“Ethan?” she started, waiting for him to look at her. “I was wondering if you and I could go away for a while.”
“Why? What’s bringing this on?”
“Quite a few reasons actually,” she paused, her hand sliding from his face to toy with his shirt collar. “Things have been going so great recently. I haven’t been this happy in a long, long time, but in the back of my mind, I know there’s a lot that hasn’t been said. Things you need to know. Things I need to tell and haven’t had the nerve to say.”
“Why can’t we talk now? Here?” he asked.
“Oh, we could, but I’m using it as leverage so you’ll say we can go.”
“Go where?”
“Well, I wanted to go to my house in Malibu. That’s been my life and I want to share it with you. Is that all right?”
“I’d like that, a lot actually.”
She smiled widely, so happy that he agreed. “Awesome! Warmth and sunshine here we come!”
“When do you want to go?”
“As soon as I can arrange it?” she looked hopefully at him. He quirked his lips to the side, thinking . . . leaving her hanging.
Ethan
Ethan regarded the beautiful woman on his lap, the earnest look on her face more than enough for him to say yes. Yet he hesitated for a moment. Just to be able to think this all through. Why did she want to go to her place all of a sudden? Was there more to her reasoning than she’d said?
Well, however he could get her to talk, he’d take it. He put his forehead to hers and kissed her softly. “Of course, suga.”
Mia leaned back, regarding him, her smile so bright. She then planted a loud kiss on his lips and leaped off him. “I’ve got plans to make!” she said excitedly and grabbed her phone from the desk and called Allie.
While she talked to Allie and set everything up, he mulled over this upcoming trip. They would be talking and she would be telling him things he’d wanted to know for so long. But as he thought about it, he realized it didn’t matter what she told him. He was in this for the long haul—forever.
He observed her animated movements while she chatted with Allie. This woman was a ball of energy. It tired him out watching her. One of the only times she was completely at ease was after he thoroughly loved her.
He quirked his eyebrow at that. Might have to calm her down again.
Mia turned around and tilted her head, a questioning look on her face. He smiled at her, hoping she could see what was on his mind. And the smile she gave him in return had enough voltage to harden his cock from across the room. He closed his eyes and easily pictured her kneeling between his legs, her mouth making him even harder.
She called out his name and made that fantasy fizzle away.
“When do you have to be back?” she asked him. He shook his head of that visual and answered her.
“Uh, I think by mid-April.”
She smiled at him, tracing her mouth with her tongue before returning to her phone and Allie. “Did you hear that?”
Fuck.
This woman constantly. Turned. Him. On.
He glanced up at the picture which protected his safe. Almost three years ago, he placed something in there that he had hoped to be able to use again.
“Get packing! We leave tomorrow morning!” she announced, pulling him from his chair and his thoughts.
With one last glance at the safe, he followed her upstairs.
Tomorrow his life would change forever.
Mia
April 2011
Mia rested her head in her hands, exhausted from the travel of just getting to O’Hare. They still had the flight to Los Angeles with which to contend.
As the plane lifted into the air, her stomach started to feel very weird. Odd. She swallowed the sour taste away. She didn’t know what was wrong—stomach flu? Air sickness? She had never experienced air sickness before in all the times she’d flown. Why now?
She closed her eyes. Ethan tried to talk to her but she held up her hand to stop him, not trusting herself to speak at the moment. All her energy was focused on not throwing up. Her leg bounced maniacally as she waited impatiently for the seatbelt announcement. The sourness crept up her throat. Hurry! She didn’t want to vomit in a bag in front of Ethan.
The moment the announcement started, Mia unbuckled her seatbelt and bolted to the bathroom. She secured the door and then her stomach erupted. Quickly leaning over the toilet, she threw up.
“Oh, dear God,” she complained, reclining back on her legs, her chin to her chest. “I cannot be sick.”
Eventually, Mia got up and washed her hands. She waited a minute before opening the door, taking a moment to compose herself. Peeking out, she motioned for a flight attendant. She needed to rinse out her mouth, but there was no way she was drinking any water from the tap. With the requested bottle of water, she went back to the restroom. She rinsed her mouth a few times, sipping the remaining bit, hoping those few sips wouldn’t come back to haunt her.
The flight attendant stood waiting as Mia exited the bathroom. “Is everything okay, Ms. Devereux?”
“Could you bring me another water and maybe a few crackers if you have any?”
“Sure thing. I’ll bring them to your seat.”
“Thank you,” she said, heading back to her seat. Ethan sat engrossed in a movie. She collapsed in her seat, leaned her head back and closed her eyes, dead to the world. Maybe some sleep will help, she thought as she quickly faded away.
Ethan
Ethan heard the flight attendant call Mia’s name over the sound of his movie. He glanced over and found her asleep. He had been too wrapped up in a young wizard and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. She’d come back to her seat, but he hadn’t realized she had fallen asleep.
“It appears she fell asleep on us.”
“I was just bringing the items she requested. Let me put them down and I’ll run back for a blanket.”
