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His driving reminds me of his personality—calculated and confident—but his choice of venue is something I wasn’t expecting. As we pull up in front of the aquarium, I can’t help the big grin that spreads across my lips.
“I haven’t been here in forever,” I say as we walk through the front doors.
“Me either,” he says, “but I thought it’d be fun.”
As we walk through the blue-lit corridors, nothing but panels of glass separating us from the manta rays and otters and sharks and an endless number of brightly-colored fish, I realize just how comfortable I feel around Ethan. Our shoulders press together as we stand and gaze into the underwater worlds; he places a hand on my lower back when we weave through the crowds. We’ve experienced being physically close for weeks now at the clinic, but it’s so much different now.
After the aquarium, Ethan takes me to a restaurant a few blocks away, a cozy and romantic place I’ve never been to. As we look over the menus, Ethan asks what I’m having, and when the waiter comes over, Ethan orders for both of us. It feels so gentlemanly old school, him doing that. It’s wonderful.
“You know, Ethan, you remind me of a book I’ve read,” I say.
He sets his napkin in his lap. “A good one, I hope?”
“It’s about a grumpy old man with a heart of gold.” I grin and nudge his foot beneath the table. “Sorry. I’m just teasing you. You’re not such a grump anymore.”
“Well, not around you, I’m not.”
I laugh. “I see. So I get Sweet Ethan, and everyone else gets Grumpy Ethan?”
“Pretty much.”
“Lucky me.”
“I’m the lucky one, Victoria.”
My heart beats wildly in my chest as we look at each other. If there wasn’t this table between us right now, I have no doubt that he’d be pulling me into his arms and kissing me.
I’d be lying if I said I haven’t thought about what it would be like to kiss Ethan over the past five weeks, and the idea of it actually—finally—happening tonight feels almost unreal.
But first we have our dinner to enjoy. And enjoy it we do. Afterward, we grab ice cream cones from a little stand next door and walk along the pier. I tell Ethan more about my family, and he tells me more about his son. When a breeze settles in, he puts his coat over my shoulders and we walk back to his truck.
Fifteen minutes later, when we get to my apartment building, he walks me up to the front door.
“I had such a good time tonight, Ethan,” I say.
“I did, too,” he says, reaching out to brush a strand of hair out of my face.
I nervously fiddle with my keys. It’s been such a long time since I’ve done this. “Hey, about that book I was telling you about earlier…I have it upstairs, if you’d like to borrow it.”
Ethan nods. I think I see him trying not to smile. My heart starts beating faster as I open the door to the building and lead him inside. It feels like only seconds pass before we’re entering my apartment, and then I’m telling him I’ll be right back—I want to put on something sexier than the plain underwear I have on—but suddenly his hand is grabbing mine and he’s pulling me back to him.
And then we’re kissing,finallywe’re kissing, and it’s even better than I could have hoped for. His kiss is sweet and commanding and sensual all at once. He’s in control right from the get-go and I offer no resistance.
I’m completely, utterly his.
“Bedroom?” Ethan murmurs, pulling his mouth back only a fraction of an inch from mine.
“Over there,” I say dreamily, motioning across the room. He scoops me up into his arms and carries me across the apartment and into my bedroom. He sets me down on the edge of my bed and then kneels down in front of me and bends his head down to kiss one of my bare knees.
Instinctively, I let my legs gently fall open. My dress rides up as my knees part. Ethan continues to kiss his way up my thigh and my sex throbs with need as he moves closer and closer. When he presses his lips into the already-damp spot on my panties, a half-moan, half-sob escapes my throat.
“Ethan…”
I moan again as he pulls my panties to the side. And then his tongue is on my swollen clit, tracing my folds, exploring my sex in the most intimate way. When he finds my most sensitive spot, I gasp loudly and clutch the bedsheets in my hands.
“Oh, God,” I moan.
I feel a little gush of wetness and my cheeks burn with hazy embarrassment, but Ethan only starts licking me harder, lapping up my cream. I can’t believe how wet he’s making me. On the other hand, I’ve never felt so smitten with anyone before. I close my eyes and let my head hang back, submitting fully to the pleasure.Yes. Oh, God. Yes. Yes.
