Page 18 of Wish You Weren't Here
I don’t want to say goodbye, not yet. I can’t just let him leave. Plus, I want him so bad.
‘We could go to the office,’ I suggest in a whisper. ‘It’s just a PIN code to get in, and people often work late there, so no one will think anything of us coming and going.’
Ethan raises his eyebrows.
‘Wow,’ he says. ‘That’s so… hot.’
‘We could go to Jennifer’s office,’ I tell him.
‘Well, I would love to meet the original Jennifer again,’ he says. ‘Because I think she’s got a computer that needs some very intensive, very deep repairs.’
‘Yes, I do,’ I say seriously. ‘But… I can’t afford to pay you…’
I smile at my own silly role-play voice.
‘We’ll think of something,’ he says. ‘I’ve got a floppy disk that needs transferring to a hard drive.’
I snort with laughter.
‘Okay, even I know enough about tech to get that one,’ I reply.
Ethan picks me up in his arms and kisses me slowly and deeply.
Yep, I’m too weak to back out now.
‘Let’s go,’ he says.
We make the short journey to the dock, where the office is.
‘You’re a bad girl, aren’t you?’ Ethan teases as we approach the door.
‘You’re the one leading me astray,’ I tell him.
He rests his hands on my hips as I type in the code.
‘Maybe…’ he replies.
It’s hard to say who is the ringleader, really, I think we’re as bad as each other. Either way, it feels right.
8
Lying in Jennifer’s office, on her sofa – well, technically Ethan is on her sofa and I’m on him – I can’t help but smile.
We’re tangled together like we’ve been doing this for years. I’ve got my head on his chest, his heartbeat a steady rhythm beneath my ear, while my hand traces the contours of his abs.
The room is dark, the only light coming from the well-lit dock outside. It’s a dreamy, glowing light – perfect for a dreamy situation. I can’t believe I’m here – in more ways than one.
‘That was fun,’ Ethan says, his voice vibrating through his chest.
‘It really was,’ I reply, letting out a deep, contented sigh. The kind of sigh that only comes after a night like this, where everything just clicks into place. ‘Are you always so much fun?’ I ask, tilting my head up to look at him, a playful smile on my lips.
He laughs.
‘Life is short,’ he replies simply. ‘Are you always so much fun?’
‘I thought I was, but when I’m with you, I don’t know, it’s something else,’ I admit, my voice softer now. ‘Obviously, I likedthe look of you when we first met, but… I don’t know… it’s different.’
‘I’ve never flirted with a woman who was pretending to be someone else,’ he says, a teasing edge to his voice. ‘I knew you weren’t Jennifer, by the way. That’s why I pretended to be IT support.’
