Page 15 of Ethan

I clapped my hands together. "Daniel came in to see me yesterday."

"Jeez, finally," Liam said. "I thought we'd given up on that guy."

"I think it took him a while to work up his nerve." I poured myself a pint of beer. "That's the impression I got anyway. We talked about his family. He's divorced."

"He was married to a woman for twenty-two years," Owen added. "He has kids."

"Doesn't mean he can't go after what he wants," Liam said. "Our Ethan is a catch."

"Is that what he wants?" Noah asked. "Does he want you that way?"

"He certainly knows how to get my motor running." I took a sip of my ale. "We did some flirting. And he did this thing … a bit unexpected. Kind of a new sensation for me."

Noah frowned. "What did he do?"

"Complimented me and the work I've done around the coffee shop."

"I'm lost," Owen said. "So what?"

"It was my body's reaction that threw me off. I wanted to crawl into his lap and have him keep talking to me as I nuzzled against him. For him to keep the approving words coming."

No one spoke.

Then Liam started laughing.

It irked me. "What's so funny?"

"Ethan, my friend," Noah said. "Sounds like you might have a bit of a praise kink."

I furrowed my brow. "That's never been a thing with me before."

"Maybe Daniel brings it out in you," Owen concluded.

I wasn't sure if that revelation should concern me. I'd always loved attention, but I never considered myself to be needy like that. To be desperate for praise.

I took a sip of my beer.

Maybe Owen was right. Something about Daniel's presence yesterday had released a secret cage of butterflies in my gut. I suspected I would never feel whole again until he put his hands on me. His touch would soothe me and make me feel safe. And I desperately wanted that.

"Maybe," I said.

"My turn." Owen drew the attention away from me. "I've decided to start dating again."

"Oh, thank God." Liam stood and caught Owen's hand in an arm-wrestling grasp across the table. "I couldn't bear another dream recollection of you being fucked by some celebrity."

Owen retrieved his phone. "I've updated my dating profile."

I reached for his phone. "Let me see." I took Owen's phone and scrolled through the profile he had written for himself. It was boring and so not sexy. "Reads like a job posting."

Liam snagged the phone out of my hand. "Let me spice it up."

Owen groaned. "Please don't. I'm not looking for a one-night stand. I want to find a husband. Whatever you write is not going to appeal to a man who wants the same thing."

"Not true," Noah said. "Guys looking for husbands want hot sex too."

"That shouldn't be the first thing on their minds." Owen tapped on the table. "Liam."

Liam was typing furiously and grinning.

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