Chapter 2
Chapter Two
L ily
His lips are hard at first, but then they soften. He nibbles on my mouth before letting out a groan. The delicious sound of it vibrates through my bones.
Am I dreaming?
I was ready to hit him moments ago. Now, he’s kissing me, and this isn’t just any kiss… It’s hungry, almost desperate. He rubs his tongue against the seam of my mouth, begging for entrance.
A deep, distant voice tells me I’ll regret kissing him back, but I open my mouth as if in a trance. He immediately slips his tongue inside, and sparks shoot through my belly. I let out a whimper. He must like the sound, because he grinds his hips against mine.
As our tongues dance together, his heart thumps against my chest like a steady drumbeat. I lift my hands to his head and run my fingers through his soft hair.
“Oh God, Lily,” he murmurs against my lips.
I hum in response, and his whole body freezes.
I crash down to earth. What am I doing kissing Ethan? I haven’t been able to stomach a man’s touch since that night six months ago.
Ethan grabs my shoulders and pushes me back. His eyes are wide and glazed, as if he can’t even comprehend the sight in front of him. He stares at me for what feels like an eternity before he opens his mouth. “Oh, shit.”
If I weren’t so dazed, I would probably laugh at his obvious shock. When have I ever seen unflappable Ethan Harrington this rattled?
“I have no idea why that just happened,” he says quietly.
I scowl at his word choice. “That kiss didn’t just happen . You initiated it.”
He flinches. “I know.”
I shake my head, my thoughts growing fuzzy. “Why? A second ago, you called me insane. I think that kiss was pretty insane.”
He shuts his eyes and inhales a shaky breath. “It was, and I’m sorry. I never should have done it. It was…wrong.”
Wrong. The word doesn’t sit well with me. Wrong is what Mason did to me. Ethan’s kiss was something else… Something I’d worried I’d never feel again. My body had burst into flames when he pressed his lips against mine. It’s obnoxious to hear him dismiss it like the kiss was something dirty.
I smile lazily, not wanting him to see how unsettled I am. “You’re a really good kisser. It’s kind of shocking. Are you lying about the whole virgin thing? Maybe it’s part of your game. You want to seem difficult to attain, a conquest for women.”
His eyes alight, and his lips quirk. It sends a tingle over my skin. Since when does he like it when I tease him?
“Yeah, I pretend to be a virgin,” he says, “because most women find that really sexy in a grown-ass man.”
I cock a brow. “They would with you. Have you ever looked in a mirror?”
When his eyes grow wide, my cheeks heat. What am I doing praising him like a groupie? That kiss must have messed with my head.
Ethan lowers his chin, his lips lifting into a devilish smile. “Are you trying to tell me I’m handsome, Lily?”
I roll my eyes. “You know you are. It’s a shame you have such an insufferable personality. What a waste of a beautiful face.”
He snorts. “God, you’re vicious. So small and yet so fierce, like a little bobcat.”
A giggle escapes my chest. “Bobcat. Noah would love that. I literally scratched his face when we were kids when he took my…”
His stricken expression makes me pause. “What’s wrong?” I ask.
Ethan lifts a hand and rakes it through his hair. “Please don’t tell Noah about what happened between us. He wouldn’t… This was a freak thing, okay? I’m never going to kiss you again.”
My skin heats. Is he implying that I want him to kiss me again?
God, he’s so full of himself.
I scowl. “I’d never tell Noah about our kiss. No matter what I said, he’d think I seduced you. He was pissed at me for dating Mason. He has that stupid rule that I’m not allowed to date his teammates.”
Ethan’s expression softens. “He was more pissed at Mason than you. He’s protective of you, and he doesn’t want to cause any unnecessary strain on our team.”
I cringe. “It’s gross and misogynistic that he thinks he has a say over who I date just because I’m his little sister.”
Ethan narrows his eyes. “And yet he was right to be worried about our team. He and Mason can barely stand each other. That’s our quarterback. It’s a big deal when the guy calling the shots can’t get along with his teammates.”
The idea of Mason being so exalted makes my skin crawl. He might be the quarterback, but he’s not very good at it, at least according to Noah. The only reason why the Hawks are a big deal—garnering national attention—is because of Ethan.
I open my mouth to speak but freeze when a light goes on behind me. I turn around, and sure enough, the glow is coming from my window.
“Fuck,” I mutter. “I think someone is checking on me.”
