Stitches and Scars (9 page)

He watched as goose bumps rose on her naked flesh where his fingers had just been. Without stopping, he continued moving his hands along her back, tracing small circles until he felt her body relax. Ethan looked at her face only to see that her eyes were closed and her full lips were parted as she released a quiet sigh.

Slowly leaning forward, he paused just as his lips brushed hers. She whispered his name so softly that he felt it more than heard it.

“Ethan,” she said again, although this time her tone sounded different. She repeated it again and each time her voice grew louder.

“Ethan, wake up, man. Your alarm’s been going off for fifteen minutes. I’m not doing this again tomorrow.”

Ethan rolled over and looked up at Trent’s annoyed face. “Sorry. I guess I didn’t hear it.”

“For the fourth day in a row? You have got to get a new alarm clock,” Trent said while leaving the room.

Ethan sat up rubbing his eyes, looked over at his clock, and realized he would be late for work if he didn’t hurry. With a groan, he uncomfortably climbed out of bed and headed into his bathroom to take another cold shower. Normally, he’d enjoy a nice hot one to get ready for the day, but the past four mornings, cold showers had definitely been necessary.
When is this going to end?
he thought with a sigh. The past four days had been torture. He was dreaming about Kate every night and thinking about her all day. One unanswered question continued to float around in his head: When would he see her again?

His answer came later that afternoon when he was on his way home from work and decided to stop off at the grocery store.

***

“Where is the bread aisle?” he asked himself quietly. He had been in this grocery store only once before, and even then he remembered getting turned around.

After asking an employee, he eventually found what he needed and headed over to the produce section. He looked down at the piles of fruit and wondered where to begin. Even after all the years he’d lived on his own, he’d never figured out the best way to pick certain fruit. He was always getting confused. Were you supposed to smell it, see how heavy it was, or press on it and check if it was ripe? Not wanting to deal with the challenge, he settled on apples since they were probably the least difficult.

As he turned to rip off one of the plastic bags, someone caught his eye. He knew it was her as soon as he saw her silhouette. Kate
.
She was standing in front of some vegetables, deciding which ones to choose. He watched her from a distance as she bit her bottom lip, contemplating her decision. Something about her intense expression and concentration made him laugh.

Before he had a chance to realize what he was doing, his feet were moving toward her. It was like an unseen force pulling him closer. He wanted to reach out and touch her, but knew that he couldn’t. Not only did he not know her well enough, but the all-too-vivid dreams he had been having were just that—dreams.

“I don’t know about you, but I never know the best way to pick out produce. It’s always been a mystery to me.” Ethan kept his voice casual, but he saw her stiffen when she heard him speak. He turned his head to look at her and watched as her brown eyes slowly met his.

Chapter 9

Innuendos

K
ate stood outside of a client’s apartment and looked over her grocery list again to make sure she had everything she needed before heading to the grocery store. Tonight she was testing out a new Italian recipe. Logan, Sophie, and Elle had all agreed to be the guinea pigs, and she was excited to use her new gnocchi paddle. Flipping open her phone, she called home.

“Hey, it’s me.”

“Hi. Get everything dropped off okay?” Elle asked.

“Yep. And they referred me to one of their friends. If everything works out, I’ll have another wedding in August.”

“Look at you! Big time photographer booking up her schedule.”

Kate laughed. “I do what I can,” she teased. “So anyway, I called because I’m going to run to the store on my way out of the city. Do you need anything?”

“No, I think I’m good. Besides, I’ve got my eye on a new Louis Vuitton bag. Who needs food when you can have a great bag?”

Kate laughed simply because she wasn’t shocked in the least by her friend’s priorities. She could remember more than one occasion when both Elle and Sophie lived off coffee and ramen for weeks so they could splurge on great clothes or accessories.

“Okay, I’m leaving then. I’ll be home in a while.”

As Kate made her way to the grocery store, she found herself looking at every car she pulled up next to. Usually she kept her eyes on the road, but things had changed over the past four days. She tried to tell herself that she was just being more observant of her surroundings, but she knew what the real reason was. She was hoping that by some miracle she would spot Ethan. She hadn’t been able to get him out of her mind and was beginning to think she was going crazy.

Yesterday she’d pulled up to a light and caught a glimpse of someone who reminded her of him. She knew it probably wasn’t, considering she wasn’t even in the city, but she was grasping at straws, just hoping that maybe he’d be in her town. She sat at the light long after it had turned green before the guy finally looked over at her. When she saw it wasn’t him, she immediately sped off, cursing herself for getting carried away with her wishes.

