Kiss Me at Midnight (Entangled Flaunt) (4 page)

He was leaving town in just a few days to return to his life. A life that he loved a hell of a lot more than being here in this tortured fucking town. He bent down and picked up his boxers. “Nah. I think I’ll head back to my mom’s house. I don’t do the whole overnight scene. It complicates things.”

“Oh.” She wrapped her arms around herself and nodded. “Okay.”

She looked disappointed. He almost took it back. Almost said he would stay. But then he came to his senses. Getting attached was a bad idea. Getting attached meant making life compromises that he didn’t want to make. He was never,
ever
returning to this town.

But still…

He couldn’t walk away without at least trying to see her again. This was
Ashley
.

Maybe he could put the ball in her court. If she wanted to stick with their one-night plan, then so be it. He’d honor their agreement. But if she was interested in a little bit more? He’d be there, too. Whatever she wanted from him over the next few days were wide open.

But
only
the next few days.

And only after they took the rest of the night apart to think on it.

Bending over, he stepped into his boxers, then his pants. As he shrugged into his shirt, leaving it unbuttoned, he took a deep breath and faced her again. “Do you want to meet up for bowling tomorrow night? Last I remember, we were tied for the championship.”

She looked up at him, her eyes wide. “You have no-holds-barred sex with me and then you want me to go
bowling
with you? Seriously?”

“Sure.” The pure surprise in her eyes made his mouth twitch into a smile. She acted as if he asked her to go murder someone with him for sport or some shit like that. “Why not? It’ll be fun.”

She eyed him. “So you disappear for years, and now you want to go bowling with me like nothing ever happened?”

“I’m not ignoring what I did, or how much of an asshole I w-was.” He met her eyes and broke off, taking a second to collect his thoughts. There it was again. The fucking stutter he despised so much. “But I missed you. I always wished I could have another chance at being your friend. If you’ll let me…I’d like to try to make it up to you.”

She sat up and lifted her knees in front of her; her bare legs, long and lean, showing from top to bottom. He remembered how she’d wrapped them around his waist. It took all of his control to not grab her and haul her back to her bedroom for an all-night sex marathon.

Stay in control. Don’t lose yourself in this woman like you did back in high school.

“I don’t usually do what we just did with my
friends
.” She lifted her chin into the air. “I do it with people I’m never going to see again.”

Ah. His thoughts precisely. But still, it stung.

He inclined his head. “Me, too. But even so, if you’re interested…I’ll be at the bowling alley at eight.” He hesitated at the door. “Thank you for tonight. It was amazing. Everything I’d dreamed it would be and more.”

She pressed her lips together, seeming to hold herself back from saying something. Then, “I didn’t know you imagined it at all.”

He cocked a brow and gave her a once-over, memorizing the way her hip curved just right and the long length of her thighs. The way she looked at him, with her green eyes shining, yet skeptical. “
Every
one knew.”

Pulling the door open, he shut it behind him and walked down the pathway and onto the crowded sidewalk.

Chapter Four

Ashley flopped back on the couch, blinking into the empty living room. If she wasn’t sore between her thighs and favoring her right ass cheek, she’d swear she just imagined that whole thing with Ethan. Because that made a lot more sense than believing that her nerdy friend from high school had just given her the best sex of her life…and then ran away
again
.

He had a thing with running.

She’d known that back when they were kids. But he’d changed so freaking much, she’d thought maybe that annoying personality quirk had changed, too. But apparently not. Some things never changed.

But the Ethan that had been here, the one who knew exactly what to do with her body, had been amazing. So thrilling and confident and sexy. Everything she wanted in a lover and more. Well, minus the whole running thing.

But she could accept it about him.

He hated Rehoboth and pretty much all of the people in it. He obviously hated spending too much time here as well. She could tell he wouldn’t look back once he left. And he was a bachelor who seemed quite content to stay that way for the rest of his life.

It’s who he was.

She was the type of girl who liked no-strings-attached fun, and he was leaving in a few days. Then he’d go back to his life in California, and she would stay here and do her residency at the quaint, local hospital with a smile on her face the whole time because her mom needed her here. And it’s what her dad would have wanted for her to do.

