Chapter 10
Ethan
After we leave Mia in her room to get dressed, I follow Will into the living room. He kicks back on the couch across from me, shooting daggers in my direction.
Fuck, how much did he see and hear? I lose my head when I’m around Mia. Despite my feelings for her, I can’t lose my best friend over unresolved issues from the past.
We hold each other’s gaze for a few seconds before I lean back against the couch. I cough to clear the lump forming at the back of my throat.
Will studies my face as he reaches for the television remote on the coffee table between us. “What were you doing with my sister?”
“I was only trying to help her get ready.”
Will clicks on the television and flips through the channels, shaking his head. “That’s not what it looked like to me. Do you like Mia? You know, you can tell me if you do.”
Yeah, right.
Will plays on and off the ice. And I would deserve every punch.
“No,” I lie. “I don’t like Mia, not like that. She’s too proud to admit she needs help from us and has nothing decent to wear. I offered to have my girl at Boyds pick something out for her. It’s not a big deal.”
“Sorry, man. I didn’t mean to jump down your throat.
Thanks for helping Mia out. She won’t take anything from me.
” He blows out a puff of air and drops the remote onto the coffee table in front of us.
Will folds his arms over his chest and leans back, focusing on the flat screen.
“You ready for next week’s game?” Will asks without looking away from the television.
“We barely made it into the playoffs this year.”
I nod in agreement. “If Kane didn’t score in overtime, we would’ve been out.”
Tyler Kane is our team captain for a reason. He’s hands-down the best center in the league. His ability to lead our team from barely winning games to making the playoffs is a big deal. That’s why Mia and her friend interviewed us earlier today.
“How do I look?” Mia walks into the room, snapping me back to reality. My mouth falls open as I see all of her curves on display for me. “Do I pass as ‘club appropriate,’” she says, using air quotes, “or am I still underdressed?”
A silly expression crosses her face, one that makes me smile. I can’t take my eyes off her. She’s beautiful, a complete fucking knockout. And still my best friend’s younger sister. So, there’s that.
Despite her hatred of the gym, her legs are surprisingly toned, and the tight leather skirt that rides up her thighs shows off every curve.
She hates to work out or do anything that resembles exercise, but by the look of her body, I find that hard to believe.
My gaze travels up the length of her delicious body to the strapless gold top plastered to her big tits.
Her cleavage is popping out from the top, which is another surprise.
She’s even wearing heels. Not flats or boots. She ditched her usual attire.
What happened to her mom jeans and sweaters? Damn, she looks good. But she would look good in anything—even the mom jeans. Where has she been hiding this outfit?
I bite the inside of my cheek to keep myself from making any obscene facial gestures. Will notices every movement I make around Mia. My dick is getting hard just thinking about burying my face between her legs right now. And her tits. Fuck.
“See, I knew you had something in that closet.” Will turns off the television and pushes himself up from the couch.
Mia glances at Will and does something that resembles a curtsey, tugging at the edges of her skirt as she smiles. “I clean up good, huh?”
Will moves toward her and studies her clothes. “Well, I’m not thrilled about the length of your skirt or the low-cut top, but they have a dress code at The Sixth Floor. They would never let you in wearing jeans and boots. Stay close to Ethan and me. I don’t want anyone near you. Okay?”
She nods. “You have nothing to worry about.”
But he does.
He just doesn’t know it yet.
“Don’t drink too much,” Will says. “No dancing with any guys.”
Mia rolls her eyes at him. “Yes, Dad. Anything else? Do you want to check my homework before we go out?”
I laugh, but Will doesn’t find it funny. He shoots me a pained look, and then his gaze falls back to Mia. “I’m serious.”
“Yeah, whatever, Will. This was your idea, not mine. I’ll dance with Ethan then if you’re going to be such a buzz kill.”
Will pulls his phone from his pocket, tapping on the keys feverishly. “Yeah, stick with Ethan.”
Am I violating my best friend’s trust? I haven’t done anything wrong. Yet. But I know I will.
How can I stop myself when Mia licks her lips at me or flips her blonde strands over her shoulder, giving me come-fuck-me eyes? She’s a fucking temptress, and she knows it.
“Uber will be here in five minutes,” Will says before heading into the kitchen.
“We need a good buzz going before we get to the club. Do you have anything other than this old bottle of vodka?” He digs through Mia’s freezer and holds up the almost empty bottle.
“Any chance you have some Jack around here?”
“No.” Mia moves her hands to her hips and frowns. “You can take it or leave it. And I expect you to replace whatever you drink. That’s all I have left.”
Mia glances at me before following behind Will, and I trail behind her, taking in the sight of her body. Her ass. Those legs. I’m so fucking screwed.
One month.
I can do this.
Deep breaths.
Even I don’t believe myself. Why would Will?
No one has ever looked more out of place in a club than Mia Roman. She glances up at the ceiling, memorizing every detail of the room as the cocktail waitress leads us upstairs to the VIP section Will reserved for us. He chats up the waitress while I keep Mia entertained and at my side.
