Page 69 of Game Changer
The beauty expo reminded me of when I was a little girl and my parents would let me pick out candy at the grocery store. It didn’t happen often, but the array of flavors and selections overwhelmed me. I didn’t know where to look first, and as Ethan guided me through the different vendors, never complaining when I stopped at each one, I was a little girl picking out candy all over again.
Hair tools, makeup brands, skin products. The list was endless. We got a goody bag for buying tickets, but it nearly doubled in size with all the free samples. It was like freaking Christmas when we finally got back to the hotel room with our arms loaded with bags.
“I can’t wait to try these products out on my clients,” I gush. “God, tonight has been the absolute best, and it’s all because of you.” After I put the bags in my suitcase, I twirl around to throw my arms around his neck.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispers, drawing me closer. I’m flush against his chest, and my breath quickens when his hands skim the sides of my dress until they reach the hem. “So, have you finally accepted your fate as a cosmetologist, or are you going to deny it for a bit longer?”
“I think tonight has changed my perspective on a lot of things. The whole point of this year was to find ourselves, right?”
He nods as his fingertips rub the backs of my thighs.
“Well, I think by reconnecting with you, you’ve given me the courage to be true to myself. Finishing cosmetology school was one of the proudest moments of my life, but I thought then that it’d never be my full-time career. I didn’t think it would be possible, but you . . .” I blink away tears. “You push me in the best ways, Ethan. You’ve made me realize that Icando this if I want to, and I can’t thank you enough.”
And next weekend at my parents, I’m not only going to fight for you, but I’m fighting for myself too.
“Well, I’m glad you feel that way because you do the same for me. I’ve been thinking a lot about myself, too, and I decided to go and change my major on Monday.”
My eyes grow wide as saucers. “What? That’sincredible, Ethan! Are you kidding? I’m so happy for you! It’s for sports education, right? Please tell me it is.”
“Yeah.” A bashful hint to his tone has me melting against him. “I haven’t told the kids or Ronnie yet that I’m accepting the assistant position. Thinking about surprising them with the news next Sunday at the game.”
“I’m so proud of you. Seriously. You’ve worked so hard to figure out who you want to be, and I think coaching is theperfectjob for you.”
We may have been two messes at the start of the semester, but slowly and surely, we’ve helped each other uncover the layers to see what’s underneath. Ethan with his passion for coaching; me with my clients and my love for cosmetology. We’ve stepped into who we’ve always wanted to become, and tonight, I realize I don’t want to give this up for anything.
Not my clients, and certainly not Ethan.
As if he’s thinking the same, he wraps his fingers around the hem of my dress and tugs it over my head. The fabric falls to a heap on the floor, leaving me in nothing but heels and the lingerie I sent him photos of earlier.
My skin heats beneath his gaze. His pupils have darkened into the dangerous stare I’ve grown to love. One that promises a version of ecstasy that draws a fine line between pain and pleasure. But I trust him enough to know it would never result in pain. No, his torture only coexists with endless orgasms.
“I’ve been thinking about you in this set all damn night,” he mutters more to himself than me. His fingers toy with the bra strap, snapping it into place before he jerks his head to the mattress. “Get on the bed, Maya.”
He doesn’t have to tell me twice.
I’m lying on my back in a matter of seconds, listening to the sound of a foil packet opening before he crawls on top of me. He pauses when he looks at me again, and the danger that flashed in his eyes a moment ago fades, replaced by an expression far softer.
My hair is fanned out around me on the pillow, and my makeup (despite what he claims) is probably a disaster, but it’s impossible to feel anything but beautiful when he’s staring at me like that.
He hesitates, but only briefly before he bends down to kiss me.
Previously, our kisses were intended to ravish and fuck each other senseless, but this kiss is different. It’s slow. Deliberate. Every move he makes with his tongue against mine is filled with intention.
I used to believe slow kissing would never turn me on, but Ethan Davis has me changing my mind as he presses his lips to the tiny heart tattoo on the inside of my wrist, then to the cross on my forearm before dipping his head down to the belly button piercing I always catch him staring at. He flicks his tongue against the crystal sun charm, and my hips buck at the ceiling before my hands drag through his hair to pull him impossibly closer.
He grabs my leg to hook it around his lower back, grinding his cock against my center, where it’s exposed by the lingerie. His motions remain slow and sure, and everywhere his hands touch feels like velvet against my sensitive skin. I canfeelthe emotion between us, and even though we aren’t saying it, those three words have made their way into the void. It’s hard to deny them when Ethan whispers my name like a sacred prayer.
I whimper at the loss of his lips, but when he reaches between us to sink into me, nothing has ever made me feel more complete. He’s kissing my collarbone now as he moves his hips at a slow, sensual pace, and I squirm beneath him from how turned on this new level of intimacy is making me. I’ve never had sex like this before. Never had a man stare at me like if I’m the last thing he’d ever see in this world, he’d die happy.
“I know.” He answers my thoughts, his throat strained from holding back his impending release. “Let go for me, Maya. I’ve got you.”
It’s the first of many rounds tonight, I’m sure, so I follow his command and allow him to push me over the edge. He stills seconds later, cursing in the crook of my neck while simultaneously whispering sweet nothings in my ear, and honestly, my life has never felt more complete. I never thought I’d use that word to describe it, but here I am, wishing for nothing else at this moment.
As we’re panting down from our high, Ethan rolls onto his back and asks the one thing I wasn’t prepared for. “Why did you ghost me all those months ago? And not the fake reason. I mean therealone.”
Just like that, he took a needle to my balloon of peace, and my post-orgasmic state pops. “You’re still thinking about that?”
“Who wouldn’t? I mean, I don’t want to ruin the mood, but it’s a constant fear in the back of my mind that it’s going to happen again, and I can’t be all in if—” He shakes his head and stares at the ceiling. “I’ve worked hard to get where I am. That’s all. Taking a risk on us is worth it, but I’m afraid of the repercussions if this blows up in my face a second time.”
