Innocent Lies

by J.W. Phillips

  “Do you really want a snorer to come over?”

  “I want you here more than anything. I’m cooking.”

  He’s cooking? Ethan cooks and he’s cooking for me.

  “Sure, I get off work in an hour. Let me run by the apartment and grab a few things then I’ll be there.”

  I walked into his house and was greeted by the smell of fried chicken. I locked the door behind me and was impressed when I caught a glimpse of Ethan standing over the stove. The kitchen island was lined with a smorgasbord of vegetables. His back was to me as he pulled the rolls out of the oven. I leaned against the counter and whistled. He acknowledged by presence with an over-exaggerated shake of his butt. What a riveting sight? A ripped man at home in the kitchen. He was seriously arousing. A glass of sweet tea minus the ice was already poured. How did he know that is my favorite? The whole meal is my favorite.

  “Hey, beautiful.” Ethan glanced back and winked. “I talked to Sarah. She was more than willing to share all your secrets.” He wiped his hands on the tea towel by the stove and handed me the glass of tea.

  “Thanks, remind me to ask her what all she shared. That is after I kill her.” I took a swig of the tea. “It smells delicious.”

  “It is,” he replied, and came around the island and kissed my forehead.

  “I’m impressed. The amazing Ethan Asher can cook.”

  “It is only one of my vast array of tricks. Being gorgeous is what I’m really known for.”

  I took another sip of tea, more out of nerves than thirst. He was most definitely known for his incredible good looks, but something told me it was not his most talked about trait.

  He balanced a platter of chicken with one hand and picked up a bottle of soda off the counter with the other. He motioned with his only free finger to follow him. I did as I was instructed and rushed through the already opened patio door on to a rather large deck. It was stationed on the thirteenth hole of a golf course. Hurricane Lights were scattered around and over an already set table was a lit candle chandelier. Softly playing in the background was country music. I had never listened to that type of music before, but at that moment, it was perfect and fit us.

  He motioned for me to take a seat and walked back in. I picked at my nail beds not quite sure what he had planned. Being not a small man he moved with the lightest of step. I didn’t even hear him return until I felt his body at my back. He placed a plate, filled with a little bit of everything he had prepared in front of me. He bent over and dished me two chicken legs. His hot breath swished down my neck and made me swoon.

  “Eat up, my lovely,” he whispered in my ear. I watched him take a seat and pick up a fork. “Don’t bruise my ego and not eat.”

  I pinched off a piece of roll and dipped it in butter. I placed it in my mouth, and he moaned. I smiled and cut my eyes over at him. The gold specks in his deep brown eyes had an extra sparkle.

  “I’m trying to be a gentleman, but if you keep working your tongue like that I might not be able to control myself. After all, the demon in me can only be so good.” He laughed and placed a spoonful of peas in his mouth. At that moment, I wanted to push back that one blond curl that fell against his forehead and work my tongue over his face.

  After the sixth, seventh, or maybe it was the eighth bite of everything, I willed myself to push my plate back. We needed to talk not guzzle down food like a couple of pigs. I took a drink of tea. When I set my glass down, his eyes went hard.

  “Talk to me, beautiful. Tell me all about you.” He said with a somber expression.

  “I would rather ask you questions. I know nothing about you.”

  I didn’t want him to learn about me at that point, because he was the first person that had the power to break my heart.

  “I would rather you not. Privy, you might not like all the answers.”

  I needed to know who the man was that had stolen my heart and could so easily finish destroying it. I picked up my plate. “I just want to know where you were raised. About your siblings. Thank you for dinner.” I felt the tears coming and pushed my chair back to retreat to the solitude of his house. An irrational response I know, but being rational and Ethan didn’t exactly go together.

  I started to empty the scraps off of the plate into the garbage disposal and wiped back tears.

  “Dylan, don’t.” Ethan’s body was suddenly at my back. That smell that was only him, was strong. I was paralyzed. He leaned into me and placed a hand on each side of the counter caging me in. I bit my tongue to fight back a sob and looked at the water swirling down the drain. He flipped back my hair and kissed the sweet spot behind my ear. “My parents are Neal and Helen Asher. I have two sisters and two brothers. I had three, but one of them recently passed away.”

  “I’m sorry.” I rubbed my nose with the base of my hand.

  He didn’t move. “I’m not. He got what he deserved . . . I’m from Memphis, and moved here to take care of some family business.” He nibbled on my neck. “I want this. Hell, I have never been anybody’s ideal, but I’ll be yours. I’ll always take care of you.”

  Neal Asher sounded familiar, but I couldn’t focus on that. There was a deep sadness in Ethan’s voice. He was hiding something I was positive. I didn’t care. Ethan Asher was what I wanted. He gripped my hip and pushed me against him. “Am I really the only girl who has ever been here?”

