Kiss Me at Midnight (Entangled Flaunt) (6 page)

“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 sighed 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.”

Her mom turned the TV up. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning, right?”

“Yes, and I’ll bring the medicine with me. Don’t worry, okay?”

“Okay.” Her mom sighed. “I love you, dear.”

“Love you, too, Mom.” Ashley hung up, taking a second to brace herself. Then she turned back to Ethan and forced a smile. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s okay.” Ethan stepped closer, his eyes still on hers. “Is she always that forgetful?”

“Yeah. She’s always thinking she forgot about her meds, but the truth is she just can’t remember anything anymore. That’s why I go to her house twice a day to give her the meds she needs.” Ashley shrugged. “That way, it gets taken care of and she doesn’t OD. She almost did a few weeks ago. Took her meds three times.”

Ethan pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry. I had no idea.”

Why would he? She didn’t whine about it. “It’s not a big deal.”

“Yeah, it is.” He cupped her chin. “If you ever need any help, let me know.”

But he wouldn’t be here to help. She knew it and so did he, even if he was pretending otherwise at the moment. So instead of saying anything in return, or thanking him for the kind offer…she kissed him.

He let her have control of the kiss for all of three seconds before he turned it around on her, slanting his head just right so he could slip his tongue inside her mouth. As he kissed her, his hands roamed all over her body. Her breasts. Her hips, her butt. Everywhere he touched burned with desire, with need. The kind of need she’d only ever felt for
him
.

He lifted her onto the edge of the counter, and positioned himself between her legs, pressing against her. She curled her hands into his hair and yanked him even closer, sliding her legs around his waist.

He broke off the kiss and rested his forehead on hers. “Do you have any idea what you do to me?”

“I have a good idea.”

“Good.” He gripped the bottom of her dress and twisted it in his hands. “But right now, you need to lose the clothes.”

She lifted her butt and pulled her dress out from under her. “Yes, please.”

When she started to remove her dress, he grabbed her hands, stopping her. Without a reason or explanation why, he caught her mouth again, this time softer and sweeter. The intense burning was still there, but alongside it was tenderness. She opened her mouth, inviting him in.