Page 33 of Jaime
For a minute, I was genuinely confused. How would I be any sort of threat to Ethan? Sure, I wasn’t exactly a small guy, but Ethan had a few inches on me, and he looked strong. But that wasn’t the only reason someone would be worried about who their friend was dating.
“She thinks I’m using you.”
Just saying it made me feel dirty suddenly. Ethan’s grimace didn’t help. I sat up straighter, pulling my hand back as the bubble of intimacy between us popped.
“Hey,” Ethan said, leaning across the table before I could spiral, “what does she know?”
“I showed up at your reading and the next thing, you’re buying me things and… and...”
I couldn’t add the last part about us getting intimate because suddenly the wonderful day we’d spent together felt tarnished.
“Remember how I insisted? How I showed up at your place and invited myself in?”
I looked up, meeting Ethan’s sincere gaze.
“You didn't make me do buy you anything. Even when we got to the till, you tried to pay.”
“Right,” I agreed, but now that we were talking about it, and now that I hadthoughtabout it... “Was that why? Soyoucould get something fromme?”
My voice came out small and uncertain and the moment it was out of my lips, and I saw his expression, I realized how stupid I was to have said it.
“Is that how you feel?” Ethan asked. “Because if so, if you came onto me because you felt pressured or like you owed me—”
“No. It was the opposite.”
I swallowed and physically shook myself.
“Shit. I’m sorry. I know you’re not like that. It was just an intrusive thought for a second.”
My heart was pounding with guilt as I sat under his scrutinizing gaze.
“The reason I came onto you was because—”
He waited while I forced the words out.
“It was because I like the way you look at me. I like the way you talk and the nice things you say. That day it felt like I got to know you. I thought I wouldn’t see you again and I wanted to make the most of it.”
His cheeks darkened while I spoke.
Under the table, his feet found mine. He pressed our ankles together.
“Thank you for being so open with me,” he whispered. “Now I guess it should be my turn... I’m not as innocent as I’m making out.”
I stilled.
“Jaime, I’m deeply attracted to you. I was from the moment I laid eyes on you. It’s not why I helped you, but I would be lying if I pretended it wasn’t something I was aware of as soon as I saw you.”
He swallowed, his gaze dropping to his wine glass.
“That was why I didn’t want you to touch me or get me off,” he admitted. “I didn’t want it to feel like that was my reason for being there. It really wasn’t.”
Well, how the hell was I supposed to be mad at that?
If he hadn’t vocalized how much he liked sucking me and fingering me, and kissing me with hot moans, I probably would have wondered, but knowing he was as into me as I was into him was a turn on.
My stomach swooped, cock thickening in my jeans.
“So, what do you think?” Ethan asked, nudging my foot playfully. The slight smirk on his lips shot straight to my cock.