Last night as she lay in bed, she thought of ways that she could ‘accidentally’ bump into him at the hospital. After realizing all of them were ridiculous, not to mention pointless, because he already had a girlfriend, she finally gave up and fell asleep, only to dream of him again. Dreams that had started out pretty tame were getting more intense. She found herself waking up every morning feeling more and more sexually frustrated, which made her a little snappy. This morning’s dream had been the best so far, which of course brought with it a new wave of desire to see him again.

She pulled into the grocery store parking lot, feeling slightly disappointed at another failed sighting, although she wasn’t sure what she expected. There were far too many people living in the city. Chances were she wouldn’t see him again, and if she did, it wouldn’t be while driving.

Kate grabbed her list and bag and headed into the store. She went about her normal routine and started in the produce section. Bag in hand, she looked over the bell peppers and racked her brain trying to remember what color her recipe had called for.

“I don’t know about you, but I never know the best way to pick out produce. It’s always been a mystery to me.”

Kate froze, hand outstretched. She knew that voice and the person that went with it. For a second she wondered if perhaps she’d imagined it—a side effect from dreaming about him so much lately. Then again, her dreams had not done the voice she had just heard justice; it was even better than she remembered.

She slowly turned toward him, hoping that her imagination wasn’t good enough to create an illusion. She looked up into his stunning blue eyes and couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face. She stared at him, standing there, looking positively delicious in his scrubs before she realized what she was doing.

He asked you a question, dummy. Now answer!
her brain shouted at her. She tried to pull her eyes away from him so she could think coherently, but was unsuccessful.

“Umm … yeah, I know what you mean. Produce can be tricky,” she stammered, still locked in his gaze.

Ethan smiled. “I would go with the red ones. They always seem to be the sweetest.”

“What?” she asked in a daze, blinking.

Her blank stare made Ethan laugh. She was so lost in her thoughts that she seemed to not understand a word he’d said.

“I said you should go with the red bell peppers. They’re usually the sweetest,” he repeated, this time breaking eye contact with Kate long enough for her to regain her senses.

Upon realizing that she was blatantly staring, she dropped her eyes and felt a wave of embarrassment rush over her. Grabbing a plastic bag, she busied herself with the peppers in front of her and proceeded to shove them into the bag.

“So, what are you making?” he asked, hoping to start a conversation.

“The bell peppers are just for a salad. I’m actually making gnocchi for the main dish,” she said, while continuing to add peppers to her bag.

His eyes lit up. “Really?” Gnocchi was one of Ethan’s favorite dishes. For a split second, a vision flashed in his mind. Kate stood beside him in the kitchen as they worked together. It only lasted a second, but it was perfect.

“Yeah, it’s one of my favorites, although you can’t really go wrong with Italian food. It’s Logan’s favorite too, so I’m hoping it turns out okay.”

The excitement Ethan felt just a moment before faded as her words registered in his mind. He hadn’t thought that perhaps she had a boyfriend and was unavailable. “Oh … well, I hope it turns out,” he said with a smile.

“Thanks. After all, what are friends for, right?” Kate clarified. “His girlfriend—my best friend Sophie—can’t cook to save her life. Every so often, I offer to make them all a home cooked meal, and it saves her the task of attempting to make his favorite dishes.”

“Well, in that case, I really hope it turns out great. Sounds like Sophie should be thankful to have a friend who’s willing to cook her boyfriend meals.”

Kate blushed at his compliment and shook her head. “No, she’s an amazing best friend. She’s done so much for me that I should probably be cooking for her every night.”

“I know what it’s like to have a friend like that.” He nodded.

“Trent, right?”

Ethan’s eyes widened. “I’m surprised you remembered his name.”

“I
have
been known to pay attention when someone’s talking, you know,” she teased, feeling a flutter in her heart.

“No, that’s not what I mean. It’s just nice. To hold someone’s attention enough that they remember something small like that.”

Ethan’s eyes grew soft as he looked at her. She felt as if there was something more he wanted to say but didn’t. Silence hung in the air, and she felt the tingle of energy pulse to life between them. Her heart raced and her hands itched to reach out and touch him. Something told her that if she didn’t keep talking, the chances of her body taking control and doing something rash in the middle of the grocery store was quite possible.

“So, what are you cooking tonight?” Kate asked, swallowing thickly.

“Me? Nothing. I’m not buying anything big, just the usual bread and fruit.” He looked down at his basket, noting the few things he had. “I don’t cook that much anyway. Not that I don’t enjoy it; I just don’t see the point when there’s only two of you.”

