***
“Get ready to take a bite out of the best pizza you’ll ever eat.” There was a gleam of excitement in Ethan’s eyes as the waitress brought by the Asparago pizza for us.
I eyed with curiosity the rustic thin crust pizza that had just came out of the wood-burning oven.
Sensing my hesitation, Ethan said, “So this place is known for this pizza. It has their secret white sauce, shaved asparagus, cured pork, mozzarella, and a truffled farm egg in the middle. During the winter and early spring time, their menu changes and they have the Uovo pizza, which is this except it’s shaved Brussels sprouts instead of asparagus.”
As I looked at him in amazement at how much he knew about this pizza, my mind couldn’t stop thinking of one funny thought. “So what’s with you and eggs?” I asked, trying to stifle back a giggle.
“What do you mean?” he asked with boyish smile.
“Well you took me to Paesano’s where you raved about the beef brisket sandwich with the fried egg in it. And now we’re here at Barbuzzo and there’s a farm egg in the middle of the pizza.”
His smile turned into laughter. “That’s pretty funny. I’d never made that connection. I guess you can say I’m pretty egg-cited about eggs, eh?”
He tried to stare at me with a straight face while I raised an eye brow, but the second our eyes locked, we both burst out in a fit of laughter.
“You know something? You are so different from my first impression of you.”
“Oh yeah?” There was a glint of amusement in his voice. “What’s changed about me?”
“Well for one, you’re not annoying,” I teased.
“Ouch!” He feigned a hurt expression.
“I’m teasing. But seriously, you were pretty cocky and aggressive when I first met you. Even when I told you I had a fiancé, that didn’t seem to bother you. So in the beginning, I thought you might be some sleazy guy looking for an opportunity he could take advantage of.”
He nodded his head slowly as if he was taking in my observation of him. “And now?”
I smiled and took a bite of the pizza, trying to stall for time. I knew I was starting to like Ethan, but I wasn’t sure how much of my feelings I should admit to him. I wasn’t sure if he had serious feelings for me. Since we left Free Fall Adventures, neither one of us had brought up the fact that we’d shared that spontaneous, passionate kiss in the air. It was almost as if what happened up in the air, stayed up in the air.
There was yet another reason I was hesitant to be the first to reveal my feelings. I looked down at the engagement ring that seemed to weigh down my left ring finger and my stomach twisted with guilt. I had cheated on Connor. There was no denying that fact. I had decided to hang out with Ethan today, knowing deep down that there was nothing platonic about our relationship. Even though I hadn’t initiated the kiss with Ethan, I hadn’t stopped it. Instead I enjoyed it and had kissed him back. What was worse was I knew I wanted more than just a kiss.
I knew things were heading in the wrong direction with Connor, and I was pretty sure that I would break off our engagement when I had a chance to talk to him in person. But the problem was, I hadn’t done that yet. I was still his fiancée, and I had allowed myself to become involved with Ethan before I had ended things with Connor.
“Earth to Liv.” Ethan’s voice broke through my thoughts and I looked up at him.
“Oh. I’m sorry. What were you saying?”
For a brief second, he looked at me quizzically before answering my question. “I was just asking you how you thought I’d change since your first impression of me.”
“Oh right.” I met his gaze with a small smile. “Well, I don’t think you’re the cocky, bad boy type that you had initially let on. You’re actually pretty down to earth and sweet. You have a soft side under the hard exterior you try to project.”
“Wow, you make me sound like a pussy.” He frowned and then laughed.
I joined in his laughter and shrugged. “Nothing wrong with that. I think it’s endearing.”
He chuckled. “I guess I can live with that.”
“Can I ask you something?”
He leaned across the table and smiled. “Ask away.”
“Why are you still single?”
“Because I’m training to be a priest.” He could barely finish his sentence before he started laughing.
“Ha ha, very funny,” I said sarcastically. “Seriously, have you ever been in love before?” I knew I was prying, but I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to know more about him.
He met my gaze and I saw a warmth in his dark eyes as his face became more serious.
“Yes, I have.”
His response piqued my interest. “Tell me about her.”
“Well I had someone in my life once. She was my sunshine—the beacon to everything that was wonderful in my life. She was my best friend, my first kiss, my first love.”
“What happened to her?”
There was a wistful smile on his face as he thought of her, and I felt a pang of jealousy ripple through me.
“She moved away before I had a chance to tell her how I felt about her. We had promised to write and keep in touch, but as the weeks turned into months, months turned into years, her emails, calls, and texts decreased until there were no more. Over time, she had forgotten about me.”
There was a pained expression on his face and I felt my heart go out to him. From the way his face twisted in anguish, I knew he had lost her somehow. I could see the regret in his eyes. I could see the pain on his face. I could feel the yearning in his heart for her.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
Before I could ask him more questions, the waitress came to our table with a birthday cake. Several dozen thin tapered candles were lit up on top of the cake as she placed the cake between me and Ethan.
“Did you do this?” I asked him in surprise.
“Happy birthday, Liv.” He smiled at me in a way that brought tears in my eyes.
“When did you get a chance to do this?”
“I ordered the cake before I picked you up earlier today, and then had it sent to Barbuzzo before you landed from your dive.”
“That’s so sweet of you.” I beamed at him.
“Don’t forget to make a wish before you blow out the candles,” he urged.
“But it’s both our birthdays today. We should both make a wish and blow out the candles.”
He smiled. “You can have my wish.”
I frowned. “But that’s not how it works.”
He laughed. “Okay, fine. I wish you happiness. I wish that you will quickly regain all your memories.”
My heart melted at his words and as we blew out the candles together, I knew that he was the guy I wanted to be with. He was the person I didn’t want to live without.
***
Two hours later, Ethan had pulled up in front of my place. He had invited me to stay with him tonight, but as much as I had wanted to take him up on that offer, it didn’t feel right when I was still wearing Connor’s ring.
“Are you sure you want to stay here tonight?” Ethan asked one more time as he got off his bike and helped me remove my helmet.
I nodded but felt my self-control waver as I looked into his deep captivating eyes.
Before I could get off the bike, he leaned forward and pressed my body down against the seat of his bike, and kissed me with a hard and rough hunger that left me gasping for air.
“God, I’ve been wanting to do that all night,” he groaned as he pulled away to catch his breath.
Before I could respond, his lips recaptured mine, this time more demanding and urgent as his tongue traced my lips before it plunged inside me to explore the recesses of my mouth. As our kiss deepened, the world around us seemed to disappear and all I could think of was the way his lips seduced and caressed mine, sending ripples of desire to run down my body and collect in intensity between my legs.
Then I felt his rough strong hand move down my body, and my skin prickled in anticipation of his touch. I gasped with pleasure as his lips left mine to nibble at my earlobe. His hot breath teased my neck as he whispered in a low, ragged voice, “Let me help you remember one thing you might have forgotten.” His words sent a shiver down my spine as his hand disappeared beneath my skirt and up between my legs.