Ethan stopped her—it was now his turn. He grabbed the bottom hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head, leaving her in her black see-through bra. With his eyes on hers, he found the fastening and made quick work of undoing it, throwing the garment aside. He hugged her tight to him, feeling her soft breasts against his bare chest.
His lips found her shoulder, his tongue tracing her collarbone downward to the soft mound. He held her large breast in his hand as he took the hard nipple into his mouth. She pushed against him and slowly moaned.
“We can do other things besides sex, can’t we?” she asked against his ear, grinding her pussy against his cock.
Fuck.
“I’ll only want you more.”
“What’s so bad about that?” she asked, looking at him. “Don’t you remember life as a teenager? All the heavy petting and stuff …”
“I do.”
“Come on,” she said, grinding against him in a slow rhythmic motion. He could feel his cock moving along the opening of her vagina.
“But …” he interjected.
“I really don’t like buts.”
“My butt has been voted one of the sexiest …” he laughed as he pushed up against her.
“Not the butt I was talking about,” she replied, pushing him back to the bed. She got on her hands and knees and hovered over him. She began to kiss her way down from his neck to his stomach. Her fingers tugged at the fastening of his jeans, the button coming undone.
He moaned, knowing where she was headed and as much as his body wanted—no, needed that right now, he knew he had to stop her.
“Mia,” he said, drawing her even with him. “We will continue this. I swear. But I need this between you and me to be about more than sex. I want to—need to—know more about you. I want you to know who you’re sleeping with. I’m more than Ethan Christopher, the quarterback.”
“I know that …” she interjected before he stopped her with a finger to her swollen lips.
“Can you do that for me?”
“I can, Ethan, but …”
“No buts.”
She laughed a bit then sobered. “If you haven’t guessed, I want you.”
“I want you, too. But,” he said, raising his eyebrows, “that is not all I want.”
“What do you want?” she asked, a dare in her eyes.
“I think I want all of you,” he said honestly.
The enormity of what he said transformed her face. Gone was the boldness, replaced by what looked like hope.
He left the bed in search of their shirts. He returned, handing her shirt to her. She quietly pulled it on, covering her luscious breasts.
“Mia?” he asked, sitting down next to her.
“Yes?”
“Is that okay? Have I overstepped?”
“You definitely haven’t overstepped. I’m just a little lost for words. No one has ever said anything like that to me.”
He opened his arm and gestured for her to come to him. She snuggled up against his side and he wrapped his arms around her, his hand smoothing her hair that had broken free from its fastening while they made out.
“Things seem to be moving pretty fast. My feelings for you surprise me. I’ve never felt this way before. I hope I’m not making a huge mistake by slowing things down. I just want to know more about you. Can we explore that?”
“Of course we can, Ethan! I’m sorry if I am putting it out there that I only want sex. I …” she said, her voice trailing off.
“You want the sex, huh?”
“Duh!” she laughed and hit him softly on the arm. “But I do want to get to know you better, too.”
“Then let’s do that—right now.”
He knelt before her, cupping her chin, lifting her face so he could look into her beautiful chocolate eyes before his lips tenderly caressed hers.
“Sound like a plan?”
She nodded, kissing him back.
“Okay, I’ll start,” he said. He took her hand and led her to the sofa. He picked up the black and white electric guitar and put it against the wall. He sat in the middle and patted the seat next to him. She curled up on the cushion. He pulled her feet onto his lap, caressing her calf. “I really want to know more about your music. I have no idea what I’m in for on Friday.”
“What do you want to know?” she asked, getting more comfortable on the sofa, relaxing her back against the arm.
“Good question,” he laughed. “I guess I’m pretty interested in how you came to play music.”
“My dad made me start taking piano lessons when I was four. I enjoyed them. I liked getting new music to learn and then play. When I went to junior high, I joined choir. I was surprised to find out I wasn’t that bad,” Mia chuckled softly. “Then pre-teen/teenage angst visited and I started to write down my thoughts in my notebooks. Bored in class? No problem! I’d just start jotting down thoughts in my notebook.”
She reached down on the ground. His eyes shut as her foot lightly grazed the inside of his thigh.
“I think this is like journal one hundred or something like that,” she said, presenting him with the bound pages. It was just an ordinary spiral notebook like he used while in school.
“May I?” Ethan asked as he went to open it.
Mia shrugged her shoulders. He could see she was a little hesitant but then she answered, “Sure.”
He flipped it open and saw journal entries, poems, quotes, small drawings, music, and word art. Her penmanship easily read but very flamboyant—artistic.
She peeked over, checking out what he was seeing.
“It’s kind of like my other half,” she explained.
“Yeah …” he agreed, tracing a drawing of a tree. “You draw, too?”
“Not really. I doodle. Especially when I’m trying to write something and I get stuck. It helps me. I’ll focus on the little drawing and more often than not, my mind opens up and out come the words.”
Despite wanting to continue reading her journal, after a few minutes, he decided to move on to a different topic. “Where’s your favorite place to go on vacation?” he asked, placing her notebook back where it was.
