Second String (In Too Deep #3) (16 page)

"Sorry," Ethan said. "At least I warned you I was gonna do it."

I laughed. "I'm glad you did," I said. "I thought I was free and clear for a
while, though. You waited till the last second."

"I didn't do that on purpose," Ethan said. "I just got distracted for a second right when we walked in, and I forgot."

It was the nickname. I knew it. Okay, so maybe I just
wished
that's what it was.
I almost asked him what distracted him, but I didn't. We walked to my house at a really slow pace, just talking and laughing.

It was extremely difficult to keep myself from having carnal thoughts about Ethan
. The look he was giving me left no doubt in my mind that he wanted me so badly he could taste it, and that was extremely hot. I wanted him too, and I was almost certain it was written on my face, in spite of me trying to hide it.

"I brought a bag in case you wanted me to spend the night
," he said. He said it like the confident joker he was, but I knew he was totally serious. I also knew what would happen if I told him he could stay.

"I
caaan't Ethan, I'm sorry."

"I know, and I'm trying to respect your space and everything, but it's hard not to move in,
Em. It's hard, especially when you have a blank spot where your boyfriend should be on your birthday."

Geez. That hurt.

"Thanks for pointing that out, Ethan. I hadn't noticed my boyfriend isn't here to spend my birthday with me."

He flinched at the word
boyfriend
, and I realized how insensitive that was of me. I felt bad, which made me blurt out, "I'm scared, Ethan." It was the truth, but I still hadn't planned on sharing it with him. "I'm scared of being the type of girl I hate," I continued. "I don't want to be a cheater and I don't want to be indecisive, but I'm having a little trouble letting go of you completely."

We'd reached my front door and were facing each other in the dim porch light. It was an expensive, ornate fixture that looked like a flame flickering. He looked at my mouth the entire time I was talking. I could see the desire on his face…
could see that he was glad I was having cheating thoughts.

"I need
to kiss you, Emily. I'm going to take your lips," he said, never taking his eyes off them. "I can do it out here," (he looked toward the main house as if to indicate we might have an audience) "or you can invite me inside and I can do it in there." Either way, I'm kissing that mouth of yours before I leave here tonight."

I knew he wasn't messing around. He looked like he was ready to pounce on me at any second. As much as I wanted to, as much as I knew it was the right thing, I just couldn't make myself tell him no. I wanted him to do whatever he wanted with my mouth. Jeremy would never say something like that, and I found that I quite liked the idea of someone
being so desperate to kiss me. I wanted Ethan to have his way with me in more ways than one right then.

"Did you really bring a bag?" I asked.

Chapter 20

Ethan

Emily was saying something about being scared she'd turn into a cheater. She even said something about not being able to let me go, I thought. I couldn't really say, because I was totally preoccupied with how I needed to have my tongue in her plump little, juicy mouth.

By the time she finished whatever she was saying, I was about ready to wrap my hand around the back of her head and push my tongue into her. I told her I would be acting on my impulses, and asked her where she'd rather it take place.

I couldn't believe her response. Instead of saying
"No, I can't kiss you because I'm with an idiot, needle dick, football player,"
she said, "Did you really bring a bag?"

"Yeah, I really brought a bag," I said.
"I can grab it and be back here in three minutes. Actually," I said, thinking twice, "it'll be more like ten since I have to let Collin and them know."

That must have been a reality check for Emily because her expression changed. I could tell she was guarded again. "Ethan, I'm not saying anything's
gonna happen if you stay the night. I was just wondering if you really brought a bag."

"So you
don’t
want me to go get it?" I asked.

"I didn't say that," she said.
"I just didn't want you to think that just because I—"

"I didn't think anything. I'm going to
kiss that mouth of yours either way, so anything else is just an added bonus." She opened her mouth to protest, and I seized on the opportunity. I grabbed her by the back of the head and put my mouth down on hers with an almost punishing force. She gave into the kiss without the slightest flinch or hesitation. I kissed her with as much gentleness as my impatience allowed, which wasn't much. Our mouths melded together in a dance of tongues that was so hot, my erection jerked in my pants. My tongue was in her mouth, and hers in mine… each of us thrusting into the other.

She broke the kiss and said in a breathless gasp, "Go get your stuff out of the car and get back here. You can just text Collin and let him know."

I smiled and planted another kiss on her now-swollen mouth before leaving to get my bag. Collin was already at his truck when I got out there, and Rachel wasn't far behind. Josh was still standing at the door talking to Brit, the artist. I grabbed my bag, and Collin smiled knowingly at me.

