Read The Three-Week Arrangement (Chase Brothers) Online
Authors: Sarah Ballance
The Three-Week Arrangement (Chase Brothers) (17 page)
Epilogue
Tinago Falls, Philippines
Ten Months Later
After a twenty-three hour flight that included a four hour layover in Shanghai and an airport reunion in Manila that had him spinning her in circles and a bunch of complete strangers clapping, Ethan had his girl. It wasn’t the first time since she’d left for the Galapagos—she’d come home to him between trips—but this
one was different.
This time he’d gone to her.
After the epic flight and an array of questionable methods of transportation, he’d stood in the pouring rain at the top of the reported five-hundred slippery stone steps that led to Tinago Falls and had given his promise to follow her to the ends of the earth second and third thoughts. Especially after she’d failed to mention he’d be on
the cover of her damned calendar. He’d yet to live that one down, and the worst part was the page hadn’t yet been turned to his month.
Maybe a twenty-three hour flight hadn’t been such a bad idea after all.
But still.
“Why are we doing this in the rain?”
“Could you just trust me?”
He kept his mouth shut, mainly because he felt the need to mutter prayers all the way
down, and was so focused on not dying that he nearly ran into her a few minutes later. He lifted his gaze.
He was stunned.
Crystal clear turquoise waters filled an enormous natural pool while cascades of white water fell seemingly from steep walls of vegetation, creating a spectacular waterfall display that left his jaw unhinged.
“We’re the only ones here,” she said with a mischievous
grin. “That could change because this place is a Mecca for tourists, but those steps are treacherous in the rain.”
“That, and it’s the ass crack of dawn.”
She mock-glared at him and showed him where to stow their backpacks. Then she dove in, slicing cleanly through the water at a near horizontal angle that didn’t have him too worried she’d break her neck.
He was coming around.
Hell, he was going in.
His entrance was a lot less dramatic than hers, but he was there.
“Come with me,” she said, eyes sparkling.
He swam after her, belatedly wondering what kind of water snakes they might have in the Philippines. But he didn’t wonder long. She led him to the base of the waterfall, and when they broke through to the other side, the fall revealed a small
cave in a world that was theirs alone.
“Wow.”
“That’s it?” she asked playfully. “Wow?”
“I was just thinking about something,” he said, eyeballing the rock underbelly of their surroundings.
“What’s that?”
“A few months ago a certain beautiful woman wore a gown about the color of this water and told me she wanted to be fucked hard against a rock.” He punctuated with
a soft kiss, but it didn’t last. With them, they never did. One little kiss turned into two, and the next thing they knew they were getting thrown out of a speakeasy in the West Village.
“That,” she said, “is a promise I think you can keep.” They climbed out of the water, but he stopped short of putting her up against the wall and making good on her fantasy. Rock wasn’t so much sexy as it
was brutally hard. Instead, he shed his clothes and sat on them at the water’s edge, then tugged on her hand. He didn’t have to undress her. She knew what she wanted and she wasn’t shy about taking it.
He loved that about her.
She eased onto his erection, her body tight and hot and enveloping him with dizzying pleasure. Her breasts were perfect and perfectly positioned with her straddling
him. He closed his mouth on one tight peak and, with his hands on her hips, guided her back and forth while he ground against her. When he felt her shudder, he kissed her, sweetly, wholly. Forever.
They slipped back into the water, slightly less naked that way, and he held her. Loved her.
“I talked to Amy’s parents,” he said. Rue had encouraged him to do so. It had taken a few months,
but he owed them that much.
“And?”
“And they somehow ended up with a copy of that damned calendar.”
Rue laughed.
“They said I was their son, too, and they wanted me to be happy. And they’d love to meet you.”
“I’m happy for you, Ethan. I’m glad you heard that, and I’d be honored to meet them.”
“They saw the dedication in the calendar. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I didn’t do it for you. I did it for her.”
He swallowed a knot of emotion. Rue had dedicated the calendar to Amy’s memory, as someone who did so much to help animals, and he hadn’t even noticed. But that was just the kind of person she was. She hadn’t done it for credit. She was selfless.
And naked.
Carefree.
His.
She leaned her head against his shoulder.
He slipped his arms around her from behind, and together they watched the rain dance against the bluest water he’d ever seen.
“You know, you’re going to marry me one day,” she said.
“I know.”
Hell, he was counting on it.
And he wouldn’t have it any other way.
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Acknowledgments
I absolutely must thank all the usual suspects. Tracy, my editor, for her endless patience. Michelle, for not blocking my email. My husband, for pretty much everything. My family for understanding when to scatter, and my mom for bringing dinner when I swore I wasn’t feeding anyone until I met my deadline. My street team, because they rock.
And I’d also like to
thank Carol.
I met Carol around the time I started writing, when I was too clueless to realize how very little I knew. She was the very first person who cared about my words and the first to fight for my characters. Even before I knew enough to fight for them, she did. For the longest time, she was the only one who knew I’d written a word of fiction, so she was the only support I had. And,
of course, she was right in saying my family would love what I was doing, so freaking
tell them already
. These days, I have the biggest cheering section in the world, but I’ve never forgotten when it was just her. Our paths have meandered a little, as all in life are prone to do, but she’ll always be a part of what got me to where I am today.
And for that, Carol, I could never thank you
enough.
About the Author
Sarah
and her husband of what he calls “many long, long years” live on the mid-Atlantic coast with their six young children, all of whom are perfectly adorable when they’re asleep. She never dreamed of becoming an author, but as a homeschooling mom, she often jokes she writes fiction because if she wants anyone to listen to her, she has to make them up. (As it turns
out, her characters aren’t much better than the kids.) When not buried under piles of laundry, she may be found adrift in the Atlantic (preferably on a boat) or seeking that ever-elusive perfect writing spot where not even the kids can find her.
She loves creating unforgettable stories while putting her characters through an unkind amount of torture—a hobby that has nothing to do with living
with six children. (Really.) Though she adores sexy contemporary romance, Sarah writes in many genres including historical and ghostly supernatural romance and romantic suspense. Her ever-growing roster of releases may be found on
Amazon
,
Barnes & Noble
,
Kobo
,
iBooks
,
Google Books
, and
Entangled Publishing
.
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