“I’ve never really been on vacation. Just France to visit my grandparents. I mean, it is beautiful there, don’t get me wrong, but not really my kind of place to vacation.”
“Where would you like to go?” he asked curiously.
“Some place nice and warm, like California or Florida. I want to see the oceans! A close second would be any place historic like England or even Civil War sites. I’d love to actually see the places I’ve only ever seen in books.”
“I think you’d really love Savannah. There’s all the history and then just a few minutes away you have the ocean. I loved going to the beach when I was growing up.”
“You’re from Savannah, right?”
“I am,” Ethan said proudly, impressed that she knew that bit of information.
He glanced over at her, looking so relaxed. He still couldn’t believe that he was with her, touching her. At times he felt like this was a dream, that it wasn’t really real. But the weight of her legs on his was undeniable.
“What’s your middle name?” he asked, stroking those beautiful legs of hers.
“Uh … I have two middle names. Isa Simone.”
“Mia Isa Simone Devereux,” Ethan said, trying the name out. “That’s a beautiful name you have. Matches the woman.”
He loved the blush she gave him in return.
“What’s yours?” she asked.
“Alexander.”
“I like it,” Mia said, another beautiful smile gracing her face.
“How old are you?”
“Twenty-seven. And you?”
“Thirty-one.”
Her eyebrows perked up and she tried to hide a smile and then she replied, “You’re old.”
He chuckled at that. “Do I look old?”
“No, but looks can be deceiving.”
“Do you have any siblings?” he
asked.
“No, I’m an only child. You?”
“Well, I do have two sisters who are much older than me. My oldest sister was already out of the house when I was born. So I’m kind of like an only child. My sisters were rarely there.”
“Wow! How old were your parents when they had you?”
“My mom was forty; my dad was forty-three.”
“Are your parents still alive?”
“My mother is. My father died when I was in college.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said quietly.
“Thanks. He was a great man. He gifted me with my love of football.”
“Dads have a habit of providing those kinds of lifelong loves.”
“Yeah, they do.” He scooted over to lay behind her, his arm draped over her waist, and nuzzled her neck. God, she smelled so good.
“Comfy?” she asked. He moved some more, exaggerating a bit.
“I am now,” he said, sliding his arm beneath her head to cradle it.
“I like this. Just being lazy and talking. I am usually all go, go, go.”
“It is nice,” he said, smoothing her hair.
They lay quietly for a bit. He liked just laying with her. Ethan knew eventually they would sleep together, but he was in no hurry. Who was he kidding? He was in a big fucking hurry. That was one reason why he wanted to spend every moment he could with her to find out more about her. The more he found out, the more he liked her. The more he liked her, the more he wanted to make love to her. That want was quickly turning into an overwhelming need.
There was still so much he wanted to learn about her. He sensed some evasion from her when it came to discussing her past and her family and he really didn’t know what to make of the little she had told him of her family. It made him only want to find out more. He wanted her to trust him enough to share everything with him.
Ethan excused himself to use the bathroom. He had a few surprises he wanted to plan for Mia. He made a quick call to one of his chef friends, asking if he could make a dinner for them tonight. When he returned, he found Mia standing by the sofa, a smile on her face. He really liked that smile …
He crossed the room, stopping in front of her. Her smile broadened and her gaze lifted to his face. He grinned down at her. Without her shoes on, Mia was such a little thing. He had to be at least a foot taller than her and it elicited such a desire to protect her. He totally liked that feeling.
“I’ve got a little surprise for later,” he informed her.
“You are a surprise. From the moment I met you,” she said seriously. The happiness he felt from her saying that made the grin he already had stretch across his face.
“That’s good, right?”
“It’s very good,” she said, smiling. That smile of hers had Ethan on high alert. He could see the desire in her wondrous brown eyes. He felt it, too. He needed a distraction from looking at her, wanting her, so he wouldn’t attack her with the kisses he really wanted to be giving her.
“Wanna watch a movie?”
“Like a porn movie?” she asked, laughing passionately.
“No,” he said, not believing she said that. “Like whatever is on television.”
“You do realize we’re in a hotel where those kind of movies reign, right?”
Ethan looked down at her. She could barely contain her laughter. He swatted at her cute behind and then grabbed for the remote. He turned on the TV and observed the scrolling television guide.
“See?!?” she exclaimed. “P.O.R.N. It’s on every channel.”
Mia had a point, so he continued to search until he finally found something good.
“Okay, I’ll give you three choices. You pick. Number one: Sweet Home Alabama.”
“Ooh!” she exclaimed.
“Number two: Bourne Identity.”
She scrunched her nose up. Guess that’s a no.
“Or number three: Goldmember.”
“What about the other choice?”
“And that was?”
“Porn!”
“That was not among the choices,” he informed her, trying not to laugh and encourage her anymore. Porn talk was definitely not good for his self-control.
“Hmpf!” she pouted and that was not good for self-control either.
“So …” he asked lightly.
“Goldmember!” she decided.
“Good choice,” he said.
“Yeah! Porn!” she said, giggling so hard.
“It is not porn!”
Her boisterous laugh came in fits.
