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He chuckled and started his truck as I put on my seat belt. “Do you even remember taking it off in my truck last night?”
“No.”
He frowned, and I saw him glance my way after backing out of the space and putting his truck in drive. “Why am I not surprised?”
“Did I really beg you?”
“Yep, you did. You slipped out of your bra on the way home after you told me it was killing you, then when we got to your place, you climbed over the console to my lap and pleaded with me to come in.”
I shook my head. “You could have said no.”
He glanced at me, giving me a stern look. “I did tell you no, Ry. I reminded you that we had decided that we wouldn’t sleep together anymore, but you kept saying just one more time. Come on, just one more time. You know you want to, and you know very well that I can’t resist you, Riley, especially when you are rubbing that body all over mine.”
I stared out the side window and pursed my lips. It sounded like something I would do. “You still could have said no.”
“You are a hard woman to say no to, Riley. You know I can’t resist you.”
“I thought you were dating Karen,” I stated.
“Kathy, and we went out a couple of times, but that didn’t work out.”
“Why not?”
His laugh was harsh for a second, and I glanced at him to find him shaking his head. “Same reason it never works. It just doesn’t.” His hand squeezed the steering wheel, and then he pulled into the small parking lot at Coral’s Coffee Café and put the truck in park. “I’ll be right back.”
I watched him walk toward the building. His hair was still a chaotic mess, and his shirt looked like he had slept in it, but he didn’t seem to care in the least. He waved at someone on the other side of the parking lot and held the door for a woman coming out with her hands full.
I sighed and rubbed my temples. We’d had a conversation a few weeks ago and had decided that we shouldn’t be sleeping with one another anymore. It meant nothing to either of us—or I guess it didn’t. I knew it was comfortable, easy, and well, pretty damn awesome, which sucked because I didn’t want it to be awesome with him. I wanted it to be boring, so I wouldn’t want to sleep with him anymore. He was practically my brother—only from different parents.
He returned a few minutes later and handed me a bag. “I got you a fruit bowl too. You always get hungry after a night of drinking around the mid-morning break.”
“Thanks,” I replied as he got on the road again. The silence between us was never uncomfortable, but today it felt a little tense. We pulled into the tavern's parking lot, and he parked behind my car and rested back against his seat, staring out the windshield. I knew the look. He wanted to say something, so I waited.
“Riley, we really can’t do that again.”
“I know,” I quipped back.
He turned to look at me. “Do you? Because I seem to recall us saying this a couple of weeks ago, and I was pretty damn determined to keep my distance from you.”
I shrugged and reached for the handle. “So, keep your distance, and I’ll keep mine.”
“I plan on it, Riley. I’m serious this time. I can’t keep doing this with you. The only time you ever want to see me is when you’re drunk and need a ride home and a good time. I can’t remember the last time we had sex when you were sober.”
I laughed. “Are you saying I have a drinking problem?”
His eyes looked serious for a moment. “Do you?”
“No!” I snapped indignantly.
“How often do you blackout when you drink, Ry? You don’t even remember last night, and you didn’t remember the last time either.”
“Jesus, Ethan! Are you saying I’m a drunk?”
“No, I’m asking you to think about how much you drink and what happens when you do.”
I snorted. “Just because I like to have fun and get a little tipsy, then have sex, doesn’t mean I have a problem.”
I shoved open the door as he spoke. “I didn’t say you had a problem; you did, and it’s never just tipsy, Riley.”
