ELLIE
“Shall we?” he said, starting to walk down the sidewalk.
“Honestly, I’m not sure if this was a great idea. Do you really think we’ll be able to talk in this freezing weather while running?” I caught up to him, walking by his side.
“Why does it feel like you’re trying to run away?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
As we walked through the streets of Manhattan toward the park, I couldn’t help but admire the colorful Christmas lights adorning the buildings and lamp posts. They created a magical atmosphere and gave the city a special glow.
Christmas was my favorite time of year, and being with Ethan made the moment even more magical.
A chill settled in my stomach—not just from the magic of the moment, but from wondering what the future had in store for us.
✽
We’d only been running for five minutes, but my lungs were already burning, as were the muscles in my legs. The cold I had been feeling had almost completely disappeared. Gasping for breath, I slowed down, my heart pounding in my chest.
Ethan was already a bit ahead when he noticed I had stopped running. Stopping, he turned back and jogged toward me.
“Are you okay?” he asked, not looking the slightest bit tired, not even out of breath.
“How is it possible that you’re not tired?”
“I’d say I’ve got a lot of pent-up energy. To be precise, two months’ worth,” he said, unable to hold back a sly grin.
I rolled my eyes, laughing inwardly.
“You men can’t go a single second without thinking about sex, can you?”
“Fine. I’ll pretend I didn’t notice you staring at the front of my pants this morning.”
Oh my God. How did he…
I pressed my lips together, trying to suppress a smile.
“I wasn’t doing that.”
I felt my cheeks heat up. Thankfully, it was cold enough to hide the real reason they were flushed. But it wasn’t my fault that, even in freezing weather, he couldn’t hide that thing.
“I thought we needed to be honest if this was going to work,” he said, biting his lower lip.
“Maybe you should wear tighter underwear.”
“Believe it or not, I’m actually wearing a pair right now.”
“Okay, enough. Can we talk about what we really came here to discuss?”
“Sure, but you don’t need to pretend you’re not missing a ride on the scariest and riskiest roller coaster in the park.”
“You still remember that.” I laughed.
“How could I forget? You were so cute, all shy and scared.”
“Okay, okay. This isn’t helping us stay on track.”
“All right. Where should we start?”
I thought for a few moments as we continued walking along the trail.
“First, are you absolutely sure you want to do this? Because… I don’t think I could handle going through that again.”
He took a deep breath beside me, as if the weight of my words hit him.
“Hearing you say that still makes me feel horrible. You have no idea how sorry I am for putting you through that.”
“I just need to know you’re sure this time.”
His brown eyes met mine, shining with some emotion.
“There’s nothing I’m more sure of than this. You have no idea what I felt when I thought I’d lost you… or how hard it was to spend all that time away from you.”
Honesty. That was the emotion in his eyes, along with a hint of guilt.
“Actually, I think I have some idea,” I said, smiling.
“Are you finally admitting you missed me?”
“Yes, and not just the scary ride.”
“I’m glad to hear that. So, what do we do now? Do I need to talk to your parents again before I can take you to bed and keep you there for a month?”
“Haha, funny. Actually, even if this is turning back into a relationship, I think we should still take it slow.”
“Take it slow… You want to turn this into some kind of lab experiment? Make me your little lab rat and see how I perform, whether I’ve really changed? Is that it?”
“I just… thought you’d understand why…”
“It’s okay, I’m joking. I don’t mind being your little lab rat, as long as you wear a nice low-cut top under that lab coat and some heels, too.”
“Pervert.”
“It’s the least you could do since I’ll be under evaluation.”
“Right now, you still seem like the same bastard as always.”
“Great. And you still seem like the same crazy scientist who decided to hate me for wanting to have sex with you.”
“Oh, you have to admit that was pretty asshole-ish.”
“To me, it just seemed like an opportunity.”
“Oh my God. We talked for two minutes, and you thought it was time to ask me to have sex with you? You didn’t know anything about me.”
“I didn’t need to. I’d already noticed the most important thing.”
“What?” I stopped, curious.
He stopped too.