That’s who
she
was.

She wasn’t looking for forever, and neither was he. It was a perfect, carefree match made in temporary heaven. She’d go to the bowling alley tomorrow night. She’d dress to kill, flirt, smile, and reel him in. And this time, he wouldn’t run away afterwards.

She’d make it perfectly clear that she was okay with him leaving. More than okay. This was all about the fabulous sex, and she wanted more of it.

Tomorrow night, she’d go hunting. And she’d catch herself some hot, prone-to-flight, temporary, but intense fun.

She rolled over onto her stomach and picked up her phone, sending a quick text to Rhiannon.
Home and feeling much better
.

It took all of three seconds for her phone to ring. Ashley grinned and answered it. “Happy New Year.”

“Yeah, yeah. Happy New Year” Rhiannon said. “Did you get laid?”

“Oh yeah. Very much so. He rocked my world. And then he took off after thanking me.”

“Sounds like your kind of guy.” Rhiannon laughed. “You enjoy the
wham, bam, thank you ma’am
variety.”

“I do.” Ashley twirled a lock of her hair around her finger. “He’s always been a runner, so I had a feeling it would happen. I think he sleeps with a pair of running shoes on just in case.”

Rhiannon hooted with laughter. “Oh my God, can you imagine?”

“Actually, I totally can.” Ashley hesitated. “But then he broke character and asked me to go bowling with him tomorrow night.”

“Bowling?” Rhiannon snorted. “You’re not going to go…are you? That sounds like a bad idea. It sounds like a
date
.”

“Well, maybe.” Ashley sighed. “But I’m going.”

“
Why
?”

She rolled over onto her back, flinching at the sensitivity between her thighs. He’d taken her and left her wanting more, despite the orgasms he’d brought her. “I think I might want more than a night with him. It was
that
good, Rhi.”

Rhiannon whistled through her teeth. “Are we talking the forbidden
B
word?”

“No. No way.” Ashley rested a hand on her stomach. “He can’t be my boyfriend even if I wanted him to be. He’s leaving on Monday for California. And he’d
never
come back here to live. Not in a million years.”

“So you just want a one night stand…extended into a couple of nights? And you expect not to get attached or want more?” Rhiannon snorted. “I’m telling you now…bad idea.”

Ashley could picture the look of disbelief on her friend’s face as clearly as if she was here on the couch with her. “I know, but I’ll be fine. I know what I’m getting into here. It’s a short-term fling, nothing more. I just want a few more times with him. Hell, he could hold me over for the rest of the year if I had him enough times. It’s that freaking amazing.”

“Maybe
I
should go to that bowling alley,” Rhiannon said, her voice soft.

“Find your own orgasm god. He’s mine.”

“Caring is sharing, you know,” Rhiannon said, the music getting louder in the background. “But since you refuse, I’m going to do exactly that. Find my own.”

“Any prospects?”

“I’ve got my sights set on a guy, and it’s time to close the deal. Wish me luck.”

Ashley smiled. “Good luck, but you don’t need it.”

“Don’t you know it,” Rhiannon said, ending the call.

Ashley dropped the phone on her chest and stared up at the ceiling. It was a quarter after midnight, and she was still wide-awake. She fidgeted for a little while, feeling restless and impatient for tomorrow night. She wanted it to come already so she could get another taste of Ethan. He was addicting.

She picked her phone up and searched him out on Facebook
. Funny that she hadn’t done so before. Some part of her had been scared to see him again—to see if he was happily married in another town. But after tonight, she wanted to know more.

She found his page within seconds. His profile picture was of him standing on a stand-up paddle board in the water, a huge smile on his face. He was wearing a pair of swim trunks and nothing else. He didn’t have the tattoo on his chest in the photo, but it was only two months old. His abs taunted her, even through the photo, and she wanted to lick them all over again. She hadn’t spent enough time on them, enjoying the way they played over his skin, stretching it tight…

Ugh. She was already desperate for more and he’d just left.

She scrolled down his profile, reading his status updates. With how closed off his life seemed to be to others, she couldn’t believe he hadn’t set his profile to private. There were no mentions of girls or drinking or sex with strangers. All he posted about was going to ball games and work and hanging with the guys. There wasn’t a single mention of a girlfriend within the last year…probably longer.

