Page 29 of Faking the Play

“That’s a good idea,” I said. After a beat, I couldn’t help asking another question. “You weren’t surprised when I said I slept with Ryan.”

“He told me and Logan. No details, of course, but yeah, we both know.”

“And you’re not mad?” I couldn’t breathe while I waited for his answer. As much as it hurt that Ryan hadn’t sought me out after what happened between us, it was nothing compared to the thought that I’d done something to damage the friendship the four of us shared.

He reached out and caught my hand, bringing it up to brush his lips across my knuckles. “I swear, none of us are mad at you. Not for that and not for anything else. We want you to do what you want, not what you think we want.”

“Ryan didn’t push me into anything,” I said quickly. “He’d never do that.”

“Never crossed my mind,” Ethan said, lightly touching my cheek with his free hand. “None of us would pressure you into anything. If you tell us to stop, we’ll stop.”

He kept sayingusandwe, notIandme. Like he was speaking for all three of them. Like they weren’t just okay with my getting physical with all three of them, but they actually expected it. I had no idea what to do with that.

Then again, what else was new? I had no idea what to do with pretty much anything going on in my life right now. My shoulders slumped and I sighed. Maybe coming to the party had been a bad idea. I wasn’t exactly the life of the party when I was in the best mood, and right now, I wasn’t anywhere close to that.

“Something else is bothering you, isn’t it?” Ethan asked, tapping on my nose to get my attention.

He was always more observant than people gave him credit for.

“The ethics committee hasn’t cleared Dr. Isenberg or me yet and he’s getting a lot of pressure from the department head to fire me.” Sharing it with someone should’ve made me feel better, but I still couldn’t shake the cloud I’d had hanging over me all week.

“I’m not going to promise that Isenberg isn’t going to be a coward and cave, but I can promise that if he loses you, he’s going to regret it.” Ethan’s thumb stroked along my bottom lip.

Something in his tone made me wonder if we were still talking about Dr. Isenberg and my job, but I didn’t think I’d be able to handle the answer on top of everything else.

“I’m sorry I’m not better company tonight,” I said. “You should be having fun.”

“I want to be with you tonight,” Ethan said. “I don’t care where. If you want to go home, I’ll take you.” He leaned closer until I could smell the sandalwood aftershave he used. “But I have another idea. One that’ll make you feel a whole lot better. Let’s call it a lesson in letting someone take care of you.”

My heart gave an unsteady thump. “I like the sound of that.”

He stepped forward until his toes were touching mine, his face barely an inch away. “If you want me to stop, just say it.”

I nodded to show that I understood, my breathing already quickening in anticipation. We stared at each other as his hand skimmed down my side, barely touching the fabric of my dress until he got to the hem. I caught my breath when his hand went underneath, fingers brushing against my bare leg. Trails of heat followed his path around to the inside of my thigh and then further up until he brushed against my panties.

“I’m gonna make you feel good, baby,” he murmured. “But you can’t scream, okay? We don’t want anyone coming out here to investigate or maybe call the cops. Understand?”

He said all this as he stroked over the dampening fabric and I nodded frantically, needing him to just get on with it. I shifted, spreading my legs wider, and he laughed, but it wasn’t his usual laugh. No, this was something deeper, the kind of sound a man made when he knew exactly how crazy he made me.

“We need to be quick,” he added. “So don’t hold back. You come as soon as you can, okay?”

I nodded again, biting my bottom lip to keep from begging him to please touch me. He must’ve seen the need on my face though because he gave me one of those cocky smirks before sliding his hand up and then into my panties. His fingers moved through the thin curls on my mound and then down between my legs. I let out a shuddering breath as a single finger parted my folds and brushed over my clit.

I grabbed onto his forearm, not to stop him, but just because I needed to touch him. As he pushed his finger inside me, the heel of his hand pressed against my clit with just the right amount of pressure and friction. I started to moan, unable to stop the sound from escaping, and he immediately covered my lips with his. I opened for him eagerly, coaxing his tongue into my mouth even as he began to move his finger in and out of my body.

Pleasure began to build inside me and I rocked against his hand. He broke the kiss, then, to whisper two commands.

“Ride my hand. Make yourself come.”

Then his mouth slammed into mine, his teeth bruising, tongue plundering. I grabbed the front of his shirt, my hips jerking back and forth even as he added a second finger. The pressure was almost too much and I found myself hovering at the edge, unable to tip over. Frustrated tears formed and one slipped down my cheek.

“Amelia, baby, are you okay?” Ethan asked.

“Can’t come.”

Despite how roughly he was driving his fingers into me, his kiss to my cheek was gentle. “I’ve got you.”

And then he curled his fingers inside me, pressing against a spot that sent fireworks off through my entire body, and that pressure finally released in a flood of white-hot pleasure that burned away everything else.

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