  “Yes,” he said against the skin on my neck. “This is my home. I’m not going to muddy it up with the memory of some random girl.”

  “I’m here.”

  “You’re not some random girl.” He twisted me around to face him. I slipped my arms around his neck. “Please, don’t leave. I want you. I want us.” Ethan mumbled in my ear.

  “I’ll stay, if you promise me one thing.” I said, peering into his emotion-riddled face. Even if he eventually broke my heart, I couldn’t walk away.

  “Anything,” he answered, guardedly.

  “Kiss me. Kiss me, now.”

  Ethan’s tongue peeked out to wet his lips, his eyes closed. “Damn,” he purred into my mouth. I wrapped my arms around him and felt his hand firmly grab my behind. His lips were soft but demanding. He yanked on my top lip with his teeth. “I have wanted to taste you since I first saw you,” he murmured and plunged his tongue in my mouth.

  His tongue caressed mine with the lightest of touch. He was fighting to hold back. I fisted his shirt in my hands. I didn’t want him holding back. I bit down on his lower lip. He growled and the next thing I knew he was lowering me on the couch. Ethan’s weight bearing down on me was too much. I tore my mouth away from his.

  He jumped off me. “Sweet Dylan, no I can’t. There is nothing I want more than to rip your clothes off and bury myself so deep in you that you beg for mercy. I can’t. Not until you know how fucked up I really am.” He bounced up too fast and slammed his fist into the coffee table, cracking it.

  I flinched. “Ethan, I’m pretty screwed up too. You can’t hurt something that is already damaged.”

  His eyes flamed as he leaned over me again, suddenly unusually calm. “My love, you have no idea what you’re saying.”

  Wednesday, October 8, 2014

  A cool breeze feathered across my skin as I took a step onto the crisp grass. Ethan curved his body around mine. “I like you in these.” He whispered as he slipped the blindfold from my eyes.

  I twirled around and took in the field Ethan carried me to the first night we ever shared.

  I looked back at him. “You promised dinner and a show?”

  “Shush,” Ethan said, tapping his finger on his mouth. “Look up.” He pointed up into the air.

  I tilted my head back and sucked in a sharp intake of air. Darkness enveloped the sky, I could only see a sliver of the moon blazing. It was the perfect backdrop for the breathtaking view of twinkling stars.

  Ethan escorted me to the middle of the field and fanned out the quilt he was holding. I could not look away from the night sky as he guided me to lay down. It simply me
smerized me. Ethan directed my attention over to the irregular bands of light from the Milky Way. I noticed the twinkling lights of the big and little dipper. As Ethan promised, a show begin as various sized meteors cascaded through the sky about every fifteen to thirty seconds. The panoramic view made it possible to witness several meteors at the same moment while also marveling at each one individually.

  “It is . . . WOW.” I whispered.

  “Like the show?” He reached over and took my hand in his.

  I didn’t answer him. My face more than showed him that I loved it. Every once in awhile, he would place a kiss somewhere on my body, rather it be my hand, my jaw, my shoulder, my hair. But that was as far as he tried to go. No matter how close I scooted next to his body, he never tried anything beyond a subdued kiss.

  There was so much I wanted to know about the man laying next to me. I would let him talk in his timing and prayed he never expected answers from me. Because I would lose him if he ever knew what I had done. And the thought of losing him was slowly becoming my biggest nightmare.

  I snuggled onto his chest and watched his peaceful face as he stared out into the heavens. His eyes washed over me. It was clear something was on his mind. Something was always on his mind.

  I was curious how far we would allow each other to travel in the vast depths of our past. I wanted to know what often seemed to weigh heavy on his mind. But I would drill on that another day. That day I was at peace that I knew exactly where he was, in my arms.

  As breathtaking as the shower of stars were, I couldn’t seem to look away from his face. I was beginning to realize that stargazing was more than a fascination for Ethan. It was an escape.

  “Are you happy with your life now?” Ethan asked, never shifting his eyes from the sky.

  I pondered his question and had a touch of fear rake my body as what would make him ask such a thing. I couldn’t answer him. I haven’t been truly happy since the day my daddy died. Well, I take that back. I had only been truly happy when I was with Ethan. I got up and dusted off my jeans.

  “Ethan, you promised me food.” I didn’t even believe I could have eaten, but if Ethan was going to probe into my life I was ready to leave.

  He stood up and wrapped a wisp of my hair around his pinky. “Is my sweet Privy hungry?” He bent down to grab the quilt we had been laying on.

  “Yes and I thought my boyfriend . . .” I stopped dead in the spot I stood and cut the sentence off when Ethan spun around at the word boyfriend.

  I tucked my chin onto my chest and twisted the hem of my shirt around my finger. Ethan was not a man anyone would ever use the term boy with, but I thought we had something special. So that glare he shot me was confusing. He had crossed his arms and the smile he had sported all day was absent from his face.

