Page 83 of Ethan

It was adorable.

It was also infuriating.

Which somehow, also was so arousing that Ethan was circling all the way back around to it being plain fucking hot.

“Yes, it was a date, and it was going to be a date,” Hank said primly. “And it didn’t happen.”

“It kinda happened,” Ethan claimed. “I bought you Chipotle. We ate it together. We had sex. We kissed,twice. I would’ve kissed you more, alotmore, in fact, but—”

“But I left.” Hank looked as disappointed as Ethan had been that night. “I had to, you know I did.”

Ethan nodded; he’d known, but that hadn’t made iteasier.

“I didn’t go over there that night to do . . . what we did.” Hank turned even brighter red. Fucking hell. Never mind Hank’s skin, Ethan felt like he was currently being boiled alive, blood bubbling away inside his veins like lava. “I didn’t mean to do that. I mean, Imeantto, in that Iwantedto, but . . .” He shrugged. “You know what I mean.”

“We got carried away,” Ethan said seriously, which was the best way he could find to describe it. “Kind of inevitable, if I’m being honest.”

Hank barked out a laugh. “Yeah. Exactly. And trust me. I want to see you. I want to see you get off. I wanna make you moan right in my ear. But we’re not doing it like this.”

“And you get to decide?” Ethan challenged.

The look Hank shot him was bone-melting, never mind blood-boiling. That was already happening, anyway. “Yeah,” he said.

“Shit,” Ethan muttered.

“You like it,” Hank said knowingly.

“I hate it, too.”

“Yeah, same,” Hank agreed. He laughed again. “God, this sucks.”

“Wanna suckyou,” Ethan said, before he could stop himself.

And suddenly, like all their teasing had reached its maximum potential, the air got still and thin. Ethan could barely breathe as they stared at each other.

Hank cleared his throat. “When I’m back in New York, definitely. Um. I’m gonna hold you to that.”

Ethan’s mouth was so dry. “Yeah,” he barely choked out.

For another long moment, their gazes met and hooked. Held on.

“Don’t make it harder,” Hank practically begged and Ethan rolled his eyes.

“I think that’s the whole problem,” Ethan said knowingly.

Hank sighed. “Don’t be unfair. Not when I’m trying to do the right thing,” he said.

“Whatyouthink is the right thing,” Ethan said. Even though he wasn’t really disagreeing, now that he was thinking about it. Now that heknew, without a single doubt, that Hank wanted him just as much as Ethan wanted him, he could even admit that Hank wanting to do things “right” was sexy. Hot. Romantic, even.

Ethan wouldn’t have said romantic was something that really mattered, but Hank going out of his way to make an effort for their first date even if it hadn’t panned out and denying himself now, because he wanted them having sex to bespecial. Sure, maybe they’d had sex, but only in the technical sense of they’dboth gotten off. Neither of them had gotten naked. Ethan hadn’t touched Hank nearly as much as he wanted to, and Hank hadn’t touched him back.

“You don’t?” Hank asked, calling him on it.

“Okay, fine, sure, yes, it’s a good idea. Well, notgood, but I’m gonna accept it.” Ethan grinned. “Not make it too hard, anyway.”

“You’re the worst,” Hank groaned out.

But you love me,Ethan thought. He didn’t think Hank quite did, maybe not yet, but it felt like he could.