Kiss Me at Midnight(10)
Author: Diane Alberts

“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 cle**age, 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 f**king 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 c**k 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 f**k 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 tsked. “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.”