Ethan regarded his sleeping . . . what? Girlfriend, lover, ex-fiancée? He hoped to clarify that on this trip. She’d been super tired lately. Last night after packing, she’d fallen asleep on the bed without changing into her pajamas or doing her normal nighttime routine. More like she passed out. He found it strange. She never did that; she always fell asleep in his arms. He’d made her a little more comfortable and tucked her in and continued their packing.
The flight attendant returned with the promised blanket and handed it to him. “I hope she feels better. She did not look so well coming out of the restroom.”
“Thank you. I’ll tell her,” he said, tucking her in for the second time in less than twelve hours.
Regarding her, concern and worry started to overwhelm him. He lovingly pushed aside a fallen strand of hair. He had never seen her sick before and he didn’t like it. Not one bit.
A couple hours later, Ethan secured Mia’s seatbelt before the plane began to descend. She didn’t stir, but the plane touching the ground jerked her from her slumber.
“Ugh,” Mia groaned.
Ethan smiled as he watched her eyes open. God, he had really missed waking up to that all these years and still wasn’t really used to it. The past four weeks with the exception of her short trip to L.A., she spent her days and nights with him, waking up by his side and he loved it.
“Hi, suga. Nice of you to join me again,” he said.
“How long was I asleep?” she asked, sitting up and running her hands through her hair.
“Pretty much the entire flight.”
“Oh, God,” she said, rubbing her eyes. “Sorry. I think I caught a bug or something. But I do feel better after all that rest.”
He leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. “I’m glad.”
“So, anyone take any pictures of me while I slept? Did I have my mouth open? Did I snore?”
“Haha. No, but I may have taken a picture . . .” he offered.
“You did? Show it to me,” Mia demanded, patting his pockets in search of his phone. Yeah, that had to stop now,
he thought as her hands continuously grazed his groin.
“Okay, Ms. Grabbyhands. One sec,” he said, stilling her hands. He pulled his phone out of his carry on. She sat impatiently as he turned it on and accessed his pictures.
“Here,” he said, handing her the phone. She held it up so she could see and smiled as she studied the picture he’d taken—her head resting on his shoulder. Her face at peace. “You looked too cute. I had to capture the moment.”
“You didn’t tweet that, did you?”
He laughed, his eyes smiling at the lovely woman next to him. “No, that’s just for me.”
Mia smiled and lifted her head up for a kiss. Ethan placed his lips upon hers. Yeah, he wasn’t going to let her go ever again. She broke the kiss and touched her forehead to his, her eyes gazing into his.
“I love you, Ethan. I hope you know that.”
Oh, he did. He felt it every moment with her.
“I love you, too.”
Ethan
As the limo pulled up the steep driveway, Ethan couldn’t get a visual of her house at this angle. But when the vehicle navigated the sharp curve, her home came into view and he was instantly struck by how beautiful it was. The light stucco and stone home was modern yet elegant, a lot like its owner. From what he could see, the property itself seemed massive, at least five acres. He spotted a tennis court on a flat spot of land a little away from the house.
The driver parked the limo and hurried out to retrieve their luggage while they slowly exited. Mia was taking her sweet time getting out. She had snuggled against him the entire ride. If the drive had been any longer, Ethan had a feeling she may have fallen asleep again.
As he held her warm, soft body against him, he couldn’t stop worrying about her health. What was wrong with her? How sick was she? Since she had never been sick while with him before, he didn’t know how common or uncommon this really was.
She stretched her hands high above her head, leaning side to side, her skirt swaying with her elegant movements, before she headed towards the house, keys in hand. Ethan followed behind her, carrying the luggage up the stone stairs leading to the main entrance of the house. She unlocked the door, holding it open for him. He placed the bags against the wall in the foyer, suddenly excited for a tour.
“Show me around,” he insisted, taking her hand.
The first thing he noticed was the sheer amount and size of the windows in the house. Out of every window, there was a view either of the beautiful Pacific Ocean or of the mountains. Neutral colors were the common theme throughout the rooms as was the deep dark wood. Much different than her brownstone that was filled with color. This was serene.
The next thing he noticed—the house was spotless, even the kitchen, and he said as much.
“It’s just clean because Allie had the maid service come by earlier today. It’s not usually this clean. It looks lived in normally. And there is usually food cooking.”
For once, his stomach didn’t make an appearance when her cooking was mentioned. He had a goal.
“Where’s the bedroom?” he asked.
“We just got here!” she exclaimed.
“No, you sex maniac. I wanted to bring up the luggage and then change. It’s like forty degrees warmer here. I’m hot!”
“Yeah, you are,” she agreed with a glint in her eye and a lift of her mouth.
He loved his little hornball. Zero to horny with only a few words. He kissed her swiftly, making sure it was full of promise for later then he took her hand. “Bedroom.”
She led him back out of the kitchen and dining room to the foyer. “This way,” she said, heading towards the master stairway.
Ethan walked into the bedroom and the first thing he noticed was the wide expanse of the deep blue ocean. He would love this view every morning.
“The closets are at the back of the room,” she guided.
