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He had stopped her from stripping. Then, she had told him that she’d needed the distraction.

Her eyes rolled to the ceiling. There was nothing she could do now except save face.

She needed to distance herself from him.

Sooner or later, she wouldn’t be able to keep up this fight.

Her body hummed at the prospect of having sex with Ethan.

Those strong, long fingers on her body could do a lot of things.

Things she badly wanted to indulge in. The image of his hot, wet mouth on her danced through her mind.

No. She couldn’t give in to temptation. Not now.

Not when she was so damn close to finding Hanna.

She’d shower, thank him for seeing that she’d gotten home—even though he’d once again ruined her damn plan—and maybe that would make him back off once and for all.

***

“Thanks for waiting, but I’m fine now.” After she’d gotten out of the shower, she’d been relieved to see he wasn’t in the bedroom.

She quickly dressed, but found him in the kitchen.

It took every effort not to ask why he was still here.

But a small fist of guilt kept the words at bay.

She didn’t want to think about what would have happened had he not shown up last night.

He leaned against the kitchen counter and shoved his hands in his denim pockets, accentuating the bulge in the center. Her pulse beat wildly against her throat. Good lord he was huge.

“Glad to hear it. So tell me Riley, what the hell was going through your head last night?”

The urge to tell him to mind his own business burned her tongue. Nope. She wasn’t taking the bait. Every time he set her off, it seemed to draw him closer. It might kill her, but kind and patient was the road she was going to take…or try to.

“I went to a party, Ethan. That’s all.”

His left eyebrow cocked. “C’mon. You don’t expect me to believe that was your motive.”

Geez. Was he always so skeptical? She dragged her fingers through the wet strands of her hair. She hadn’t bothered to put on makeup even though of all days, today was the one day she needed it. “I heard about the Beach Bash and thought it’d be fun. That’s all.”

Ethan crossed the kitchen, pulled out a chair from the table and sat. “So like the casual sex you were after that night at the bar?”

Her teeth sunk into the inside corner of her mouth and her chest flamed. “I appreciate you ensuring I made it here safely, but I’m a big girl and don’t need to explain myself.” Her lips stretched into a smile, hurting her face.

He scowled. “Did you hit your head or something?”

“No, damn”—she licked her lips—“I mean, no. I’m fine.”

He snorted and his eyes flashed with humor. “You suck at trying to be nice, you know that?”

She glared at him through lowered lids.

He laughed and caught her hand, pulling her closer and her annoyance melted. “I like it when you’re feisty.”

The icy irritation melted from her body. Being around Ethan was like her body reacting to rapid global warming. One minute she wanted to throttle him and the other she wanted to straddle him.

Ethan let her go, rubbed his hands on his knees, and stood, bringing the length of his body right against hers. “You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to…but I wish you would.”

She rubbed her fingertips together at her sides. Ethan had a way of draining her willpower with the force of a sinkhole. The urge to let everything loose ebbed through her, but god, where would she start?

When she didn’t reply he nodded slowly, but his blue orbs darkened. “I’m going to head home,” he said.

She nodded and followed him out the kitchen door, her arms folded tightly across her chest. Her loose, gray T-shirt hid her slight curves and covered the waistband of her shorts.

Though her shorts were still short, they weren’t dangerously so like the ones that she’d worn last night, now tucked safely in the laundry.

He slid his sandals on and opened the front door. The warm morning sun danced across the front of the porch, warming her feet as she stepped out.

“Are you hungry? We could swing by the diner and grab a bite.” He grinned at her and her heart palpitated. Her stomach rumbled and she pressed her hand against it to quiet it. She needed food, but right now she also needed distance. If she spent another minute with Ethan, she would come undone.

“No. I’m fine, thanks.” She squinted against the sun’s rays and the playful glint dimmed from his eyes.

“I seriously doubt that you’re not. But if you want to be stubborn, fine.” He flashed her a smile. His sky-blue eyes twinkled.

She let out a breath. “Do you have to challenge everything I say? Or are you always this pleasant?”

“I’m always pleasant.” He turned and moved toward the porch steps but didn’t descend. “But I think you know that. You’re the one with the stick up her ass.”

Her temper soared. “I do not have a stick up my ass, Ethan. I feel like shit and you keep pressing my buttons.”

He slipped his aviator shades over his eyes. “Sorry, I’ll be sure not to ask if you need anything again.”

She moved her tongue across the inside of her teeth.

