Kiss Me at Midnight(19)
Author: Diane Alberts

Her pu**y clenched down on his fingers. “Oh my God.”

He moved his fingers inside of her, fast and hard. She tightened around him even more, so he nibbled on the spot where her ass and back met. As he worked her over with one hand, he unfastened the buttons on his jeans with the other. He even managed to get a condom out of his pocket without breaking pace. She grew hotter and wetter with every thrust of his fingers, her muscles tight and quivering around him. “Fuck, you’re so tight, babe.”

“Please take me now.”

When he removed his hand, she slumped onto the countertop, her breathing uneven and harsh. He quickly rolled the condom on before plunging inside of her with one sure stroke. She cried his name as he moved inside of her, hard and quick.

There was no holding back. Not this time. Reaching around her, he cupped her tits and held on to her, pumping inside of her again and again. When she tightened around his cock, he bit down on her shoulder and thrust inside of her one more time.

They came together, their cries intermingling. He collapsed against her, enjoying the sweet smell of her hair and her naked body against his.

“Don’t go tonight,” she said softly. “We only have one more night, and I want to spend it all with you.”

He swallowed hard, trying to hold off the rising panic. Because he wanted to stay. “Okay. I’ll stay. But I need a second, okay?”

She nodded, and he pulled out of her, picked up his pants, and walked away.

As soon as he was in the bathroom, he closed the door, locked it, and collapsed against it. He’d agreed to stay with her, but that wasn’t what made him want to curl up in a ball and hide from the world. He’d broken not one, but two, of his rules.

Agreeing to stay was a bad idea.

But then, as if that wasn’t bad enough, he’d started to fall for her.

Again.

Chapter Nine

Ashley set his plate down on the dinner table, being careful not to get too close to the flickering candlelit flame. Though she’d thrown her dress back on, she hadn’t bothered with anything else. For his part, Ethan wore his pants and his shirt, but he’d left it undone. Now that was quite the sight. As soon as the plate hit the table, he was behind her, hugging her from behind. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, wanting nothing more than to freeze this moment. Right now, right here, she was happy.

But he was leaving tomorrow, so she better not get too used to it.

He kissed her shoulder and then let go of her. “It smells delicious. It’s a big step from the burnt toast you used to serve me.”

“Thank you.” She forced a lighthearted smile and spun in his arms, her hands resting on his chest. “Hopefully, you’ll be able to eat this meal with just as big of a smile as you did back then.”

He had, too. He’d eaten the whole piece of toast, even though it had been black. He laughed and bussed her nose. “I think this might be a little bit more enjoyable, even.”

“You know…I may have burnt that toast on purpose to get back at you for beating me in bowling.” She grinned. “I guess we don’t have to worry I’ve done the same with this meal, huh?”

He narrowed his eyes on her. “That was low.”

“Then or now?”

“Both,” he replied, a brow up. “I think I need a kiss to make up for it.”

“Hm.” She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. “All better?”

“I’m not sure yet.”

She kissed his jaw this time. She’d never been much of an affection-shower before, but with him, it just felt right. “How about now?”

“Oh yeah.” His hands snaked around her waist and cupped her ass. “Much better.”

She slapped at his arm and laughed. They both sat down in their seats, and she picked up her wine to take a sip. He did the same, his eyes on her the whole time. When he lowered the glass, he opened his mouth, but then closed it. As if he didn’t know what to say.

“Thank you for this weekend. It’s been incredible. When I leave tomorrow, you can bet you’ll be the one on my mind when the plane takes off,” he said, his voice thick.

“Yeah.” Her throat threatened to close up on her. “Of course.”

He shot her a weird look. “You okay?”

“Yeah. I just had something stuck in my throat.” She cleared it and took another sip of wine for good measure. “There. All better.”

He didn’t reply, but instead turned his attention to his food. He cut a meatball in half and popped it into his mouth. As he chewed, his eyes closed, and he let out a moan. Man, she liked that. Liked having him here.

God help her.

“You’ve definitely come a long way.” He ate another bite and swallowed. “Holy shit, I might have to stow you away in my luggage and bring you back to California with me, kicking and screaming the whole way.”

Her heart sped up even though he was kidding. He was so obviously kidding.

“Nope. Not happening,” she said, keeping her tone light and teasing. She popped a piece of meatball into her mouth and chewed, waving her fork in his direction. “You want my cooking? Then you have to stay here, in Rehoboth Hell.”

“No way.” He shuddered. Actually shuddered. “Not even fabulous food could keep me here. This town is hell on earth.”

She swallowed hard, not letting his refusal hurt her. It’s not as if she’d actually begged him to stay or anything. It’s not as if she told him she was falling for him more and more every minute they spent together. She swallowed her bite. “Sammy’s Diner has the best eggs benedict this side of the country, and you know it.”

“I won’t argue there.” He ate another bite. “But unless Sammy is willing to leave with me, I’ll have to leave him behind, too.”

She looked up at him in surprise. She had the feeling he wasn’t talking about Sammy…but about her. Her heart skipped a beat. “Sammy can’t go. His job is here.”

He leaned in, catching her gaze. “Sammy could open up a diner in California.” He broke eye contact and picked up his wine, taking a long pull of it. “There’s plenty of opportunity out there for someone with Sammy’s skills.”

“Ah, that’s not possible.” She picked up her wine. “Sammy isn’t able to move to California because he has obligations.”

“Sammy can bring his obligations with him,” Ethan argued.

And move her mother out there in her fragile state? Yeah. Not happening.