Second String (In Too Deep #3) Read online

  "He was doing two pieces, and he asked me if I thought I could do them both at once. My mom got one made that is about this tall." He held up his hands, indicating it was about eight or ten inches.

  "So all that, and you just have two little figures?" I asked.

  "Yeah. Technically he can make more, since they were cast from the mold, but my mom just had the two made. It's not like I wanted a statue of myself to put on the bookshelf. I didn't even want the little one." He shrugged. "I figured I could give it to you to remember me by."

  The figure was still clutched to my chest, but I took it out and inspected it again. It was tiny, and heavy, and wonderful. The likeness was remarkable, especially for something so little. I closed my hand around the beautiful little trinket and held it out to him. "I love it, I really do, but I can't take it. I really shouldn't." My expression was regretful because I bloody regretted having to give it back.

  "Take it, Em. Seriously, it's no big deal. I can have another one cast. Just throw it away if you don't want it."

  I would never in a million years throw the thing away, but for some reason, Ethan's nonchalant attitude about it made me feel a little better about agreeing to keep it. I sat it down and bent down to pet Sal's big Bullmastiff head to avoid having to say anything about agreeing to accept it.

  "We should go over to Joel and Gretchen's before they get the wrong idea," I said. "I seriously don't care about mentioning my birthday, though."

  "Oh, I'm telling them it's your birthday, you may as well go ahead and come to terms with that."

  I should have been mad at him for defying me like that, but as I drank in the sight of his easy smile, I felt like even an embarrassing birthday situation wasn't anything to worry about.

  I knew Ethan was planning on coming tonight, so I'd already changed clothes in the locker room at work. I was wearing skinny jeans and a lacy sweater over a tank. My makeup was a little over done but a few minor adjustments were all I needed to tone it down a little. I didn't have anything at all on my lips. No lipstick, lip gloss, chapstick… nothing. Ethan told me more than once that he loved my lips, and I didn't think it was a good idea to draw attention to them.

  Ethan and I played with Sal for a few minutes before we walked back to Gretchen's together. We came in through the kitchen, but most everybody in the living room could see us enter the house. Bailey was the first to speak.

  "Hey! The E's!" she said. "Perfect timing. We were just about to play a round of black jack. You guys want in?"

  Ethan told her to deal us in, but I didn't respond at all. I was too preoccupied with her use of a nickname that described us as a couple. "The E's?" Didn't Bailey know that Ethan and I weren't together? Or was I making too much of it? Maybe she just made it up off-the-cuff as we walked in the door. Maybe it just stood for our names and the fact that we walked in together. As we crossed the room to take places around the huge coffee table, I thought about the nickname and how embarrassing it was that I sort of liked it. I also didn't mind the guy I was sharing it with.

  We played a few rounds of blackjack and one of poker before everyone started talking about breaking up the party in a little bit so that the expectant mother could get her rest.

  "I need to be getting home anyway," I said. "Sal sulks a little on work nights as it is."

  "Hey, if you don't mind hanging out a few more minutes I'd like to walk Emily home," Ethan said. He directed the statement to Collin, who tried not to smile.

  "No, that's cool. We're not leaving right this second, anyway," Collin said.

  I knew I should protest, telling him it was only a few feet away and I'd be fine, but I just couldn't make the words come out of my mouth. They were literally stuck there. "You don't need to walk me home," I thought, but didn't say. Say it, Emily. Say it. But I couldn't. I wanted him to walk me home. Please, Lord, don't send me straight to hell for the thoughts I had about Ethan and me and things we could do together in my house tonight.

  I didn't protest. I just looked at Ethan and smiled. He stood and started for the door, and I followed behind him, telling everyone goodbye and that I was sorry I'd missed the party.

  "Oh, no, I almost forgot!" Ethan said. It startled me, but I could tell by his tone it wasn't anything too serious. "Emily's turning twenty tomorrow, and she wasn't planning on sharing with anyone."

  I looked at him, exasperated. I thought he'd forgotten and I was in the clear. "It's no big deal," I said.

