Chapter 14
Mia
I kick my feet up on the dashboard and lean back in my seat with the binoculars in front of my eyes. After three hours of staking out Old City Records, we haven’t had a single lead pan out. My source tells me the dealers run shipments through the store.
“Hand me the Cheetos, would ya?” I point at the bag of cheesy goodness on the dashboard. “I’m starving.”
She picks up the bag, glances at the nutrition label, and sighs. “How do you eat this crap? It’s loaded with saturated fat and chemicals.”
I take it out of her hand and laugh. “It says made with real cheese on the front of the bag. That counts as a food group.”
She chuckles. “You’re impossible. No wonder your brother worries about you. Coffee and Cheetos is not what I’d consider a good dinner.”
“We’re on a stakeout. Eating junk food and pounding stale coffee is part of the gig.”
“We’re not cops,” Clarke points out. “Following around dealers in hopes of getting a good lead on the Old City Records drug ring will get you killed.”
“They have no idea we’re watching them. Stop worrying. You don’t take enough risks for someone who wants to become an investigative journalist.”
I scan the dark city block for a sign of something. Anything. But no one has walked past Old City Records in over an hour. Inside the store, the lights are dim, casting barely enough light to see the person seated at the front counter.
“Go waltz in there and make nice with the clerk. Wouldn’t that be easier?”
I shrug against the leather seat.
“Well, they’re hiring,” she hedges. “There’s a sign on the door. Apply for a job.”
Clarke says this as if it’s the most obvious choice. I would’ve done that sooner if it were an option.
I snort. “I already have a job, one that pays shit. I doubt Fred will take too kindly to me working at a record store in hopes I’ll find something big enough for him to print.”
“Show him what you got. Maybe he’ll change his mind.”
“Doubtful.” I stuff a handful of Cheetos into my mouth, speaking between bites. “I have dried-up leads that are wasting our time.”
“It’s not a waste of time. This is fun. Better than researching what private schools are the best in the area or some of the boring-ass shit Fred has assigned to me lately.
I swear he’s trying to get rid of me. Since I turned in my assignment on the school embezzlement case, Fred hasn’t given me anything worthwhile. ”
“Your reporting on that story was perfect. It wasn’t you. He’s a dick because he wants to fuck you, and you want nothing to do with him.”
She sticks her tongue out and makes a gagging sound. “Gross. The last thing I want to think about is Fred and dicks. He makes my skin crawl when he stares at me during staff meetings.”
“Unfortunately, he’s our boss. It sucks. Get used to it. He likes to stare, but he’s harmless. Flirt back. It could do wonders for your career.” I say the last part with a wink, joking with her.
She lets out a frustrated groan. “You can’t be serious.”
“Fred’s a creeper, but you can’t pick your boss.”
“But you can pick your job,” Clarke counters.
“I pay him no mind. He makes advances on occasion. I ignore all of them. It hasn’t affected my ability to work with him.
Being nice to him goes a long way. He gave me the go-ahead to work part-time on this case.
Fred is like a little kid. If you give him some attention, he’ll simmer down and go play in the corner with his toys. ”
“Ugh,” she groans. “Fine. Whatever it takes to get back to real journalism. Covering this local bullshit is boring me to death.”
“That’s why you should take our stakeout seriously. Imagine what a story like this could do for our careers.”
She bites her lip. “The dealers have ties to the Mafia, right?”
I drop the binoculars into my lap and look over at Clarke. “Other newspapers have covered similar cases related to the ring, but no one can confirm the supplier with absolute certainty.”
“And you think they run it out of this rinky-dink record store?” She stares at the storefront again and shakes her head.
“Better than slinging crack under the El.”
“Dumb place to sell drugs, don’t you think? I thought drug dealers hung out on street corners.”
“Nope, not anymore. Dealers are more sophisticated now. It’s like a drug delivery service. You make a call, and someone meets you. You can get anything you want. Sex. Drugs. Name it, and you can find a way to get it.”
“Should I be worried that you know so much about how to order drugs and hookers?”
I laugh. “It’s part of the job. If I want to bust them, I gotta learn how their business works.”
