Her mind kept traveling to their destination—Ethan's house—and what could happen. His almost kiss had electrified her. She could only imagine what the real one would do to her—more than likely make her throw off all her clothes.
Mia forced her mind to go in another direction because at this rate, they wouldn’t make it inside his house.
“Ethan?” she said, getting his attention.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you for a wonderful dinner. The food was superb.”
“I’m glad you were willing to try something a little different. Though I’m a little upset you didn’t get to try their desserts. They are amazing!”
She pouted her lips. “I love dessert!”
“What’s your favorite?”
“Oh, by far chocolate cake,” she said with a huge smile. “I do like a lot of French desserts as well.”
“Like?”
“Oh, like any kind of tart, brioche, and, of course, crème brûlée. Yum!”
“I love the way those words just rolled off your tongue. Do you speak French?”
“Yes, but I am so out of practice. I haven’t really conversed with someone in quite a few years. Writing it is much easier because I can take my time and refer to my handy French/English dictionary,” she replied.
“My mom's great-grandmother was French but I don't know a lick of it. She moved to New Orleans with her family and embraced America. She loved her new country and I think tucked the French girl away. She married an American and the rest is history.”
Mia liked getting these little tidbits of his history and even though she rarely spoke about her own family, she found herself wanting to share with him.
“I am a first generation American. My father came here for his job. He met my mother while doing research in England. She had been going to school there and eventually followed him to America.”
She hated talking about her mother and felt her agitation growing. Pausing to take a calming breath, Mia refused to let her mother ruin her evening and decided to change the topic.
“Have you eaten any French food?” she asked.
“To be honest, no, though I’m looking forward to trying some now.”
“I’m sure you’ll enjoy it,” she said confidently.
Ethan turned his eyes from the road to smile devilishly at her, looking from her mouth to the hands in her lap. “I’m sure I will.”
She toyed with her lower lip and chuckled softly, feeling the heat radiate off her cheeks. That smile of his lit her on fire. There was always a little bit of humor in it. He definitely liked to tease and that was promising.
“We’re here,” he announced, a couple minutes later, pulling up the driveway. A few well-placed lamp posts illuminated the winding drive which allowed her to see the massive, copper-colored brick and cream stone home as he drove past the front of the house to the garage.
Wow.
He opened the garage door to park the Ford. He cut the engine and got out. Before she even had a chance to exit the car, Ethan was there opening the door for her. She could totally get used to his chivalry. He inclined his head towards the door at the back of the garage and headed that way. She took a restoring breath and then followed close behind him.
They entered the house near the spacious kitchen. Her mouth dropped. There was so much counter space that she didn’t know what to do with it plus there was a huge island that seated one, two, three … six people! She would freaking love to cook here. No—she needed to cook here. Her kitchen had maybe a foot of counter space with a two-burner stove. That was the cost she paid for living in a studio apartment.
Entwining his fingers with hers, Ethan guided her further into the room. He seemed to like holding her hand. She definitely wasn’t complaining—not one bit. The problem was she liked it way too much.
He didn’t let go when he grabbed a bottle of wine from the wine fridge, tucking it under his arm, and a couple of glasses from an adjoining cabinet. “Follow me,” he said, leading her through the hallway to the basement stairs. As she tagged along behind him, Mia wondered if he had a say in the decorating of the home, or if he had someone do it for him. She loved everything she had seen so far, modern yet classic and very clean, unlike her small and cluttered studio.
At the bottom of the stairs, she realized he brought her to the media room. “Oh wow! This is so sweet!” she exclaimed as she examined the room. On the wall opposite them, there was a rather large, projection screen television with cherry built-ins on either side which she guessed housed his video collection. The lower level also had a full bar area as well as a room for billiards—a bachelor’s dream.
“Want to watch a movie?” he asked, turning around to face her.
“Sure. What do you have?”
With a smile, he released her hand and walked over to his video cabinet and opened the doors. “You pick.”
“Do you have any Bond movies?” Mia asked hopefully, eyeing all the movies. She absolutely loved James Bond, had all the movies and had watched them multiple times.
“Good old double O seven. I have quite a few. I think I have the latest one, too. Pierce Brosnan is such a great Bond,” he said, pulling the video from the cabinet and popping it into the player.
Ethan led her to the sofa. Well, sofa wasn’t the exact word she would use. It was the length of about two sofas and about as wide as a queen size bed.
“Is this a sofa or a bed?” she asked.
“I don’t know but it’s one of the most comfortable things that I own,” he said, stopping mid-stride. “Oh, let me grab a blanket. It can get a little cold down here.”
He left her there and hurried up the stairs. With a deep breath, she removed her heels and sat on the edge of the sofa to await his return. Mia had expected to be nervous with him but now that she was in his home that wasn’t the case. She felt completely at ease there and with him. She knew that it was weird, that it was probably too fast, but knowing that didn't change a thing. Sometimes you just click with people. That’s how it was with Luke; Marc—her friend and co-worker; and her bandmates—Marty, Clark, and Todd.