"What's go
ing on?" Rachel asked, coming to stand beside Collin.

"He's staying here," Collin said. He
gestured toward the bag I was now carrying.

"You brought that?" Rachel asked. I shrugged, and Rachel gave me a concerned look. "You know she's with that—"

"Ray," Collin said. "Of course he knows. They'll figure it out."

Rachel was just trying to be the voice of reason, but right now I was pretty sure that was the last voice I wanted to hear. "She's a big girl," I said. Rachel gave me one last look like she'd wish I'd behave, but then she hugged me and sent me on my way. I told them I'd just ride with Joel to the golf thing in the morning."

"That girl is a piece of work," Josh said, just walking up, and having missed the whole conversation. He just assumed I was standing at the truck because I was riding to Collin's like I'd been planning. "Freaking feminist, hippies. Burn your bras! I'll bet sh
e has hairy legs." Rachel punched his arm and looked toward the porch to make sure Brit hadn't overheard.  "God, what'd you do that for?" he said.  "It's true. She probably has hairy pits too." Josh looked down at my hand. "What's with the bag?"

"I'm staying with Emily."

"You brought a bag?"

"Yes I brought a bag."

"She asked you to stay?"

I rolled my eyes. "No, I'm forcing myself…
yes, of course she asked me to stay."

Josh's
smirked at me, suggesting sexy results, and I punched him on the same shoulder Rachel had already tagged. He moaned and complained, but eventually they all piled into the truck. I gave Josh my keys and he said he'd drive my car to the golf tournament tomorrow so we could leave for home afterward.

"You sure you need me there?" I was half-joking. While Josh may not
have
needed
me at the golf thing, I knew good and well that he
wanted
me there.

Josh smiled, surprising me.
"You can hang back with your lady since it's her birthday. Collin and Joel have my back."

I had no idea if Emily even wanted to hang out with me or not, but it was nice to know Josh wasn't stressed out at the idea of me bailing.
"I'll probably still be there," I said, "but I'll let you know if I change my mind. I know you need to be getting back home tomorrow… I do too, so we won't hang out too late either way."

I wasn't going to push my luck with Emily.
She might be a tad overwhelmed in the morning (depending on what all went down that night). I thought there was at least a chance she'd want me out of her sight by then.

I thanked them for understanding and for taking care of getting me back to my car when I was ready. I took off walking in the direction of Emily's place with a smile on my face. So far, this was exactly the outcome I was hoping for.
Sal greeted me at the door, and I fished the toothbrush bone I'd brought for him out of the bag that hung on my shoulder. He chomped it up out of my hand with no shortage of drool coming off of his lips. Sal didn't drool constantly like some dogs, but he drooled a ton when he smelled food. My hand was totally slimed. "Oh, thanks, Sal. That's really nice." I started to wipe my hand on my jeans, but I heard a whistle from the kitchen. Emily threw a white and blue dishrag in my direction, thinking she could actually get it to me from all the way across the room. She let out a laugh when the air caught it, and it fell to the ground only a few feet from where she threw it.

"Seriously? You thought you could throw it from there?" I asked. We were both laughing. I was steadily crossing the room toward her
as she bent down to pick up the dishrag.

"I know a dry dishtowel won't fly, but it was
a little wet, and I thought if I balled it up…"

"Oh, the old
ball it up
trick, huh?"

She was huffing and puffing in defense of her little plan. She regarded me with a cross face when she handed me the towel.

"
What?
I wasn't kidding," I teased. "I'm a
fan
of the old ball it up trick. We use it with towels at the pool all the time." Her face softened a little even though she knew deep down that I was still messing with her.

"Next time, I'm just
gonna let you get slobber all over your pants," she said. She was smiling at me. I wasn't even close to being done with that mouth. I wanted to have every part of me in that mouth by the end of the night.

She licked her lips, which I enjoyed watching, but then she wiped at them with her hand. "Do I have something on my mouth?" she asked.

"Yeah," I said. I couldn't take it any longer. In one motion, I set down my bag, stepped toward her, and took her face in my hands, making sure I hit my target. I put my lips on hers. No messing around, just mouth on mouth.
She whimpered. I had no problem identifying a good whimper from a bad one, and the one that escaped Emily's mouth was, no doubt, a good one. She pushed away and stared up at me.

"Ethan, I don't think I'm going to be able to keep my hands off you if you spend the night here tonight," she said. She was using a tone tinged with regret, like she
was having second thoughts. I just looked at her, uncertain what she wanted me to say.

