Two Outta Three (Two Outta Three #1) (12 page)

“Oh, you’re early?” I asked weakly.

“Uh, yeah. A full day early, actually.” His eyebrows knitted. “Where are your parents?”

“Out of town,” I sighed.

His face instantly relaxed and broke into a smile “Oh that explains why I haven’t heard from you. Probably just stressed manning the store, huh? I was getting a bit worried, but now I see you’re just being that business guru I know and love.”`

Love? What the fuck?

I was vaguely aware that Jesse had stopped stacking butt plugs and was listening in. Frowning, I tugged at Ethan’s sleeve and led him away from the cash wrap.

“Welcome back, Ethan,” I said good-naturedly. “Is there something I can help you with?”

His frown returned. “Well, uh, I was hoping I could take you out tonight. You know, to make up for the date we missed.”

“Oh! Um…”

What was wrong with me? He’s an awesome guy, why couldn’t I just give him a chance?

I bit the inside of my cheek and frowned. “I’m still stressed with my parents being gone…”

“We don’t have to stay out late,” he said quickly. “In fact, let me come over to your place and I’ll cook for you. That way we can just relax in sweats and watch a bad flick.”

Come on, Rocky. Don’t throw away something good for something that will never happen.

I pressed my lips together and smiled, though I was pretty sure it didn’t reach my eyes. “Sounds great.”

He smacked his hands together and grinned. “Okay, see you at seven.”

I nodded my head, never losing my practiced smile. Ethan obviously took it as a good sign and reached over to wrap his arms around me and place a chaste kiss on my lips. It wasn’t our first kiss or anything and definitely more innocent than our last, but yet I felt a bit wrong accepting it.

“See you later,” he called out in excitement.

“Bye.” I wiggled my fingers and felt my body lurch forward. “Oomph. Hey, what’s the big idea?”

Jesse didn’t answer. One hand on either side of a big box, he stomped his way back towards The Dungeon, disappearing inside.

Chapter 16

When Ethan said the words ‘relax’ and ‘sweats,’ I don’t think he realized how literal I’d take them. It was nearing seven o’clock and I was in my favorite pair of oversized sweatpants, huge North Carolina State hoodie, and my pair of unicorn bedroom slippers. By the time Ethan rung my doorbell I was already dozing off on the couch. I opened the door mid-yawn.

“I love how you’re so comfortable around me,” Ethan commented as he stepped through my door. Unlike mine, his sweats looked crisp and new. They were definitely designer and I’d bet any amount of money that he bought them specifically for tonight. He reached out and placed his hands lightly at my hips, leaning forward to plant a kiss on my lips. Though still chaste, it was certainly more intense than what he had laid on me at the store.

“Err, uh, yeah sorry. I guess I’m just tired from work.” I rubbed my eyes, though I was no longer sleepy.

“Tired from the sex-po? Has a ring to it, doesn’t it?”

Hearing Ethan speak sexually didn’t have the same effect on my body as when Jesse spoke about it. I bit my tongue, tempted to tell him to stop talking, but merely followed him as he lugged two bulging grocery bags into my kitchen.

It was odd having him over without my parents being home. Though I was no longer a child sneaking my friends into my room at midnight, it still felt…wrong.

“So what are you cooking?” I asked, desperate to focus on anything but the day’s event.

“Italian,” he answered with a smile.

Of course he’d think a Rossi wanted Italian food. Little did he know that cooking Italian
for
an Italian was quite a tough act to achieve. I definitely gave him points for bravery.

I watched as he dug into the brown bags, pulling out cans of tomato paste, a box of pasta, and some canned basil.

His head snapped back and forth. “Where are your pots?”

“Over there,” I pointed to the top cupboard, whose handle reminded me of the cabinet at work. My stomach churned with guilt remembering how bad I laid it on Jesse. I wanted to apologize to him, I really did. Of course it would have helped if I had his phone number. That fact alone reminded me that I still knew nothing about him. Shaking my head to rid myself of bad thoughts, I asked, “Do you need help?”

“No, I got this. Just sit and relax.” Ethan ripped off the top of the box and poured the hard noodles into an empty pot.

I fought an internal battle on whether or not I should tell that the water needed to be boiled first. He looked too happy and deciding it wasn’t worth ruining another person’s day, I nodded my head and pulled up a seat.

