Page 18 of Unfolding Ethan

I raised my eyebrow at the sudden change in his demeanor.

Ethan said, “You have an extra piece of clothing than me.”

I grinned. “Who said I was wearing any underwear?”

I loved the way his pupils widened in shock, surprise and then they were clouded by scorching desire. Biting my lips, I whispered, “I was messing with you.”

Holding the hem of the sweater, I tugged it up and removed it. I straightened my damp hair and shivered. But it wasn’t because of the cold air.

His eyes averted down my breasts, which were barely covered by the ivory lace bralette. As it was wet, he could easily notice my hardened nubs, which were begging for his attention.

We were crossing a dangerous line right now. And I knew neither one of us wanted to step back.

“Your turn,” I managed to whisper.

Ethan didn’t need to be told twice. He removed his dark blue shirt in one tug and even though I was used to seeing his naked torso, my breath hitched in my throat when I gazed at his bare abs standing so close. I could make out every ripple of muscle and the way they moved and relaxed when he threw the shirt beside my sweater. I wanted to step closer, press my body against his and explore every inch of his body while he kissed me.

Licking my lips, I watched his eyes when I moved my hands to remove the black skirt, unbuttoning the buttons on the hem. Taking a deep breath, I let my skirt fall down and pool around my ankles. I stepped out of it and looked at Ethan, who was blushing when I caught him staring at my body even though I wasn’t matching.

His eyes lingered on the hem of my black cotton thong and looked at me as he unzipped his pants. I watched him tug downs his pants past his V-shaped hip bones. I wondered what I would do if I was the one removing his pants. He was wearing black boxers and a noticeable semi-hard bulge.

Oh, fuck.

Was that . . . could it be?

My cheeks warmed when I looked up at him, his hair tousled and eyes hooded. Ethan’s eyes never left my brown ones when he said, “Remove the bralette, Bella.”

What happened to quiet, innocent Ethan?

With a shaky breath, I unclasped the bralette and let my breasts free, removing the straps and throwing it away with our clothes. I trembled when his eyes landed on my bare chest. I bit my lip, watching him rake his eyes over my breasts, making my dusky nipples hard as pebbles when he licked his lips.

I resisted the urge to touch myself and give him a show.

Get a grip, woman!

Grip—where?

Gah!

I took a deep breath and tried to calm my thundering heart when our bare chests were a few inches apart. If I wanted, I could press myself against him and lean on my toes, kissing him on his lips, which looked very inviting.

When I finally found my voice, I said, “Remove your boxers.”

“Together?”

“Together.”

Hooking my fingers around the thong, I slipped it down my legs and threw it away, completely baring myself in front of my best friend.This is it.Now there’s no going back.

My breath hitched in my throat when I glanced down at him and averted my eyes to his face. We were both blushing . . .but goddamn. I would have a boner right now if I had a dick.

I was speechless and standing naked in front of Ethan. I didn’t know what to do. Maybe I needed another push in the cold water to calm my nerves. So, I did just that. I linked my fingers with his and, smiling at him, we dived in the cold water together.

???

We were laughing and splashing water on each other and swimming in the pool, enjoying ourselves. Ethan was maintaining his distance, not touching me anywhere inappropriate even though I wished he would. But I could feel his intense stare on me while I teased him with a backstroke just to get his attention.

Unfortunately, Ethan Kane had a great amount of self-control for an eighteen-year-old.

---