He shook his head. “Aly, please. You’re taking this way too far. Pierce Homes will be okay without Hammond’s money. It’ll be a hit, sure, but we’ll be okay. Don’t give into his ridiculous demand.”
I thought about it for a minute, but realized I had to do this. “I’m sorry Paul. My mind is made up. My resignation takes effect immediately. I’ll just go clean out my desk.”
I turned to leave when he called out to me. “Don’t do this, Aly. I don’t accept your resignation.”
I stayed turned away from him. “I’m sorry you don’t, but it’s for the best. It kills me to leave, especially before Hidden Creek even begins, but I won’t be the reason Mr. Hammond takes away his funding, Paul. I won’t.”
He was suddenly in front of me, grabbing onto my shoulders. “You are so stubborn. Hammond can take his money and shove it up his ass. I don’t care. I can’t lose you, Aly. Please don’t do this.”
His eyes were pleading, begging me to change my mind. He looked frantic and it almost broke me. I started to doubt my decision, wondered if I was letting my emotions get in the way.
I looked up at him. “I don’t want to leave, I really don’t, but I also can’t handle being the reason why he withdraws his funding. I can’t emphasize that enough.”
He drew me into a hug, running his hand along my hair, my back. “I don’t care what his reasons are. I refuse to go back to Casey and I refuse to let you go. I don’t want someone like that involved with Pierce Homes anyway. I promise you, the company will be fine. I promise.”
As we stood there, I began to think he was right. Maybe it was stupid of me to let Mr. Hammond get his way, without a fight. Also seeing the pain in Paul’s eyes, I couldn’t do it, not when I knew I’d be causing him pain for a different reason soon enough. Ethan was right; I couldn’t do this right now.
“You’re right. I’m not going to let him bully me into leaving. Forget what I said. I won’t resign.” Yet, I thought to myself, my heart sinking.
He crushed me to his chest, in an extremely tight hug. I felt him nuzzle his face in my hair, then run his hands up and down my back. He rested his head against mine, his hot breath fanning my face.
“Thank you,” he said in relief.
I smiled, just standing there, letting him hold me. The day’s events were catching up with me and I was exhausted. All I wanted to do was go home and crash.
He lifted his head and smiled down at me. He looked around and took a step back. He put his hands in his pockets and shuffled his feet. It was when he looked back to me with his dazzling green eyes that I saw just how relieved he really was.
“Thank you,” he said, barely above a whisper. “I honestly can not stand the thought of you not working here, of not seeing you every day.”
He didn’t know but he was killing me with his words. I felt awful for keeping him in the dark about us, but I didn’t have a choice. “Well, I realized I was being foolish, but I will be honest and say it makes me sick what he’s doing. He’s letting his personal issues cloud his judgment and I can only hope he realizes it someday.”
He gave a ghost of a smile. “Don’t count on it.” He winked at me then walked back to his desk, sitting down.
I knew he was right, but it still angered me that this man just waltzed in here demanding heinous things of Paul. Why on earth would he want a man who obviously no longer wanted his daughter to take her back? Didn’t he want his daughter to be with a man who truly loved her?
I sat down across from him. “So, what are you going to do?”
He looked at me as if I should know the answer to this. “I’m going to tell him to go to hell, of course.”
I blinked. “Are you sure that’s such a good idea? I understand you not wanting anything to do with him but he’s a very powerful man, Paul. You don’t want to burn anymore bridges.”
“To hell with bridges. I’m a powerful man, too. I don’t need Walter Hammond or his idiot cronies. I refuse to play his game and I’m damn well going to let him know it.”
I gave up on trying to convince him otherwise while he was still so upset. He was a big boy and could handle this on his own. I just hated that this was basically over me. Weary at those thoughts hitting me again, I stood.
“If you don’t mind, I’m going to call it a day. I just want to go home and forget this ever happened.”
His eyes looked at me from across his desk, and I could tell he wanted to say more than he was going to. “That’s fine, baby. I’ve had it too. Go home and get some rest. We have the meeting tomorrow with Halliday to be ready for.”