“Ah, so I have an audience. Should I start narrating my moves like in those cooking shows?” He winked and picked up a can, waving his hands in front like a magician.

I shook my head. “Nah, let’s just talk about something else.”

“Something like what?”

I shrugged and flicked at the woven placemat in front of me. “I don’t know. Exciting stuff?”

“Exciting?” He paused and gazed at me silently.

I shifted around in my seat and chuckled weakly. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I think you’re pretty exciting.”

My bottom teeth gnawed against my top lip. “At least someone does.”

Almost an hour later we were sitting on my couch, plates sopping with noodles and TV trays separating us. Though Ethan was desperate to have a normal meal at our dining table, I reminded him how much I needed to relax. Begrudgingly, he agreed to eat in front of the television, which I found a big relief. I wasn’t sure how long I could keep a pleasant face when deep inside I was still fuming.

The thing about my mom is that she loves interior decorating. It’s an interest she showcases at Rossi’s and an interest that is apparent in our overly cha-chi’d out living room. From weird figurines to wall prints, we were surrounded by the most detailed, and sometimes ugly, décor. Unfortunately, this love for design influenced her choice in buying our “lovely” couch. The tiny four legged couch was more of a loveseat than anything. Ethan and I found ourselves squeezed together, our thighs touching and elbows rubbing each time we took a bite.

Maybe not eating at the dinner table was a bad idea after all.

“So tell me about your day,” he requested, slicing up a meatball. I’d never seen anybody slice a meatball before and watched him with strange interest.

“Um, nothing much to talk about. You were there for the most exciting part,” I said glumly, stuffing a clump of rubbery noodles in my mouth. Bless his heart, but Ethan could not cook to save his life.

“Yeah, about that…I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something.”

I expected him to continue, but was met with silence. The white noise emanating from the T.V. did little to soothe my nerves and curiosity. I cocked my head to the side and frowned. “Weren’t you going to say something?”

“Um…” He let out a stale laugh and scratched his head. “I really don’t know how to ask you this.”

Too soon for a proposal!

“But did anything go on with you and Jesse?”

I blinked in surprise. “What?”

“Like do you two have a history?” His face was scrunched up in a way that made him look like a little boy. I would have felt sorry for him if I wasn’t so surprised by his question.

I swallowed the lump that was quickly forming inside my throat. “We’re friends.”

Well, it was the truth.

He rolled his jaw and shrugged his shoulders pathetically. “It just seems that there’s something there, you know?”

My eyes tightened and my lips straight. “No, I don’t.”

“The way he looks at you…I know that look because it’s the same way I look at you.”

I felt myself lean back into the uncomfortable couch cushions. Ethan had to be imagining it, right? Jesse could never think of me that way. Beside myself, I shook my head. “No, he doesn’t look at me in any way but a friend…if we’re even that anymore.”

“Oh yeah, you had a falling out.” He bowed his head and nodded it slowly as if he were thinking about his next words. “That doesn’t explain the way you look at him.”

Okay, he got me there.

I shifted and began to bounce my knee anxiously. When I realized I was shaking the couch with enough force to jerk Ethan forward, I calmed my restless leg. “If I look at him in any particular way it’s because I’m happy to have him back. He used to be my best friend.”

“Stephanie?”

“Another one of my best friends,” I corrected. I took a deep breath and pressed my lips together into a smile. “I can confidently say there is nothing going on between Jesse and me.”

Even if I wished there was.

“Phew.” He sighed and rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand. “Good. It’s hard to fight the ghost of an ex, especially when they’re standing right in front of you.”

“Well, he’s not my ex.” My tone was firm, but I didn’t know if I was being argumentative with him or with the thoughts Stephanie embedded in my head. Changing the subject, I lifted my fork. “This is some really great pasta. You did a great job.”

It was a blatant lie, we both knew it. Yet I could tell he was pleased with my effort.

Grinning, he reached out and squeezed my arm. “I’m glad you like it. I’ve been trying to impress you since I met you. Glad to know I finally did. You’re a hard girl to please.”

“I’m really not.”

***

After dinner, Ethan and I found ourselves watching a weird episode of
Law and Order
. Though I acted as if I were completely mesmerized with the NYPD, I really had no idea what was going on. All I could concentrate on was the way Ethan inched over methodically during each commercial break. By the time the gavel was pounded, Ethan was practically sitting in my lap.

