Conflicted (Secrets and Lies) (30 page)

His place was humungous. My stride slowed as I hit the open space that seemed to be his living room. It had a wide entrance as it sectioned off from the hallway. The room had tasteful decorations but there was a distance to it. The walls were white with most of his furniture black. It projected a very sequestered impression to anyone that walked into the room. There was no sign of his family or friends. His taste in art matched the mystery behind the man.

My eyes drifted to the wall on the right. It contained plenty of abstract pieces that sucked you in with their complex strokes. The wall on the left was without art and had large flat screen TV with a sound system below it. A huge sectional couch cornered of that area with a large glass coffee table in front of it. By the looks of the built-in shelving underneath the TV, he had plenty of DVDs to entertain him. I almost walked over to get a better idea at his taste. The wall opposite of where I stood in the entryway distracted me. It was a giant window that overlooked the city as well as the water that surrounded it. I sauntered over to take in the view. The sun was descending and the hues of purple splashed against the caps of the waves. I wasn't surprised that Ethan selected a place that had such a magnificent view of the lake. It connected with a deep part of him. I wondered if I was the only one that saw that side of him.

"You are," he confirmed.

"Huh?"

"You're the only that understands how much the water means to me."

Ethan brushed my hair to the side and placed a loving kiss on my shoulder. My body fired with an electric current his lips generated as they trailed along my throat until he reached my lips. His mouth urged for me to grant him better access. He was unraveling me again with his torturous lips. I almost gave in but remembered why I got up.

"Ethan, I need a moment today that doesn't end in us having sex," I stammered.

"Why? Are you telling me that all I get is twenty-four hours? I haven't even begun to appreciate you or your body," he growled.

I tilted my head away from him. "I need to check in with Bri. I can't find my purse."

Ethan smirked. "It's not up here. It's in my car along with something else of yours."

"I'm not going down there like this so do you mind if I borrow your phone. I need to get my car at some point too. A shower might not be a bad idea either," I said, sniffing myself.

"You smell amazing. You can call her from my phone but that's it. I might be willing to negotiate the shower request as long as it is with me," Ethan replied, nipping at my ear.

I playfully pushed him away and pointed to his bedroom. He strutted down the hallway. I took a deep breath praying it would help me remain focused long enough to call Bri. Ethan returned with his phone and I excused myself for a little privacy to talk to her. I had shuffled past a bathroom on my way to his living room. I opened the door and sat down on the ledge of the massive vanity. It had two sinks so I shifted into a spot in between them. I noticed a glass shower that had multiple showerheads on one side of the room and a large tub that looked more like a Jacuzzi on the other side.

Hmm...Maybe something to consider later with Ethan.

I broke my attention from the direction of that dirty thought and dialed Bri's number.

"Hello," she answered warily.

"Hey, it's me."

"Mia, where are you?" she asked downright exasperated.

"I'm sorry Bri. I didn't mean to worry you. It's why I'm calling," I said patiently.

"You're still with Ethan," she said in disbelief.

"Yes, I'm still with him. Who did you think I'd be with?"

She huffed. "Lately, it hasn't been in your nature to linger in bed with a guy."

"I deserve that comment so I'm going to let it go. I called to tell you that I'm not coming home until tomorrow."

"You're spending
another
night with him. Do you know what you're doing?" Bri yelled so loud that I pulled the phone away to avoid hearing loss.

"Yes, I know what I'm doing. I think," I said with reservations.

"You
think
. God, I thought it was the alcohol and horniness that did the talking for you last night but it's not. You wouldn't be willing to stay another day with him if it wasn't something more. Please tell me that you at least remember what you promised last night."

I sighed. "Yes, I remember."

"Are you sure about that? I've never seen you be so careless," she snapped.

"I'll have a pow wow with you about all of this when I get home."

"Fine, but tomorrow I want to hash this out with you."

"You have my word. I need to go."

"Oh and Mia, I want all the hot details too," she said in somewhat teasing tone.

