Mismatch
Page 21
Ethan is still putting everything in place, but then we are going to plan it all. Two around-the-world tickets and a tin of new watercolors to share.
“I bet it was hard for Chloe to say goodbye.�
I nod. “But she’s excited to come visit. We’ll have to give her the full VIP treatment. She’ll just die.�
“She’s welcome anytime.�
I go to the window and look out over the city. The sun is just starting to set, and it’s beautiful. The skyline has a silhouette made up of hundreds of buildings reaching for the sky. Down below, thousands of people walk quickly toward their dreams, living their own lives. I like to think of their stories, their struggles, their romances. This is a city of a million images, and I want to paint as many as I can.
I can see Ethan’s reflection in the glass, standing behind me. I run my gaze over his relaxed expression and unruly hair. Ethan is somewhere between the boy I once knew and a man I hardly know. I’m looking forward to getting to know this Ethan. Chloe was right when she said that no couple acts like teenagers forever. I wonder what this next stage of life has in store for us, how we’ll love each other differently now that we’re older.
Ethan wraps his arms around my waist. “I was starting to hate this city.�
“And now?�
“I wouldn’t be anywhere else.� He spins me to face him, his hand slipping into my hair. He kisses me. I hold onto his back, pressing my body against his.
Ethan pulls off his shirt, revealing his firm and toned chest. I run my hands over the length of his broad shoulders, feeling the muscles flex as he reaches down to tear my shirt away, too.
He puts his hands on my waist, catching me in an intense kiss. His mouth parts mine, his tongue searching. I kiss him back hard.
Ethan reaches around and unclasps my bra. It falls to the marble, and I am exposed, my breasts visible before a breathtaking city view. He bows his head to my throat and kisses me from my collarbone to beneath my jaw, one hand pulling back my hair to expose my neck.
He’s so handsome. His hair’s longer now, a little stubble on his face, a smile in his eyes. He’s not the boy I remember; he’s a sexy man, just as kind and real as ever before. All mine.
He lifts me, and I wrap my legs around his waist. He kisses me as he carries me to the bedroom and presses me against the wall.
I trail one hand over his back, the other sinking into his hair. Ethan bows his head to my chest and sucks at a nipple, biting down gently, teasing sharp, sweet sensations from me. I slip down from his hold and fall to my knees on a soft, thick rug. I unzip Ethan’s pants and drop them to the floor along with his boxers.
He’s hard for me. I take hold of his thick, throbbing cock, closing my fingers around the base of his shaft. I close my lips around him, take him deeply into my mouth, and suck.
Ethan groans, his head falling back. I slowly circle my tongue and take more of him into my mouth, sliding back and forth until he starts to shudder on the edge of an orgasm and pull away.
He picks me up like I weigh nothing, carries me to the bed, and throws me down. There is an urgency in how he moves. I’m wet at the naked, hard sight of him, his chest heaving with aroused breaths. He pushes me onto the bed, my shoulders and back on the mattress, my feet still on the ground.
Ethan nudges my knees apart and kneels at the edge of the bed. He presses his tongue against my clit and moves it in hard, eager strokes, holding my legs apart when I squirm with pleasure. He slides two fingers inside me as he sucks and licks at my clit. He teases me until I tense and then shudder into orgasm.
He rises, spins me so my legs are on the bed and moves over me. He kisses me hard; I’m still breathless from coming. His lips are pressed over mine when his cock enters me, and my back arches before my body relaxes against him.
I push my hips up to his hard, thick erection as Ethan thrusts into me. His cock is deep inside me, sending waves of pleasure frissoning through my body each time he moves against me.
We roll. Ethan is beneath me. I slide down, letting his cock fill me, and ride him, leaning forward to kiss him as we move. His hands press down on the base of my spine and urge me to fuck him faster. He thrusts deeper into me.
I lean back as I ride him, my fingers clutching at the black silk sheets. Ethan sits up, wrapping his arms around me, a leg on either side of my body. One arm is around my waist, one hand on the back of my head. He kisses my chest, my throat, my jaw. He kisses my mouth, and I press my lips hard against him, hungry for the taste of him.
He groans; he’s close. Ethan falls back onto the pillow, his hands settling on my hips and guiding me. I grind against him, rocking with him inside me, drawing him closer and closer.
Ethan comes with a low moan. I lean forward to kiss him again. His urgent grip becomes gentle and his arms pull me close.
I roll off him and lay at his side. To my left, the gorgeous Ethan Steele. To my right, New York City.
“That was amazing,� I say.
