“Come on, shorty. Time to go home before you turn into an icicle.”
This time I shiver from something other than the cold.
But when we get home to Dogwood Cove, Ethan doesn’t drive to his house. He pulls up in front of the bakery and puts the truck in park before turning to me.
“First, believe me that this physically pains me to admit,” he begins with a wry grin. “But it’s safe to say tonight didn’t go as planned.”
“I had a great time,” I interject, hearing the needy tone to my voice. Ethan must hear it, too, because he coughs back a groan before he continues.
“I did, too, Summer. But I meant it when I said I want to romance you. You deserve to be treated like a queen and I plan on doing just that. I care too much about you for this to just be about getting you in bed.” He runs his hand through his hair, messing it up, and a petulant voice in my head saysI wanted to do that.“I can’t believe I’m saying this. But I’m not going upstairs with you. If I do, I won’t want to leave. And we’re not having sex tonight because you need a do-over date.”
The romantic side of me is swooning; the horny side of me is cursing. Apparently, the only action I’m seeing tonight is going to be between me and my vibrator. Damn this man and his romantic morals.
“Fine. But this do-over date needs to happen really soon.” I say with an over-the-top pout.
“Is tomorrow soon enough?”
12
Ethan
The universe really doesnotwant me to get laid. First it was the goddamn traffic jam and missing our reservations in Victoria, although Summer’s right — pizza in the park ended up being a lot of fun.
But now, I should be at home preparing dinner for Summer and lighting candles for a romantic atmosphere. Instead, I’m driving two hours north to my Great Aunt Marilyn’s house because she called this morning to say her basement was full of water.
I texted Summer as I was loading up my truck with tools and supplies, but she hasn’t replied yet and I left half an hour ago. Marilyn lives way the fuck out in the middle of nowhere, and I know the nearest store is a Walmart an hour away, so it’s better to be prepared with anything I might need. I wish I had the chance to talk to Summer before leaving, but I needed to get on the road. My aunt isn’t one to ask for help unless the situation is really bad. She’s lived alone my entire life, and my mom always said she liked it that way.
All I can do now is hope that whatever I need to deal with doesn’t take too long because my dick is already angry at me for passing up the chance to be with Summer last night. If I have to wait several more days to be with her, I might explode.
My phone finally rings when I’m close to my aunt’s house.
“Hey pretty girl.”
“Hi, I got your message. Have you already left town?” Disappointment colours her tone, and I hate that I’m the cause of it.
“Yeah, I got on the road pretty quick. I’m sorry, Summer. Marilyn doesn’t have anyone else to call and it sounds bad. She’s got almost an inch of water in her basement.”
“Oh no, that’s awful.”
“It is, but missing my plans with you is worse,” I say. And I’m not exaggerating. I feel bad for my aunt, and of course I want to help her, but fuck, am I upset about not being with Summer tonight.
“We’ll have another chance. I’m not going anywhere,” is her soft reply and it makes me smile.
“Damn right we will. When I get back, I’m not letting you out of my sight or out of my arms for several days,” I growl, my hands tightening on my steering wheel.
“Promises, promises,” she teases, and the sultry tone of her voice makes me crazy.
“Alright, I better go, I’m pulling up at Aunt Marilyn’s house. Can I call you later?” I say, my voice tinged with regret.
“You better.”
I end the call and sit for a moment in my truck. She’s way too fucking good for me. What other woman would be that understanding of not one, but two failed dates?
I catch sight of Aunt Marilyn opening her front door and waving at me, so I climb down from my truck.
“Oh, hi honey, thank you so much for coming out right away,” Marilyn sounds tired, but relieved, and instantly I know that no matter what happens with Summer, I made the right call. Family comes first.
“Hey, Aunt Marilyn, it’s no trouble. Let’s take a look at what’s going on.”
