Still hot and sweaty from the dance floor, Alyssa welcomed the refreshing hit of the night breeze. Though seasonably crisp and cool, it was refreshing and she let it wash over her, waking her senses, slapping her sober. At the curb, she stuck out an arm for a cab. Thankfully this side of the town was busy with bars and late night traffic so it wasn't long before a marked vehicle pulled toward her.

When it rolled to a stop, she reached for the door when an arm stuck out and pulled it open.

"I thought you had to stay behind?"

"They've got it covered," Ethan said, brushing his hair away from his face. The dark layers disturbed by the wind. At the sight of him, Alyssa's stomach rolled with a giddy, female flutter. All nerves and anticipation.

He nodded to the backseat. "Get in."

Doing as she was told, Alyssa employed slow, even breathing as Ethan slid in after her, the weight of his thigh resting solidly against hers. He gave the address to the cabin and the driver pushed off from the curb, gliding into the streets to merge with the thin rush of traffic. Pushing the tab on the door, the window whisked down a couple inches and air rushed in.

Reaching across her, Ethan toggled it shut. "You'll catch a chill," he said at the questioning arch of her brow. She was only wearing a leather jacket and this close to the water, the wind got a bit sharper. That made it a legitimate excuse and not just some lame reason to get closer to her.

And tried not to think about the way she smelled like citrus, beer and something utterly female and provocative. Or the way her hands were tucked her thighs, or, as she tipped her head back against the head rest with a sigh, eyes closed, how her lips seemed to almost beckon for a man's. Jesus, why had he listened to Carlos' manipulation?

The sooner he got her home, the better.

The driver cleared his throat with an apology and gestured up ahead where there the residential street was closed down. Orange pylons set out with signs indicating a broken water main had closed down the street, detouring traffic.

"Can take you back down Copeland over to Reese. It's a bit outta the way but I'm happy to do it," he offered, angling around in the driver's seat, nodding at Ethan.

"It's fine. We'll walk from here." Alyssa pulled out a couple of bills to cover the tab and left enough for a tip before Ethan could find his bearings. It was at least a couple minutes away from the cabin. Too far to let her walk on alone this late at night.

At a loss Ethan scuffed a toe on the asphalt as his safety net disappeared down the street and swung back towards the entertainment district to nab another fare.

"Wanna have a coffee at my place while you call a cab?" Alyssa tucked a wedge of dark hair, teased by the wind, behind her ear. The dark stripe of purple illuminated in the street light.

"I don't think it's a good idea." Calling another one was going to take him at least ten minutes to head out this way. Too long for him to sit out in the damn cold want wait, not that she needed to know that.

"Why?" she asked, circling around him. Her movements all lithe and feline. 

"Because it's late. Don't want to keep you up." 

She laughed at that. "Lighten up, Sheriff. Staying up a little past my bedtime won't kill me. "Least I could do since you're walking me to my door. Come on." Alyssa looped an arm casually through his, tugged him along. And he followed. As he had all bloody night. Jesus, like he could do anything else?

They fell into step together. Their pace slow. Almost meandering. Ethan Davies was taking a stroll. At two in the freaking morning, no less. After a night of drinking, pool and even dancing. Did wonders ever cease?

Climbing the steps, she unlocked the cabin door. Stepping inside she held it open for Ethan to cross the threshold.

"How do you take your coffee?" she asked, crossing to the kitchen, flicking on the lamp as she passed. Peeling off her jacket, she tossed it over the back of the couch.

"Blacks fine." He'd been in this place plenty of times, but everything about it now felt different. Transformed. Every where he looked Alyssa had left her mark, not in décor or furniture but energy. An intangible thing but there. Every time she stepped into a room, she seemed to fill it, overpower it. Until there was nothing else that mattered, nothing that could hold up in contrast, like sunlight striking through a window pane.

He followed her to the kitchen, watched as she rummaged around for a couple of mugs, the kettle on and set to boil. And still wearing those tall boots that added inches to her height and transformed her legs into weapons of male destruction. How a woman walked in those things baffled him, but Alyssa moved with provocative grace that he knew was innately all her.