Ugh, the Halliday meeting. The reason I was letting him think we still had a chance. Guilt clawed at my insides and I suddenly felt like I was suffocating. I had to get out of there.
“Yes we do. I’ll review some things tonight and be here first thing in the morning. I’ll see you later, Paul.”
He looked up at me and smiled. “Have a good night,” he said softly.
Smiling weakly, I left his office and grabbed my things. I walked out and headed toward Ethan’s office. I wanted to tell him I was leaving for the day, and to let him know I didn’t end up quitting.
He was on his phone when I walked in. His eyes lit up when he saw me and he motioned me to come in. He gave me the one-minute sign with his finger and I nodded as I took a seat.
I sat down and waited for him to finish his conversation. When he finally hung up, he came around his desk and stood in front of me. I looked up and saw his hazel eyes filled with worry.
“What happened? Are you okay?”
I sighed and sat back in the chair. “I didn’t do it after all. Well I did, but then I changed my mind. Seeing him so upset over my resigning, I realized you were right that I shouldn’t do anything for now.”
He let out a breath and sat down. “I think that was wise babe. You don’t know what will happen after you tell him about us so not resigning right now was the right thing to do.”
I nodded. “I know. All I want to do right now is go home. I’m so tired. I know I told you to come by and get me at five but I told Paul I needed to leave early. I don’t suppose you can join me?”
He let out a groan. “Oh, Aly, you’re killing me. I wish, babe, but I have to do a few more things before I can leave. I’ll come over as soon as I’m done, though.”
I scooted up in my chair to hug him. “You better.”
When I got home I dumped my stuff on the couch and ran for my closet. Peeling out of my clothes, I pulled on my favorite yoga pants and t-shirt. There was no way I was going anywhere tonight, my couch was the furthest I’d be.
I called my favorite Chinese take out and plopped on the couch. I mindlessly flipped channels on the television while thinking about the day’s events. My blood still boiled at Mr. Hammond’s actions and I had to keep telling myself to let it go.
When I heard the knock on my door I grabbed my wallet. Thanking the delivery guy for the food, I handed him the money and his tip then shut the door. My dinner smelled delicious, I couldn’t wait to dive in.
Dropping the bag on the coffee table, I went to the fridge and grabbed a beer. I flipped it open and sat back down on the couch. Seeing a rerun of ‘Seinfeld’ was on, I immersed myself in the silly antics of Jerry, Elaine, Kramer, and George.
I must have dozed off because pounding on the door awakened me. I got up and once again, looked through the peephole. I was shocked to see Paul’s face. Unlocking the door, I opened it, staying at the threshold.
“Are you okay?” he asked, breathing hard. “I’ve been calling and texting and you never answered.”
I opened the door wide to allow him to come in. He stepped inside, staying close to me. I turned to face him when I shut the door, leaning back on it.
“I’m sorry, I fell asleep. I’m fine,” I told him.
He swiped a hand through is chocolate waves and uttered a sigh. “Thank goodness. It was so hard for me to let you walk out my office today, but I knew I had to. I know I need
to give you your space and act professional at work, but I was worried, and had to know you were okay.”
“I’m fine, Paul. Really.”
“I’m glad. Walter shook us both up today and I hate him for it. I never really liked the man anyway, but today just solidified it. I’m sorry you were dragged into it and that I told you what his condition was. That was a moment of weakness and I apologize. It was never your battle to fight and I shouldn’t have ever opened my mouth.”
I shoved myself away from the door, walking toward the couch, but deciding not to sit when I got there. Being around him now was torture; I wasn’t sure how much longer I’d last. Remembering what he’d just said, I turned to face him. “It is my battle in a sense as he wanted you to get rid of me. Don’t you see that? He was possibly going to affect my livelihood, the job that I love. Of course it’s my battle.”