A beat passed.

He wiped the front of his shirt where a wrinkled creased it and then dropped his hand to his side. “I know I’m pushing you, and I’m sorry.” His tone was soft, caressing. “To be honest, you have a big, thick wall of armor around you and I’m trying to get inside it.”

Her breath stalled. She kept her gaze on the porch’s wooden planks, waiting for him to say more. Part of her wanted to hear what he had to say, the other part dreaded it.

“You can’t keep doing this, Riley. You need to confide in someone.”

She lifted her head to face him. “I’m not discussing this with you—I can’t.” Her tone lacked venom, and her voice broke on the last part. If she talked about Hanna, she would fall apart. Especially with Ethan.

He held up his hand. “Fine, I won’t push. But I want you to know that if you need help with anything or even just an ear to listen, I’d be more than willing.”

She chortled. “You’d be more than willing to sleep with me is what you mean.”

He lifted a shoulder. “Yeah, that’d be nice.” His eyes sparked at her. “But that’s not what I’m talking about. If that’s all I wanted, I would have obliged last night.”

Now what could she say to that? It was true. He easily could have made love to her all night and she wouldn’t have complained one bit. A dull hum started behind her eyes. She pressed her fingers to her forehead.

“Look, I know that, Ethan. You’re a decent guy, all right? But I have a pounding headache.” Hesitation hardened the protective wall around her. As kind as he was, she couldn’t let this go any further. She was here for one purpose and one purpose only. That in no way included Ethan.

He nodded, concern etched the lines on his face. “All right. I’ll see you around.” He turned from her and froze.

She followed his line of vision to Michael, her upstairs neighbor. He stood on the sidewalk, watering the flower bed. She hadn’t noticed him when they’d come outside, all of her attention had been on Ethan.

“How well do you know him?” He nodded at Michael.

Michael’s tall, gangly form moseyed around the flower bed, spraying what looked like freshly planted flowers.

“Michael? Well enough. He a quiet neighbor.”

Ethan’s eyes narrowed on Michael. His jaw set in a firm line.

“Why?”

He shook his head and the tension left his face. “Just curious. I’ve only chatted with him a couple of times since moving in.”

She shrugged. “He owns one of the dentist offices in town and mostly keeps to himself. Thanks again, Ethan. I’ll see you later.” She hadn’t meant to sound dismissive, but the nausea built in her belly and she badly needed to anchor it with food and Advil.

“Be careful,” he called, as he descended the stairs, his voice hard.

He needed to chill out. Michael was in his midforties and Riley had known him for years, though not as well as she knew most people in town.

He was friendly, did a nice job maintaining their shared property and that was as far as her interest went with him.

Michael smiled warmly and waved as he made his way toward the flower bed beneath her porch.

Ethan skirted across the lawn and waved to Michael.

The entrance to Michael’s unit was a flight of stairs at the side of the house. The white and yellow two-story character home was cheerful and bright, and if it weren’t for Michael’s diligent watering, it wouldn’t be half as nice.

“Morning, Michael.”

He stepped closer, angling the spray at the flowers. His wire-rimmed glasses slid down the long, slim bridge of his nose. With his middle finger, his pushed them up.

“Morning Riley.” Michael’s gaze drifted over her.

Her cheeks burned. She had nothing to be embarrassed about. But Michael’s pinched features told her what he was thinking about Ethan spending the night. Her spine stiffened. Even if it had been a romantic incident, it was none of Michael’s business.

“The garden looks lovely by the way.”

His dark brown eyes shifted away from Ethan and down to her. “You came home late.” His tone lacked accusation, and was more of an observation but nonetheless her hackles rose. His long finger pushed his glasses up again.

Irritation bubbled inside her. She opened her mouth to speak, but a soft smile touched his lips, stopping her. His eyes flitted to Ethan’s form as he reached his yard and then back to her face. “Do you like the lilies I planted? I remembered you saying those are your favorite.”

Her brow furrowed. Had she? She couldn’t remember ever mentioning that to him. She shook her head. She must be getting forgetful.

“They’re beautiful, thank you.” She turned to find Ethan hovering outside his front door. She gave him an exaggerated wave. He wiggled his fingers at her, his stubborn smile visible from here. A laugh threatened to bubble from her throat. He was incorrigible “I’ll see you later, Michael.”

She turned and walked inside. The hot eyes of both men on her burned through her skin. One more than the other.