Page 79 of Tease Me

“I’m sorry,” Ethan said. “Too much?”

“No, it’s not that,” she replied.

“Really?” he asked, staring at her with a knowing smile. “I get it. I just slipped back into couple mode. I know that this isn’t about building a relationship. This is fucking to forget, right?”

“You make it sound so cheap.”

He shrugged. “When human beings get hurt, they need comfort.”

“But doesn’t it feel strange that we both know this is what we’re doing?”

He smiled. “Doesn’t it feel great that we’re both getting the comfort we need?”

He was right. She needed this. Forgetting the feel of Beau on her skin, beinginher, was a memory she wanted to erase.

“You’re right.” She smiled. “I need this.”

He stretched out his hand, offering her the chance to choose. Tentatively, she slid her hand into his and let him lead the way.

Ethan’s place didn’t look like much from the outside, but inside, the loft conversion was edgy and minimalist, and she immediately liked it.

“It’s not much,” he said.

“No, I like it. It’s no-nonsense, to the point.”

He wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her into the line of his body. She could feel the strength in his arms, the pull she felt toward him. About a month ago, she would’ve happily kept him as a fuck buddy. Leaning in slowly, he kissed her slowly and thoroughly until she was left panting for air. His hands ran down her arms, settling on her waist before sinking lower.

Beau used to touch her like this. Beau.HerBeau. She broke the kiss, staring at him. He sighed.

“You’re thinking about him, aren’t you? The guy you walked away from?”

Guiltily, she nodded. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I get it. Too soon?”

She stepped away, her legs a little shaky. “I’m sorry.”

“Nah, don’t be. If I’m honest, it feels a little weird to me too. I can’t stop thinking about my ex.”

Evangeline laughed. “We’re a good pair, aren’t we? We can’t even get over our exes?”

Ethan grinned. “At least we tried, right?” She nodded. “How about this: we watch some trashy TV and get drunk.”

“Actually, that sounds perfect.”

“So what areyou going to do?” Ethan asked, scooping out a handful of popcorn from the bowl sitting between them. Never in a million years did she thinkthisis where they’d end up. How did this go from a straightforward hookup to them hanging out and talking about running bars and where their former relationships went wrong?

“What can I do?” She took her own handful of popcorn, dropping it into her mouth. “He knows that I know about Lisa’s lies, but he never came back to the club. That’s got to mean something, right?”

He shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. If I’d just found that out?” He whistled through his teeth. “I’d want to just be alone to process that for a while.”

“You think I should just leave him to think?”

“Maybe for a day or two. Then I suggest you just go over there and apologize for being a damn fool.”

“Hey,” she replied in mock outrage, throwing some popcorn at him. “I had a legitimate reason for being angry with him.”

Ethan flicked some popcorn from his shoulder. “Yeah, you did, but from what it sounds like, you were also being stubborn.”

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