Ethan raises his head, leaning on one elbow, and smiles at me. “And we get to do it all over again every day.�
Ethan
Jennifer hugs Lily tightly, then wraps her arms around my neck. When she draws back, her eyes are slightly red. “Okay, you guys, I want you to have the best time.�
I grin. “If you need anything at all, Jen, you have my number. I’ll call in every day.�
She waves her hands in the air. “Forget it, Ethan. We’ll keep this place running. You go and have some adventures.�
Jennifer turns to Lily with gleaming eyes and a warm smile. “I’m so glad you came back, Lily. Ethan lights up when you’re around.�
Lily closes her fingers around mine, smiling up at me and then back at Jennifer. “I’m glad, too. At first, I was scared it was too big a leap, but I think this is going to be a good thing, for both of us.�
“So, what happened to your apartment in the end? Did you sell it?�
“Lily still has her apartment,� I answer. “That way, it’s still there for her if New York gets a bit too much, or if I’m a bit too much. We’re going to keep it as a place to go from time to time. Lily has friends there, and we both have a lot of good memories.�
“It’ll be somewhere we can go for a weekend getaway,� Lily adds. “And it’ll help keep us grounded. I think it’s important we both remember where we came from.�
“I’m incredibly happy for you both. You deserve this.�
“We’ve got a six-month trip planned, and then we’ll be back. Are you sure you’re going to be okay for that long?�
Jennifer nods. “There’s a good team of people here, and Mitchell has a good head on his shoulders. I trust him to make any calls I can’t.�
“Good. And if you need me urgently, please call. Or email. I won’t just vanish completely. If there’s an emergency, I can always come back.�
“There won’t be any emergencies. Business is going well, Ethan. We’ll keep things ticking over until you get back. Have a good time. I can’t remember the last time you took a break. Where are you going first?�
“Thailand!� Lily exclaims, then giggles at her own excitement. “I’ve never left the U.S.�
“Last month, you’d never even left Arizona.�
“I know. It’s all happening very quickly! It feels like life has started all at once.�
“I think it’s wonderful,� Jennifer says, beaming. “Childhood sweethearts brought back together, about to go on the adventure of a lifetime. Have you both had all your shots?�
I chuckle and lay a r
eassuring hand on Jennifer’s shoulder. “Lily sorted all that out.�
Jennifer’s eyes fill with tears again. “Looks like you’ve got another woman in your life now. I’ll have to learn to step back. It feels like the end of an era!�
“Only the beginning of a new one,� I say.
I look down at Lily. She’s smiling from ear to ear, already wearing the floppy sunhat she bought for the trip. Our bags are packed, and soon, we’ll be on our way.
Looking around the offices, I’m completely free to go. Everything I’ve built will still be standing when I return. Nothing is stopping me from seeing the world with Lily at my side. What’s more, I haven’t thought once about Vincent or the defense contract. Life is too good to wonder about how things turned out for him.
Whether he makes a billion dollars or the whole thing blows up in his face, I know I’ve already won my own prize. Lily is mine—for good this time.
Epilogue
Thailand. India. Russia. Australia. New Zealand.
It was the most wonderful six months of my life. In the half a year we were traveling, we experienced so much. We rode elephants in Thailand. We walked the grounds of the Taj Mahal. We drank hot wine in Red Square and went to the Bolshoi Ballet. We hired a jeep and drove through Australia, laughing at the kangaroos.
We got married in New Zealand on the shores of Stirling Falls.
Ethan flew everybody out for the occasion. Chloe and Jennifer were my bridesmaids, dressed in sky-blue dresses. I wore a long, floating white dress like the one in the painting, with white flowers braided into my hair. I kept all my memories safe in a series of sketchpads filled with watercolors.
Some of those pictures became the first in my portfolio, which caught the eye of some of New York’s top galleries. I also painted the city. Within a year of returning to New York, my work was finally being recognized. I dropped the “aspiring� from my title and became a real artist.
Ethan was true to his word. He didn’t spend too much time at the office. Once we were back in New York, he worked a normal nine-to-five at his headquarters but didn’t lose too much sleep about taking time off when the urge to take off again called to us from time to time.
We visited Arizona often. My old apartment became our favorite hideaway. We had a lot of good memories in Payson, and the occasional trip to Molly’s or Rumsey Park was sometimes exactly what we needed to keep our fire burning strong.
Two years after the wedding, I became pregnant with our first child, a girl. A year later, our second daughter joined the family. We raised them in the city, with summers in Arizona, and lots of trips around the world. We made sure to walk them through our old town and remind them it wasn’t always this easy for their mommy and daddy.
Ethan’s business was growing non-stop. A couple of months after we came back from our trip, Ethan got a call from Healy. Apparently, Oswald Solutions was no longer a good fit. Security glitches in their software had caused a minor crisis for national security.
Healy asked Ethan if he would be willing to take over the contract, and Ethan’s team was thrilled when he obliged. He gave Mitchell the reins and enjoyed watching his team succeed.
Life is good. Every day I wake up to the sound of my two girls laughing, and I roll over to see the smiling face of my gorgeous husband. I spend my days painting and sculpting and then come home to a happy family.
Every dream I held onto as a teenager has come true, and more. Life’s better than I could have ever imagined.
