Chapter 6 — After the Kiss
843 Words
Ethan Hayes
Her lips were softer than Ethan imagined.
And somehow—
that only made things worse.
The second Lena kissed him back, every logical thought disappeared from his head completely.
The music around them blurred into distant noise while his hand tightened instinctively against her waist, pulling her closer through the crowded party.
Lena’s fingers grabbed the front of his shirt like she wasn’t sure whether she wanted to pull him closer or push him away.
Probably both.
The kiss itself wasn’t sweet.
It wasn’t gentle.
It was frustration.
Tension.
Weeks of arguments finally snapping all at once.
And Ethan felt every second of it.
When they finally pulled apart slightly, both breathing harder than before, Lena looked stunned.
Like she couldn’t believe what she’d just done.
Honestly?
Neither could he.
The room suddenly felt too hot.
Too loud.
Too full of people watching them.
Lena stepped back first.
Big mistake.
Because the second distance appeared between them, Ethan wanted it gone again immediately.
“This was a bad idea,” she whispered quickly.
“Didn’t feel like one.”
Her cheeks flushed instantly.
“You’re impossible.”
“And you kissed me anyway.”
Lena glared at him weakly before turning toward the hallway.
“I’m leaving.”
Ethan watched her disappear through the crowd for exactly three seconds before following her.
Obviously.
He found her standing alone outside near the back deck overlooking the ocean, cold wind pushing strands of hair across her face.
She looked calmer out here.
But not calm enough.
Because the second she noticed him approaching, her heartbeat visibly betrayed her again.
“You followed me.”
“You ran away.”
“I needed air.”
Ethan leaned against the railing beside her.
“Lena.”
“Don’t.”
His expression softened slightly.
That caught her off guard immediately.
Because Ethan Hayes rarely looked serious.
“I’m not trying to mess with you,” he said quietly.
Lena laughed nervously. “That’s funny considering you literally spend half your life annoying me.”
“That’s different.”
“How?”
Ethan looked at her for a long moment.
Then—
“Because annoying you is easy,” he admitted softly. “This isn’t.”
The honesty in his voice hit harder than she expected.
Dangerously harder.
The ocean crashed loudly below them while silence stretched between them again.
And somehow the tension returned immediately.
Worse this time.
Because now they both knew exactly what the other tasted like.
Lena looked away first.
“This changes nothing.”
“Sure.”
“I mean it.”
“You keep saying things your eyes disagree with.”
She hated when he noticed too much.
Hated how easily he could read her despite the walls she spent years building around herself.
Ethan stepped closer slowly.
Close enough that she could smell chlorine and alcohol mixed together on his skin.
Close enough that her thoughts stopped functioning properly again.
“Tell me to stop,” he said quietly.
Again.
Same words.
Same dangerous tone.
And once again—
she couldn’t say it.
Ethan’s hand lifted slowly, brushing a strand of hair away from her face before resting lightly against her jaw.
Lena’s breath caught instantly.
The softness of the moment terrified her more than the kiss itself.
Because Ethan wasn’t supposed to be soft.
He was supposed to be arrogant and reckless and impossible.
Not careful.
Not gentle.
Not looking at her like she mattered.
His thumb brushed lightly across her cheek.
Then he kissed her again.
Slower this time.
Deeper.
And somehow infinitely more dangerous.
Lena melted into him before she could stop herself.
Her hands slid into his hair while Ethan pulled her against him fully, one arm tightening around her waist.
The cold night air disappeared completely.
Every thought disappeared.
Only him remained.
His heartbeat.
His touch.
The way he kissed her like he’d been wanting to do it for weeks.
Maybe longer.
A loud whistle suddenly echoed from inside the house.
Both of them pulled apart immediately.
Reality crashing back all at once.
Students were beginning to spill outside onto the deck laughing loudly.
Lena stepped away quickly, trying to steady her breathing.
“This can’t happen again.”
Ethan raised an eyebrow. “You sure about that?”
“Yes.”
“You’re lying.”
“I’m serious.”
He smirked slightly.
“You kiss everyone you hate like that?”
Her glare returned instantly.
“There’s the Ethan I know.”
“And there’s the Lena who acts tough after completely losing control five seconds ago.”
She shoved his shoulder hard enough to make him laugh.
Then she walked away before he could stop her.
But halfway to the door, Ethan called after her quietly—
“Lena.”
She turned reluctantly.
His expression had changed again.
More serious this time.
More honest.
And somehow that affected her more than flirting ever could.
“We’re not done with this.”
Her pulse skipped.
Because deep down—
she knew he was right.
- Writer
