Ethan (Alluring Indulgence) by Nicole Edwards Page A

shop, handling the tedious errands that he always put off,
all in an effort to avoid running into Beau. He knew if he had gone back to the
shop they would’ve had another encounter, and at this point, Ethan was fresh
out of defenses – something he needed when Beau was around.
    Walking
into Moonshiners, Ethan glanced around to see who was there, a habit he
couldn’t break. The trucks in the parking lot were familiar, some belonging to
his brothers. There were times, based on the vehicles outside, when he knew
better than to stop in. Today didn’t look to be one of those days.
    Most
of the faces were friendly, although Ethan wouldn’t call them friends. At least
he didn’t have to worry about a confrontation. And the best part… Beau wasn’t
there which meant he didn’t have to worry about being on guard.
    “Hey,
Mack,” he greeted the bartender as he took one of the empty stools at the bar.
    “E,
how’s it goin’?”
    Ethan
knew the question was merely a pleasantry, and he didn’t bother with replying.
Mack didn’t expect him to either.
    A
minute later, Mack passed over a Heineken and let him be without further
conversation. As Ethan stared blankly at the scarred bar top in front of him,
his mind insisted on wandering back to the events of that morning.
Particularly, when Beau went after Ricky Dillinger for his comment.
    He’d
had a hard time not thinking about that, but somehow he had kept himself busy
enough that the past hadn’t come back to haunt him through the day. But now…
well, now Ethan had nothing else to do but sit and think and those memories
from all those years ago came flooding back.
    “Hey,”
Gavin greeted as he made his way around his truck.
    Ethan
watched Gavin approach, admiring the man he’d found himself falling in love
with in recent weeks. The mere sight of him made his heart rate speed up.
    Several
hours ago Gavin had called and asked Ethan to meet him down by the lake, and
without a second thought, Ethan had agreed. For the last month or so, they’d
spent many evenings out by the lake, mostly talking, but in recent days, things
had continued to escalate between them. And the more time they spent together,
the hotter their encounters seemed to get.
     
    Considering
all that they had shared so far, the only logical step would be to commit to
one another unconditionally. More so than just in the physical sense. Although
Gavin hadn’t out-and-out said he was looking for a relationship, Ethan got the
impression that the need for something more was mutual.
    At
nineteen, Ethan had finally come to the full realization that he was gay. No
matter how many times he’d tried to convince himself otherwise through the
years, the mere fact that he wasn’t attracted to girls and never had been made
it glaringly obvious. After trying to deny it to himself for the millionth
time, Ethan had finally accepted it.
    And
when Gavin dropped into his life out of the blue, Ethan knew the man was heaven
sent.
    To
have found someone who made him want something more, something he’d never
wanted before, Ethan hadn’t been willing to let Gavin get too far away from
him. And the last week had been the most unbelievable time of Ethan’s life.
    First
there was the kiss that had rattled the ground beneath his feet and… And then
the few times they’d made love, right there by the lake under the moonlight.
After the first time, – Ethan’s very first time – he
had known his heart had finally found what it was searching for.
    “Want
to go down by the water?” Ethan asked as Gavin got closer.
    Gavin
glanced around, then back to Ethan. Was he trying to make sure no one would see
them? It was something Ethan always found himself doing. Not that he honestly
cared who saw him with Gavin like this, but if something else were to happen
again tonight, he definitely wanted to ensure they were the only two there. He
liked the idea of having Gavin all to himself.
    “Sure,”
Gavin replied, moving ahead several