Title: A Little Too Far
Author: SneetchesToo

Rating: General

Pairing: Ethan/Rox

Summary: The last thing Ethan wanted to do was to push Rox over the edge, but damn did her lips feel good pressed against his.

Author's Note: Not really any spoilers here.

Ethan had been sad that he'd had to say goodbye to Rox so quickly earlier.

He had wanted their coffee date to last all afternoon.

But he knew that he needed to get back and that he needed to finish working, especially if he wanted to get out of there in time to have dinner with her and his dad.

He wondered what his father was up to.

Clearly he knew that they were already something. It's not like he needed to set them up or anything.

He had struggled to get through the rest of his shift. His mind on one thing and one thing only.

Getting home, showering, and seeing Rox. Preferably in that order considering he was 97% certain there was blood in his hair at this point of the day.

He had gotten out right at 5:30pm and he had ridden his bike home faster than he probably should have.

His dad had said 7:00pm. And that is what he had told Rox. And she was punctual if she was anything.

After showering he had stood in front of his closet and stared at his clothes.

He felt like a teenager going on a first date.

This was absolutely insane.

He was a grown man. His father was cooking dinner for Christ's sake.

It sure as fuck didn't matter what he wore.

"Ethan!" He heard his father's voice bellow from downstairs and he rolled his eyes.

Yep, just like being a teenager.

"Coming!" He grabbed the only clean pair of jeans his eyes could find and pulled them on just as his father hollered his name once more.

The man's impatience was doing little for his temper right now.

He yanked a t-shirt on as he made his way toward the stairs and he grabbed the closest flannel shirt he could find.

He was still not a fan of the fact that September felt more like November.

If he were living back East he wouldn't mind it so much.

But dammit, this was LA, he figured he still had at least two more months of summer like weather left.

"What's up dad?" He watched as his father turned toward him and rolled his eyes.

He probably knew exactly what kind of dilemma he had been having.

"Need you to set the table." He offered him what he guessed was supposed to be a supportive smile. "It's almost 7:00."

"On it." He grabbed plates from the cabinet just as he heard a door slam shut outside.

He wasn't nearly as prepared for this as he should be.

And he was far more nervous about it than normal.

"Sounds like she's here." He rolled his eyes at the man's comment. Sometimes his ability to state the obvious was annoying.

"Yep." He went about his business though. Setting the table as he silently tried to calm his nerves.

He wondered what was taking her so long.

He just wanted her to come inside so that he could see her again.

He silently berated himself for being so indecisive about his feelings toward her at the given moment.

Ethan had been thankful that his dad seemed to keep his cool through dinner.

He had also been thankful that if either one of them noticed how nervous he was, they didn't say anything about it.

Rox had offered to do the dishes. And he had agreed to help her.

He just wanted to be close to her.

He regretted that decision as soon as his father left them alone.

"We should talk." She whispered as she handed him a plate to dry off.

"Okay." He knew that nothing good could from those words.

He felt his heart start to race in his chest.

He was going to lose her wasn't he? He was going to lose her and he had no idea how to make it stop.

"It's nothing bad Ethan." She must have sensed his worry because she laid a soapy hand against his arm as she offered him a soft smile.

"Okay." He didn't know how to form any other words.

He was terrified. Absolutely fucking terrified.

He had just gotten her in his arms.

He didn't want to lose her already.

"Are you okay?" She asked a few minutes later.

They had continued to wash and dry the dishes in silence and he guessed that maybe he had gotten lost somewhere in the mix.

"Yeah." He tried to offer her a smile. He tried to show her that he was okay. But he would have been lying if he had told her that he was.

"That was the last dish." She whispered.

"Thanks." He put the bowl back in it's spot in the cabinet as she dried her hands off on the extra towel.

He kept his back turned to her as he took a deep breath.

He could do this. He had to do this.

He was a grown man for fucks sake. He shouldn't be afraid of her breaking up with him.

If you could even call what they had something worthy of being broken up with.

"Ethan." She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, urging him to turn.

And he did. But the sight of her standing in his kitchen in her leggings and t-shirt, her hair slightly frizzy from it's contact with the rain earlier, did him in.

And the next thing he knew his lips were hot against hers as he backed her against the kitchen counter.

She let out a low moan as she tangled her hands in his hair as his fingers found her hips.

