Out of Bounds

2. Zoe

Chapter Two

Zoe

Ethan Walsh looked over at me with a half-grin and a shrug. Even a half-grin from him was devastating. Insouciance was the word that came to mind whenever I encountered Ethan. He carried himself with a teasing, devil-may-care manner. Pairing that with his tousled golden locks, flashing green eyes and body made for sin made him downright dangerous. Layer on his British accent, and it added up to way too much charm and temptation. He ruffled me in more ways than I liked to consider.

I’d only met him a few times and always in situations where the last thing on my mind should be anything to do with s*x. Case in point—now. It was the middle of the night. I should be tired and cranky. Instead, I was on fire inside. All he had to do was look at me, and it was a direct shot of l**t straight in my veins. To make matters worse, the last time I saw him, he kissed me. Inside of a few seconds, he’d left me hot and bothered. I hadn’t forgotten that kiss, no matter how hard I tried. This annoyed me to no end. I didn’t have time for men, much less an international sports star who was well known for being a relentless flirt. Hell, his nicknames in the press were Golden Boy Brit and Magnum.

My wandering eyes—naughty, willful eyes—took in his muscled shoulders and chest. Dear God, even his hands were sexy—strong and just battered enough you knew he could work magic with them. I heard a low chuckle from him and whipped my eyes up, feeling my cheeks heat. Dammit! I didn’t need a sexy soccer star thinking I was ogling him.

“Should I repeat my question?” I asked, internally cringing at my bitchy tone. My default mode tended to be bitchy, especially when it came to men.

Ethan ran a hand through his rumpled hair, tossing a sheepish grin my way. The lower side of his jaw was slightly red. I presumed that was from the fist he allegedly walked into.

“No you shan’t. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it’s what happened. I was walking out and wasn’t paying attention.”

“So you walked into the guy’s fist?”

Ethan threw another sheepish grin my way, a dimple appearing in one cheek. Sweet hell. He had a dimple I’d never even noticed. It only added to his roguish charm, which he already had in spades. My pulse was buzzing and heat slid through my veins. Even worse, I could feel the moisture at the apex of my thighs. This was a problem. I was contracted by the Seattle Stars on an as needed basis. My prior interactions with Ethan had been conveniently brief. With the exception of that out of the blue, knee buckling, body melting kiss. Well, that was brief too, yet so memorable it was seared into my brain and body. If he were actually charged with something over this silly bar fight, I’d have to spend much more time with him.

Potential epic disaster in the making as far as my sanity was concerned.

I opted to completely ignore my body’s reaction to Ethan. Kind of hard to do seeing as my belly was doing somersaults, and I was getting so hot I needed a fan. But hey, I loved a challenge.

“So we’re going with this whole stumbling into a fight then. I haven’t had a chance to speak with the police. They sent me straight here when I arrived. When I do talk to them, will they tell me witnesses said otherwise?”

“Absolutely not,” Ethan said, straightening in his chair. “I feel a bit foolish, but it’s what happened.”

His gaze was sober and earnest, his typical insouciance gone. I promptly discovered this was more dangerous than his teasing manner. A man as obscenely handsome and drool-worthy as him didn’t need to be nice on top of it all.

What the f**k are you doing? Wipe the drool off your chin and do your damn job. If you do it well enough, you won’t have to worry about seeing much of Ethan at all.

The next voice that tried to pipe up got kicked to the curb. That voice wanted to ask how come I was so damn determined not to even consider the possibility of a man in my life. Given how attractive Ethan was, it wouldn’t be bad to enjoy some time between the sheets with him. I almost laughed hysterically. Don’t even go there.

By sheer force of will, I met his eyes and nodded. I believed him, despite my inclination to give him a hard time. As I looked across the table, I found myself mesmerized by his eyes. They were a rich shade of green. Behind his teasing façade, I sensed there was more to the image he projected.

Didn’t we just agree we weren’t going there? You can’t seriously be thinking Ethan would ever go for a woman like you. He’s all about models and fun, not about a career-driven woman who works almost non-stop. Not to mention, the last thing he wants to deal with is an almost-thirty year old virgin.

He arched a brow, at which point I realized I was staring. I uncrossed my legs, immediately crossing them again. This had the unfortunate effect of drawing my attention to the fact the silk of my underwear was drenched. Great, just great. Ethan Walsh, a man I didn’t want to want, had the ability to make me wet whilst sitting in a drab room at the Seattle Police Station.

This was annoying beyond belief. What had he just said? Oh right.

“Okay then. Well if that’s the case, we should be able to clear this up right away.”

I stood so quickly I knocked my chair over. Ethan was beside me in a flash. He caught the back of the chair in his hand and swung it back in place. Ever the teasing gentleman, he winked when he caught my eyes. He was too close. Even though I’d maybe been in close vicinity with him no more than three or four times, he was always a tad closer than I expected. He exuded strength and masculinity. My pulse bolted—if this was a race, my pulse was determined to win. I took a step back and bumped into the table.

Ethan’s gaze held mine and then dipped down in a blatant perusal of my body. I should’ve been furious. If there was one thing I’d worked my tail off for, it was professional recognition. Instead, I was furious with myself for the subtle flush of enjoyment at knowing he noticed anything about me. The recollection of the feel of his lips on mine and his hard muscled body against me sent a hum through me. My skin prickled with heat under his attention—it was as if his gaze was caressing me. When his eyes meandered their way back to mine, my breath caught and my belly clenched, heat unfurling inside my core and radiating outward.

I forgot everything I’d been in the middle of. Hell, I forgot why I was there. Ethan stood just close enough, my brain simply fuzzed out, while my heart beat a wild, staccato rhythm. He lifted a hand, tracing a finger along my jaw and down the side of my neck. It was the hottest f*****g thing anyone had ever done. I could feel the subtle roughness to the pad of that lone finger, all of my senses attuned to it. His touch was like a blaze of fire on my skin. I was hot all over and nearly melting inside.

I don’t have any idea how much time passed, but his voice snapped me into awareness.

“Zoe luv…”

His pause dragged out just long enough, I feared he could hear the wild pounding of my heart. After a few beats where I could hardly breathe and desire rolled through me in a crashing wave, he finished his sentence.

“I shall have you one way or another.”

Laced with his haughty British accent, his tone with a touch too confident for me. I was suddenly furious…and more turned on than I’d ever been in my entire life.

“Oh, I don’t think so,” I said, straightening my spine and glaring at him, doing my damnedest to ignore the thrumming need inside.

He grinned, a slow, devastating grin that made my insides do cartwheels and left me so hot and bothered I could barely think.

“We shall see about that,” he said as he dropped his hand away.

I instantly missed the feel of that single point of contact. My eyes—damn eyes—had a mind of their own and flicked down, promptly noticing he was aroused. Very aroused. His c**k was outlined against the faded denim that hugged his body like a lover. When I tore my eyes up and collided with his gaze, I saw the hint of devilry there and nearly ran from the room.