7
I was sitting on the couch with Koku when Ethan knocked on the door. I jumped and
ran to it, excited to see him. As soon as I saw his face, I grabbed him and pulled him into my arms.
He smiled at me.
“You look happy to see me.”
“I missed you.”
“I missed you too.”
I kissed him gently on the lips. “You taste good.”
“I had a piece of pie on my break.”
I kissed him again. “I don’t think that was it.”
Ethan moaned as he felt me kiss him. I ran my hands up his chest as I pulled him toward my bedroom. When he realized what I was doing, he broke away. “You’re a vixen, you know that?”
I smiled. “So?”
“We don’t have enough time.”
“How much time do you need?”
I asked with a laugh.
He laughed. “This is our first time together. I don’t want it to be quick and over. I want to feel you everywhere, explore your body, make you come as many times as possible. I want you to sleep in my arms.”
His words made me shiver. “Dinner is going to be so uncomfortable.”
“Why?
“Because I’m going to think about jumping your bones the entire time.”
He shook his head. “First you said you would never have sex with me and then f
our days later you can’t wait a few hours.”
“Well, what can I say? I find you incredibly handsome.”
He stared at me. “I like what I’m hearing. And I think you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” He stared at me with a serious gaze.
I knew he was waiting for me to accept his compliment, but I was having a hard time doing that. It was such a strong thing to say.
“Sadie, I think you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” He cupped my face and looked into my eyes. “I mean it.”
“Uh—thank you.”
He shook his head. “Wrong answer.”
“I just find that so hard to believe.”
“Why? Have you seen you?”
I shrugged. “I look ordinary.”
“Not at all. I’ll convince you eventually. When I make love to you, you’ll know that I mean it.”
I bit my lip. “Ethan.”
“Don’t say my name like that,” he snapped. “I have very little control right now.”
“Good.”
His eyes bore into mine. “Sadie,” he warned.
“I’m sorry.”
“Let’s go to dinner. I want to come back as soon as possible.”
“Me too. I can’t wait any longer.”
“Sadie, are you sure you want to do this?”
“Why do you keep asking me that?”
He sighed. “This is a really big deal. I don’t want you to make a mistake.”
“Why would it be a mistake?”
“I—I know you’re a virgin.”
I flinched at his words. “How d
o you know that?”
“I’ve been around, S
adie. I can tell. For one, you’re really tight. And two, you came when I hardly did anything to you.”
I looked away, embarrassed that he figured it out so easily.
“Please don’t be ashamed. Do you have idea how hot that is? I want to take your virginity, Sadie. I really want to. But I can’t do that unless I know you’re sure. I care about you and I don’t want to hurt you.”
“That’s why you wouldn’t have sex with me the other night?”
He nodded. “I had to make sure that you were serious. Maybe we should wait a while.”
“I don’t want to wait. I’ve been waiting twenty
-two years.”
He stared at me. “And what were you waiting for?”
I was quiet for a moment. “The right guy.”
“Am I the right one?”
“I think so.”
“Sadie, if you aren’t sure
, we shouldn’t do this.”
I knew I loved Ethan. There was no doubt. Sometimes you just knew. The only problem was that I didn’t know if he loved me in return. He said he had to have me when he saw me in that bar. And he already committed himself to m
e as my boyfriend. I think he did. “I’m sure.”
He sighed. “Okay.”
I smiled at him. “I want you to be my first. I’ve never been attracted to someone like I am to you. I’ve never felt this way about anyone.”
He grabbed my face and kissed me. “I would be honored, Sadie.”
“Good.”
He growled. “Now I’m going to be thinking about this all night.”
“So will I.”
He growled again.
“I’ll make your legs shake, baby.”
I smiled. “I like it when you call me that.”
“Baby?”
I nodded.
“Good. I like it too.”
“Well, let’s go.”
I opened the door and we left the apartment.
Ethan grabbed my hand. “Anything I need to know about, baby?”
“What do you mean?”
“About your family? What to say and what not to say?”
“No. They are pretty normal. Just be yourself.”
“Okay.”
“Don’t be nervous.”
“Easier said than done.”
I pressed my body against him and placed a gentle kiss on his neck. “You’ll be fine.”
“I just feel awkward knowing I’m going to take your virginity tonight.”
“Don’t think about it.”
“Are you kidding me? I found the most gorgeous girl
alive and I get to be the first man she sleeps with. I’m just supposed to forget about it?”
I smiled. “I’m excited too.”
We left the building and climbed into a cab. Ethan held my hand while we drove down the road. I leaned my head against his shoulder and he placed a kiss on my forehead. I snuggled even closer next to him. I still couldn’t believe Ethan was my boyfriend. I met this guy in a bar and now he was mine. He was beautiful, sweet, sensitive, a dog lover, and he now he was my boyfriend.
When the cab stopped, Ethan paid and we climbed out.
He wrapped his arm around my waist as we approached the entrance to the townhouse. It was petite but very beautiful. My father loved living in the city. He would never move.
I opened the door and we walked inside. Ethan still wore his suit because he came over right
after work, so I hoped that would make my dad like him more. Ethan was obviously educated and successful like my brother was. I hoped that Jared and Ethan would get along. They might have even known each other already.
