Cherishing You (8 page)

I decide to hell with it; he’s seen me without makeup thousands of times, and today shouldn’t be any different. Besides, his opinion doesn’t matter. I’m not trying to impress him—he has Kelly for that. Not to mention, I’m not looking for a relationship with him either; I’m going back to Texas in a few days, and I won’t have time to deal with anything long-distance.

I start heading down the stairs and see Ethan standing by the door with Mom. He stops in mid-sentence, staring at me.

“Uh, hi. What you doing here?”

“I actually came to see your mom. It’s been a while since I stopped in and I haven’t seen Bev at the shop, so I figured I would check on her. I figured since I was here, I’d see if you were busy. I thought maybe you’d want to take a walk or ride with me. You know, if you weren’t too busy and all,” Ethan says, locking eyes with me. I love those crystal-blue orbs.

“I’m actually kind of busy, was just going to help Mom start dinner. Dad will be home soon, and we usually have everything done by the time he gets home. It makes for a relaxing evening.” I know I’m babbling, but I can’t seem to stop. I can feel my cheeks getting warm.
Great, so now I look like a jackass on top of everything else today.

“Oh, sweetheart, you’re fine. Go on and talk with Ethan, I can handle dinner on my own. I’ve been doing it by myself for over twenty years now, in case you didn’t notice, and amazingly you’ve all survived.” Mom puts her arm around my shoulder, giving me a squeeze.

“Of course you can handle it, Mom, but I told you I’d help you—”

Mom interrupts me. “I know you did, but now you have company. Go on, just be back in about an hour. And Ethan, I’d love for you to join us for dinner.”

“Yes, ma’am, I would love to. Thank you for the invitation.” He winks at me.

“Well, all right then, it’s all settled. I’ll see you both back here in about an hour.” With that, she turns around and goes to the kitchen, leaving me standing there with Ethan staring at me. I’m nervous. My heart is telling me to jump in his arms and take another earth-shattering kiss, but my brain is shouting to run away from him.

I decide neither is going to happen, so I put a smile on my face and ask, “Where to?”

“Since we’re having dinner in an hour, how about we stay close and take a walk to the pond? That way, we can have more time to talk. If you don’t mind, I have some things I’d like to discuss with you.”

“Okay, sounds good to me.” I walk past him and out the door, putting my hands in my back pockets since I don’t know what else to do with them, and I don’t trust myself not to touch him. The more I’m around him, the harder it is, and I’m afraid if we have another episode like today, it won’t end so well. I don’t know if I can pull myself away again.

We walk in silence until we reach the dock. Without saying anything at all, I pull my sandals off and sit on the edge of the dock, my feet dangling in the water, just like we’ve done countless times before. Except this time is different; this time, there’s some kind of charged tension in the air, so thick I can feel it crackling.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Ethan asks, pulling off his work boots and socks.

I don’t say anything for a minute; I need to gather my thoughts, which is proving hard to do with him so close to me. He’s sitting right beside me, dangling his feet in the water as well. I notice he rolled up his pants legs so they wouldn’t get wet, and I wish he’d taken them off instead. Then I take in his sexy calves.

Ugh, is he trying to kill me?

Bumping our shoulders together, Ethan says, “Hey, it’s just me. I’m the same guy I was before you left for college, the same guy who’s gone swimming in this exact same pond with you hundreds of times before. Talk to me, please?”

I turn to look at him and am taken aback by the pleading I see in his eyes. I don’t understand why he’s pushing this so much. He isn’t the one who’s been alone all this time; he’s the one who has a wife sitting at home, who’s probably wondering where he is as we speak.

I shake my head and look out at the water.

“Look, Ethan. You’re right, you
are
the same guy who was here when I left, and yet you aren’t. For one, I don’t know what you’ve been doing but you’re a hell of a lot more muscular than when I left—not that I’m complaining. Also, you’re not a cheater, and you know I’m not either, so whatever this attraction is between us has to stop. I miss you and I would love to be friends, but we can’t be sneaking in kisses and have all this sexual tension that’s been building up between us. I just can’t do it.”

Ethan sits there for several minutes, staring at the water swirling around our feet without saying a word. He doesn’t need to for me to know there’s a battle going on in his head; I can see the tug-of-war on his face. He knows I’m right, but he must be fighting the same feelings I am.

Turning and looking at me, I see the sadness in his eyes. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have kissed you. I didn’t realize you were seeing someone. If I had known, I wouldn’t have. No worries though; I’ll be respectful to you always. I’m truly sorry we had that blowup. I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’m sorry too, I wish it never happened.” I pause, his words finally sinking in. “What? Wait a minute . . . Did you just say I was seeing someone? Why would you think that?”

“Didn’t you just say I’m not a cheater and neither are you? Well, I assumed that meant you had a boyfriend in Texas. Why else would you say it?”

“No, Ethan, I don’t have a boyfriend in Texas, or anywhere else for that matter. Do I need to spell it out for you? I’m talking about Kelly—you know, your
wife
. Why would you be kissing me when she’s at home with your child? As good as it felt, we can never do that again.”

Shaking his head, he looks up at the sky and back at me, and then he starts laughing, so hard he might just roll off the dock. Then again, I may just push him off it for laughing at me.

“What is so funny?” I glare at him.
How the hell can he be laughing at me right now?

“You are, this is, we are—the whole situation is! You mean to tell me you think Kelly and I are together?”