I rolled my eyes. "Every naughty detail. I promise. I have to go Bri."

I hung up and placed his phone down on the counter. I rested my head on the mirror behind me. This trip back to reality left me mentally exhausted at the upcoming days. My thoughts drifted to all the amazing feelings I experienced within the last twenty-four hours. A soft tap brought me out of my daydreaming.

"It's your home Ethan. You don't need to knock," I answered dryly.

He opened the door and poked his head around it. He had changed into a pair of black boxers that brought out all the tribal tattoos that graced portions of his sculptured chest. My body dampened at the sight of him in his boxers. I sucked in a sharp breath as Ethan sauntered towards me on the vanity. When he reached me, he placed his hands on the sides of my legs.

He leaned forward until his forehead pressed upon mine. "You asked for privacy so I was respecting it. You asked me in the club if I respected you and I do. I didn't do a very good job of showing it in the parking lot."

My pulse skyrocketed at his heartfelt words. His hands slid down my thighs until he reached my knees and slid me to the edge of the vanity. Ethan swept his lips across mine with a hunger. I gave way to the moment before ending it with a delicate kiss upon his nose.

"I'm the one that begged you," I pointed out.

Ethan sighed. "I've never met a woman that confounds me as much as you do but I've found that I like it. Sometimes I can tell what you're thinking by the look in your eyes. Most of the time, I'm sitting on edge with what you'll do next."

"You do the same thing to me and it terrifies me. I'm never sure what to expect when I'm with you. I have zero control over my body when I'm around you making it difficult to learn more about you."

He draped his arms along my backside before tightening his grip. His lips ventured across my jaw before capturing my mouth for a sultry kiss. The hot sparks that always seemed to be in my body around him flickered to life. I fastened my legs around him as my lips fell prisoner to his. My teeth grazed along his bottom lip before giving him a gentle bite. Ethan flashed his dimples as I swayed away from his mouth.

"See, there you go again."

"What?"

"You know exactly what you do to me when you do it. You seem to understand my body better than I do and it drives me crazy."

His hands glided to my chest where he pulled down the sheet. Ethan came closer as his lips ventured across my breasts before licking their way back to my mouth. He forced open my mouth with eagerness and his tongue commanded mine. A heady burn flared throughout my body. My fingers flitted underneath his boxers before I clasped my hands around his lower back and rocked into him. Ethan groaned as his lips brushed along mine with more zest. Our hands moved all over as our mouths devoured one another. We remained that way until breathing became problematic. I pulled away from him and sucked in a quick breath.

"Before this goes any further, I want to discuss something with you," I panted.

"Make it quick," Ethan demanded.

I pointed to my hickeys with sharpness in my eyes. "Don't do it again."

He shrugged. "I'm sorry. I didn't intend to mark you."

"As long as we have an understanding that it isn't to happen again, I'll let it go."

Ethan nodded and I rocked into him with force. He moaned and tore away the sheet around me. My hands shoved down his boxers and he kicked them aside. Ethan picked me and sauntered towards the other side of the bathroom where he pressed me up against a set of glass doors as his lips dove into my neck. He lips licked until he hit the groove of my shoulder where he grazed his teeth. My head tilted to the side welcoming his tongue is it journeyed upward.

"It's time to take care of that shower request of yours," he growled into my ear.

I gasped. "Yes, I do believe that was on the list."

~

Dressed in a pair of his boxers and T-shirt, I sat at the end of his bed drying my hair. Ethan was off ordering us food from a Chinese place down the road. I tossed the towel to the side and hopped up from the bed to join him in the living room. He was on the couch with his back on glorious display. The tattoos that ran down his back were as stunning as the ones on his chest. He had a balance of patterns and symbols with various scripts weaved amongst them. I sat at the edge of the couch not wanting to bother him as he scrolled through his phone answering emails.

"Hey babe, the food will be here in about twenty minutes."

Ethan spoke with such ease that it made my heart fly out of my body. He sounded like we had been together for ages and tonight was just another Saturday night to lounge around the house with each other.