She turned her head when she heard Ethan return from upstairs and couldn’t help but smile. He had the promised blanket plus a steaming bowl of popcorn, and he had also gotten a little more comfortable. He’d untucked his dress shirt and kicked off his shoes. Was it the popcorn or the man that made her mouth water? The smart person would not be betting on the popcorn.
He sat against the back of the sofa, his legs sprawled out in front of him, and placed the popcorn on the table behind them. He motioned for her to join him. She scooted back, her dress making it more difficult than it should be. It kept bunching up and exposing skin that she wasn’t sure she was ready to show—yet.
“This is much harder to maneuver with a dress on,” she laughed as she finally joined him, sitting by his side, not quite touching but close enough that she could feel the heat radiate off his body. He placed the blanket over their legs and grabbed the remote to start the movie.
“Have you seen this yet?” he inquired.
“No,” Mia responded, not wanting to let him know that she’d seen it like five times already. She was a 007 junkie.
Ethan started the movie and lifted the arm closest to her in invitation. Smiling at him, she scooted closer to him, their bodies definitely touching now. She leaned back, but couldn’t relax; her body was filled with too much anticipation.
As they watched the opening of the movie, with his arm secure around her, his thumb absently caressed her shoulder. She closed her eyes as warm currents of desire coursed through her body. With his free hand, he grabbed the bowl of popcorn and placed it on his lap.
“Would you like some popcorn?” he offered. The buttery smell called her name. She took a handful and brought her knees to her chest, slowly eating the popped kernels, her eyes glued to the screen, Pierce Brosnan completely captivating her.
After she finished her popcorn, Mia stretched out her legs, acc
identally bumping his knee. She looked up at him, her eyes wide.
“Oh, I'm sorry,” she said apologetically. Ethan regarded her, the intensity in his eyes causing her stomach to flutter. Her top teeth skimmed over her lower lip. She realized it and stopped herself, but Ethan’s golden eyes had caught the movement and trained their focus on her mouth.
“Mia … god, you’re so beautiful,” he stated softly. Her body responded to his simple, yet powerful words. Her heart beat faster under her breasts. When his gaze shifted from her mouth to her eyes, he mesmerized her, making her unsure of what to say, what to do. And because of that uncertainty, she remained silent.
Ethan smiled slowly while moving his head closer to hers, like a predator moving in on his prey. Though she definitely didn’t feel like prey. With the knowledge that he actually might kiss her, excitement coursed powerfully through her body. Mia had been waiting for this since the moment she met Ethan at the party.
The instant his lips touched hers, she immediately felt the electricity course through her. Holy hell! She wanted this man.
His hand lightly cupped her cheek, positioning her how he wanted, as he lazily kissed her, taking his own sweet time, slowly building a fire inside her. Mia didn’t remember leaning back or him pushing her down, but there he was, his body hovering above her, barely touching hers. She slid her hands up his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. She sighed once his body rested upon hers, his legs cradling one of hers as his lips moved along her face and neck. One of his hands rested above her shoulder and the other high on her ribcage, tantalizingly close to her breast.
Mia wanted Ethan to touch her, wanted his lips upon hers again, her need to taste him overpowering everything. She searched for and found his mouth. He hungrily accepted and eagerly explored hers. Her hands moved down his back, loving the feel of his strength beneath his shirt. She drew him even closer and felt a deep moan escape against her lips.
“Ethan …” she said breathlessly.
Ethan
Ethan broke the kiss when she called out his name, the sound a preview of what was to come. He needed more than her lips. He wanted to feel her skin beneath his mouth, feel the smoothness as he ran his tongue along her collarbone, over the curve of her breasts, and up and over the peak of her hard nipple. He was dying to taste her. He pushed aside her cardigan and traced the contour of her shoulder with his tongue before lightly sucking on it. His hands continued to remove her sweater, his fingers returning to toy with the thin straps of her dress, debating what to do with them before he eventually pushed those off her shoulders, too. They slid down easily, pulling down the front of her dress, showing him more of her cleavage.
She teased him without her knowledge. The sight of her half-covered breasts tortured him. He attacked her neck with his mouth for a moment, sucking, nipping, and biting, before heading south. He looked up and she treated him with a dreamy smile that sent a jolt of desire straight to his already hard cock. Ethan continued downward, watching her head fall back when his lips touched her soft breasts for the first time. He feasted on the exposed skin a bit before exposing even more, removing one breast from her pink strapless bra and slowly circling her nipple with his tongue, feeling it pearl up, before taking it into his mouth.
Her moans came rapidly as she tightened her grip around his neck, making sure he didn’t leave. He adjusted his position and let his hand skim across her leg, moving the fabric of her dress up in the process, leaving her long legs exposed to him. Mia grabbed his shirt as his fingers danced up and down her smooth leg.
Ethan couldn’t believe his luck. He had this absolutely gorgeous woman beneath him who wanted more—craved more. As did he. God, he had a lot of wants right now. Top on that list was getting that incredibly hot black dress off of her so he could see what it hid from his eyes. And, right after that, he wanted to feel himself buried inside her.