“Aren’t you? You told me you were going to ask her to marry you, remember? She had your child, and you would never abandon your child. Which, by the way, I never thought for a minute you would. But just because you got her pregnant didn’t mean you had to marry her. Then you said she would keep the baby from you if you didn’t marry her, which I told you was absurd and was all the more reason not to marry a conniving bitch like that anyway. Excuse my language, but she tends to bring out the worst in me—”

Without saying another word, Ethan turns his body towards me and, pulling my chin up to him, he lands a powerful kiss on my mouth, shutting me up. His tongue swipes across my lower lip, and I feel my mouth open as if it has a mind of its own. It’s not like I could—or even would—stop it anyway at this point. All thought has left my brain at the moment; all I can think about is more. I want more with Ethan. I want more of him, everywhere.

I’m so caught up in this passionate kiss that I didn’t even realize I’ve twisted my hands in his hair. It doesn’t matter; it just fuels me even more. I’ve wanted to wrap my fingers in his hair for so long, and damn if it doesn’t feel amazing. I don’t ever want this to end.

His arms wrap around my waist and he lifts me up and over to straddle his lap. I immediately feel his bulge pressing against my aching core, and the fire that’s been threatening is now licking at me from head to toe.

I turn my head and he kisses along my jawline to my ear and down my neck, leaving a trail of flames in his wake. That’s it, he’ll be the death of me; by the time he’s done, there will be nothing left but ashes from where I’ve burst into flames so hot I explode. My hands leave his hair and I clutch at his back. Oh, my God, this man has more muscles in his back than I do in my whole body. I run my hands up and down, feeling every line and curve of each one. What a fine specimen of a human being he is. A man who is in my arms at the moment. Eeekkk! I had no idea he could taste and feel this good.

Oh, hell yes! This girl is killing me! I’m so lost in her mouth, her body. She tastes like Heaven, teasing my taste buds; there’s no other way to explain it. The shock wave that’s been threatening every single time we’ve touched hit me like a sonic boom as soon as we kissed. It’s as if the dock lifted off the ground and it’s just us, wrapped in each other, floating through the clouds of Heaven.

I don’t ever want it to end. Each new touch from her fingertips stroking my back makes me want to shred the shirt I’m wearing. It makes me wish we hadn’t already made a promise to have dinner with Ron and Bev. Which reminds me . . . If we don’t want to be late, we should tone this fire down soon.
But then again
—Andi tilts her head back, giving me better access to her neck—
fuck dinner.
I could never be full enough from her; I want her even more right now than I ever have in my life.

I continue my assault on her body, not leaving one spot untouched as I trail my mouth down her neck and across her collarbone. She reaches up and unbuttons her flannel shirt, and as each button opens, I melt a little more. I’m so worked up, I’m drooling. After she’s done, I look into her eyes and see my desire and need reflected in them, giving me all the permission I need. I gently touch the top of her right breast and kiss it. Then I start rubbing her nipple through the satiny material of her bra, her breath hitching at the same time I feel her bud tighten. Deciding I can’t wait to taste her nipple in my mouth, I pull her breast from the cup of her bra and capture the beautiful peak with my tongue. I thought I was hard before, but now I feel as if my cock is going to snap in half.

As if she’s reading my mind—or maybe she just felt it pressing against her core—she throws her head back and lets out a deep moan while grinding her hips onto mine. I glance up to witness her consumed by me, and she takes my breath away; I don’t think she’s ever looked as beautiful as she does right now. I want her to come in my hands and, by the look of it, it won’t be long. I switch to her left breast and take her bud into my mouth, sucking hard while rolling her right nipple between my fingers. Her breathing quickens, and I can feel her trembling. I continue rolling both nipples between my thumb and fingers as I make my way back up to her mouth, kissing every inch along the way. I can’t get enough of her.

As soon as I get back to her mouth, she immediately opens and I dart my tongue in, relishing her taste. I can feel her grinding even more, and with the way she’s tugging at my hair, she could easily make me come undone. She is getting close to the edge; I can feel it in her body, the way she’s tensing up. I whisper in her ear, “Yes, Andi, that’s it. Come for me, baby, now!”

She throws her head back and her body goes tight as I suck on her neck. Her hands are still tangled in my hair, pulling as she comes, but I don’t mind a bit; it feels amazing. The moan she lets out at the same time she flies over the edge is the most beautiful music to my ears. And to know I’m the one who made her come undone like that? I think I came a little just watching it. I can’t wait to see what it feels like to be buried inside her. It
will
happen, and very soon if I have anything to say about it. And with how sensitive and responsive she is, it’s definitely going to be one hell of a show.

Andi buries her face in my neck and I wrap my arms around her, holding her close. I have the whole world right here in my arms. The perfect girl—who, up until now, I’ve only been able to dream about having this close—is in my lap, and I don’t ever want to let go. If I can help it, I won’t ever have to do that. Whatever it takes, I’m in.

I place a gentle kiss on the top of her head as she takes a deep breath and slowly lets it out. Then she tilts her head up and looks me in the eye. Hers are so beautiful I could get lost in them for ages.

I kiss her again, taking her slow and steady. She tastes so sweet; I can’t get enough of her. We continue making out for several minutes, just enjoying the feel of each other. There’s no place I would rather be than right here on this old wooden dock with Andi in my lap. Never before have I felt so connected to a woman. I don’t know what we’re going to do with her having the new job in Texas, but we’ll work it out, I’m sure of it. Right now, I’m just going to push it back and not worry about it.