Page 94 of When We Ignite

“I’m not,” I admitted. “It’s just until the wedding.”

“Why? Because you’ll be family after, andthat’sthe one taboo you won’t touch?” she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Because I promised Oli I wouldn’t,” I clarified.

“Yet here you are. Doing it.”

“I tried to quit. He didn’t let me.”

Her disbelief was almost comical. “He didn’tletyou? Since when do you care about that?”

I pressed my lips together, trying to suppress a smile.

Ethan was unlike anyone I’d ever been with. I wasn’t used to being challenged. I wasn’t used to resistance. Most men in my orbit yielded without question, and those who didn’t simply faded away. But Ethan? Ethan pushed back, and I found myself hungry for more every time he did.

From the outside, you’d see a polite, well-mannered young man. But beneath the surface, his personality rippled, restless and ready to wreak havoc. It was exhilarating—and utterly addictive.

Aria rubbed her temples. “I thought work was the reason why you weren’t giving me any trouble with the public scene. Now it turns out it was way worse.”

I looked out at the horizon again. “No need to be so alarmed, Ari. It’s just a harmless fling. It’ll be over before you know it, and you can go back to managing the same old things.” I took another sip of my drink, the bitterness of my words settling in the back of my throat. The last thing I wanted to think about right now was giving him up.

“What exactly do you need me to do now?”

“I’ll send you his number. Just keep him updated when I’m coming in and out of New York.”

“Do you want me to give him specific flight details?”

I considered it for a moment. He’d probably appreciate that—it’d give him a sense of control. Smiling to myself, I replied, “Yes.”

Aria let out a long-suffering sigh.

“What?”

“That last gift you had me send was for him, wasn’t it?” she asked.

I bit back a laugh. “Yes,” I said, turning to her.

“When before the wedding, exactly? I’m going to have to take up meditating if I have to cover this up,” she muttered, rolling her eyes as she finished her drink.

“The week before. Don’t worry too much, Ari. I think you’re going to like him too,” I said.

Her eyebrow arched. “I’d say we probably won’t have much common ground to connect over, but clearly, you did.”

“Just try to have a chat with him.”

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Why?”

“Because he’s unexpected, and I think you’ll find that as entertaining as I do.”

Her puzzled expression lingered as I leaned back in my seat, my gaze drifting out the window. Ever since meeting Ethan, I’d been off my game. And honestly, I didn’t hate it. Not one bit. I couldn’t predict a single move he made.

Our last night together had been a goldmine for understanding what went on inside his conflicting head—from the damn haircut to him asking me to stay the night. I still left at six, scandalizing his roommate on the way out, but Ethan had walked me to the door.

When I thought he’d shy away from kissing me goodbye, he’d surprised me. Tangling his hands in my hair, he’d pulled me into a kiss so deep it felt like he was trying to store it for later. I almost dragged him back to his room.

He really wanted this, wantedme. Ethan’s resistance wasn’t about trust—not having the upper hand threw him off almost as much as it did me. He gave the impression of being easygoing, but in reality, he was anything but.

That was only one piece of the puzzle. There was still so much about him I hadn’t discovered yet.