Ethan shuffles his feet. “Alright get inside. I won’t stick around to watch you crawl through the window. But I’d better not see you still out here by the time I get back to my room.”
I roll my eyes. “There’s no need to crawl through my window anymore. Someone is obviously waiting for me in my room.”
His intense gaze is on my face. “Promise me you won’t walk alone at night, Lily. I’m not asking because… I’m not trying to be a prick. I want to make sure you’re safe.”
Something about the look in his eyes and the warmth in his voice tells me he’s sincere. Before tonight, I never would have thought Ethan gave a shit about me, but after that kiss, I’m not sure if I ever really understood him.
“I’ll think about it,” I say. “I can promise I won’t go anywhere else tonight. Is that enough for you?
His expression grows hesitant. He stares at me for a long moment. “I guess it’ll have to be.”
My stomach fluttering, I turn around and walk in the direction of our porch. What a bizarre night.
My brother’s best friend just kissed me, and I don’t have a clue why he did it. Does annoyance make him horny? If so, he could have kissed me a million times before. I always aim to annoy Ethan.
When I open the front door to the house, Lorelai is sitting on the living room couch. She glances up from her textbook. “Kinsley is worried about you.” Her voice is raspy, as if from disuse. “You should probably find her before she calls your brother.”
I roll my eyes as I rush to my bedroom. Kinsley is a fierce caretaker, like it’s her one mission in the world. It was only mildly annoying before my life turned upside down. Now, I can’t stand her scrutiny. She knows something is off with me, and she won’t leave me alone until I tell her.
She’ll be waiting a long time. I don’t owe anyone explanations.
I walk through the end of the hallway to my bedroom door. Before I push it open, I hesitate.
God, I hate this room. It taught me that vibes are a real thing. This whole house used to be full of golden light and warm energy. Now, my room is a cavern of shadows and tension, a prison cell of my unescapable anxiety.
When I open the door, Kinsley is sitting on my bed, thankfully here to distract me from my unpleasant thoughts. Her head jerks up when I enter. “You said you’d be home by midnight.”
I shrug. “I felt like staying out later.”
“It’s almost three in the morning. On a school night.”
I smile tightly. “Yes, mommie dearest. It is.”
She lets out a heavy breath. “I’m not trying to be annoying. You can stay out as late as you want. I was just worried.”
Tension eases from my body. Kinsley really does care, and it’s not fair for me to be so irritated with her. She and I used to talk, and I haven’t confided in her about anything since that night with Mason.
“I thought I heard your voice outside,” Kinsley says. “Were you out with someone else?”
I open my mouth and then close it, wondering how much I should tell her about Ethan.
My jaw clenches. I won’t say anything about the kiss, but I refuse to be his dirty little secret. He was acting like an ass tonight, and I have the right to vent about it.
It’ll be good. It’ll distract her from asking where I was tonight.
I smirk. “My lord and master was also worried when I came home so late, but he wasn’t nearly as understanding as you.”
A grin spreads over her face. “Ethan?”
“Yes.”
She giggles. “Lily, he’s obsessed with you.”
She’s said things like this before, and my stomach never fluttered like it is right now. Until that kiss, Kinsley’s words had no merit in my eyes.
Ethan isn’t obsessed with me, but after that kiss, I wonder if his irritation with me is more complicated.
I shake my head. “He’s just protective of me, like a big brother. Noah is more than enough. I don’t need another one.”
She raises her brows. “Oh, you think that’s why he’s always hovering over you? Trust me, it’s so much more than that. Every single girl in our church has gone after him at some point. He barely even looks their way. Yet when you’re around, he’s hyper focused and…electrified.
My stomach does a little turn. “What do you mean electrified?”
“I mean, he looks so calm and almost bored most of the time, but the second Lily Greenwood walks into a room, he lights up.”
I wave a hand. “That’s what he looks like when he’s pissed off. It’s hard to tell with Ethan, because he doesn’t have a personality.”
She shakes her head. “You’re so mean to him, and I think he’s into it. You know how they say the opposite of love isn’t hate but indifference. And Ethan is far from indifferent to you.”
I’d never give her words a second thought if it weren’t for the kiss tonight. In one moment, his dark-blue eyes were blazing with anger. Then he pulled me against his chest, and the anger was gone in a flash. He looked ready to eat me.
I thought Ethan was as simple and straightforward as every all-American golden boy. Turns out I don’t really know what’s going on in that handsome head of his.