He carried the luggage to the closets and set about putting his clothes in the empty section and looked around the space. Besides clothes, she had some framed photos on the shelves. As he took off his stifling sweater and shirt, Ethan regarded them. He didn’t know what to expect but the one thing he didn’t expect to find was a picture of him and her on the shelf along with all the pictures of her and Luke and Kaitlyn, all her bandmates, her and Allie, and a few others with some other people. That face made him smile.
Mia peaked in from the bathroom. “Do you want to go for a walk on the beach?”
With a nod, he pulled out a pair of running shorts. She joined him in the closet, slipping out of her skirt along the way. Kicking it aside, she opened a drawer, searching for something to wear. After sliding a pair of short running shorts up her lean legs, Mia divested herself of the sweater she had on as well as her bra before working her chest into a black sports bra.
She sat on the bench to put on her shoes. He did the same, putting on his own socks and shoes. When she was done, she hopped up with more energy than when they’d arrived. “Let’s go!”
He smiled at her and got up to follow.
As they left her property, she locked the gate and turned to him, mischief brightening her eyes. “Race you to the beach!” she said and sprinted off.
Damn, she’s fast, he thought, racing after her.
The only reason he caught up was because she had to cross the Pacific Coast Highway to get to the beach. He grasped her hand so she wouldn’t bolt again, threading his fingers through hers. They crossed the busy street and she led him down a small access path to the beach.
They walked quietly for a while. He took in the houses and thought about living near the ocean again. It had been over a decade since he had done so . . . albeit the Atlantic and not the Pacific. He missed it. The peacefulness that the crashing waves brought him. He had a feeling that’s why Mia came here after her overdose—peace.
A calmer exterior to deal with the interior chaos of her mind.
He wanted to know more about why she made the choice to move here and all that followed that decision.
“God, Mia, it’s so beautiful here. You fit perfectly.”
“Are you trying to butter me up?” she asked suspiciously, letting go of his hand and pointing at him.
“No, just stating the truth. This,” he said, spreading his arms out, “is you.”
“I ran thousands of miles here. I did so much thinking, sitting on some rock.”
“About?” he nudged.
“About a lot of things. I learned so much about myself while we were apart, things that I don’t think I could have touched if we were together,” she admitted before stopping him by a trio of big boulders, pointing at them. “That rock over there is where I figured out my plan. Well . . . I did have some help from my therapist.”
“The plan. Is it complete yet?”
“Not quite, but almost there. Just a few more steps.”
“Gonna tell me?”
“That is one of the steps,” she said proudly, a smile lighting her face. That answer and her reaction was so different from how she would have responded in the past. He could sense she was still a little afraid but not like before when she would bolt. He didn’t sense that kind of fear.
“Good, I want to know all about it and all that you learned,” he said.
“Would you mind if we talk a little later? I’ve got a lot to tell you and I don’t want to do it out here. Plus, I’ve got to pee and I was hoping to take a nap.”
Another nap?
That pressed hard against his worry button. She still wasn’t well. He would get her to rest—one way or another.
“With me, by chance?” he asked, pulling her into his embrace, her arms sandwiched between the two of them. She pushed back a little to give her some room to move.
“Yes, though, now that I think about it, I could go for some extracurricular activity before the nap,” she answered, toying with the waist of his shorts, her fingers dancing along his muscular V. He swatted her hands away with a laugh and kissed her hard and fast, dazing her.
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“Race you back?” he said and dashed off towards the house, leaving her behind and giving her a little taste of her own medicine.
Mia
They never got around to the extracurricular activity. While racing after Ethan, Mia felt her stomach overturn. She barely made it to the grass before she threw up.
Again. What the hell?
She had felt fine! She didn’t understand, though as she hunched over, a nagging feeling that this wasn’t a stomach bug gripped her.
With the back of her hand, Mia wiped her mouth. She looked up and saw Ethan jogging back to her, his face a picture of worry. He skidded in the grass as he stopped in front of her.
“Suga, you okay?” he asked, kneeling beside her, his hand caressing her back.
Pathetically, she shook her head. “No.”
He helped her up and took her hand. “Let’s get you back into bed.”
The return to her house was slow, but he stayed right by her side. She cursed living on a damn hill now. She didn’t want to walk up it. Halfway up, he stood in front of her and told her to get on. He bent down for her and she climbed on his back.
“You are the best,” she whispered, resting her head against his. She loved having Ethan here taking care of her. He did such a fine job of it too. When they reached the top of the driveway, he bent to let her down but she didn’t want to let him go. He chuckled then stood back up and carried her into the house and up to the bedroom. She definitely missed his strength.
They entered the room and she hopped down, but not before kissing his neck and then headed right to the bathroom to rid herself of the vomit taste in her mouth.
When she returned, he had lowered the blinds to darken the room from the afternoon sun, and now lay in bed with his shirt off. Mia paused for a moment, staring at his beautiful chest that was often her downfall. She kicked off her shoes and then climbed into bed. She snuggled up against his warm, hard body, her fingers idly caressing his cheek, just thankful he was by her side. Ethan stilled her hand and brought her fingers to his mouth, kissing each one before speaking.
Still Into You (Never Over You Book 2) Page 37