She stopped looking after a year, though.

Next, she went through his pictures, eagerly looking at each one and reading the caption beneath it. He spent a heck of a lot of time at sporting events, which wasn’t too much of a shock. He’d always loved sports, even if he didn’t play them.

She shook her head and scrolled through his friends list, noticing right away that her suspicion of him not keeping in touch with anyone back home was right. There wasn’t a single friend listed from Rehoboth. The only one? His brother, Alex.

He’s obviously put this part of his life behind him. That was perfect. It meant this whole thing didn’t stand a risk of getting sloppy or emotional. They were in the same place in their life…

And neither of them would want more than this weekend.

Chapter Five

The next night, Ethan entered the bowling alley at five to eight. He’d had no expectations of Ashley actually showing up, but damned if she wasn’t standing there watching for him. His heart stuttered in his chest then sped up painfully, and he waved at her with a big smile.

Well, I’ll be damned.

“You came.” He reached out and cupped her cheek. He pressed his lips to her forehead, savoring her scent, then pulled back. His cock hardened, and his heart softened just from that innocent gesture. “I’m glad.”

She rested her hands on his chest, staring up at him with a small smile. “I don’t know why I did. It’s not my thing to hang out, well,
after
.” She shrugged. “Like, ever.”

“Yeah. I get that.” He handed the man behind the counter a twenty. The alley was unusually empty. It looked as if they would have the place to themselves. Maybe everyone else was busy recovering from their hangovers. “Hello.”

“Hey, Ethan.”

Ethan did a double take. “Do I know you?”

“Yeah, it’s Todd. We were in the same homeroom all of high school.”

Ethan studied him. He’ remembered him now. He’d put on a few pounds and had lost the stoner look in his eyes, but it was Todd all right. “Yeah, I remember. You sat behind me.”

Todd flinched. “Yeah. I used to put spitballs in your hair. Sorry about that.”

“It’s fine,” Ethan said, blinking. He’d never expected an apology from Todd. Not in a million years. “It was a long time ago.”

“Yeah, well…thanks for being decent about it.” Todd cleared his throat and turned to Ashley. “Hey, Ashley.”

“Hi,” she said. She stepped closer to Ethan’s side. “How’s it going?”

“Good. You two playing together?” Todd asked, his hand resting on the register.

Ethan nodded. “Yeah. One lane, two games, and a pair of men’s eleven and women’s…?”

She leaned on the counter, her ass jutting out as she did so. “Six and a half, please.”

Todd checked out her cleavage, then went to get the shoes. Ethan fisted his hands, glaring at him, but didn’t say a word. It’s not as if he had a right to care if other men found her attractive, after all. She was fucking gorgeous.

Ethan paid Todd and took the shoes, inclining his head toward lane six. “After you.”

She walked in front of him, her hips swinging with each step, and sat down on the seat. “I haven’t been bowling in years.”

“Me either.” He sat across from her and watched Ashley from under the cover of his bent head. “I probably won’t even hit a single pin tonight.”

She bent down and pulled her brown boots off. Her hair was loose around her shoulders, and she wore a fitted pair of jeans and a snug, purple sweater. Her long legs teased him every time she crossed and uncrossed them.

He wanted them wrapped around his waist again as he buried his cock deep inside of her, making her scream and cry and moan and beg for more.

“It’s empty tonight. We’re the only ones here.”

Good. It meant they could make this even more fun than it usually would be. “Everyone is probably sleeping last night off.”

“Yeah, maybe.” She peeked up at him, then lowered her head when their gazes clashed. Even the ugly pair of bowling shoes didn’t take away from her beauty. “You’re staring, Pierce.”

Yeah. He totally was. He cleared his throat. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” she said, looking up at him and dropping the laces. “What’s up?”

“If you don’t usually see your lovers afterward…” Reaching out, he caught her foot and pulled it into his lap. She sat up straight and watched him. “Why are you here with me?”

“We have nine years to catch up on. I’d like to think we can still talk between doing…other things,” she said, shrugging.

