“Suit yourself,” she whispered. But the teasing tone had left her voice and Ethan couldn’t help noticing how close her lips were to his. All he’d have to do is bend down another inch or two . . .
What are you doing to me, Chloe?
Chloe
Chloe was pretty sure she’d forgotten how to breathe. She’d definitely forgotten why she was holding onto the ugly Christmas sweater that was balled up between her and Ethan. If it weren’t there she’d be pressed against his toned chest again.
She couldn’t help glancing longingly at the slight tan that kissed every inch of his skin. Heat blossomed all over her, like the sun was somehow contained in Ethan’s veins. Chloe followed the long, lean lines of his arms all the way up to his perfectly chiseled face.
Ethan was obscenely beautiful. Chloe knew boys preferred to be called handsome, but she didn’t care. That word wasn’t exquisite enough to define Ethan’s superb features. From the obsidian of his hair to the emerald shade of his eyes to the dark fringe of lashes to the tiny scar on his chin—all of it was perfection.
It wasn’t fair, really. How was a girl to resist? But she had to. Right?
If she gave in to this momentary attraction drawing her near, Chloe would only end up breaking her barely healed heart all over again. And that was not her intention.
As if he knew she was about to pull away, Ethan released his hold on the sweater. The jingle bells rang like tiny alarms, telling her to run.
Nothing good can come from kissing this boy, Chloe.
But as Ethan looked down at her with the same longing in his eyes that she felt in her bones, Chloe changed her mind. Without even knowing she’d made the decision, her body rushed forward until her lips met his.
The kiss was fast and electric, and though the taste of sugar and spice from their cocoa burned its way into Chloe’s mind, it couldn’t scorch away all the reasons she shouldn’t be kissing a shirtless college boy in her kitchen right now.
She pulled away, stopping their kiss as suddenly as it had started. Her hand flew to her lips. “Sorry,” she whispered. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
Ethan reached toward her but she leapt away, shouting a hurried, “I’m sorry,” over her shoulder as she ran out of the kitchen and back to her bedroom with Darcy hot on her heels.
9
Chloe
December 23rd
Dear Journal,
I kissed a boy last night.
A boy who isn’t Brady.
Ethan
Ethan lay in the tiny twin bed in Margot’s bedroom. Owen slept next to him, snoring loud enough to wake the dead. Dawn was breaking and Ethan had yet to fall asleep. He couldn’t stop reliving Chloe’s unexpected kiss and then her even more unexpected departure.
That kiss had been perfect, probably the best of his life, until she pulled away from him like he had herpes. He didn’t. No tongue rings or braces or any other oddity that would’ve warranted such a response. He couldn’t figure out what he’d done wrong and it was driving him crazy.
He’d even made sure he hadn’t been the one to make the first move. Chloe had kissed him! It might not have been so maddening if he didn’t have to sleep in the room so close to hers for the next week or maybe if that kiss hadn’t woken a longing inside him that he’d never felt before. Ethan had to repeatedly fight the urge to walk across the hall, knock on her door and demand to know what the hell kind of game she was playing.
You’re killing me, Chloe. I don’t need this in my life.
It wasn’t like Ethan hadn’t kissed girls before. He was acutely aware of how attractive he was. It was hard to miss when he had Owen to stare at. They were almost mirror images of each other. Owen was just a bit taller and more broad-chested. But that was because he had three years on him. But attention from women was nothing new. Ethan had been getting attention from girls since the summer he got his braces off and hit a growth spurt that still hadn’t stopped.
At six-foot-three and with a family history of wealth far beyond normal means, it was easy for Ethan to get girls when he wanted to. In the past Ethan’s hook-ups had always been casual. But with Chloe it felt different. He barely knew a thing about her, yet he felt a deep connection to her the moment he laid eyes on her. He swore she felt it too. He saw it in her eyes. And that kiss. There was nothing casual about the way that kiss had made Ethan feel.
So why did you run, Chloe?