When we walked into the
house, my father hugged me. “Hello, honey.”
“Hey
, Dad.” He kissed me on the cheek then turned to Ethan. “Nice to see you again.”
Ethan shook his hand. “Thank you for inviting me into your home.”
“Well, any guy that is important to Sadie is welcome here.”
He nodded. “Thank you.”
“I have to go back into the kitchen. I don’t want the tamales to burn.”
“Do you need any help,
Dad?” I asked.
“No, don’t worry about it,” he said as he walked into the kitchen.
I leaned toward Ethan. “He’s obsessed with Mexican food. He cooks it at least three times a week—I’m serious.”
He smiled. “I like Mexican food.”
“Well, that’s a relief. You’re going to be getting a lot of it.”
His eyes turned serious. “I hope so.”
“Come on. I want you to meet my brother. He works on Wall Street too.”
“He does?
Who is he?”
“Jared Montague.”
“Oh?”
I stared at the surprise on his face. “Do you know him?”
“Uh—yeah. We work on the same floor.”
I smiled. “Great. That makes things easier.”
Ethan became very quiet.
I pulled his hand and we walked into the living room. My brother was sitting on the couch, playing with his
phone. I could tell by the angry expression on his face that he was talking to Suzie.
“You still haven’t dumped her yet?”
He sighed. “No.” He looked up at me then turned to Ethan. His stared at him for a long time but didn’t say anything. Ethan didn’t say anything either. It became very quiet.
Ethan found his voice first. “Hey.”
My brother stared at him for a moment. “Yeah,” he said with a nod.
Ethan put his
hands in his pockets and looked around the room.
Jared rose to his feet and stared at Ethan. Then he walked away and disappeared into the kitchen.
I looked at Ethan. “What was that?”
“Uh
, Jared and I aren’t exactly friends.”
“It seems like you hate each other.”
“We just don’t talk much.”
I raised an eyebrow. “What
’s going on?”
Ethan ran his fingers through his hair. I’
d never seen him look so stressed out. “Nothing.”
“Ethan
, I know my brother better than anyone, and I know when he doesn’t like someone. What’s his problem with you?”
“Can we talk about this later
, please?”
After seeing the desperate look on his face, I decided to drop it. “Okay.”
“Thank you.”
My father came into the dining room and placed the food on the table. “Dinner is ready, kids.”
I smiled. He still treated me and Jared like we were children.
Jared set the table l
ike he did when we were younger.
Ethan and I approached the table. He pulled out the chair for me before he sat down beside
me. Since my father sat across from me, Jared sat across from Ethan. To say it was tense would be an understatement. Neither one of them looked at each other. My heart fell. The first time I really liked someone and my brother didn’t like him. And Jared’s opinion really mattered to me. I wanted to be with someone that could be close to my family. If I didn’t solve this dispute between them, our relationship would never work.
My father ate his whole tamale in less than a minute. He was a fast eater. That’s probably where I got it from. “So, do you and Jared know each other from work?” His question was directed at Ethan.
“Yeah. We work on the same floor.”
My father nodded. “Well, that’
s ironic. Or is that how you and Sadie met?”
Ethan shook his head. “No. It’s just a coincidence.”
“So how did you meet my daughter?”
Ethan wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Well, I—”
“At a bar,” Jared answered.
I glared at my brother. I wasn’t sure why he was being rude by cutting off Ethan. It was very disrespectful even if he didn’t like him.
“Yeah,” Ethan added. “I saw her across the room and gave it my best shot.”
I smiled at him. “And you were pretty convincing.”
“I’m sure he’s had a lot of practice,” Jared said.
My father looked from Jared to Ethan but didn’t say anything. “So,
how long have you two been dating?” my father asked.
“For a few days,” I answered. The question was directed at Ethan but I wanted to eliminate some of the heat he was taking. Ethan started to eat his food. Before this
, he couldn’t get a single bite in.
“Oh,” my father said. “When you came by the store
, it seemed like you had known each other for a while.”
“No,” I said
. “But we had a connection really quickly.”
He turned to Ethan. “Thanks for coming to dinner. If my daughter brought you here
, she must really like you. It’s never happened before.”
Ethan glanced at me with soft eyes.
I smiled at him, not embarrassed that I never had someone I thought was worthy of meeting my family. Since he knew I was a virgin, I didn’t feel so ashamed.
“I feel honored,” he finally said.
Jared glared at him. “Do you really, or do you just say that to all of them?”
Ethan averted his gaze.
My father looked at Jared. “What’s your problem, Jared? Treat our guest with respect.”
Jared shook his head and continued to eat his food. My brother was generally nice to everyone
he met. It took a lot to make him angry. The fact that he pretty much hated Ethan had me worried. Ethan must have done something pretty awful to elicit this response from him. We ate the rest of the meal in silence, which I was thankful for. When we were done, I grabbed the plates and took them into the kitchen. I started to wash them then Ethan came in to help me a moment later. We didn’t say anything to one another. I could tell Ethan was upset by the look in his eyes.
When we were finished, we walked back into the living room where my dad and b
rother were watching television on the couch. Ethan sat down and I sat right next to him. Jared glanced at us then looked back the television. I held Ethan’s hand in my own but it felt ice cold. There was definitely something on his mind.