"Sounds good."

"Is there something on your mind?"

"No," I lied.

Ethan set his phone down and hauled me into his lap. He rested his forehead against mine. I wrapped my legs around him and clasped my hands around his neck. His hands caressed the small of my back. He stared at me with patience in his eyes before he took a deep breath.

"Please don't lie to me. Let's try this again. What's on your mind?"

"I'm worried about what's going to happen when we step back into the real world. My mind keeps telling me that I hardly even know you but my heart feels like it has known you my entire life. It's a very profound feeling that I don't know how to handle," I confessed.

My stomach fluttered with anxiety. His eyes flickered around the room as he exhaled.

"I don't know what it is about you Mia. I remember having a bad morning. The softness in your voice made my insides twitch. To be honest, it was unsettling for me. When I looked up to acknowledge you, everything within me shifted." Ethan paused and brushed his lips against mine. My eyes remained wide in astonishment. "I couldn't stop staring at you. I didn't understand how you could make me feel so vulnerable. I had to know what it would feel like to touch you. When our hands touched, it gave me a new sense of being alive. You awakened a part of me that I never knew was dormant."

I placed a soft kiss upon his lips. Ethan gave me a shy smile.

"You didn't hire me because of that reason did you," I whispered with wide eyes.

"You were by far the best candidate that I interviewed. I tend to leave my feelings out of business matters. It was a first to have them crash into each other the way they did in that interview but I remained professional nevertheless."

I scoffed. "Your behavior with me this last week wasn't very professional."

No wonder we can't seem to stop having sex.

"You set yourself up for that scenario the second you acted like the kiss we shared meant nothing to you," Ethan retorted, his tone lined with resentment.

I softened. "I wasn't sure how to handle you. I'm still not sure."

"You seem to be handling me well so far."

His hand ran across my breasts with a wicked intent as he flicked my nipples to a stand. Fiery sensations in my stomach and even deeper below began to explode at rapid speeds. I started cursing under my breath. He had me on my back in a second with his body hovered over me. His lips ventured along my throat with purpose. It sent another volcanic eruption throughout me. I tilted my head away to prevent him from taking matters any further.

"I've told you how much that aggravates me," Ethan growled.

I arched an eyebrow. "It bothers me when you turn me on and then slam on the brakes."

"Who said anything about doing that?"

"We have food coming and we aren't done with this conversation yet," I pointed out.

"Fine," Ethan said as he sat up.

I did the same but kept a few inches between us. I propped my elbow on the back of the couch and rested my head in my hand. Ethan shifted to me with his hands folded on his chest.

"I've never felt anything like this before so I'm at a loss at what's right. Sometimes I wonder if what we're doing is wrong. What happens when work becomes a reality again?"

I swallowed against the lump in my throat that stemmed from the empty pit in my stomach.

What happens when I step back in his company door and become reminded of the sole reason I ever met this amazing man? What will happen when Ethan knows the truth?

"Why don't we spend the rest of the weekend being just Ethan and Mia? We're a new couple getting to know each other," he suggested.

I grinned. "I think they call that avoidance but I'm listening."

Ethan moved towards my lips when his intercom buzzed. He got up with an agitated huff to get the delivery. I tried gathering the troublesome thoughts that swam through my head. Ethan returned with a sack full of food. He took out several cartons of food that watered my mouth with their tantalizing smell. I ran my tongue across my lips in anticipation for the meal ahead.

"Don't do that again or we won't get to the food," Ethan demanded.

"Do what?" I inquired.

The husky tone in his voice startled me. I gazed into his eyes and they were hungry for much more than food. My lips slipped into a sheepish smile as he passed me a carton of food.

"Don't taunt me like that when you don't plan on using your mouth on me."

"Sorry."

"You better be. Now replenish your appetite because I plan to work it up again."

Ethan opened the carton in front of him as he passed me a set of chopsticks.

"Are you now?"

"I am. So eat up. You'll need your strength."