"I've only got instant," she apologized over her shoulder. Ethan shrugged, peeling his gaze off her tempting body.

"Coffee's coffee."

Only when she handed him the steaming mug did he notice her hands. "Jesus." Plucking it from her grasp, Ethan set it aside. Reaching for her hands, he examined them in the dim lighting. The knuckles weren't too bad but she did have some nicks and swelling. "Marshall still have the kit in the bathroom?

"I think I saw one in there," Alyssa confirmed to his retreating back, and watched bemused as he returned with a red and white box in hand. Opening the First Aid kit, he sifted through bandages and gauze for ointment and antiseptic cleanser. Pumping the nozzle, he sprayed the alcohol onto the abrasions.

"Sorry," he murmured when she flinched at the stinging contact and blew over her skin to soothe. "Doesn't look too bad. Don't think you broke or fractured anything," he said, wiggling each of her fingers in turn, testing for range of movement and discomfort. Uncapping the ointment he dabbed the salve carefully over the slivered cuts.

"Where'd you learn to fight like that?"

"I got into Muay Thai a few years ago. Kind of a stress relief thing. I'm not much of a striker, but my take downs are solid."  Alyssa watched, fascinated as he worked quietly, competently, his head bowed in concentration. The layers of hair, glossy and dark, she wanted to run her fingers through it. Pull that head back and up to hers.

That perfect, compelling face. So she could see his eyes. His mouth.

"I had fun tonight," she said as he packed up the kit and as she hoped, his gaze snapped back to hers. A sizzling electric blue, even in the dark.

"So did I," Ethan admitted. Unsure what to do with his hands now, he crossed his arms over his chest, leather cracking from the movement. "How come Eva wasn't with you tonight?" At her answering stretch of quiet, his lips quirked. "Still haven't worked around to having that chat, I take it?"

Aggravated, she spun away from him with an airy wave. "It's not that easy."

"Isn't it?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"Suit yourself."

"Alright fine." He heard the slap of her hands on the counter following a snarled oath. "I came out alone tonight because I'm pissed, okay? Pissed because I've come all this way, after years of wondering and not knowing what happened to my sister, where she is and if she's alright, only to find—surprise!—she'd hunky dory. She's got a house I could never afford, a handsome fiancé, a thriving business and a shiny, brand new surrogate family to complete the awesome picture. But me, me?" Alyssa raged, all spun up in the momentum of her spewing emotions.

"I spent all that time depressed over losing my literal other half. The one person I came into the world with—faced every marker and milestone with—my sister and best friend. I buried our mother, fought and beat cancer, was abandoned by a fiancé who couldn't hack it oh, and as if that shit didn't suck enough? Last month I was fired. Fired! From a job I'd given everything to. A job I loved."

Galled that there were tears in her voice, Alyssa pressed her hands to her face and clamped down hard. She would not cry. Not here. Not in front of him. Not like this. When she was certain she had herself under grips, she lowered those hands to find Ethan, still comfortably reclined against counter and cabinets, watching her. Assessing her. There was no judgment in his gaze. No sympathy or pity.

He was listening, nothing more. And that calmed her further. Soothed the worst of the ache seizing around her heart.

Setting his hands on her shoulders, and lazily stroked up and down her arms."That was a lot to have sitting on your chest. Feel better?"

And she did. Much. "Yeah. Thanks."

"No problem."

Settling next to him, she mirrored his earlier pose, arms crossed and head hung. "I didn't think it was going to be this hard. She's my twin but it's like I don't even know her anymore. She's not the same person."

"No, she's not." When Alyssa's head snapped up at that, Ethan added, "You can't go through all of that and come out the same. Either of you."

Alyssa chewed on the inner pocket of her cheek, assessing him. "You're insufferably astute."