“You should involve the cops. We can’t take down a bunch of thugs by ourselves.”
“I will. Don’t be silly. I’m not delusional.”
“You never told me about what happened with Ethan last night.”
A beat passes between us before I confess. “We almost had sex.”
Her mouth hangs open in shock, confusion scrolling across her face. “Almost? Why was that? Fill me in. I need the dirt. My sex life sucks ass. Let me live vicariously through you and hockey hottie.”
I cringe at her nickname for Ethan.
“There’s not much to tell. We went back to my apartment. And Will came home before we could have sex.”
“At least he didn’t catch you. How did you manage that one?”
“Easy, I never gave him a key. But now, he has one, so we have to be more careful.”
“Sorry.” I peek out the window at the record store and sigh. “I thought this would be more eventful than sharing Cheetos and discussing Fred and Ethan.”
“The Ethan part I can handle. Fred, not so much. Go on. I want to hear the rest of the story. What happened after Will came home?”
“Nothing.” I sigh. “I told Ethan to pretend he was sleeping in the spare bedroom before Will could see him. I took my room. Will slept on the couch. He almost caught me with an open condom, though.”
She covers her mouth with her hand and giggles. “How would you have explained your way out of that one?”
“I guess I would’ve had to get creative. I’m glad it didn’t come to that, though. Sneaking around behind Will’s back is eating at me. Ethan hates it, too. I told Ethan we had one night to get it out of our systems.”
She leans her arm on the console between us, her eyes wide with curiosity. “You said that to him?”
I nod in answer.
“How bold of you? You’re full of surprises lately. And here I thought you were Jane the Virgin.”
I cough. “Not hardly. Just because I’m a selective dater doesn’t mean I’m a virgin.”
She holds up her hands and shrugs. “Hey, how am I supposed to know? You’re not exactly an open book. I haven’t seen you with a man for as long as I’ve known you.”
I contemplate her words, and sadly, I realize Clarke is right. Dammit. I sound lamer by the second. Maybe I needed that night with Ethan more than I thought. Too bad Will interrupted us.
My cell phone dings with a new text from Ethan. His team won their first playoff game. I type a quick text and shove the phone into the glove compartment before opening the door.
“Where are you going?” Clarke says.
“I want to follow him.” I point at the clerk leaving the record store. He locks up for the night and walks toward the subway. “Maybe he’ll lead us somewhere.”
“Yeah, probably to his house,” she mutters.
“You never know.”
Before I can slip out of the car, Clarke grabs my arm. “Get back in. We can tail him.”
I shut the door and sink into the leather. “I think he’s getting on the subway. If he does, I’m following.”
Clarke pulls out of the parking space, keeping her distance.
From what I can tell, the man we’re following is in his mid-thirties, with dark hair and a medium build.
The city is still packed at this hour, and with the Flyers winning their first game, people are flowing out from bars, strolling down the street in jerseys.
He pushes his way through the crowd, and before Clarke can make a sudden move, the man ducks down a side street where we can’t follow him.
“Shit,” I growl. “I knew I should’ve gone after him on foot. Dammit.”
Clarke frowns. “Sorry, babe. I guess tonight wasn’t in the cards for us. You ready to head home?”
I shrug against the seat. “Might as well. This night is going nowhere fast, and I need some real food. The Chinese place below my apartment is open for another hour.”
Clarke scrunches her nose in disgust. “I think I’ll pass.”
“Suit yourself. You don’t know what you’re missing.”
I wake to Ethan’s voice in my ear and his warm breath on my cheek. This is a dream. It has to be because Ethan isn’t supposed to be here.
“You never answered me,” he whispers, his body dipping the mattress beneath his weight. He crawls into my bed behind me and wraps his arms around me.
Confused and somewhat startled, I glance over my shoulder at him. “What are you talking about?”
“My text,” he growls. “You left me hanging.”
Our last exchange was in Clarke’s car hours ago, where I left my cell phone in her glove compartment. Oops. Now, I’m dying to know what he said in his text message that was important enough for him to come back a day earlier.
“I know you missed me, too,” he says, his voice like gravel. “I drove back here just to hear you say it.”