As soon as Ethan mentioned cooking for two, her breath caught and all the facts came rushing back. It left a bitter taste in her mouth, and before she had time to sensor her words, they poured out freely.

“What, is your girlfriend not much of a cook? Do you guys usually go out for dinner, then?” His eyes widened at Kate’s reaction, but then he smiled and looked amused, which of course made her even more annoyed. Again, her words spewed out uncensored like word vomit. “Why are you smiling at me like that?”

“I like watching you get flustered. You look beautiful.”

Kate tried to form a coherent sentence but came up with nothing. Ethan wasn’t sure if her lack of words was a good thing or a bad thing, but since she wasn’t yelling, he figured it couldn’t be that bad.

“Do you want me to answer your questions?” he asked. She still couldn’t form words, so she simply nodded.

“When I said that I didn’t cook because there were only two of us, the person I was referring to was Trent, my roommate. And no, my
ex
-girlfriend did not cook.”

Kate felt her heart skip and her chest tighten in the best possible way. She tried to play it casual, and bit down on the inside of her cheeks to keep from smiling.

“And, well,” he continued, “I guess I already explained to you why I was smiling.”

Just thinking about his compliment made Kate even more flustered. She tucked her hair behind her ear and dropped her head. It was a moment before she calmed down and looked back at him. When she did, she couldn’t withhold her smile. Finally, the guy she’d been thinking about for the past week was standing in front of her, suddenly available.

As soon as the thought came to her mind, a little voice in her head said she was jumping the gun. After all, she wasn’t entirely sure he was interested. All she could do was remain calm and see how things played out. Gathering all of her courage, she told herself to relax.

Calm down, act cool. Just think like Elle,
she encouraged herself.
What would Elle do?

Kate held back a devious smile as a plan formed in her head.

“There are some
tricks
to picking out produce you know. I can show you a few if you want.” Kate gave him a look that she hoped he would interpret as flirty. Apparently it worked, because his beautiful smile returned along with a new glint in his eye.

“I’m all yours,” he said with a slow drawl.

In a rush, all the air blew from Kate’s lungs, and she felt her heart slam against her chest. She forced herself to concentrate on breathing so she wouldn’t pass out. Her knees were already feeling weak, and if he had any idea what the small comment he made did to her body, she wouldn’t stand a chance at the little game she was about to play.

She took a step closer to him and placed one of her palms flat on his chest. “Well, in that case, Doctor, where do you want me … to start?” Kate let her eyes slowly roam down his body before returning to his glorious face.

Ethan’s throat closed up. Just having her look at him the way she was drove him wild. He swallowed deeply, trying to calm himself. Something in the way she was acting made him think they were about to play a little game, and he was up for anything she was ready to dish out.

“You can start wherever you’d like,” he said with a lift of his brows.

Thankful that he was going to play along, Kate reached out and grabbed a bell pepper. “Well, most vegetables are the same. You want to make sure they are
smooth
and
firm
.” Kate took his hand in hers, placing it on the bell pepper she was still holding. “Here, you feel how smooth it is? Now give it a slight squeeze.”

Ethan froze.
“Holy crap,” he muttered under his breath. His mind instantly filled with images of Kate. The controlled part of his brain was telling him to snap out of it and gain some focus, but it was proving harder than he thought. Taking a calming breath, Ethan attempted to clear his head and keep his feet planted firmly in place as she reached around him. Kate’s dark hair swept in front of his face, filling his senses with her sweet perfume.

“Now, with cucumbers, it’s pretty much the same.” She held out her hand. “You’re just looking for one thing. You want them to be nice and hard.” She took her eyes away from the cucumber and looked up at him.

With her close proximity, Kate could literally feel the heat radiate from him. She closed her eyes and breathed him in. The familiar flicker of warmth grew in her stomach, spreading heat through her body. Her mouth watered as she imagined how good he would taste on her tongue.
Oh man, I want to kiss him
. She almost whimpered at the thought.

Ethan shifted his feet, and it took Kate a second to realize that she wasn’t the only one who felt that way. As much as she wanted to continue with her demonstrations, she felt a little bad for putting him in that predicament, especially in public.

Kate took one last inhale and stepped away from him slowly, trying to keep her eyes from drifting. But, like always, they had a mind of their own. Her eyes went wide and she felt her face burn. Quickly turning away, she attempted to hide her face, but knew it was pointless. One look at Ethan, and she knew she’d been caught. Surprisingly, the expression on his face was not one of embarrassment. In fact, he looked as though he was enjoying himself. His eyes were alight and matched his mischievous grin.

“I think you’ve just made me a
big
fan of the produce aisle.” He gave her a quick wink and continued to smile.