She looked at his offered hand, but didn’t move. “Is that a promise?”
He leaned in closer, his lips only a breath away from her ear. “Yes. And you can call me anything you want, too. I’m yours to yell at…or whatever.”
“Or whatever, huh?” Her hand rested on his bicep, burning through the thin fabric. “Deal. I’ll have a glass of pinot grigio.”
He stepped back from her, his heart lurching. He had a feeling she was giving the whatever portion of his statement serious thought. Thank f**king God.
“Go sit at that table, and I’ll meet you over there.” He nodded at her friend. “It was nice seeing you.”
“Yes. Nice seeing you, too.” As he headed for the bar, he heard Ashley’s friend exclaim, “That was dorky little Ethan Pierce? Are you freaking kidding me? If you won’t do him, I will.”
He grinned and ran a hand through his hair. Interesting offer, but there was only one woman he had his eye on tonight, and she was currently spitting fire at him. But even so, deep down he knew…
One way or another, tonight was going to be epic.
…
At the table, Ashley watched Ethan make his way through the crowd, with two glasses in one hand and a whole bottle of wine in the other. How the hell did he morph from the scrawny, dorky boy she loved and remembered fondly into the built, muscular, brown haired, brown-eyed, and devastatingly handsome devil of a man coming her way? She’d always liked Ethan, but now?
Holy crap. He was freaking hot.
So hot all she could think about was bringing him back to her place for the night and banging him out of her system.
Literally.
Sideways, backwards, upside down.
As long as tonight ended with him inside of her, she’d be a happy girl.
She couldn’t believe she was actually entertaining the thought of taking home Ethan, of all men. If he’d come over and acted as if he’d done nothing wrong, she would have stuck to her guns and told him to f**k off. But now she wanted to hear what he had to say. To see if he’d changed inside as well as out. Maybe he was telling the truth about wanting to make up for his behavior back then.
Because she certainly had some ideas on ways he could make it up to her.
She had no doubt that’s what he’d meant by whatever.
Everything about him made her want him. His eyes, his smile, the way he carried himself when he walked. That was all the same as back in high school. Yet, he was completely different. Self assured. Cocky, even. Oozing sex appeal and ripped from head to toe.
With a newly developed sense of humor about himself.
She liked the new him.
She watched the way his muscular arms strained against the sleeves of his dress shirt. Hot damn, she needed to touch him and see if he was as solid as he looked. When Ethan got closer, she sat up straighter, watching him intently. He came to her side and inclined his head.
Holding his arm out, he said, “Here you go.”
“Thank you.” She took the proffered drink and raised it to him. “No more glasses?”
He looked at her with a raised brow. “Uh, no. I got Lasik .”
“Oh, yeah, Lasik…” She flushed, feeling like an idiot for giving such a lame response. Being around him was throwing her off of her game. “So, what was that about you being an ass**le? I’m all ears.”
He cleared his throat. “It wasn’t right, what I did to you. I should’ve talked it over with you. Should have gotten the f**k over it. And by the time I had, it was too late. We were both in different colleges...”
“That doesn’t tell me what I want to know.” She took a sip of wine and scooted closer, her knees brushing against his as she adjusted herself on the high chair. God, he was tight. She’d always liked him, even back when they’d been nothing more than kids. But like was an understatement for what she was feeling now.
Still…
“Why did you stop talking to me?”
He flexed his jaw and took a long sip of his wine. “It’s stupid. I don’t even want to say it, it’s that f**king stupid.”
“Let me be the judge of that.” She pursed her lips, even more intrigued to hear the reason behind the slight than ever before. “Spit it out.”
He sighed. “I saw you with Roger.”
“Roger?” She raised a brow. So he saw her with her friend—her g*y friend. Big deal? What made him so angry about that that he didn’t talk to her ever again? “And then…?”
“You were kissing him at our spot.” He took a big gulp of wine and then set down the empty glass. “And instead of putting on my big boy panties and accepting that you didn’t want me the same way I wanted you, I twisted them in a bunch and acted like the worst friend in history. I’m truly sorry for that.”
She tightened her grip on her glass. “That’s why you stopped talking to me? Oh my God. You’re such an ass**le.”
“I already agreed to that, so if you’re expecting an argument from me, you’re doomed to be disappointed.” He glared down at his empty glass. “I was a jerk to you, and I know you probably won’t be able to forgive me…but I had to at least apologize.”
She studied him. He did look sorry… “I see. And that’s supposed to make it better?”
“No. I know it doesn’t. But I felt you deserved an explanation.” He poured himself more wine. “I might be nine years late, but there you have it. The reason I’m a prick.”
She chugged the rest of hers and then held her empty glass out for more. She needed another drink after that. “You’re right. It was a stupid reason. And I was really upset.”
“I was, too. My poor little high school heart was shattered with angst and horror.”
She laughed despite herself. “Stop! It’s not funny.
He looked up sheepishly. “You’re right. Treating your friends like crap is never funny.”
“Yeah, well.” She shrugged, warming to his apology. “Coping was never your strong suit. Even back then. You’re kind of a runner.”
His brown eyes bore into hers, direct, heated, intense. “I was a boy then. I’m a man now.”
No joke. He’d certainly manned up about his behavior.
And his body was all man…
He filled her glass to the rim and she frowned at him. “If I can make it up to you in some way…let me know. Anything.”
The way he said that last word… God, she wanted to climb all over him and have her way with him, once and for all. And he was here, looking at her with those eyes she’d never been able to resist, and she didn’t want to resist. Sure, he’d been a jerk to her, but that had been years ago when they’d both been kids.