Ethan (Alluring Indulgence #5)(78)
Author: Nicole Edwards

Once Ethan was naked, Beau just stared at him, admiring his sexy body.

“Naked, Beau.” Ethan’s voice held an urgent edge, but Beau managed to refrain from reacting.

Tonight belonged to him. Ethan belonged to him.

And now was an excellent time to show Ethan what that actually meant.

“Undress me.” Fuck. Had he really just said that?

Ethan’s dark eyebrow lifted, but he grinned devilishly and Beau’s skin prickled with awareness.

Since the moment he had stepped foot into Ethan’s house tonight, he’d been aware of Ethan. Everything he said, every move he made. It was all cataloged in his brain because he’d been cautiously feeling out the situation. After what happened earlier at the shop and then the scene at Moonshiners, Beau had fully expected Ethan to be on edge. He hadn’t been wrong.

That was the main reason he had taken control. This could’ve easily turned into harsh, take-what-you-want fucking, but Beau hadn’t wanted that. Ok, that was only partially true. He’d fantasized about bending Ethan over and fucking him until they were both insane from the need. But he knew there was a time and place for everything. Pulling Ethan back from the ledge had been his main priority tonight.

And so far, it seemed to be working.

Beau helped Ethan out by toeing off his boots and then pulling his shirt from the waistband of his jeans. But the rest he would leave to Ethan.

He didn’t have to wait long. Ethan made short work of ridding the rest of his clothes, making sure to drive Beau fucking crazy as he let his hands brush against his swollen cock more than necessary.

As soon as Beau was completely naked, Ethan took one step back, but Beau reached for him instantly. Backing him through the open bathroom to the shower, he pulled him close and cupped Ethan’s face in his hands. He didn’t kiss him, nor did he divert his eyes. He was reading everything in Ethan’s expression, every flash of awareness in his blue-gray gaze. There was a combination of worry, heat, lust, and something else he couldn’t name.

He wanted all of it. Everything Ethan had to give him. And as he had already informed Ethan, he fully intended to take it.

Beau wanted to eradicate the worry, to shield Ethan from all of the pain he’d obviously endured, and to absorb every ounce of the passion he could feel emanating from him. He wanted to show him what it meant to be open, to share himself with someone because no matter what, Beau knew Ethan didn’t open himself up. Whatever he kept buried deep, Beau wanted to find a way to get Ethan to share. More importantly, he wanted to love Ethan. With everything that he was.

And he had already begun to fall hard for the man.

Everything in him was screaming that it was a lousy idea, but he couldn’t stop himself. Every waking moment was spent thinking about him, wanting to be closer than the last time, to understand what made Ethan tick. And this was his opportunity, his one chance to do things right.

Based on Ethan’s initial response when he arrived, it was evident that Ethan had planned to turn tonight into something Beau wasn’t willing to take part in. Ethan didn’t seem interested in the emotions that tethered them together, although they were undeniable. Sure, the fires of lust were burning out of control, but Beau felt something deeper. He’d felt it the first time he had kissed Ethan and every time after.

Tonight he knew Ethan needed that something more that they shared, even if he wouldn’t verbally agree.

Pushing Ethan slowly beneath the shower spray, he continued to watch him. When Ethan tried to pull him closer, he resisted, using brute force to keep his distance because the draw of this man was so powerful, he had a difficult time resisting.

After running his knuckles over Ethan’s cheek, Beau cupped his neck with one hand, the other sliding over his hip and around to his back. The smooth, warm skin he found there drew him closer. “I need to touch you,” Beau said, his voice barely discernible over the shower water.

Beau backed Ethan up until his back touched the tiled shower wall. The anticipation he saw on Ethan’s face had Beau’s entire body responding eagerly. Ever so slowly, he slid his hands to Ethan’s chest, the water sluicing between his fingers as it caressed Ethan’s hard body, the same way Beau intended to do.

With his mouth.

“Don’t move,” Beau commanded, keeping his voice light and gentle, but the demand clear.

He loved the way Ethan’s eyes lit up, a hint of surprise in those smoky blue depths, maybe?

“I’ve wanted to explore you for far too long,” Beau said, the words coming out easier than he expected.

It was true, he was nervous. He wanted to explore Ethan in ways he’d only dreamed about, but he was self-conscious too. He’d never done this before. Not with a man anyway. And never had he been this hyped up before. He’d had a number of lovers in his life, but his one-on-one encounters were non-existent – well, unless you considered awkward, almost-there moments that Beau had graciously backed out of on a couple of occasions because he had found he wasn’t as attracted to the women he had been with as he hoped. Hell, he’d never been as attracted to anyone as much as he was to Ethan.