Whoa, did I say that out loud?I was totally assuming he wanted me in the first place.Fuck you, tequila, you are not being nice right now.
“I’m a patient man,” he whispered against my ear, and that was the last thing I remembered before sleep took me.
* * *
The morning sunlightcast warmth across my face. I peeled my eyes open and a throbbing drum started to knock at the base of my skull and I winced.
Moaning, I rolled over and took stock of my surroundings. I was in Ethan’s room, lying in his bed. Glancing down I noticed I was wearing one of his t-shirts. My dress was gone but I was still wearing my bra and undies underneath. Oh God. Did he undress me? Color flooded my cheeks as I remembered what I’d said to him last night. Did I really tell him I was broken and basically ask him to wait for me?
Kill me now.
I heard rustling in the kitchen and was halfway tempted to crawl back under the covers and never leave this room—ever.
But my throat was so dry it felt like sandpaper. I had to face this sometime. I was going to pull on my big girl panties and just do it now.
After going pee, I brushed my teeth. Ethan had left a brand new toothbrush on the counter, still in the wrapper—because he was fucking thoughtful like that. Because he was the kind of guy that girls were dying to marry and I was trying to push him away because I had issues.
After allowing myself a good full seven minutes to feel sorry for myself, I opened the door and waltzed out into the kitchen like I had my shit together.
I looked like a hooker who’d woken up in a motel room and was now trying to get her money before she left. But that was okay. Ethan had seen me at my worst. A little mascara under my eyes wasn’t going to scare him off if last night didn’t.
He was standing beside the sink shaking his protein shake, something he made after a workout. When he heard me approach, he looked up at me and I just stood there a moment, watching him. Shirtless, sweating, and shaking this bottle so hard it caused all of his muscles to tighten. My thighs clenched and I cleared my throat.
“Wow. So, can we just pretend last night didn’t happen?” I laughed nervously before wincing at how loud my fucking voice was.
A half smirk lit up his face. “Sure thing.”
I sighed in relief. He wasn’t going to mention anything, we could forget it happened and all would be well.
“Just one thing,” he said, and popped the top of his protein shake.
I braced myself for whatever he was going to say.
“You threw up all over your dress, that’s why you’re in my shirt.”
Fuck.
I bit my lip trying to disappear. I needed Harry Potter to toss me under his invisibility cloak so I could slink off to my bedroom in shame.
I just nodded.
He stepped closer to me and looked down at my bare legs. “I just didn’t want you to think I would ever undress you without your permission.”
My heart beat so loudly then I felt like it had jumped into my head and taken residence there.
“Right,” I whispered. Ethan’s soul was too pure for this world.
With a nod he started for his bedroom. “I’m going to shower.”
Of course you are. You’re going to get naked and rub soap all over and I’m not going to think about it.
“Hey, Ethan…?” I called out after him.
When he turned to look at me, there was something in his gaze … compassion? Pity? I couldn’t tell.
“Thanks for taking care of me.” I ran my fingers through my tangled hair. “I … ugh ... got married at eighteen so…” I let that sentence linger because what the hell was I doing? I didn’t know, I just wanted to fix things.
He nodded. “So your young wild years were taken from you?” he guessed.