He knew he could be doing that in a matter of minutes, but something stopped him. His parents loved to talk about how they immediately knew that they had found “the one.” Ethan always knew his parents loved each other and wanted his own version of their story. Being with Mia tonight, he felt it … that feeling deep within him that said she was it. He didn’t know whether or not that was true, but he knew he wanted to learn more about her, mentally and … physically.
Her soft cool hand sliding beneath his shirt startled him from his thoughts. She ran her hand up and down his back, giving him goose bumps in the process. His mouth left her breast and searched for and found her mouth and attacked it. He pushed her dress up around her hips, his body now between her legs. He dared to take a quick glance at her legs—they seemed utterly endless.
“Oh, Mia,” he moaned, fighting his mind. He wanted her, plain and simple, and if they continued how they were, he would have her. He saw it on her face, the way she touched him. She wanted him, too, but Ethan couldn’t do that—not yet. He wanted her to know he had some integrity, that he respected her, and to do that he had to stop this, even if it made him a fool. Reluctantly, he ended this wonderful make out session and broke off the kiss.
“Ethan?” she whispered against his ear, her hands tugging up on his shirt.
“Mia?” he asked, his breath hard against her warm face.
“Hmm?” she replied languidly, lightly stroking his neck.
“I think I really like you.”
She pushed back, a quizzical look on her face. “What do you mean by that?”
“It’s a simple statement, really. I like your voice. I like your hair. I like your laugh. I like your pouty lips. I like the way you tease me. I like the sweet twinkle in your eye when you smile. I can go on …”
“Oh, so you like me?” she asked, her adorable cheeks blushing a nice shade of pink.
“I do,” he said, kissing her softly. “That’s why I think we shouldn’t go any further, at least not yet.”
“But I don’t understand.”
Ethan sighed. He really didn’t understand either. His body wanted her. His mind wanted her. He liked her so much and he knew that she liked him, too.
“Even though I would really like to continue, I don’t make a habit of sleeping with girls I really like on the first date. And, to be quite honest, I don’t want you to leave either because I enjoy your company too much. Would you please spend the night with me? Please? I could tell you some more reasons why I like you,” he said, caressing her forearm.
“Okay, Ethan,” she replied, touching his lips with her thumb.
He kissed the pad of her thumb and stared into her dark eyes. Yeah, he had really fallen for her. If she had said she wanted to go further, it would have broken his control.
“And I promise to be a gentleman.”
“Never mind. Time to take me home,” she said with a wink.
Ethan laughed along with her, but his control was still tenuous. He had to cool down, gain better control of himself. He pushed himself into a kneeling position, away from her sweet, sweet temptation. He removed his belt and then his dress shirt and stared down at her. What he really needed was a cold shower.
She made no moves to adjust her clothing. He saw the hint of her blush pink panties as his eyes traveled higher to her dress all bunched up at her waist, to her breasts spilling out of her bra. He watched her regard him and saw her hunger. His resolve to be a decent guy took a major hit. She knew what she was doing by not covering herself back up. It was all over her flushed face.
He leaned forward to adjust her dress. Her eyes followed his hand and then returned to his face as he touched her to cover her breasts. Ethan fought with himself as he pulled the bra over her warm skin and then slipped the dress straps back into position.
Returning to her, he lay behind her, holding her to him. There was no doubt she could feel his erection against her back. He wanted her to know what she did to him, how hard (pun intended) this was for him to stop.
He rested his hand on her stomach, his chin on her shoulder.
&nb
sp; “You're not mad?” he asked after she had been silent for too long.
“Far from it,” she responded. “I was just letting my mind wander to places …”
“A tad torturous, don't you think?”
She quietly murmured a reply and then slowly grinded against him.
He groaned. “Oh lord, we need to change the topic!”
She chuckled and asked, “So, did you hear we may get some snow?”
He laughed away his tension and they proceeded to talk into the middle of the night until she finally fell asleep, snuggled in his arms. He followed not long after, liking the feel of her against him, feeling deep in his heart how right it felt being with her.
Mia
Mia stared at the ringing guitar dancing in its stand, perplexed, as it lit up and jangled, sounding very much like her cell phone. She peered closer as it did it over again. She shook her head in disbelief.
That’s impossible, she thought. Maybe she was high but she had no idea what kind of drug she was on. She hadn’t done any drugs in months and she was beginning to freak out.
She reached for the guitar but every time she tried, it moved further and further away. Again, the guitar rang. Somehow it dawned on her that it couldn’t actually be her guitar ringing. This had to be one fucked-up dream. She opened her eyes and realized after a quick sweep of her surroundings that she’d been dreaming—though the ringing hadn’t stopped.
Her foggy mind knew that it was her phone. Mia fumbled for her purse which she had placed on the table last night and searched through the mess for her phone. She glanced at the call display, saw that it was Luke and quickly flipped it open.
Bring Me You Page 4