 "I'll take that as a compliment." Smiling, Ethan shook his head at some stray internal thought. "I've always loved it here. Never wanted to take off or be anywhere else but on Haven. Marshall was different. Soon as he was old enough he left with big dreams and bigger ambitions. Got so caught up in his work he almost never came home. Missed some important family events, which didn't sit well with me. I'm all about solid, family values. Upholding and honouring traditions. But also—I was just sad about missing my brother." He shifted his gaze to her, shrugged in a casual sort of 'boys will be boys' kind of way.

"Course I couldn't just say that. I had an axe to grind and hammered him with it first chance I got. We had it out over fists. Parted ways angry. Then Marshall was taken hostage and I realized how stupid it all was. My brother almost died and the last words we'd've ever spoken to one another were in anger. Told myself I'd never hold a grudge again. Point is I get where you're coming from." And leaned against her with a companionable bump of his shoulder. "You should fix things with Eva."

Alyssa swayed for a moment, sighed. "I kind of blew up on her tonight. She's really mad at me. I don't think I can face her."Squaring off with her, Ethan set his hands to the counter, caging her on either side so their gaze was almost level.

"Tonight, without hesitation or thought to your own personal safety, you took down a guy twice your size in thirty seconds flat. You were..." Ethan frowned for a moment, searching for the right word. And tucked a wedge of hair, streaked with purple behind her ear. "Fearless. That woman I saw—she could take on the world. Eva should be a cake walk by comparison."

"I like that. Makes me sound so...badass."  She smiled at that, a wide and radiant kind that lit her up. And in turn it lit something up inside of him. Made his chest swell and puff with pride and something else he couldn't quite place. Wasn't sure he wanted to.

"Thanks, Sheriff." And touched her lips to his.

That first unexpected taste, innocently done, seared Ethan straight through. And that was all it took. Starved for this, for more of her, his hands slid around, one at her neck, the other at her waist, fisting in fabric and hair. Dragging Alyssa against him, and captured that wild and tempting mouth again. Devoured it.

Demanding more as the kiss spun deeper.

Deeper.

The sensual taste of her drove him crazy. Set his heart to thunder and blood to roar, wild as a storm ridden sea pounding in his skull. When Alyssa hummed her approval, Ethan was a second away from dragging them both to the floor—a predator to shred clothes and taste flesh. This was everything he craved, everything he needed and wanted and yearned for most of all, yet couldn't have.

The disappointment was bitter and brutal. And instant.

"I'm sorry." Ethan ripped his mouth away from her, eyes wild, breath uneven and cheeks pale with shock where hers were flushed. She'd kissed him to be friendly. A simple thank you and he'd lost total control. Practically mauled her like a wild animal. This wasn't just some girl but Eva's sister. Family. Under no circumstance could he excuse his behaviour.

"That shouldn't have happened. I wasn't expecting--you caught me off guard."

"Don't hear me complaining, Sheriff." A raw, aching fullness in Alyssa's body swelled. Spread. Leaving her dizzy and breathless and needy. She'd expected there would be stars with Ethan, but not fireworks. Not that kind of breathless, dazzling punch to rocket down to her toes. All light and heat and scorching power.

And over far too quick. Lacing her fingers around his neck, she held on when he would have let her go. "Don't stop." Angling on her toes, she caught his lower lip with her teeth. A seductive little bite that jolted him straight below the belt. And tugged.

"Come to bed with me."

Stunned, in one frenzied motion, he leaped away as if she'd upended scalding water down his pants. "I can't. We can't."

"Why?"

"You've been drinking. You don't know what you're doing."

Alyssa's brows fell into flat, irritated lines as he paced from her and dragged shaking hands over his ashen face. "I'm a long way off from drunk, Ethan, and perfectly capable of making a very grownup decision without worrying about beer goggles or any of that bullshit."

When she moved to him, reached for him, all warm and supple and willing, Ethan backed away. And cursed himself viciously for wanting to grab hold and finish what he'd started.

There was a special circle in Hell reserved for people like him.

"I can't. I can't do this. I have to go."

"Ethan, wait—"

"I have to go," he repeated, desperate as a man standing on a ledge about to jump. Nearly knocked the lamp off the side table in his haste to get out the door. And tore out into the night before he could further humiliate himself.