He ran his hand through his thick black hair in frustration. Did the Price sisters have some sort of pact to drive him crazy?
Ethan glanced at his brother who was sleeping soundly. It sucked that Ethan couldn’t even talk to Owen about this. His brother would probably kill him if he admitted he kissed Chloe after all the grief Ethan had given Owen about Margot.
Ethan’s feelings for Chloe certainly didn’t give him a leg to stand on when it came to complaining about Margot. If this was the way Margot made Owen feel it wasn’t any wonder why he followed her around like a lost puppy.
Ethan shook his head in disgust at his own churning emotions. This was why he didn’t date. Punching his pillow, he rolled onto his side and closed his eyes determined to get at least an hour of sleep before being plunged back into this Christmas nightmare.
10
Chloe
Chloe had never felt so uncomfortable in her own house before. Breakfast, which was usually a simple bowl of oatmeal, had turned into a gourmet affair. Her father was making pancakes in the shape of poorly crafted Christmas icons, while her mother piled plates of bacon, grits and cinnamon buns on the table.
They were really pulling out all the stops for the Hall boys. And had it not been for Chloe’s awkward moment with Ethan last night, she would’ve been ecstatic about the breakfast spread. But as it was, she could hardly keep her orange juice down. Her stomach was in knots as she sat next to Ethan at the table.
She was perched on the edge of her chair as far away from him as possible, but it didn’t really help. Even if he were ten feet across the room she’d still feel his presence. Every time she closed her eyes she felt his lips pressed against hers. Which was precisely why she got no sleep last night.
She’d tried writing in her journal, but recounting the kiss had made her even more jittery. Even her favorite novels hadn’t been able to distract her. How could they? She’d just experienced the best kiss of her life. Nothing on paper could ever compare.
Strangely, kissing Ethan had helped reconcile Chloe’s pain over getting dumped by Brady. Because never in the entirety of their summer full of kissing had Brady ever made Chloe feel like Ethan had. Was it just because Ethan was new and exciting? Or was it something more?
With the way Chloe was acting, she’d never find out. She jumped every time someone said her name. Ethan probably thought she was crazy, but Chloe had convinced herself someone was going to find out she’d kissed him last night.
Things only got worse when her hand accidentally brushed Ethan’s as they reached for the syrup at the same time. She pulled her hand away so quickly she knocked the whole jar of syrup over on top of his plate.
“Omigod! I’m so sorry,” she said, jumping up to grab a napkin at the same time he did.
They banged heads and for a moment, Chloe saw stars, but a loud bang brought her focus back. In her fumbled attempt to steady herself she’d put her hand in Ethan’s plate and knocked the entire thing onto the floor.
Darcy was in his glory as his little tail swished back and forth while he lapped up bacon, eggs and pancakes like a furry hoover.
“Geez,” Margot teased. “You two are one stooge short of a whole act.”
Everyone at the table thought Chloe’s uncharacteristic Calamity Jane act was hilarious. Everyone but Chloe. Laughter chorused around the kitchen as she felt her cheeks heat, which meant they were probably glowing atomic red about now. To make matters worse, Ethan was still standing by her side.
“Are you okay?” he asked softly, his hand brushing her elbow as it slowly traveled up her arm.
“Stop moving,” her mother warned as Chloe stepped in a glob of syrup Darcy hadn’t gotten to yet. “Here,” she said laying a series of dishtowels on the floor. “Socks and slippers off you two. Follow the towels to the living room. Margot, get them some ice packs, will you?”
“Mom, I don’t need an ice pack,” Chloe argued.
“Sweetie, I can see the goose egg forming already. If you don’t want a big red lump for the party, you’d better use the icepack.”
Chloe glanced at Ethan. His forehead was barely red. He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his university sweats. “I’ve got a hard head,” he replied, reading Chloe’s mind again.
“To the couch, both of you,” Chloe’s mother ordered.