He said a silent prayer that his father stayed the hell out of the kitchen for a while.

He wanted to speak. He wanted to tell her that he loved her and that he wasn't ready to give her up just yet.

But he couldn't make words form in his throat.

So instead he dropped his head down and pressed his lips against her neck.

She tightened her fingers around his now unruly hair as he pushed his hips against hers.

He wanted her so badly that it was driving him insane.

"Ethan…" She breathed out his name in a soft whimper and he nipped at the skin of her neck as he pushed his hands under her t-shirt.

Her skin was warm and soft and everything he imagined it would be.

"Need you." He whispered against her shoulder. He nudged her t-shirt aside as best he could to give him better access.

"Ethan." She whispered his name this time, her hands falling to his shoulders with a whimper. "Stop." She pleaded. She sounded a little heartbroken, and frankly a little scared, and it stopped him in his tracks.

"Rox." He pulled back and let his right hand cup her cheek gently. "Baby. I'm sorry."

He dropped his forehead to hers at the sight of the tears in her eyes.

He couldn't believe he had done this to her.

She had come here to talk. Probably to end things with him.

And he had tried to take advantage of her against his kitchen counter.

He was a first rate douchebag if there ever was one.

"It's okay." She let out a soft sob and he closed his eyes as he wrapped his arm around her waist gently.

"No it's not." He whispered his words as he cupped her head gently in his hand.

He felt horrible for scaring her like that.

"I should have stopped." He shouldn't have even started in the first place.

"Can we…" She hesitated as she let her hands fall down to rest against his chest. He could practically hear the wheels turning in her head. "Can we just lay down for a bit?"

"Of course." He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead before pulling back and letting his arms fall to his sides. "Couch?"

She shook her head back and forth and he watched as she swallowed.

"Upstairs." She whispered.

He watched as her eyes shifted down the hallway in the direction his dad had disappeared too.

"Gotcha." He was thankful that she was just as worried about his father appearing at the wrong moment as he was.

They made their way upstairs in silence but when she paused three quarters of the way up and gripped the railing tightly he couldn't help but reach for her.

"You okay?" He wrapped an arm around her waist as he stopped next to her.

He knew that she had had a rough day in PT.

He could only imagine that slamming her back against the counter earlier didn't do her any favors either.

He felt like even more of an ass now.

"Yeah." She barely got out the word and he leaned forward to press a kiss against her head.

"Take your time." He whispered.

He didn't want to push her any farther than he already had.

Especially when it came to her still healing injuries.

They stood there for a good ten minutes before he heard his father make his way down the hall. He watched as the older man stopped at the bottom of the stairs and raised an eyebrow.

"Need some help?" His question was soft and Ethan simply shook his head 'no'. His father nodded back and thankfully made his way back down the hall.

He was thankful for the man's presence, but he was also thankful for the man's absence as well.

"Let's get you to bed." He pressed another kiss against her ear before gently urging her forward.

She complied, taking the last few steps slow as he kept his arm around her waist for support.

They stopped when they got to the bedroom and he pushed the door open quietly.

He watched as she pulled from his grasp then.

He instantly felt like a piece of him was missing.

But then she was crawling into his bed and curling up on her side and my God if she didn't look like she belonged there.

"Give me two minutes." He whispered.

She simply nodded her head against the pillow before closing her eyes.

When he stepped out of the bathroom a few minutes later she was on her back and he noted that she had taken off her shirt, and her bra, and had opted for a t-shirt of his instead.

He said a silent prayer that she at least grabbed one that was clean.

He climbed in next to her quietly, letting his arm drape softly over her stomach.

"You okay?" He asked softly.

He felt her snuggle against his chest as she turned her head to look at him.

"Yeah." She whispered back. He could see how exhausted she was and he felt bad.

She probably should have stayed home and rested.

"Try and sleep love." He pressed a kiss against her forehead as she offered him a simple nod.

And then her eyes were closing as she rolled onto her side, tucking herself against his chest with a soft whimper.

He felt his heart clench in his chest.

He felt horrible for having pushed her too far.

He felt horrible for making her feel like this.

He wished that he could take it all back.

But more than anything, he wished that he could just get his Rox back.

The fun loving, carefree woman who had stolen his heart and refused to give it back.

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