“You were hot,” he said with a shrug, trying to hold back a smile.
My jaw dropped. What a jerk! Taking a step toward him, I pushed him, pressing my hands against his chest.
“You’re such an asshole!”
He laughed, trying to steady himself, then wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me toward him as he laughed.
Gorgeous and a bastard.
That was all I could think as I watched his smile.
“Bastard!” I tried to free myself from his grip, pushing against his chest—not that it was what I really wanted.
After all this time, my body was practically melting just from being in his arms. Being so close to him, feeling his warmth, set my skin on fire in seconds.
“And yet, you’re the one who knocked on this bastard’s door,” he said smugly, his laughter fading. “Why?”
“Yeah, maybe I’m the idiot,” I replied, still mesmerized by his gaze.
“No… you’re beautiful.”
His lips were inches from mine when the sound of footsteps approaching on the trail broke the moment, snapping us back to reality.
A guy ran past us, ruining the mood.
“I think we should wrap this up. It’s getting late, and we both have to get to work,” I said.
“Yeah, let’s go,” he agreed, releasing me.
We walked side by side again.
“What are your plans for Christmas?” he asked suddenly.
“Well, I haven’t planned anything yet, but I was thinking of traveling to spend it with my parents.”
“Do you think they’d mind if you didn’t go?”
“I don’t think so. Aren’t you spending it with your family?”
“No. Well, yes, we’ll have lunch together, but I’d like you to stay with me.”
“You want me to have lunch with your parents?”
“Only if you want to. Or we could just have dinner. I could cook something for you.”
“Hmm, now that’s interesting. But if you’d said you’d be cooking naked, that’d be an offer I couldn’t refuse.”
“I think I can arrange that.”
We laughed.
“So, is that a yes?” he asked.
“Yes. I already know your parents, though I doubt they remember me.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”
✽
When we reached my door, Ethan insisted on coming up, even though I’d told him it wasn’t necessary.
“Well… good job. See you Sunday?” I said.
“Just Sunday?” He looked confused. “We could have dinner tonight, and we still have all of tomorrow.”
“I actually have plans with the girls tomorrow.”
“All day? What about dinner tonight?”
“You sound eager,” I teased. “I need to rest tonight, for the weekend.”
“After two months, it’s incredible that you still want rest. But I know what you’re trying to do.”
“What?” I tried not to smile.
“Drive me crazy. But you don’t need to, because I already am.”
“Don’t be so dramatic. You agreed to take it slow.”
“Ellie…” He sounded impatient, and though I felt a little bad for him, this was too much fun.
“Ethan.” I turned to unlock my door, my smile growing. “See you Sunday.”
But suddenly, before I could open the door, his hands grabbed my hips, spinning me around.
Pinning me against the door with the weight of his body, he yanked off my beanie. And the last thing I saw before he kissed me was the burning desire in his brown eyes.
His lips covered mine in a wild, hungry kiss. His tongue devoured mine as one of his arms wrapped around my waist, pressing me against his cock.
His hand slid from my face to my breast, squeezing it, and desire exploded between my legs, throbbing intensely, just like my heart.
I knew that if I didn’t stop him or invite him inside, he’d end up tearing off our clothes and fucking me right there against the door.
And the truth was, I wanted that so badly.
But the prudent part of me still wanted to take things slow.
“Ethan…” I said breathlessly, trying to pull away from his lips. My body was on fire.
Pulling back, he buried his face in my neck, and I felt his chest rising and falling heavily.
“Do you want me to leave?”
“You know I don’t. But we’re trying to do things differently this time, aren’t we?”
“That doesn’t make any sense.” He lifted his face. “And I don’t like it when you use my own words against me.”
“I get that you miss me, but stop acting like a spoiled boy.”
“A spoiled boy?” He raised an eyebrow. “Fine.” He let go of me. “But don’t think this won’t come back to haunt you when the time comes…”
Suddenly, the elevator chimed, interrupting us. The doors opened, making my stomach flip as I saw who was inside.
Ethan turned in the same direction, and I noticed how his body tensed as Todd stepped out of the elevator.