to Sadie’s low-pitched giggle. A smile formed on his face.