"Are you saying you want me to stay, but you're still
gonna be with the other guy in the morning?" I asked. I knew it was a topic that needed to be addressed, and I was pretty sure I knew what her answer would be.

"Are you okay with that?" she asked. She was no longer smiling. I could tell she was having an internal battle with the whole situation.
Theoretically, that should be the ideal scenario for any self-proclaimed bachelor like me. After all, she was offering free sex as long as I agreed to keep it a secret and not want any greater commitment. I should be overjoyed at this scenario.

"Of course I'm okay with it," I said. "What more could a guy ask for, right?"

"Shut up. You make it sound even worse than it is." She looked at me, pleading. "Do you think I'm a terrible person for asking you to stay tonight?"

I half-lifted my hands in a gesture of surrender.
I wasn't about to try to talk her into anything. "I'm not into making you do something you don't want to," I said. I looked at her warily, poised to leave if she didn't feel comfortable any more.

"No," she said, pulling me back toward her with the front of my shirt. Her hand lingered on my flexed abs when she reached for my shirt, and I could see in her eyes the flame of sexual hunger turn on. "God, Ethan.
The sad part is, I don't even
care
if you won't assure me I'm a good person. I want you. I want you to make me feel like you did the other night."

I wanted to eat this girl alive
… to rip off every last stitch of clothing that was between us and bury myself into her. Then maybe repeat the whole process a time or two later tonight.

"Noth
ing's happened with Jeremy and me. I still haven't been with anybody since you," she said.

I literally hoisted her onto my shoulder so I cou
ld cart her off to the bedroom. She squealed, and Sal looked up, but he didn't protest. He just remained in his spot, sprawled out on the kitchen floor.

Emily and I
went at each other like hungry wolves pawing, touching, and feeling, unable to keep our hands from roaming. "Ethan, I've been wanting this ever since that first time," she said. Her breathing was labored just slightly."

"I think about it," I said. "I think about it… about
you
and what you feel like on the inside. God Emily, there aren't many other places I'd rather be." 

I set her to her feet near the foot of her bed, and she
narrowed her eyes at me. "There shouldn't be
any
other places you'd rather be," she said, putting her hand to her hip stubbornly.

"Right now,
baby girl," I said, pushing her onto the bed, and climbing on top of her, "there's not a single, solitary place in the entire world I'd rather be." Again, my lips were on hers. We kissed passionately for several minutes before my hand moved down to take a hold of her breast. There were a few layers of fabric between my hand and her nipple, but I could feel how hard it was. Both of us still had our clothes on, but we realized at the same moment it was a situation that needed to be remedied.

We were both sitting up on the bed at this point, and she reached for the edge of my shirt and lifted it over my head. I had to balance awkwardly, but I m
anaged to get both hands over my head. I fell back onto the bed and she sat to the side of me and began unbuttoning my pants. She wasted no time in proceeding to strip them off my legs like they had no business being there in the first place.

I was wearing a pair of striped boxer briefs that left nothing at all to the imagination. I was hard for her, and the shaft of my erection rested on the front of my leg. She looked at it like it was a piece of candy she was about to unwrap. The girl wanted my cock. There was no other way to interpret her facial expression. She wanted it, was hungry for it, and the fact that
she made that so obvious made me want to claim her in every way possible. She was so fucking hot, I could barely think straight. I watched as she pulled down my boxers, keeping her eyes on my piece the whole time. She was looking at it like it might be essential for her to survive, and shit if I didn't want to just grab her by the back of the head and shove it in her mouth.

I looked at the ceiling so I could catch my breath for a second.
By the time I looked down at her again, my cock
was indeed
shoved in her mouth. Only it was her hand putting it in there. Her little hand gripped me around the base, and she kissed me and took me in her mouth like someone who really knew what she was doing. She took me into her mouth over and over, mimicking the motion I'd be making between her legs. She was doing her best to please me, and she was doing a freaking good job of it. She licked and sucked me like she wanted to drink down every last ounce. I started to grab the back of her head just like I envisioned doing moments earlier, but I knew I needed to be careful, or this would all be over before I even left her mouth. Again, I focused on the ceiling to keep myself from doing something that resembled a cave man.

Emily and I
stayed up a good portion of the night, exploring each other's bodies, laughing and telling each other stories from our past. She was one of the most hilarious people I'd ever met and I seriously did enjoy hanging out with her. It wasn't just the sex. She was a really fun person to be around.

I was in trouble
.