“What are you doing?” I laughed half-heartedly.

“You know I don’t expect anything tonight, right?” he asked in all seriousness.

“What?”

Crap. Are we really having the sex talk right now?

“I won’t force you to do anything and if you feel uncomfortable, it’s fine.”

What the fuck was he getting at?

I bit my lip nervously. “What are you trying to say?”

“We’re alone in a house and I know that usually calls for some action.” He let out an awkward chuckle and winced a bit.

“Ethan…”

“What I’m trying to say is that I just want to kiss you. I want to hold you. We don’t have to have sex.”

I stared at him blankly. “What makes you think I wanted to have sex tonight?”

The blood instantly drained from his face. “I didn’t mean…I’m…uh…It’s after the third date and I thought…” He bowed his head and sighed. “That came out crass, didn’t it? I wanted you to feel comfortable around me, but I ended up making accusations.”

“Um, don’t worry about it. It’s fine. Really.” I didn’t know whether I was trying to convince him or myself. Oh, God, why was this so uncomfortable?

He nodded slowly. “Well, I was wondering if I could at least kiss you.”

“We’ve kissed before, Ethan,” I reminded him. “You really don’t have to ask.”

“You can’t just take kisses, Rocky. You have to be blessed with them.” His blue eyes sparkled with sincerity and looked like pools of calm water. My heart couldn’t help but melt as I stared into them.

He really was a nice guy. So why did he lack the passion I was craving? Why didn’t I feel the same electric shocks that shot up and down my core whenever Jesse walked into the room?

That’s just it. They’re electric shocks. Those aren’t supposed to be good.

I sat back and stared at Ethan. He was the kind of guy I should have been after all along. Sweet, smart, and extremely considerate—maybe it was time to put away childhood fallacies and grow up.

Grow up.

That’s what Jesse and I did, wasn’t it? We grew up and we grew apart. It was time to accept the inevitable fact and quit trying so hard to revert back to childish behavior just to connect with one another. Maybe there would never even be that same connection anymore…

Perhaps it was a way to silence the voices inside my head. Or maybe it was a way to prove something to myself that I so desperately wanted—
needed
—to believe. Whatever the reasoning, I reached out and wrapped my fingers around his neck and pulled him towards me. Though I caught him by surprise, he basically dove into my body, placing firm kisses along the side of my face—
what the fuck?
—leading a trail to my lips. Once his mouth planted against mine, he pried it open and stuck his tongue inside, yet still kept his hands propped chastely at the top of my back.

I rolled my eyes through closed lids and gently led his hands down to the arch of my back. I don’t know why I did so. In the back of my mind I was telling myself to stop, but I just couldn’t. I desperately wanted to fall out of Jesse’s spell and if it meant a hardcore make out session with a hot guy, so be it.

Diving head first in what was soon to be a pool of regret, I coaxed him to the floor and pulled off my sweater, leaving him staring at my chest in awe. I fought an urge to ask if he’d ever seen boobs before and was glad when he stopped gawking and pulled off his own t-shirt to reveal his own chiseled goodness.

Wow. I did not know clean cut Ethan had the body of Kellan Lutz hidden under his stuffy clothes. He really was the perfect guy, wasn’t he?

Ethan took his time, trailing soft kisses down from my cleavage to my stomach. My skin felt warm, heating up each time his soft lips landed on my body. I was definitely turned on, but any wetness I had immediately dried up as soon as he reached my crotch.

When he thumbed the waistband of my sweats he paused, running his fingertips along the ruffled inside of the elastic. He was waiting for me to say go ahead, but I couldn’t. The words “just the tip” flooded my brain and I knew there was no way I could go any further. I didn’t want to lose my ‘technical’ virginity. At least not this way.

“No.” I pushed his hand away.

Ethan immediately pulled back and sat on his haunches. His breaths were fast and his face was shiny with sweat. My gaze trailed after a glistening drop, which slid slowly down his pectoral muscles before landing on the floor.

“Are you okay?” He pushed himself up and held out his hand to stand me up.

“Yes.” My palms were sweaty, but he didn’t seem to care. Once I was on my feet, he reached out to grab my sweater, which I took gratefully. “Thanks.”

He nodded once and smiled softly. “Like I said, I’ll never make you do anything that makes you uncomfortable. I never break my promises.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard those words before.”