  “Did the word BOY . . . friend just come out of your lips?” He asked and emphasized the word boy.

  This is childish. “I assumed. Well, you know what they say about a person that assumes something?” I winced under his gaze that curiously held mine.

  He took the step between us. That damned expression he casted never changed.

  “They make an ass out of themselves.” A playful smile lit up his face as he slipped his arms around my waist. “I want to be so much more than your BOYfriend.” He snarled his nose, gleefully. “I want to be your everything.” He sucked on my collarbone. “Because you are my girl, my all-time-favorite, my everything.”

  His eyes consumed mine. For the first time, he was not just looking at me with lust or even with the foresight of love, but with reverence. It turned my legs to jello and my heart to mush. I ran my hands around his neck, savoring the moment between us. He licked his upper lip. I closed my eyes waiting on a kiss. He tilted his head closer to mine, nearing the gap between us. “Come on, my GIRLfriend wants to eat.” He brushed his hand down my arm and gripped my hand.

  Friday, October 24, 2014

  When I woke up that Saturday morning, I felt a little bummed that Ethan had to work. I smoothed my hands over the sheets and scrunched up the pillow under my head. It had actually been the first day that I awoken in my own bed in two weeks. Before Ethan, it had become a tradition for Sarah, Deacon and her longtime girlfriend Allison, and me to go out for brunch at least once a week. I got up to get dress, planning to use that day to rekindle that ritual.

  “Ready?”

  I glanced up from my small desk, tucked into the corner of my bedroom, and found Sarah jumping down on my bed. She crossed her legs and snuggled a throw pillow onto her lap.

  “Yeah, let me brush my teeth and I’ll be ready to go.” I started to place my written ramblings in my backpack. I glanced up and noticed that Sarah was happily bouncing out of the room.

  I raced to the bathroom and threw my hair up, in what had become my uniform, a tight bun. That day was going to be one of the best I was sure. After coffee and doughnuts, Sarah and me were headed out to meet Ethan and one of his friends for drinks. It was not my usual idea for a fun time, but anytime with Ethan was my ideal. Sarah was just hoping that Ethan’s friend had a body like his.

  When Sarah and I pulled up to the little bistro, Deacon had demanded we meet at. We found Allison and Deacon waiting on a small bench out front. Allison was super petite at only five feet and maybe a hundred pounds, she made even my small frame appear average. Her dirty-blond hair flowed down her back in natural waves. Even as timid as she was, she would had turned any guys head. It was something very appealing about her natural face. She raised her eyes and gave Deacon a shy smile as Deacon took her hand in hers. I was still not sure what my take on homosexuality was, but they had to be one of the most caring and sweet couples I had ever been around. Even with the connection I shared with Ethan, we could still had taken a few lessons from them.

  “Damn, Dylan you look hot in that number. I have got a hot friend if you ever want to bat for the right team.” Deacon said with a small chuckle.

  I pulled at the new delicate lace sundress I had picked up the day before. I had worn a similar one of Sarah’s a few days ago and it seem to punch all of Ethan’s buttons.

  “I like what I am batting with right now.” I smiled back with a big, fake, toothy grin.

  “If my date is anything like your bat, I hope to hit a home run tonight.” Sarah said as she hooked her arm with mine. She looked extremely provoking in only a pair of jeans and a slinky tank top. I rolled my eyes at her. “What? I am not looking for Mr. Right. Just Mr. Right Now.” She blew a kiss out in the air. “And Mr. Right Now is around every corner when you are this hot.”

  “Be careful or Mr. Tall, Dark, and Horny is going to leave you with something that even Ajax can’t scrub off.” Deacon shoved at Sarah shoulder blade causing her to almost tumble forward.

  “Bitch,” Sarah said as she steadied her footing.

  “You bet, and proud of it.” She responded pulling Allison in the restaurant.

  “Be nice,” Allison said and stood on her tiptoes to lightly kiss Deacon on the cheek.

  “PDA, PDA,” Deacon hollered, but it was easy to see by the hardly ever seen smile that she loved it.

  We enter the eatery and, thanks to the fact that the owners were Allison’s aunt and uncle, we were seated almost immediately. The tantalizing aroma of the food hit my nostrils and left my mouth watering. It was a smaller establishment, but it had the best fruit tea and potato soup this side of the dixie line.

  “I can’t wait for tonight. So tell me about this friend of Ethan’s?” Sarah’s baby blue eyes lit up with promise. “Please, tell me he is as hot, if not hotter.”

  It dawned on me I had never met any of Ethan’s friends and family. He never even talked about them. Which I never asked any questions about them either. Something about the name Asher still struck a cord with me. “I’ve never met him. Ethan said he was nice.”