“Oh, you think you’re funny.”
“A little bit,” she replied smugly. He pulled her to him and kissed the smug look right off her face.
“Okay, okay!” Mia cried out, coming up for a breath. “It’s not a porn movie, but between you and me, you wish it was one.”
She pulled him into her hips, swaying side to side against his hard cock.
“You win! Oh, God, do you ever win!” he exclaimed before reclaiming her mouth. He abruptly stopped and led her back to the sofa.
“The movie?” he asked.
“Dammit!” she exclaimed, flopping down onto the couch.
“You are so cute when you pout,” Ethan chuckled, pulling her to him and wrapping his arm around her shoulders.
He flipped to the movie, glad she had a sense of humor, and a dirty one at that. He could not get enough of her laughter. It was one of the best sounds he’d ever heard.
After the movie, they lazily kissed on the sofa. Ethan tried to keep his hands off her but that was close to impossible, especially with her hands exploring his body, teasing him, torturing him, making him want to forget about the whole not sleeping with her right away idea he had.
About an hour after the movie ended, a rap on the door startled Mia in his arms.
“Hmm … I wonder what this could be,” he said as he got up to answer the door. His chef friend, Henry, breezed in, staff in tow. Mia stared in shock as Henry and his assistant set up a small table with the food. Then she turned and caught his eye.
“This … is … wow,” she stuttered. “I am speechless. This is absolutely fantastic.”
She stood on her tip-toes and kissed him gently.
The assistant pulled out the chair for Mia. “Miss.”
She blushed at the attention. “Thank you,” she said, taking her seat. She leaned forward, inhaling the aroma of the food before them. As she did that, he soaked up the sight of her cleavage. “I feel extremely under-dressed for this meal,” she whispered to him, gesturing at her tight jeans and loose V-neck shirt.
“You look absolutely stunning,” he told her truthfully.
Her gaze fell to her hands on the table and she blushed a soft shade of pink. He wanted to say more, but Henry’s assistant presented Mia with a meal card. She read it over and smiled, shaking her head.
“What does it say?” he asked curiously.
“Our first course is bisque de tomate.”
“Tomato bisque?” he guessed.
“Oui,” she replied. Four words in French and Ethan wanted her more than he had up to that point. “The main entrée is Beef Dijonnaise served with fingerling potatoes and haricot verts and, for dessert—oooh! My favorite! Gâteau au chocolat!”
“Your French is beautiful,” Henry said as he served them the bisque.
“Merci beaucoup,” she said demurely. Her shyness surprised him. It was like she found it hard to accept a compliment.
“Would you like some wine?” Ethan asked.
“Definitely!” she said with a soft smile.
With the wine poured, they talked about the food, the movie and any tangent that came up. When the main course was over, Ethan thanked Henry and took Mia’s hand and helped her stand. He started for the sofa but she stopped him. He turned back and smiled at the adorable confusion on her face.
“What about dessert?”
He chuckled. “They will leave it. No worries. Okay?”
She smiled and grabbed her
wine glass and they headed back to the sofa while Henry and his assistant cleaned up.
“So, you really like dessert?” he asked once she sat beside him, her thigh pressed hard against his.
A sensuous smile curved her mouth. “It’s my favorite.”
Ethan took a healthy swallow of his wine. He really didn’t know how long he would be able to hold out because the dessert he wanted was seated right beside him.
He let his gaze travel her body while Henry and his help finished cleaning up. She boldly returned his gaze. Ethan wanted to just toss the table and Henry’s supplies out the flipping door so he could be alone with Mia.
Finally, a few minutes later, Henry and company left the room with a final wave. He managed to control his urge to jump her and went about learning more about her. They talked for hours and he hadn’t laughed that long in years, maybe ever. He forgot that life could be like this. All his life had been the past decade was football. But, at this moment, he saw more than that—he saw Mia.
Glancing over at the hotel-issued alarm clock, Ethan couldn’t believe that it was almost two in the morning. He really should leave. He had to fly out tomorrow at noon for a photo shoot in New York. But when the urge to wake up with Mia in his arms was so strong, he decided to stay.
Without a word, Ethan rose from the sofa and extended his hand. Mia smiled sleepily up at him and let him guide her to the bed. As he removed his shirt and started to unfasten his jeans, he watched her dark eyes change from wonder to desire.
He stopped what he was doing and placed his hands on her waist, trying to decide which article of clothing he would remove first. He thought to remove her shirt, but as his hands trekked upwards he remembered she never put her bra back on. Switching course, he tugged on the button of her jeans. His cock twitched at her quick inhale of breath as he very slowly pulled down her zipper.
As Ethan slid his thumbs inside of the fabric and pushed down the jeans, her eyes closed as did his. Her skin was so soft, so smooth, he wanted to run his hands all over her body, learning it, memorizing it.
Ethan opened his eyes as she stepped out of the jeans and stood before him in only her shirt and panties. It was simply the sexiest thing he had ever seen.
“Join me?” he asked, gesturing towards the bed. Mia nodded and pulled down the blankets.
Bring Me You Page 6