Knowing arguing would only prolong the awkwardness, Chloe slipped out of her sticky slippers, grateful she at least hadn’t been wearing her favorite toasty cocoa pair, and followed the towel trail out of the kitchen.
Ethan
Ethan watched Chloe from the corner of his eye. They each held a frozen icepack wrapped in a holiday dishcloth against their foreheads. Chloe’s head was back against the couch, her bright eyes closed. Ethan wished she would open them. Her eyes made her easier to read.
Last night, he’d realized that was another difference between Chloe and Margot. When Chloe looked at him everything she was feeling was written in her gorgeous hazel eyes. It was like each fleck of gold held a secret and Ethan found himself desperate to learn them all.
That’s why it’d been driving him nuts that Chloe wouldn’t look at him at breakfast. He’d only gotten one brief glance when she walked into the kitchen and it said everything he feared. She regretted last night.
He’d been trying to catch her eye all morning, but she wouldn’t even look at him. Which was probably what led to the syrup catastrophe that landed them in this situation.
Ethan couldn’t help feeling like a toddler in time out. The feeling was foreign, yet strangely amusing. The entire morning had been, actually. He’d always wished he’d been a part of a normal family that had big messy meals—a family full of love and laughter.
That hadn’t been the case in his house. Even before the cancer, his parents hadn’t been the open or affectionate kind. They’d always been more concerned with appearances.
Ethan sighed, adjusting the hideous holiday dishcloth. A fat Santa Claus riding a reindeer had been embroidered onto it. He couldn’t help the smirk that tugged at his normally stoic lips when he looked at it. His parents would’ve never had something so tacky in their home. But that only made Ethan love it more. In fact, he loved all the over-the-top Christmas decorations in the Price home. It was hard not to stare at them.
He wondered which handmade ornaments and trinkets that adorned the three Christmas trees had been made by Chloe. He was dying for clues as to what had made her the irresistible girl he now found himself so desperate to know. He also wondered how long it took to pack all of this stuff up after the holidays. And where the hell did they keep it all? From what he could tell, the tiny log cabin didn’t have more than the few rooms he’d seen. He found himself wondering a lot of things and when he looked at Chloe he couldn’t help asking the current question that was on his mind.
“So,” he said, causing her to open those gorgeous hazel eyes. “When’s the party?”
“Huh?”
“Your mother said you don’t want a big lump on your head for the party.”
“She means the Christmas Eve party,” Margot replied, walking into the living room with Owen by her side.
They sat in the plaid loveseat together, Margot curling her legs up as she snuggled on Owen’s lap.
“You never told me about a Christmas Eve party,” Owen said.
“That’s because I wanted it to be a surprise,” Margot said, rubbing her nose against his like they were bunnies.
The ridiculous display of affection made Ethan frown and turn his attention back to Chloe. He wanted to talk to her, not Margot and Owen.
“Not everyone likes surprises,” Chloe muttered.
Ethan furrowed his brow. Was she talking about him and their surprising kiss last night? If she would just look at him . . . He tried again. “So this party . . . Who's going?”
Again Margot answered for her sister. “Everyone!”
Ethan raised his eyebrows still staring directly at Chloe.
Seeming to sense he wasn't giving up until she answered, she sighed deeply. “My parents throw a party every year on Christmas Eve for family, friends and employees that work at the tree farm and lodge all season. It's kind of a ‘we survived the holidays’ party.”
“It's so much fun,” Margot exclaimed. “There’s a band and dancing and karaoke and food and my favorite . . . mistletoe!” She swiped a bough of the green-leaved parasitic plant from the basket of cinnamon scented pinecones next to her chair and dangled it above Owen until he kissed her.
Seeing Margot was finally occupied, Ethan turned back to Chloe. “And you’re going to this party?” he asked quietly.
“Of course she is!” Margot called. “Oh, and you guys will finally get to meet her boyfriend!”
Ethan’s heart thumped to a stop. Boyfriend? His eyes met Chloe’s.
You have some explaining to do, Chloe.
