Chapter 12 Zoe
Chapter Twelve
ZOE
Ethan threaded a hand in my hair and fit his mouth over mine.
The world felt like it was spinning as I tumbled into his hot kiss.
Let me tell you, Ethan Walsh knew how to kiss like it was nobody’s business.
He alternated between devouring my mouth with deep sweeps of his tongue and drawing back to catch my lower lip in his teeth, swipes of his tongue across my lips, feathering kisses along my jawline and then finding his way back again.
All in all, it’s a damn good thing he held me against him because otherwise I’d have melted at his feet.
He drew back, his lips dusting along my neck to catch my earlobe between his teeth.
Just that and hot shivers raced through me.
My breath was choppy. I’d been chilled for the entire walk home and now the fire spreading through my veins in contrast made my skin prickle all over.
It felt so good to be held against him—that alone was addictive.
He moved with pure strength and ease, every touch smooth.
His breath gusted across my skin as he made his way down into the V of my blouse. A rough shiver ran through me, and he lifted his head.
“Still cold?” he asked, his eyes teasing and his mouth curling at one corner.
I glared at him, which only brought me a low chuckle and another shiver of heat rippling through me.
Ethan moved swiftly and lifted me into his arms, swinging me so my legs hung over one of his forearms. I wasn’t used to being carried.
Being tall didn’t exactly lead men to want to sweep me off my feet, so to speak.
He held me easily. In a flash, I discovered it was pure heaven to be held against his muscled chest.
In his arms, my face was level with his.
I glanced to him, and my heart started hammering.
Dear God. He was ridiculously handsome. With his dark blonde hair, green eyes and chiseled features, it was no wonder women drooled over him.
Throw in his roguish grin that he tossed about with abandon and a body to die for, and it was a near certainty I wasn’t the only woman who got wet just being near him.
He started walking, aiming straight for the hallway at the back.
“Where are we going?”
“Bedroom.”
“You don’t even know where it is.”
He glanced down, a devilish grin curling his lips. “Can’t be too hard to find. There’s only two doors back here,” he said as he entered the short hallway.
A laugh bubbled up. I should’ve tried to stop this, but I didn’t want to.
I kept recalling Jana’s point I was letting my virginity get in the way of any kind of dating.
Twenty-nine wasn’t that old, but it wasn’t exactly young either.
Seeing as I’d already almost gotten naked with Ethan, arguing with myself about crossing boundaries with him like this seemed pointless.
If I was going to wave goodbye to my annoying virginity, I figured I could at least be guaranteed another phenomenal orgasm with him.
Although I had my doubts he could top the one the other day in my office.
I’d pretty much chalked that up to the best ever and figured it was a lucky break.
With the dryer rumbling audibly from the bathroom to one side of the hall, Ethan didn’t even bother checking that door.
He shouldered through my bedroom door opposite it and eased me down.
I nudged the light switch with my elbow and adjusted the dimmer.
I scanned the room, wondering how he saw it.
My bed was a simple, low queen bed with a fabric-covered headboard.
I loved pillows, so there were plenty of those, along with a fluffy down quilt.
I spent many an evening propped amongst my pillows with my laptop on my knees as I drafted legal documents and reviewed case law.
Beyond my bed, there wasn’t much in the room.
I had a giant walk in closet, which afforded enough space for a dresser.
I had turned away to flick on the lights and jumped when I felt Ethan’s hands slide down my sides to hook over my skirt.
For a flash, I froze. I didn’t want to stop, I really didn’t.
But I didn’t know what to think of the fact that I seemed to be barreling ahead into this.
Ethan was the first man I’d kissed in over a year.
I’d tried here and there to fit dating into my too busy life.
The last guy—a debonair finance attorney I’d met at a legal function—had seemed like a good bet.
I figured he might actually understand my dedication to my work.
I quickly learned he had skated by on charm both professionally and personally.
He was mildly amused at my passion for my career and had no problem acknowledging he’d chosen finance law for the money.