He laughed. “I’m only here till Monday. Then I go back to California, and you’ll be free of me.”

“Yeah, I know how much you hate it here. And with my dad gone and my mom being, well, my mom...” she drifted off and shook her head. “Suffice it to say, I’m back for good.”

“Fuck. How horrible that must be.” He shuddered. He couldn’t think of a worse punishment than having to live in this godforsaken town where everything a person ever did as a child followed him for the rest of his life. “I’m truly sorry for your loss, though. I can’t even imagine.”

She nodded. “I know. But as far as moving back here goes, I don’t mind so much.”

“More power to you.” He trailed his hand up and down her back, tracing her spine absentmindedly. “I don’t think anything could make me come back here.”

Hell, probably not even
her
.

She cocked an eyebrow at him. “So, hypothetically speaking, if we were to, say, agree to be together for the next couple of days…” She ran her finger down his chest and over his abs, only stopping when she hit the waist of his jeans. “How would you feel when that time ran out?”

“Sore, pleased, and tired as all hell.” He hauled her against his cock, biting back a groan when her soft belly pressed against him. “How would
you
feel?”

“The same.” She licked her lips and fisted her hands in his sweater. “But are you sure you wouldn’t want more? You wouldn’t be upset or anything?”

He held out his hand. “I pinky-swear promise.”

“Oh my God.” She rolled her eyes but entwined her pinky with his just like they used to do all those years ago. “Hypothetically…I might be able to agree to these terms. If you do.”

He should probably listen to the warning bells going off in is head screaming that this was a bad idea. He should probably have taken his one-night stand and been damned grateful for it. Because beneath the flirtatious smiled she gave him, she was still the sweet, gorgeous, caring girl he’d once loved with all his teenaged heart. Only now, she was all grown up and drop-dead sexy to boot.

And one hell of a catch…if he were the catching type.

But he wasn’t.

So why the fuck did he say,
I’m all in
?

Eager to regain his equilibrium, he added, “But first, let’s see who the reigning champion is here.”

She grinned and moved closer to him, hiding the fact that she cupped his cock, squeezing with the perfect amount of pressure. “Care to make this interesting?”

He grit his teeth, struggling to control his libido. The girl was a killer with those hands. “Fuck bowling. Let’s go back to your place.”

“Nope.” She let go of him and
tsk
ed. “We’re doing this.”

“Fine.” He smacked her ass, laughing when she jumped and looked at him with heated eyes. Two could play at that game, after all. “But only if the winner gets to take control in bed tonight.”

…

Ashley laughed and nodded, rubbing her butt with false indignation and looking at him over her shoulder. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had so much fun flirting with a guy—especially after she’d already slept with him. She usually avoided the men she had sexual encounters with more so than the bubonic plague. But this time, it wasn’t so black and white.

It was a heck of a lot of grey.

This was
Ethan
. She couldn’t just walk away…even if he had done exactly that to
her
nine years ago.

Freaking, melodramatic teenager that he had been. But now…

If she could get a few more days out of this affair, then she’d gladly take them. Being with Ethan made her feel alive. Free.
Happy
. And she didn’t do happy all that often—not with men, anyway. Most had been completely intimidated by her grueling med school schedule and professional success. So now that she had a boy toy, she’d enjoy it while she could.

She leaned against the scorekeeper and propped a hand on her hip. “If the winner gets to call the shots in the bedroom later, I better be on my
A
game, huh?”

“Baby, you have a better chance of getting struck by lightning than you do of beating me.” He picked up a blue ball and shot a cocky grin her way. “Prepare to be amazed by my super skills.”

She put a hand on her hip. “Keep up that attitude, and your balls will be as blue as
that
ball by the end of the night.”

“Touché.” He lined up with perfect form and rolled the ball…right into the gutter. “Well, shit.”

She covered her mouth and laughed. “I can barely stand from all that
stud-li-ness
, let me tell you.” She fanned her cheeks. “Whew. Hawt.”

He shot her a mock glare then walked behind her. As he waited for his ball to return, he traced the line of her butt, slipping inside of her legs for the barest of seconds. Holy crap, the man was
good
. He managed to do with one simple touch what most men couldn’t do with a compass and a flashlight. “You just wait. It’s all part of my plan. You’ll see.”