“But it’s one I could have saved you from had I just told him to go to hell right there and then. He caught me so off guard that he took advantage and told me he’d be in touch to see what I’d decided. I beat him to it and called him after you left, telling him I’d made one. I’m on my way to meet him right now. I wanted to do it in person.”
My face paled at that. “Don’t do anything stupid, Paul. Please.”
He walked to stand before me, and brushed the back of his fingers along my cheek. I drew back a bit but it didn’t seem to faze him. “You have nothing to worry about, sweetheart,” he said. “Walter deserves everything I have to say to him. It’s been a long time coming.”
Nausea assaulted me and I knew nothing good would come of this. “He can break you, Paul. He can railroad the company. You could lose everything.”
He smiled. “You’re being over-dramatic. No one is that powerful and you seem to forget whom you’re talking to. I too have connections and I won’t hesitate to use them if needed. I’m tired of being bulldozed by Walter, dear, and it’s time to put an end to it.”
I knew I couldn’t convince him to change his mind so I just nodded, looking in his eyes. He brushed my face one more time then drew his hand back, resting it to his side. He leaned over and kissed the top of my head then headed to the door.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” he told me as he opened it. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Wait,” I called out to him.
He turned, looking at me.
“Please call me after your meeting with Mr. Hammond. I can’t wait until tomorrow to hear what happened. Please.”
He nodded, gave me a wink, then was gone. I wrapped my arms around my waist, bending over. My nerves were on overdrive and I couldn’t shake the feeling that not only would things change when I told Paul about Ethan, but that everything I knew and loved would never be the same again.
I forced myself to not think about Paul’s meeting with Mr. Hammond and looked over everything for our meeting tomorrow with Mr. Halliday. I knew I was prepared as it was all I could think about for work, but I had to get my mind off of Paul. When my phone vibrated, I hurried and grabbed it. I smiled that it was Ethan, but also hoped it was Paul.
“Hey,” I answered.
“Hey there. How are you?” he asked, his voice calming me instantly.
“I’m good. Are you on your way yet?”
He laughed. “I’m actually just leaving the office. Got caught at work on the Glendale project, but everything’s good. I’m on my way babe.”
“I can’t wait. Hurry,” I told him.
“I’ll be there in a few.”
We hung up and I sat back on the couch, waiting for him to come over. My nerves were going haywire worrying about Paul’s meeting. I needed him.
When my phone vibrated again, I sighed thinking it was Ethan telling me something else. When I saw Paul’s name light up on my phone, my heart started pounding. This is it, I said to myself as I pushed the button to answer.
“Hey, what happened?” I didn’t even greet him, I just dove right to the point.
He chuckled. “Well hello to you too, sweetheart,” he said.
I rolled my eyes. “I’ve been dying. Please tell me what happened.”
“Baby, I told you there was nothing to worry about. I let him know my thoughts and my decisions and he let me know his. He’s decided that pulling his funding of our projects would put him in a bad light so he decided against it. I told him I thought that was a good decision.”
“That’s it? He didn’t threaten you to get rid of me or try to talk you into taking Casey back?” I asked, astounded.
He hesitated. “I didn’t say that, but I let him know very firmly that neither of those were an option. He seemed to accept that.”
I felt he was hiding something from me, but I wasn’t up to pushing it tonight. “Well, if you’re sure, then I’m glad. I was worried sick all night.”
He laughed more. “I know and I told you that you didn’t need to. Everything is fine. I told you I wouldn’t lose you and I won’t. You’re here to stay, baby.”
I twirled my hair around my finger, my stomach clenching at his words. “Thank you,” was all I could say.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Um, just sitting here.”
“Want me to come back over?” he asked seductively.
I instantly sat up. “That’s not a good idea, Pierce,” I said.
“Oh yeah? And why is that?”
There was a knock at the door. “Because Ethan just knocked on my door.”
I heard him let out a sigh. “Okay,” he said, drawing out the word.
“I’m sorry, Paul. I know this isn’t easy.” I got up and walked to the door, opening it to Ethan’s smiling face.