  "What's wrong with me that I choose friends who refuse to let me wish them a happy birthday?" Gretchen asked. She looked at Rachel, then at me with a meaningful glare, and said, "Rachel hides under a rock for her birthday too." She wagged a finger in the air at me. "But I won't allow that business. We're for sure going to lunch tomorrow while the boys play golf."

  I went along with the lunch idea, mostly just because I'd already agreed to it before they knew anything about my birthday. Ethan turned to wait for me when we got to the back door. He was smiling at me, and the sight of his gorgeous, face had me feeling the urge to walk straight into his arms.

  I tore my gaze from his and turned to say one last goodbye to our friends. They all yelled out goodbyes and birthday wishes as Ethan and I walked out.

  "Sorry," Ethan said. "At least I warned you I was gonna do it."

  I laughed. "I'm glad you did," I said. "I thought I was free and clear for a while, though. You waited till the last second."

  "I didn't do that on purpose," Ethan said. "I just got distracted for a second right when we walked in, and I forgot."

  It was the nickname. I knew it. Okay, so maybe I just wished that's what it was. I almost asked him what distracted him, but I didn't. We walked to my house at a really slow pace, just talking and laughing.

  It was extremely difficult to keep myself from having carnal thoughts about Ethan. The look he was giving me left no doubt in my mind that he wanted me so badly he could taste it, and that was extremely hot. I wanted him too, and I was almost certain it was written on my face, in spite of me trying to hide it.

  "I brought a bag in case you wanted me to spend the night," he said. He said it like the confident joker he was, but I knew he was totally serious. I also knew what would happen if I told him he could stay.

  "I caaan't Ethan, I'm sorry."

  "I know, and I'm trying to respect your space and everything, but it's hard not to move in, Em. It's hard, especially when you have a blank spot where your boyfriend should be on your birthday."

  Geez. That hurt.

  "Thanks for pointing that out, Ethan. I hadn't noticed my boyfriend isn't here to spend my birthday with me."

  He flinched at the word boyfriend, and I realized how insensitive that was of me. I felt bad, which made me blurt out, "I'm scared, Ethan." It was the truth, but I still hadn't planned on sharing it with him. "I'm scared of being the type of girl I hate," I continued. "I don't want to be a cheater and I don't want to be indecisive, but I'm having a little trouble letting go of you completely."

  We'd reached my front door and were facing each other in the dim porch light. It was an expensive, ornate fixture that looked like a flame flickering. He looked at my mouth the entire time I was talking. I could see the desire on his face… could see that he was glad I was having cheating thoughts.

  "I need to kiss you, Emily. I'm going to take your lips," he said, never taking his eyes off them. "I can do it out here," (he looked toward the main house as if to indicate we might have an audience) "or you can invite me inside and I can do it in there." Either way, I'm kissing that mouth of yours before I leave here tonight."

  I knew he wasn't messing around. He looked like he was ready to pounce on me at any second. As much as I wanted to, as much as I knew it was the right thing, I just couldn't make myself tell him no. I wanted him to do whatever he wanted with my mouth. Jeremy would never say something like that, and I found that I quite liked the idea of someone being so desperate to kiss me. I wanted Ethan to have his way with me in more ways than one right
then.

  "Did you really bring a bag?" I asked.

  Chapter 20

  Ethan

  Emily was saying something about being scared she'd turn into a cheater. She even said something about not being able to let me go, I thought. I couldn't really say, because I was totally preoccupied with how I needed to have my tongue in her plump little, juicy mouth.

  By the time she finished whatever she was saying, I was about ready to wrap my hand around the back of her head and push my tongue into her. I told her I would be acting on my impulses, and asked her where she'd rather it take place.

  I couldn't believe her response. Instead of saying "No, I can't kiss you because I'm with an idiot, needle dick, football player," she said, "Did you really bring a bag?"

  "Yeah, I really brought a bag," I said. "I can grab it and be back here in three minutes. Actually," I said, thinking twice, "it'll be more like ten since I have to let Collin and them know."

  That must have been a reality check for Emily because her expression changed. I could tell she was guarded again. "Ethan, I'm not saying anything's gonna happen if you stay the night. I was just wondering if you really brought a bag."