“Hmm. A plan, huh?”

He didn’t say anything. Just grinned at her and took his next turn. He knocked down four pins then frowned at the scoreboard.

She shook her head and walked up to the lane. “So, when did you start paddle boarding?”

His brow wrinkled. “How did you know about that?” He leaned against the scorekeeper. “Wait a second. Were you Facebook
stalking me?”

She grinned up at him. “Yeah. What of it?”

“Hmm. It’s kind of cute you care enough to look.” He reached out and ran a finger down her cheek. “And I started in college. Kept up with it for fun. I’m hardly a professional, but I’m pretty good at it, I guess.”

“I saw that.”

He ran his finger down her jaw and over her shoulder. “So, stalking, huh? Should I be flattered or scared?”

“Flattered, of course.” She gripped his waistband and hauled him closer. “I had to check you out before I decided whether or not to show up tonight.”

“Ah, I see.” He leaned in and brushed his lips over her cheekbone.

“Guilty.” Her cheeks heated because he was pretty darn close to home with that guess. “Can you blame me?”

“Mm.” He grinned and moved out of her reach. “I bet you’re wondering who took the picture of me on the paddle board, aren’t you?”

She hadn’t been. But now she was. “Nope.”

“Not curious at all?”

“Nope.” She shooed him out of the way so she could get her ball. “I’m not the jealous type. Besides, it’s not like we’re a real couple or something.”

He came up behind her and hauled her against his chest, his hands on her thighs. “I like the way you think. It’s refreshing.”

“That’s me. A glass of ice-cold water.” She peeked over her shoulder, toward the direction of Todd and the front door. This was all fun and games, but if someone saw them groping each other in the bowling alley, she’d never hear the end of it. “Watch those hands. Someone might see us, you know.”

Ethan shrugged. “I think we’re okay.” He nibbled on her neck. “But if you’re that worried about it…you ready to blow this joint and head home yet?”

Hell yeah, she was. “Nope. I want to
win
.” Holding her ball up at chest level, she moved out of his arms. “Watch and learn, boy.”

“Cocky words from a cocky girl,” he called out, crossing his arms. “Show me what you’ve got.”

“Oh, I will.” She centered herself and let it fly. Strike. Grinning, she held her hands out and said. “Now
that’s
skills, my friend.”

He scowled at her. “Maybe I need some of that luck.”

“It’s not luck. It’s—”

“—Luck.” He grabbed her and bent her back in a dancer’s dip, her hair spilling over his arm and onto the floor. She clung to his shoulders and let out a little squeal. “It’s luck, and you need to share some of it.”

He slammed his mouth down on hers, taking her breath away with one swoop of his tongue. As he kissed her, she forgot all about the game and wanted nothing more than to throw him against the wall and fuck him senseless.

When he pulled away, his brown eyes looked more like molten fire than the chocolate color she’d gotten accustomed to. His breath came out a little unevenly. “Now let me try again.”

He set her on her feet and picked up his ball, walked up to the lane, and threw it. He knocked down one pin.
One
. Back in school, he’d kicked her ass repeatedly. She shook her head at him. “You lost your touch, Pierce.”

He cocked a brow and retrieved his ball. “It didn’t look like I lost my touch when you were in my arms a minute ago.”

“Oh you’ve got
that
going for you, all right.” She crossed her arms and watched him knock down one more pin. “You just suck at bowling.”

But the kiss? Ah, now that had been phenomenal.

“Ow.” He held a hand to his chest. “That hurts. Truly, it does.”

She smiled in what she hoped was an innocent manner. “If the shoe fits…”

“I used to be good at this.” He sighed dramatically and sat down, motioning her forward.

“I see that.”

“Well, what have you spent all these years doing?” He crossed his ankle over his knee. “I didn’t have the foresight to Facebook stalk you, so I don’t know what you do in your spare time.”

“I don’t do anything in my spare time because I haven’t really had any.” She shrugged. “Med school takes up a hell of a lot of time, and I basically slept enough hours to stay alive and spent the rest of them studying.”