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Beside her, Ethan shifted his weight and raked his hand through his hair. “Just get him to call me, all right? I’m sick of chasing him down.”
Amber nodded, pressing her lips tightly together. There was a moment where her eyes landed on Indy, seemingly waiting for an introduction, but it passed. Then she tucked her long hair behind her ear and waved a silent goodbye.
And then there were two. Indy wasn’t sure where to put her hands. “I should… go…”
“Have lunch with me,” Ethan said, his expression inscrutable. “I think you owe me an explanation.”
She paused. Her stomach rumbled. Lunch did sound good.
* * *
When the manager greeted Ethan with a bear hug, it became clear how he’d known where to find Nick. “Sorry, I stalled the bill as long as I could.”
Ethan clapped him on the back. “Don’t worry about it. Thanks for trying.”
“You staying to eat?”
Ethan nodded, then slid into a seat at the bar and gestured to the one beside him. Indy watched the other man disappear into the kitchen as she settled.
“Friend of yours?” she asked, stalling.
“I met Connor when I started lead climbing half a lifetime ago. He saved my ass when I misplaced my cam and slipped. Luckily, he wasn’t a dick about it, and when we hit ground, he gave me his number, told me to join his climbing gym. We’ve been friends ever since.”
She’d never met anyone who rock climbed before. That certainly explained the arms. And the calluses on his hands.
“He’s a good guy. He knows Nick’s been giving me the runaround and shot me a message when he saw him here to help me catch up with him.”
Indy hummed, staring, unseeing, at the menu.
In her periphery, Ethan wore a sly smile. She expected him to pounce. It’s what she would have done. But he didn’t. He was seemingly content to sit with his knee touching hers, biding his time, waiting for her to spill.
Indy took a deep breath.
Now that she could see them better, his eyes were no less intense to look at, but they were…
Indy reached for her phone. “Do you mind if I write something down?”
“Go ahead.”
I’m caught. Caught between the edge of the statue we’re perched on and the body holding me up. There’s a dull thump as the rope ladder hits the ground. It’s our only way out. “Any ideas?” I ask my mysterious savior. He hasn’t said a thing since he appeared, but there’s something in his eyes, hungry and familiar. As I stare up into pools of honey and gold, I can’t quite work it out, but I want to know more. Then he speaks. “Hello again, Riley.”
When Indy snapped back to the moment, Ethan’s plate was already half empty. Oh, she’d zoned out again. Shit. Now came the moment where he called her rude for ignoring him.
“Sorry,” she murmured, tucking her phone into her pocket.
“It’s okay,” he said, cutting through her growing embarrassment. “Inspiring you is great for my ego.”
Indy had to close her eyes. “You never stop flirting, do you?”
“I can if it bothers you.”
Well, that was… It would be rude to stop him, honestly. And Indywasflattered. “I didn’t say that.”
His knee pressed into hers as he leaned closer. “I like my consent in no uncertain terms.”
The breath left her lungs. There was sweat where her thighs met her seat. “I don’t want you to stop.” In a minute, the fluttering in her heart would cease. Hopefully.
It didn’t help that the restaurant was flooded with light. It streamed in from the windows and shone from hanging bulbs, leaving no room for shadow. Nowhere to hide.