He’d also made it clear he had no interest in anything other than casual sex with no strings.
While I’d be the first to admit my life didn’t leave much room for a serious relationship, I wasn’t running around looking to fuck all the time.
Our first date came to a screeching halt when he jammed his tongue down my throat in the cab after our dinner date.
I spun to face Ethan, just as he paused.
I could tell he sensed my hesitation. Ugh.
I hated this. This was precisely why I was annoyed I’d focused so hard on studying during college.
I hadn’t meant to end up a virgin at twenty-nine, most certainly not.
It would have been much easier to lose it in a drunken night of partying in high school or college, like so many friends I knew.
Not me though. It wasn’t that I judged those who chose to party like that, but I’d had goals and I didn’t let anything get in the way.
I opened my mouth to speak, but since I didn’t know what to say, I snapped it shut. His hands were warm against my waist. He eyed me, his teasing gaze fading.
“This doesn’t have to go any further,” he said suddenly. “I might want you like mad, but nothing happens that you don’t want.”
If I knew anything with certainty, it was this—I wanted Ethan, I wanted this, and I didn’t want to stop. Those thoughts galvanized me. I shook my head forcefully.
He stared at me. “You’re going to have to be clear, luv. I don’t know if you’re shaking your head because you don’t want this, or something else.”
“I want you. I want this,” I said, the words coming out fiercely, rough and raw between my ragged breathing and racing pulse.
His gaze darkened. “Okay then.”
He curled his fingers over the waistband of my skirt and slid it over my hips. It fell in a quiet rumple around my feet. As I kicked it out of the way, he set to undoing the buttons on my blouse.
“Let’s get these pesky clothes out of the way first,” he murmured, his voice sending a prickle up my spine.
I was still slightly chilled from my rainy walk home.
When the cool air drifted against my skin when my blouse fell open, I shivered.
Little did I know that would lead to Ethan moving like lightning.
In a flash, my blouse was tossed aside. Before I had a chance to form a thought, he peeled off his shirt.
One look and my mouth watered. It wasn’t like I didn’t know he was cut.
But… Oh. My. God. He probably missed his calling and should’ve been a model.
His skin was like caramel and every inch of his chest and abs was muscle.
He had the lightest dusting of gold hair on his chest that narrowed down to a point past the waistband of his jeans.
Which I really, really wanted him to take off.
He obliged in a matter of seconds. The rest of him was just as yummy as his chest. There couldn’t have been an ounce of fat on him.
He was nothing but lean and muscled everywhere I looked.
His fitted black briefs did nothing to hide his blatant arousal.
Mere seconds had likely passed since I’d shivered, but with Ethan nearly naked in front of me, I wasn’t thinking too clearly and had completely forgotten I was chilled.
He hadn’t however. In a flash, he’d tugged me to the bed and was stretching out beside me.
He was like my own personal furnace, and it was simply delicious.
I could’ve burrowed into him and been perfectly happy to stay there for days.
He was warm all over, his skin sleek and hot.
In a matter of seconds, my chill was chased away as he began mapping my body with his hands and mouth.
I went from being cold, damp and tired after a long day at work to so hot and bothered, I could barely think.
I tumbled into the headiness of being with him.
Fire roared through my body, and liquid need throbbed at my core.
I couldn’t get close enough and was busy greedily touching him everywhere I could.
He paused with his lips between my breasts and flicked his thumb under the clasp of my bra.
My nipples tightened further at the feel of the cool air against them when the silk slid away.
He glanced up, his eyes hooded, before dipping his head and swirling his tongue around a nipple.
I moaned when he closed his mouth over it and bit down lightly.
He settled his weight over me—oh my god, it felt good—and set to make me wild.
He kissed, licked, sucked and nipped at both of my breasts, blowing softly when he drew away.
All the while, I could feel every inch of his hard, hot length against my core through the layers of his briefs and my silk panties.
Pleasure spiked through me with every subtle shift of his body against mine.