Free The #5Star Affair (Love Hashtagged Book 1) by Allyson Lindt

and climbed out of bed. Yup, Ethan’s door was closed. That was a good thing, right? She told herself it was, but she didn’t believe it. Every time she thought about him, whenever she hung out with him, she wanted more. Turning him down yesterday had almost devoured her. She hadn’t been able to look at him the rest of the afternoon—not because she was embarrassed, but because making eye contact meant giving in.
    Then again, would that really be a big deal? What would it be like to stop pretending whatever was going on between them was this big vague thing to be avoided at all costs?
    She started the coffee maker, and leaned back against the counter. A thousand what-if’s raced through her thoughts, all of them focused on redefining her relationship with Ethan. The machine sputtered to life, dark liquid dripping into the pot. When it was done, she grabbed a mug from the cupboard and filled it. She set the carafe back on the warmer, and moved to the fridge for milk.
    “Morning.” Ethan’s quiet greeting startled her.
    She gasped, and dropped her coffee mug. Ceramic and scalding liquid sprayed across her legs and the kitchen floor, and she jumped back in surprise. “Shit.” She grabbed handfuls of paper towels and dropped to her knees, grateful for the excuse to ignore him while she figured out what she was going to say.
    “Jace. Stop.” Ethan wrapped fingers around her arm, and pulled her to her feet. He guided her toward the stools. “I’ll get it.”
    “But—” She stuttered on the protest, as the nickname slid its way under her skin and soothed her. She’d been called that in high school, and hated the name. There was something about the way it rolled off his tongue though, familiar, comforting, and intimate, that gave it an entirely different feeling. His firm, gentle grip pushed her rambling confusion aside.
    He stared at her for a minute, expression unreadable. “It’s not a big deal. Go change. I’ll take care of it.”
    Relief and disappointment warred inside. Was she grateful for the opportunity to walk away or not? “Thanks.”
    In the bathroom, she stripped off her clothes and stepped into the shower. Her mind was too much of a jumble for her to make sense of it, so she ignored it. When the coffee was rinsed away, she dried off and wrapped a towel around herself.
    Ethan’s door was closed again. She should be grateful for the interrupted moment. She’d been seconds away from making a mistake, and telling him what she was thinking. Except was it really as big a deal as she was pretending? She ducked into her own room, and pulled on dry clothes. She yanked her door open, and her hand flew to her hammering heart, when she saw Ethan leaning against the wall across from her.
    “Jumpy much?” He gave her a half-smile, sympathy reflected in his dark eyes.
    She tried to laugh. Hell, that sounded fake. “I guess.”
    He kept his distance, arms crossed. “Since I destroyed your coffee, can I treat you to something stronger and sweeter?”
    “I don’t usually drink at seven in the morning.”
    “I meant like a caramel latte.”
    “Oh.” Her cheeks grew warm, but she didn’t want to look away from his shimmer of amusement and the pleasant lines around his mouth.
    “I mean, unless you’d like to go back to hiding in your room.”
    Busted. She ducked her head and sighed. “I wasn’t hiding.”
    “Whatever.” He wrapped his fingers around hers, and tugged. “Then you don’t mind keeping me company.” He pulled her toward the front door.
    She liked the way his warm palm nestled against hers. Liked it a lot.
    They drove in silence. She didn’t know what to say, and he gave her nothing to grab onto and run with.
    It was still early, and the only other customers at the drive-up coffee shop waited at the window. Ethan still didn’t speak as he paid for their drinks, set hers in front of her, and took the seat across from her. Did he expect her to say something? Explain something? Continue