Page 33 of Ethan & Grace

“Give it back, then.”

“Gladly.” He leant forward to hand it back to me. It was only a small motion, yet it showed every one of his muscles in the most flattering light. I couldn’t help imagining how very different this lunch break would be if Ethan were my snack instead of the sandwich.

Oh my God!

Perhaps I should take a leaf out of Rose’s book next weekend and pick up some random guy to help me get these Ethan fantasies out of my head. But I already suspected it wouldn’t help. Any other man would be a disappointing substitute. Like wanting crisps and having to eat a carrot instead. It only left you craving crisps all the more.

“What are you thinking?” Ethan asked suddenly.

“Nothing,” I squeaked, caught off guard.

“So your face just turned bright red for no reason?” His mouth twitched, as if he knew exactly what was going through my head.

I had once had a pretty good poker face where Ethan was concerned, but last week’s breakdown seemed to have cracked my mask. Now Ethan could see right through me to the thoughts I was trying to hide—that I wanted to lick the sweat off his body. It should really be illegal to look so good while sweaty.

“You cheated on Saturday,” I said, if only to distract myself.

He raised his eyebrows. “I wasn’t aware we were exclusive.”

“We had a deal,” I reminded him. “You got to ask me a question, and in return, you had to tell me something about yourself that I don’t already know. I answered your question, but you never gave me a secret.”

“I never promised it would be a secret.”

“There was interest on the deal. Now you owe me more.”

“That’s extortion!”

I grinned and took a bite of my sandwich. “That’s business.”

“Fine. A secret in exchange for another question.”

“Deal. But I get to veto the question.”

“Done,” Ethan replied, leaning forward again, this time with his hand outstretched to seal our new deal.

I wiped my crumb-covered fingers on my uniform before reaching for his hand. The gesture itself was perfectly normal, but the effect it had on me was anything but. A soft jolt of electricity shot up my arm—entirely out of place and entirely unwelcome. I ignored it. It meant nothing, absolutely nothing! I blamed our earlier hug for my body now reading far too much into everything Ethan-related. He squeezed my fingers without breaking eye contact, and I held my breath. I didn’t exhale until he released my hand and leant back against the wall. As much as I disliked the effect Ethan had on me, I welcomed the distraction from the reason I was sitting in the hallway.

“You start this time. I won’t let you take me for a ride again.”

Ethan’s lips twitched. “Gracie, if I took you for a ride, you’d never want me to stop.”

I rolled my eyes, though I feared he might be right . . . But we’d never find out, so I immediately banished the image his words conjured.

“OK then, let’s hear it. What dirty little secret do you have for me?”

“I hate living at the hotel.” His reply came instantly, as if it were something he’d thought about often.

“I thought you liked it here,” I replied, surprised.

“Not at all. I hate living in a place full of strangers coming and going every night, where I’m never truly alone. I’m always being watched, and I can’t leave without at least half a dozen people noticing. And I—” He broke off and pressed his lips together, as if he’d almost said too much. At the same time, he looked like he had so much more he wanted to say. “Anyway, I want a home of my own, a place that belongs just to me. And where the only people who might see me are my neighbours.”

“So why don’t you move out? It’s not like money should be a problem.”

“It’s not. But I don’t want to leave my mum alone. As you can probably guess, she’s going through a pretty rough time right now.”

It was strange to see Ethan so empathetic. And although I didn’t like Mrs. Darlington much, it was heartwarming to know he wanted to be there for his mum. Maybe in part because my own family couldn’t really be there for me right now.

“Now you know one of my secrets.” He sounded oddly relieved, as if he were glad to have finally spoken the words out loud. “Now you have to answer a question. And be honest, please. How are you doing?”