He saw I was on the phone and walked in quietly. I raised my finger to signal one minute and walked into my bedroom. I sat on the edge of my bed.
“It’s becoming more and more difficult, Aly. All I want is to be with you, to hold you, to love you. I don’t know what more I can do, though.”
I bent over, his words a punch in my gut. “Listen,” I whispered. “Can we talk about this later? He’s out in my living room and it’s quite awkward for me right now. I’m not blowing you off, but another time would be better.”
I heard him mutter something under his breath. “Yeah, that’s fine.”
I frowned. “I’m sorry. I’ve got to go. I’ll see you tomorrow at work.”
He gave a curt good bye and hung up. Effectively killing any good mood I had, I dropped my phone on my nightstand and walked out to the living room. Ethan was sitting on the couch, legs crossed, flipping the channels with the remote. He smiled when he saw me walk in and patted the cushion next to him.
I sat down and he pulled me close to him. “Everything okay?” he asked.
“I guess so.”
“What happened?”
“It’s just really hard pretending with Paul, hearing him talk like things haven’t changed. But I don’t want to talk about that right now, I just want to sit here and relax. Did you get something to eat? I have some Chinese takeout if you’re interested.”
He stared into my eyes. “I did get some dinner, but thank you.” He was looking at me with such desire, I shuddered. Things were obviously different now that I finally told him I loved him. Suddenly there was nothing more that I wanted than to be with him completely.
He didn’t say anything, just ducked his head and pressed his lips to mine. He started out slow, barely touching me as his lips moved over mine. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I wrapped my arms around his neck, drawing him closer. He immediately scooted closer to me and deepened the kiss, grabbing my face between his hands.
“I love you so much, angel,” he whispered against my mouth. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted this, wanted you.”
He pressed me down so I was laying on my back and leaned over me. Looking into my eyes a split second before claiming my mouth again, the kiss was completely different than the previous one. Ethan made no attempt to hold back; this kiss told me he was finally giv
ing us what we both wanted so desperately.
He thrust his tongue in my mouth, swirling it around mine over and over. I moaned at the sensations it brought out in me, twisting my hands in his hair and pulling him closer. He shifted so he was completely on top of me, pressing down on my body.
He broke the kiss, trailing hot kisses down my neck to my collarbone. We had barely started anything and I was completely on fire for him. When he moved lower, I pushed his head closer to me, letting him know that was exactly what I wanted. When he reached the top of my bra, I couldn’t take it anymore. I pushed him off of me and sat up, taking my shirt off in one swoop. Ethan smiled and stood. I looked at him, wondering what he was doing, when he bent over and swept me up in his arms.
“I’m not having our first time be on a couch, angel.”
He kissed me, carrying me to my bedroom, then gently set me down on my bed. As Ethan shrugged out of his shirt, I couldn’t help but stare at him. I’d seen him without a shirt before, but not like this. He was beautiful. He had a small amount of chest hair and a six pack to die for. All I wanted to do was trace my hand over him, so I did. I grabbed his hand and pulled him onto the bed, pushing him down to lay on his back. He chuckled, allowing me control. I leaned over him and traced his taut abs with my fingers. He sucked in a breath, his eyes burning.
A minute later, his hand stopped mine and he pulled me on top of him. “If you keep doing that, I won’t last much longer,” he told me, crushing my lips to his.
He quickly flipped me so I was now under him, his hands roaming over my body. When they reached my bra, he cupped me gently, looking into my eyes. I arched my back a bit, hoping he’d get the hint. He smiled, then reached behind me and unhooked it, slowly moving the straps down my arms and tossing it to the floor. He looked at me as he touched my breasts with nothing blocking him for the first time. He groaned as my eyes closed and leaned down, taking my nipple into his mouth. Ethan was so sweet and gentle, yet all he was doing was making me crazy with want. When he switched to the other breast, my hips bucked and I felt his hard arousal, which only made me hotter.
Distorted Page 22