  "So you don’t want me to go get it?" I asked.

  "I didn't say that," she said. "I just didn't want you to think that just because I—"

  "I didn't think anything. I'm going to kiss that mouth of yours either way, so anything else is just an added bonus." She opened her mouth to protest, and I seized on the opportunity. I grabbed her by the back of the head and put my mouth down on hers with an almost punishing force. She gave into the kiss without the slightest flinch or hesitation. I kissed her with as much gentleness as my impatience allowed, which wasn't much. Our mouths melded together in a dance of tongues that was so hot, my erection jerked in my pants. My tongue was in her mouth, and hers in mine… each of us thrusting into the other.

  She broke the kiss and said in a breathless gasp, "Go get your stuff out of the car and get back here. You can just text Collin and let him know."

  I smiled and planted another kiss on her now-swollen mouth before leaving to get my bag. Collin was already at his truck when I got out there, and Rachel wasn't far behind. Josh was still standing at the door talking to Brit, the artist. I grabbed my bag, and Collin smiled knowingly at me.

  "What's going on?" Rachel asked, coming to stand beside Collin.

  "He's staying here," Collin said. He gestured toward the bag I was now carrying.

  "You brought that?" Rachel asked. I shrugged, and Rachel gave me a concerned look. "You know she's with that—"

  "Ray," Collin said. "Of course he knows. They'll figure it out."

  Rachel was just trying to be the voice of reason, but right now I was pretty sure that was the last voice I wanted to hear. "She's a big girl," I said. Rachel gave me one last look like she'd wish I'd behave, but then she hugged me and sent me on my way. I told them I'd just ride with Joel to the golf thing in the morning."

  "That girl is a piece of work," Josh said, just walking up, and having missed the whole conversation. He just assumed I was standing at the truck because I was riding to Collin's like I'd been planning. "Freaking feminist, hippies. Burn your bras! I'll bet she has hairy legs." Rachel punched his arm and looked toward the porch to make sure Brit hadn't overheard. "God, what'd you do that for?" he said. "It's true. She probably has hairy pits too." Josh looked down at my hand. "What's with the bag?"

  "I'm staying with Emily."

  "You brought a bag?"

  "Yes I brought a bag."

  "She asked you to stay?"

  I rolled my eyes. "No, I'm forcing myself… yes, of course she asked me to stay."

  Josh's smirked at me, suggesting sexy results, and I punched him on the same shoulder Rachel had already tagged. He moaned and complained, but eventually they all piled into the truck. I gave Josh my keys and he said he'd drive my car to the golf tournament tomorrow so we could leave for home afterward.

  "You sure you need me there?" I was half-joking. While Josh may not have needed me at the golf thing, I knew good and well that he wanted me there.

  Josh smiled, surprising me. "You can hang back with your lady since it's her birthday. Collin and Joel have my back."

  I had no idea if Emily even wanted to hang out with me or not, but it was nice to know Josh wasn't stressed out at the idea of me bailing. "I'll probably still be there," I said, "but I'll let you know if I change my mind. I know you need to be getting back home tomorrow… I do too, so we won't hang out too late either way."

  I wasn't going to push my luck with Emily. She might be a tad overwhelmed in the morning (depending on what all went down that night). I thought there was at least a chance she'd want me out of her sight by then.

  I thanked them for understanding and for taking care of getting me back to my car when I was ready. I took off walking in the direction of Emily's place with a smile on my face. So far, this was exactly the outcome I was hoping for. Sal greeted me at the door, and I fished the toothbrush bone I'd brought for him out of the bag that hung on my shoulder. He chomped it up out of my hand with no shortage of drool coming off of his lips. Sal didn't drool constantly like some dogs, but he drooled a ton when he smelled food. My hand was totally slimed. "Oh, thanks, Sal. That's really nice." I started to wipe my hand on my jeans, but I heard a whistle from the kitchen. Emily threw a white and blue dishrag in my direction, thinking she could actually get it to me from all the way across the room. She let out a laugh when the air caught it, and it fell to the ground only a few feet from where she threw it.