Auxem
A TerraMates Novel
Chapter One
JAYNE
An angel stood over my bed.
He was hot, with washboard abs and burning brown eyes. As I looked up at him, he sat down on the edge of my bed and took my hand. His skin was warm and dry. Touching him made my hand tingle in a sensual way.
Was I dreaming? If I was, it was quite a dream.
A voice called out behind him. “Do you have the sample? Come on. You’re taking all day. We have to sample her properly. The tests become less accurate over time.�
“Give me a minute, okay?� The angel had a slight tinge of annoyance in his tone. “If you don’t think I’m doing it correctly, I’m happy to trade places with you.�
“No thanks. You do the testing. I’ll analyze them.�
I wasn’t sure what they were talking about, but I forgot their conversation as soon as the angel’s hot eyes zeroed in on me and I held my breath. He leaned down and slowly kissed me. A burst of emotion exploded through me and sent tremors through my body.
I don’t know what I thought angels were supposed to be like, but chaste came to mind. This angel was anything but chaste.
Against my will, a sound came out of the back of my throat when he pulled away.
“Did you get it? Are you finally ready to go? You’re not kissing this one too, are you? We have to go, Arnon.�
My angel’s mouth stretched into a grin that made me weak. His voice was deep, dark and smooth, like chocolate.
“Give me a minute here, Ayrie. This one’s cute.�
“Look, brother, just take her DNA and get out of here. We have a lot more women to test tonight. Did you wipe her memory yet?�
“Not yet,� he whispered, gazing into my eyes.
I wondered why angels were talking about DNA. But for all I knew, there was a lot of science going on in heaven. If God made science down here, then he probably used it up there, too.
“Are you waiting for permission or something? I don’t want Father giving us grief about showing ourselves to the humans. You know it could wreck his plans if they find out about us before they’re ready.�
Father? Did he mean God?
The angel took my hand, but I didn’t spend a second looking down. I was lost in his eyes until I felt a tiny prick on my finger. I frowned. I had never heard of angels poking people in a dream. Shouldn’t he be blessing me or something?
“She won’t remember you now, right? Are we done here?� the agitated voice came again.
“I’m done, Ayrie.� The angel hadn’t given me anything that affected my memory because I could still remember everything about him. He leaned down and kissed me briefly on the lips.
“This was only a dream,� he whispered.
I gathered all my courage to speak for the first time. “Are you an angel?�
He smiled again. “Nope.� He shook his head. “You are.�
“I don’t think I am.� I felt confused as he stood and moved away from my bed.
There was the sound of a great wind from the window. I sat up in bed as Arnon spread his wings. “You are an angel,� he said. “And you’re going to be mine.�
A shiver ran through me that felt a little like destiny and a lot like desire.
He stepped through the French doors and onto the balcony. With a leap and a vigorous pumping of his wings, he vanished into the night.
“Jaynie, what are you staring at?�
I was gazing off into space at breakfast, thinking about the angel again. The dream had been so vivid that I had his image burned into my brain. “The name’s Jayne, Mom.� I speared another forkful of scrambled eggs and put them into my mouth. “I’m twenty-seven years old now. Remember?�
“You’ve never been called anything but Jaynie in this house.�
“It’s my real name, Mom.� I was trying to be patient. “If you wanted my name to be Jaynie, then you could have put it on the birth certificate. Now that I’m finished with school, I have to go job hunting, and I want to sound professional.�
â�
��œI’m proud of you for getting your master’s degree, sweetie.â€� She frowned slightly. “Between you and me, it should have been you in that job instead of the other woman.â€�
“I know, but I can’t be something I’m not. I wasn’t going to giggle and pretend I didn’t know the answers to questions. My competition was better at faking it. She’s going to be Heinstoff’s research partner because she won’t look smarter than him. I could never do that.�
“It’s a shame. You would have been a perfect fit for that job.�
I shrugged. “Once it was clear what Heinstoff wanted, I couldn’t do it, Mom. I have too much integrity.�
She snorted. “Integrity. And a helping dose of your father’s need to rescue everything.�
“I don’t rescue things.� Did I?
“Don’t you remember the birds, Jayne? So many were injured hitting our windows. You would get them, bring them into the garage, and nurse them back to health. How many were there?�
“I don’t exactly remember.� Fourteen.
“You loved birds. You always wanted to fly, too. After we had watched that movie, you thought you could jump off the fence and fly.�
I rubbed my wrist unconsciously, remembering the pain. “So what? I’m proud of myself, and I like to fix things. Isn’t that a good thing? I think you’ve done your share of saving the world.� My mind drifted back to all the stories she told about rescuing Dad early in their relationship.
“It’s not good if it gets in the way of what you want,� she said. “I don’t want anyone to take advantage of your generous nature.�
Mom was sweet at home, but she was completely different at work. She ran a business that arranged for women to become mail-order brides for aliens. I had seen her on the job. She was terrifying.