My hand grazes her ass when I pull her closer to make room for a drunken couple to pass us on the stairs. She jumps, looking startled, until she realizes it’s me touching her.
Luckily, Will is busy with the blonde bombshell leading us to the VIP section, too busy staring at her huge rack. So, I keep my hand on Mia’s ass for a few seconds longer to see if she’ll tell me to stop. She tips her head toward Will, and I nod. If anyone is aware of how close Will is, it’s me.
Once we reach the VIP area, I sit on the couch next to Mia. Will gives the waitress our drink orders. I’m sticking to water with our first playoff game only a few days away. So is Will. This night is for Mia. She needs to loosen up and have fun for once in her life.
“I can see why you insisted on dressing me,” Mia says. “This place is nice. I wouldn’t have fit in with my normal clothes.”
I nod. “But I’m sure the bouncer would have let you in because you’re with us. At least now you look the part.”
“As what? One of your puck bunnies.” She rolls her eyes and makes a gagging sound. “People probably think I’m fucking you and Will. Gross.”
“Let them think what they want. And for the record, fucking me would not be gross. Far from it.”
She laughs. “I don’t know about that.”
Before I get the chance to respond, Will plops down on the other side of Mia and slides his arm across the back of her neck. “What do you think, baby sis? Not so bad, right?”
Mia gives him a fake smile. She’s so easy to read. “Yeah, it’s great. Thanks for forcing me to come out with you.”
She folds her arms across her chest, pushing her tits out even more. Does it make me an even bigger asshole for noticing? Probably.
Will releases Mia from his grip, leans forward to grab two bottles of water from the bed of ice on the table in front of us, and hands one of them to me. Then, he fills a highball glass with Absolut and cranberry juice. He passes the drink to Mia. “Try to have fun. It won’t kill you.”
“Stop nagging me, Will.” Mia presses the glass to her lips and gulps half the liquid in one swig. “Let me do my thing without babysitting me for once.”
Will cocks an eyebrow at Mia. “You know I worry about you.”
For as long as I’ve known Will, he’s always handled Mia like she’s a piece of fine china. Her parents treat her the same way. She’s not the delicate girl I once knew. Not even close.
Mia pounds the rest of her drink and gets up from the couch. “I know, Will, and I’ll be fine. I can take care of myself. If you don’t mind, I want to dance without a chaperone.”
Will sinks further into the couch and rests his shoe on the table. “Ethan is going with you.”
He shoots me a look that says, Keep an eye on her. I’d love to dance with Mia, but I can’t help but wonder if he’ll stand up here and watch us from the balcony. If so, I must be careful with her because one wrong move could be dangerous for us both.
“You coming with?” I ask Will.
He shakes his head. “No, I texted that girl I met last night. She should be here in a few. I also have the waitress to keep me company.” Will flashes a cocky smirk and then winks.
When we reach the dance floor, the club is in full swing.
Sweat glistens off the bodies of those grinding on each other, the people surrounding us throwing elbows in our direction as we push through the crowd.
I have to move Mia in front of me to keep her out of their reach.
With my arm hooked around her stomach and my hand on her shoulder, I steer her deeper into the crowd and out of Will’s line of sight.
He told me to dance with Mia. Technically, Will gave me his permission. Does that make this right?
We eventually find an open space in the middle of the floor, which gives us enough room to join our bodies together.
Mia presses her palms to my chest and looks up at me.
Her bright blue eyes slice right through me.
When she looks at me this way, nothing around us matters.
There’s only the beautiful girl I’ve had feelings for since high school standing before me.
My skin pricks with electricity when Mia slides her hands up my arms. She grips my biceps with her fingers and begins to sway her hips with a sensual look as she digs her nails into my skin. We don’t need to exchange words.
She wants me.
I want her.
There’s nothing left to say.
But where is Will?
I glance up at the balcony where we left Will and sigh in relief that he’s not standing there. His date must have arrived by now and keeping him more than entertained. Good. Because I need Will distracted.
Mia rubs her ass on my thigh, slowly reaching my growing erection.
I’m thankful no one can see how turned on I am by Mia.
And even more grateful that Will is not here to see this.
She knows what she’s doing, dropping low enough to give me a nice view of her ass.
Mia sure has some moves for a girl who never leaves the house.
And she sure as fuck knows how to work her killer curves.
She wants me to touch her, and yet I have my hands at my sides, allowing Mia to do what she wants to me.
What’s one dance?
I lean forward to whisper in her ear, and she stills from my breath on her skin. “Keep doing that, little lamb, and I’m going to bend you over and fuck you right here on this dance floor.”
Mia stops shaking her ass and tilts her head back so our eyes meet. Sweat dots on her forehead and brows, her glassy blue eyes burning a hole through me. “I’d like to see you try, E.”
Moving my hands to her hips, I pull her against my chest. “Is that a dare?”
She smiles in response.