I fell asleep in a tank top and panties that Ethan is now ripping off me. “Ethan,” I moan as I hear the fabric tear in his hand. “What are you doing? Why are you here?”
“I missed you.” He drags his teeth along my neck and forces my legs open with his hand.
“I had to see you.” Ethan presses on my shoulder and has me on my back within seconds.
“I couldn’t sleep until I knew how you felt about me.
Tell me the guilt and shame I feel over keeping this from Will is worth it.
” His hand dips between my legs, two fingers slowly inching inside me. “Please tell me I’m not alone in this.”
“What’s wrong, Ethan?” My eyes shut from the pleasure shooting through my body, though I’m still slightly surprised he’s in bed with me.
“You drive me crazy, my little lamb.”
I love hearing my nickname fall from his lips.
He pushes my shirt over my breasts, exposing my bare chest to him.
His fingers move faster, my insides tightening around him.
He dips his head down to suck on my nipple, his touch so skilled and precise I’m on the edge, like a lit firework about to explode.
Is my mind playing tricks on me? I pinch myself to make sure he’s real.
Ethan pretended to hate me for years, and everything has changed overnight.
I still don’t understand the sudden shift in our relationship.
It was supposed to be one night of sex. Except with him living in my apartment, ignoring Ethan or how I feel about him is complicated.
“I missed you, too,” I confess. “Is this what you want to hear?”
He peeks up at me with my nipple between his teeth. The look he gives me sends a shiver down my spine. Ethan Waters is the most infuriating person I’ve ever met. But he’s also the sexiest and undeniably irresistible.
When my body trembles, heat washes over me from head to toe. My skin burns from Ethan’s touch. He has me wound so tight I feel like a twig about to snap in half. And then I hit the peak of my orgasm, like a ball of yarn unraveling, I come undone.
I lose myself with Ethan.
He’s not my older brother’s best friend for a few seconds. He’s Ethan—my E. The boy from my past I’ve never fallen out of love with.
“I love the sounds you make when you come,” he says against my skin. “I love everything about you, little lamb.”
Unsure of how to respond, I remain still in his arms.
Was that a confession?
Does Ethan love me?
I doubt it.
He releases his hold on me, his side of the bed dipping as he gets up from the mattress.
I stare up at him in the darkness. “Where are you going?”
“I have to get back to D.C. before Will wakes up.”
I raise a curious eyebrow at him. “You drove all the way home to go right back? Why?”
He digs in the pocket of his track pants and retrieves a set of keys. “I told you why.”
“Because I didn’t answer your text?”
He nods. “Yeah, so make sure you answer me next time. I hate waiting.”
I laugh at his forwardness. “We’re not dating. I don’t owe you an immediate response.”
“Hours passed, and still nothing from you. I couldn’t sleep, not knowing how you felt.”
“I forgot my cell phone. It’s in Clarke’s car. We were on a stakeout when you texted about the game.”
He leans over me and presses a kiss to my lips. “I have to go. Even without traffic, I have a few hours’ drive. If I’m lucky, I’ll get back before Will wakes up.”
I thread my fingers together and put my hands behind my head. “I can’t believe you drove here just to give me an orgasm.”
“I wasn’t planning on doing that. I wanted to see you, and when I found you in bed with your ass in the air, it was like an invitation to touch you. You sleep like a baby.” He laughs. “I watched you for a while before waking you up. And once I got my hands on you, I couldn’t stop myself.”
“We have to tell Will,” I say.
“When the time’s right,” he counters, kissing me again.
“The time will never be right.”
He stops in the doorway, his eyes finding mine. “Will scored the winning goal tonight. Our team needs him focused.”
“There will always be a reason not to tell Will,” I challenge. “I’m giving you until the playoffs are over, or I will tell him.”
He tips his head. “I promise, Mia. I’ll tell him. Just give me some time, okay?”
I nod my agreement as he slips out of my room. The door closes behind him, and after he’s long gone, I still can’t sleep. I stare at the ceiling, wondering if I imagined Ethan in my bedroom because none of this feels real.
So, it must be a dream.