Page 24 of Tides of Change (Seacliff Cove #2)

CHAPTER TWENTY

Garrett

I drove us home and parked in my driveway.

The walk to Ethan’s house was quiet, the distant sound of the ocean waves a soothing balm for my nerves.

But I could feel the tension in the air—the kind that made my skin hum and my thoughts spiral to what the evening could bring.

His presence at my side anchored and electrified me all at once.

When we reached his front porch, he fumbled with his keys, probably as off-center as I was.

Inside, we kicked off our shoes.

He tilted his head toward the kitchen. “Glass of wine? Beer?” he asked, his polite question that of a gracious host.

I shook my head. “I’m good.” I didn’t want the alcohol talking tonight—I wanted a clear head. Anticipation curled in my gut, and I took a step closer.

“Ethan.” My heart skipped a beat at the weight in my tone.

“Yeah?” he asked, barely more than a whisper.

I reached out and brushed an auburn curl off his forehead, and my fingers lingered against his skin. The touch sent a shiver down my spine, and I craved more. “I’ve been wanting to do this all evening,” I murmured, and traced the line of his softly bristled jaw with my thumb.

“Then do it,” he whispered and closed the distance between us, clutching my shoulders.

I didn’t need more encouragement. I slid my hand to the back of his neck and pulled him into a kiss that was slow and deliberate.

His lips were warm and soft, moving against mine with a confidence that left me breathless.

I sank into him, my hands finding his waist and my fingers curled into the yarn of his sweater.

My cock swelled. I wanted more—if he did.

I broke the kiss, panting, and leaned my forehead against his. “Let’s move to the couch.”

He nodded and took my hand. With a gentle pull, he led me to the sofa.

When my butt hit the cushions, I pulled him close, thigh to thigh. My hands framed his face as I deepened the kiss, and his tongue teased mine in a rhythm that made my groin ache.

“I can’t get enough of your kisses,” I murmured against his lips, my voice husky and raw.

“Same.” He ran his hands up my back, leaving goosebumps in their wake. “You’re taking the lead tonight. Whatever you want to do—as much or as little—you let me know.”

I nipped at his bottom lip. “I…I’m not sure. I’ve never done this before.” I didn’t know what to do with a man. I knew the basics, of course. I was a man, and I knew what I liked. But what would Ethan enjoy? How could I please him?

How could we pleasure each other?

Here I was, thirty-six years old, and yet I hadn’t felt so inexperienced and vulnerable since I was a teenager first exploring sex.

“Hey.” His gaze was soft, understanding. “You’re thinking too hard. Just go with your gut and explore.”

It was as if he’d yanked the thought from my mind. That I could do. I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him closer until there was no space left between us. I kissed him again, more frantically this time, tracing fervent patterns down his neck and around his shoulders.

“We don’t have to rush,” he whispered against my ear. “We can do whatever you want at your pace.”

“I want… I don’t know what I want.” I adjusted my hard cock, trapped in my jeans. “I just want to…” I couldn’t finish the sentence, but he got the picture.

He chuckled darkly. “I think we can manage that.” He rubbed his hand against the bulge of my jeans, then fingered my belt buckle. “May I?”

“Please,” I whispered. But I didn’t know exactly what I was begging for.

He opened my belt and slid my zipper down while I held my breath. I levered off the couch and shoved my briefs and jeans to my knees. My dick sprang free of its confinement, stretching toward my belly. I sighed in relief.

Ethan made a little noise in the back of his throat that sounded like approval. He reached out and lightly ran a warm, soft finger up my length. I gasped at the electrifying sensation.

“Wait!” exploded from me.

He immediately jerked his hand back. “We can sto?—”

“I want to touch you, too.” I licked my lips. “At the same time.”

He grinned playfully. “I won’t say no to that.” He made quick work of shedding his jeans and boxer briefs to his knees, his dick bobbing free.

I reached out and grasped his long, thick cock, warm in my encircling fingers.

My heart thundered at the heady feeling of another man’s erection in my hand.

I didn’t think I could get any harder. Until Ethan licked his palm and enclosed my dick with his slick hand.

I nearly flew off the couch, and my balls ached. But this wasn’t only about me.

I began pumping Ethan slowly, running my hand up and down his hard yet silky length, paying attention to the head, and getting a feel for his minute responses.

A slight hitch of breath. A tensing of his stomach muscles.

A soft moan. His reactions spurred me on, and I pumped him faster and with a bit more pressure.

But my ministrations stuttered, and I lost my grip when he expertly played me like a fine instrument.

With my heightened senses and the knowledge that this was a man’s hand— Ethan’s hand—on my dick, it wasn’t long before the telltale tingling began at the base of my spine.

Ethan fused his mouth with mine, his tongue pulsing in and out to the rhythm of his strokes, and tipped me over the edge.

I thrust into his hand erratically, threw my head back with a cry, and came with sparklers lighting the backs of my eyelids.

I collapsed onto the cushions, gasping. His hand left my softening cock, leaving me bereft.

The soft swooshing of skin rubbing frantically on skin filled the room, and I opened my eyes just as Ethan came, dick in hand, with a low, drawn-out moan.

“Hey! I was supposed to do that.” My voice betrayed my post-orgasm fatigue.

Ethan blew out a breath and sat back. “Couldn’t wait. You were hot .”

I chuckled, ridiculously proud that I could reduce him to impatience.

He stood and pulled his pants up to mid-thigh. “Wait here.” He awkwardly waddled down the hallway and returned in a few moments with his pants zipped. He sat and gently cleaned my stomach with a warm, wet washcloth.

I raised my hips and dressed. “Thank you. That was…” I shook my head, hardly able to express the contentedness inside me. “You made my first time easy—and phenomenal.”

Ethan responded with a quick kiss to my lips. “I’m glad you don’t regret it.”

“Absolutely not.” The experience further cemented my attraction to Ethan, and I wanted more. What that entailed, I didn’t know. I was ready to explore with him. But exhaustion hit me like a rogue wave, and I suppressed a yawn.

Ethan chuckled and stood. “Time for you to go to bed.” He pulled on my elbow, and I climbed to my feet.

I wiggled my eyebrows. “Is that an invitation?” I teased.

His cheeks flushed. “Well, if you—” he said, hesitantly.

“Just kidding. I don’t have my toothbrush with me.” I’d never slept the entire night with a girlfriend—not even Ava—but the thought of sleeping with Ethan appealed to me on a deep level. Goals .

Covering another yawn, I followed Ethan to the door and slipped into my shoes. With one last, lingering kiss, we said goodnight.

I stepped out the door and listened as the lock engaged. I walked across the dark street, my senses on high alert. Footsteps scuffed along the pavement down the street and faded around the corner. Was it a dog walker? Someone out for a stroll late in the evening?

Or someone more sinister?