Chloe
“Where is Brady anyway?” Margot interrupted, getting to her feet. “Is he coming with us to pick out a tree today?”
“No,” Chloe said, standing quickly and pulling the icepack from her head. She scanned the room ready to make her escape. She’d waited months to have this discussion with Margot, but funny enough, Brady was the last thing Chloe wanted to talk about right now. She didn’t want to have this conversation in front of Owen and Ethan. Especially Ethan, who was looking at her with those piercing green eyes of his and an inquisitive frown that made her want to kiss him again until he gave her that rare, almost-smile.
But Margot wouldn't let it go. “Oh, no! Does he have practice today or something?”
Chloe shrugged. “I wouldn’t know.”
Margot frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I mean I don't know what he's doing today.”
“Why not?” Margot asked.
Chloe’s emotions were too close to the surface and she couldn't keep them bottled up anymore, not with Margot's questioning poking holes in the fragile dam keeping Chloe’s tears at bay. She wanted to escape to her bedroom, but Margot was moving toward Chloe, blocking the stairs.
“Chloe, what’s going on?” Margot asked. “Is everything okay with Brady?”
“You’ll have to ask him.”
“Why?”
“Because we broke up, okay?” Chloe shouted, shoving past her sister and dashing up the stairs.
Ethan
Ethan knew it was a terrible reaction, but the moment those words left Chloe’s mouth he felt a smile slip into place. ‘We broke up.’
I knew you weren’t too good to be true, Chloe.
11
Chloe
Chloe was hugging a pillow face down on her bed when Margot knocked lightly on the bedroom door. Chloe didn’t look up but she knew it was her sister from the subtle way the mattress moved when Margot’s thin frame joined her on the bed.
She began to stroke her hair. “Co-Co, why didn’t you tell me?” Margot asked softly.
“I didn’t know how,” Chloe mumbled into the pillow.
“What happened?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. He decided he liked Maci better, I guess.”
“Maci Martin?”
Chloe rolled over and sat up. This had been the part she was dreading, but there was no sense avoiding the truth now. Margot would just keep digging until Chloe spilled all the details. “Yeah, Maci Martin.”
Margot’s pretty features reddened defensively. She was going into protective big-sister-mode. “Explain.”
&
nbsp; Chloe sighed. “I saw them making out at Brady’s locker and that was it. We just broke up. Or rather he told me he was with Maci so that pretty much ended things with us.”
“What?” Margot was on her feet. “He cheated on you?”
Tears silently made their way down Chloe’s cheeks. All she could do was nod.
“Right before Christmas? What a jerk!”
Here it was. The lie she’d been keeping for all this time. “No. Not right before Christmas. It happened three months ago,” Chloe whispered. “I haven’t spoken to him since.”
Margot’s anger deflated instantly and she sank back onto the bed, pulling Chloe into her arms. “Oh my God, Chloe. I’m so sorry.”
That wasn’t the reaction Chloe had been expecting at all. She thought her big sister would be mad that she’d kept the truth from her, but Margot’s compassion only made Chloe cry harder. Why had she kept this from her sister?
All this time she could’ve been crying on Margot’s shoulder instead of suffering alone.
“I should’ve been there for you,” Margot whispered, wiping tears from both their eyes now.
“It’s not your fault, Go-Go. I didn’t tell you.”
Margot tucked Chloe’s hair back behind her ears. “Why didn’t you?”
Chloe shrugged. “I was embarrassed. And every time we talked you had something amazing to share. I didn’t want to bring you down by talking about my complete and utter failure.”
“Chloe, first of all, you didn’t fail. This isn’t your fault. Brady is a total slime-ball to do that to you. And secondly, I want to know everything that happens in your life. We’re sisters.”
“I know.”
Margot took a deep breath. “I want us to be there for each other in the good times and the difficult times.”
“Me too,” Chloe said. “I’m sorry I kept this from you.”
The Winter Boyfriend: A Stand-Alone YA Contemporary Romance Novel (The Boyfriend Series) Page 6