Chapter 2 WHISPERS IN THE DARK ll

Ethan never went out.

His idea of a wild Friday was a different flavor of ramen and the blue glow of his laptop screen. So when he announced, offhand, that he was "meeting some guys from work for a drink," I almost choked on my wine.

"You?" I teased, tucked under a blanket on the couch. "You're going to be social? On purpose? Since when do you do... people?"

His eyes flicked to mine, that usual unreadable look pinning me for a second before he shrugged. "Don't wait up."

My jaw nearly dropped. Was Ethan actually going to a bar?

"Have fun, grandpa," I called after him. He didn't answer, just shut the door behind him.

The apartment felt too quiet without his grumpy presence filling it up. I turned up the volume on the TV, let a trashy rom-com play in the background, and poured myself another glass of wine. Then another one. By the third, I was warm and reckless, my mind started to wander to places it shouldn't.

Ethan never laughed with me. Never flirted. Never even touched me, except for last night.

Last night, when his hand had found my breast in the dark, and I'd let him-scratch that, I adjusted for him. I wanted it so badly I could still feel the ghost of his thumb circling my nipple.

I snuggled tighter on the couch, my legs shifting restlessly under the blanket. The movie blurred and my attention narrowed to the pulse between my thighs.

By the time the movie ended, my hand had already slipped under the blanket. Just the barest touch through my shorts at first, then deeper, firmer, circling the pulsing ache that had been driving me insane.

A soft whimper escaped my lips. I froze, glancing at the door, half-afraid he'd appear, but he didn't. Only silence, just me, and the desperate need that wouldn't let go.

I eventually gave in.

My hips rocked against my hand, desperate and shameless. The wet sounds were muffled by fabric, but I heard them, and it made me wetter.

"Fuck..." I whispered to myself, sliding my fingers past the waistband, finding my slick folds and playing with the juices. I teased them slowly, imagining it was his hand again. Imagining his rough voice telling me what a needy little thing I was.

When it wasn't enough, I shoved the blanket aside, grabbed the throw pillow, and straddled it. My cami slipped lower as I moved, my breasts bouncing lightly with each desperate grind. The friction against my clit was maddening, almost enough, but not quite. I bit down hard on my lip, muffling a moan as I rode it harder, chasing a high that never fully came.

I collapsed back after a while, flushed and unsatisfied, my thighs trembling. Still wet and obviously Still aching.

The sound of the door unlocking snapped me upright.

Shit.

I scrambled to sit like I'd been watching TV the whole time, my heart pounding fast. But when Ethan stepped in, I realized I had nothing to worry about.

He was drunk.

Not sloppy, not falling over, but definitely looser than I'd ever seen him. His shirt half untucked, his eyes unfocused, and his hair slightly messy from the night air. He barely looked at me, he just muttered something like, "'Night," and staggered toward the bedroom.

A pang of disappointment hit me. He didn't notice my flushed cheeks, my swollen lips or my shaking thighs. He just crashed into bed like the world could wait.

I sat there with the last of my wine, staring at the empty glass. Then I sighed, dragged myself to the shower, and let the hot water beat against my skin. My fingers strayed between my thighs again, tracing the ache he'd left behind, but I stopped before it went too far. What was the point? Alone, it always felt like a tease.

By the time I crawled into bed beside him, Ethan was out cold. His breathing was steady and his arm was thrown across the pillow line that separated us. I lay there in the dark, staring at the ceiling, wondering if I'd dreamed the whole thing last night.

But then... his hand moved.

At first, I thought it was just a drunken twitch, you know-the way bodies shift in sleep. Until his palm cupped the curve of my ass. Firm but possessive, his fingers spreading slightly.

My breath caught.

He was touching me again.

I froze, my heart hammering, every nerve alive. His hand lingered there, squeezing gently almost like he was just testing. My whole body clenched with need.

I shifted slightly, arching my hips back into his palm like I was still asleep. The fabric of my shorts tightened, riding higher, and his hand pressed in harder. A groan slipped from his throat, low and rough, sending heat straight to my core.

God, I know he wanted this too.

I adjusted again, just enough to spread my thighs, opening space between them. My shorts rode up dangerously, the lace of my panties exposed. His fingers wandered lower, brushing the sensitive edge where my thigh met heat.

A silent plea throbbed in my chest. Please. Please don't stop.

His hand paused, then slid slowly inward, his fingertips grazing the lace. I was already soaked, and I knew he could feel it.

I buried my face in the pillow, trembling with the effort to keep still, to keep pretending. My hips tilted, guiding him wordlessly. His hand lingered there, cupping me through the thin barrier, making me ache so badly I could cry.

Then he stopped moving.

Just like the night before.

As if the line terrified him the moment he crossed it. His hand stilled, his fingers trembling very faintly, resting over my wet heat but not daring to push further.

I wanted to scream. To beg. To grab his wrist and shove it inside me. But I stayed still, breathing slow but heavy, slick and desperate under his palm, waiting to see if he'd keep going.

He didn't.

The room filled with the sound of his steady breathing again, his hand still cupping me like a claim he didn't want to admit out loud.

And I lay there wide awake, dripping and undone, my body still screaming for more.