  "Seriously? You thought you could throw it from there?" I asked. We were both laughing. I was steadily crossing the room toward her as she bent down to pick up the dishrag.

  "I know a dry dishtowel won't fly, but it was a little wet, and I thought if I balled it up…"

  "Oh, the old ball it up trick, huh?"

  She was huffing and puffing in defense of her little plan. She regarded me with a cross face when she handed me the towel.

  "What? I wasn't kidding," I teased. "I'm a fan of the old ball it up trick. We use it with towels at the pool all the time." Her face softened a little even though she knew deep down that I was still messing with her.

  "Next time, I'm just gonna let you get slobber all over your pants," she said. She was smiling at me. I wasn't even close to being done with that mouth. I wanted to have every part of me in that mouth by the end of the night.

  She licked her lips, which I enjoyed watching, but then she wiped at them with her hand. "Do I have something on my mouth?" she asked.

  "Yeah," I said. I couldn't take it any longer. In one motion, I set down my bag, stepped toward her, and took her face in my hands, making sure I hit my target. I put my lips on hers. No messing around, just mouth on mouth. She whimpered. I had no problem identifying a good whimper from a bad one, and the one that escaped Emily's mouth was, no doubt, a good one. She pushed away and stared up at me.

  "Ethan, I don't think I'm going to be able to keep my hands off you if you spend the night here tonight," she said. She was using a tone tinged with regret, like she was having second thoughts. I just looked at her, uncertain what she wanted me to say.

  "Are you saying you want me to stay, but you're still gonna be with the other guy in the morning?" I asked. I knew it was a topic that needed to be addressed, and I was pretty sure I knew what her answer would be.

  "Are you okay with that?" she asked. She was no longer smiling. I could tell she was having an internal battle with the whole situation. Theoretically, that should be the ideal scenario for any self-proclaimed bachelor like me. After all, she was offering free sex as long as I agreed to keep it a secret and not want any greater commitment. I should be overjoyed at this scenario.

  "Of course I'm okay with it," I said. "What more could a guy ask for, right?"

  "Shut up. You make it sound even worse than it is." She looked at me, pleading. "Do you think I'm a terrible person for asking you to stay t
onight?"

  I half-lifted my hands in a gesture of surrender. I wasn't about to try to talk her into anything. "I'm not into making you do something you don't want to," I said. I looked at her warily, poised to leave if she didn't feel comfortable any more.

  "No," she said, pulling me back toward her with the front of my shirt. Her hand lingered on my flexed abs when she reached for my shirt, and I could see in her eyes the flame of sexual hunger turn on. "God, Ethan. The sad part is, I don't even care if you won't assure me I'm a good person. I want you. I want you to make me feel like you did the other night."

  I wanted to eat this girl alive… to rip off every last stitch of clothing that was between us and bury myself into her. Then maybe repeat the whole process a time or two later tonight.

  "Nothing's happened with Jeremy and me. I still haven't been with anybody since you," she said.

  I literally hoisted her onto my shoulder so I could cart her off to the bedroom. She squealed, and Sal looked up, but he didn't protest. He just remained in his spot, sprawled out on the kitchen floor.

  Emily and I went at each other like hungry wolves pawing, touching, and feeling, unable to keep our hands from roaming. "Ethan, I've been wanting this ever since that first time," she said. Her breathing was labored just slightly."

  "I think about it," I said. "I think about it… about you and what you feel like on the inside. God Emily, there aren't many other places I'd rather be."

  I set her to her feet near the foot of her bed, and she narrowed her eyes at me. "There shouldn't be any other places you'd rather be," she said, putting her hand to her hip stubbornly.

  "Right now, baby girl," I said, pushing her onto the bed, and climbing on top of her, "there's not a single, solitary place in the entire world I'd rather be." Again, my lips were on hers. We kissed passionately for several minutes before my hand moved down to take a hold of her breast. There were a few layers of fabric between my hand and her nipple, but I could feel how hard it was. Both of us still had our clothes on, but we realized at the same moment it was a situation that needed to be remedied.