“Oh, Ethan.” Becca shook her head. “You don't have to give me anything else. Having you here to share all this with is more than enough.”
Ethan's expression turned a bit skeptical. “I don't know. You might think that now, but you haven't seen what else I have planned. I'm almost certain you're going to love every bit of it.”
“If it's even half as wonderful as all this is, I know I will.”
“You ain't seen nothin' yet, babe. It's only going to get better from here.”
“I can't imagine how that would even be possible.” Then Becca thought of the greatest desire of her heart, and knew that what she'd said wasn't entirely true. “Well...there is one thing...” Becca gasped as she realized that she'd voiced her thoughts aloud.
“What's that?” Ethan inquired.
“Oh...I...um,” she stammered. “Never mind me, I'm just thinking out loud.” She waved her hand dismissively.
“If there's something I can do to make these next few days the most memorable you've ever had, I'm at your service.”
Ethan's words brought all sorts of naughty thoughts flooding into her mind. Thank goodness for the darkness. She was sure from the heat rising in her cheeks that she was blushing. “Thanks. I'll let you know,” she answered, hoping that her tone didn't sound as embarrassed to him as it did to her.
“So are you hungry?”
Oh, she was hungry all right, and not merely for food.
Becca forcibly roused herself from her distracting thoughts about the delicious man standing in front of her. “Yeah, I'm starved.”
“Good,” Ethan replied as he checked his watch. “Because I think that our dinner should be waiting for us by now.”
Ethan offered Becca his arm. “Shall we?”
She gladly accepted, and was grateful when he escorted her back inside through a different door, one that didn't lead through the bedroom.
The beautiful glass-top dining table was laden with covered dishes. The lights in the chandelier overhead were turned down low, and candles flickered on the table. As Ethan seated Becca, she couldn't help but think that the ambiance spoke of intimacy and romance.
An ice bucket perched on a stand next to the table held a bottle of champagne.
“Madame?” Ethan inquired, offering her the bottle with all the finesse of a waiter in a five-star restaurant.
Becca nodded. “Yes, please.”
Ethan filled both of their glasses before lifting the lids from the plates. “I took the liberty of ordering your favorite, Chicken Alfredo. I hope you like it.”
“It looks delicious,” Becca answered as she placed her napkin in her lap and lifted her fork to dig in.
Throughout the meal they chatted about topics both mundane and profound. When she was finished, Becca wiped up the last bit of sauce with a piece of bread and popped it into her mouth before licking her fingers. “Mmm,” she moaned at the pleasure her taste buds were experiencing.
Ethan gave her an oddly dark expression as he watched her over the rim of his champagne glass.
“What? Do I have sauce on my face?” she asked.
“No.” He shook his head. “It's nothing,” he added dismissively. The mysterious look quickly disappeared, replaced by a smile.
“My compliments to the chef. I think that was the best meal I've ever tasted.”
“I'll be sure to let him know.”
Ethan rose from the table. He collected their empty plates and deposited them on a nearby serving cart. On the top shelf sat another covered dish. He lifted the lid and, with a flourish, placed the dish in front of her.
Becca's eyes went round at the scrumptious sight.
“I hope you saved a little room for dessert. I thought you might enjoy a piece of chocolate lava cake.”
“Ugh! I swear you're trying to make me gain ten pounds, Ethan,” she said with a laugh.
“Come on. It's only one night of indulgence,” he cajoled.
“OK, you twisted my arm.”
“Yeah, I can see how hard I had to twist.”
“But...I'll only eat it if you share it with me.”
“Deal.”
Becca slid the plate to the center of the table where they could both reach it. They took turns savoring bites of the gooey chocolate confection until only one spoonful remained.
Ethan scooped it up and was about to put it in his mouth when he seemed to change his mind. Instead, he extended the spoon toward her. “You should have the last bite.”
“No. You take it,” Becca insisted. “It was your turn, fair and square.”
“I want you to have it.”
“But–”
“I insist. Besides, you know you want it,” he teased while waving the spoon in front of her face.
Becca finally succumbed and leaned in to take the bite. As Ethan withdrew the spoon from her mouth, Becca closed her eyes. Another little moan of satisfaction rose from her throat as she swallowed the last bite. When she opened her eyes again, that strange look had returned to Ethan's face. Her gaze locked with his for a moment before he cleared his throat.
“Uh...you have a little chocolate on the corner of your mouth,” he said as he pointed to his own.
Becca extended her tongue, searching for the right spot. “Did I get it?”
“Here, let me help you.” Ethan took the napkin from his lap and leaned across the table to gently dab at the corner of her mouth. As he did so, he continued to stare at her lips intensely. She could have sworn that his breathing took on a ragged rhythm, and he swallowed hard. Then he broke the contact and leaned back into his seat. “All gone now.”
“Thanks.” Becca smiled at him shyly, wondering if he might be feeling the same emotions she was.
Before she had time to consider the matter further, Ethan broke into her thoughts. “It's still early,” he observed as he glanced at his watch. “I picked up that new movie you were wanting to see, Always a Bridesmaid. Would you care to watch it with me?”
“Of course. I've been dying to see that. But I can't believe it's your turn and you picked a girlie movie,” Becca teased.
“Well, this weekend is all about you, so this time I chose the movie with your tastes in mind.”
“Would you mind if I go change into something more comfortable while you get it set up?”
“Not at all. Go right ahead.”
Becca hurried off to the bedroom, where she found her suitcases neatly placed on luggage racks. As she rummaged around for her nightie and robe, she hummed a lighthearted tune. Becca took her clothes to the bathroom to change, and when she looked up, she caught her reflection in the mirror beaming back at her. In that moment, she realized the she'd never been happier. She had the man of her dreams waiting for her in the next room, and he was treating her like a fairy princess. Her life had never felt so perfect. It was all nearly too good to be true.
Yet it was, and she decided to savor every minute of it.
While he waited for Becca to return, Ethan placed the movie in the DVD player and laid a small fire in the hearth. It was crackling away merrily by the time she emerged from the bedroom wearing fuzzy slippers and a pink fleece robe open in front. Underneath, he glimpsed a night-shirt that barely covered the tops of her thighs. Her honey-colored hair cascaded over her shoulders in soft waves.
The whole look was utterly charming, and even though it wasn't exactly designed for sex appeal, he instantly grew hard at the sight before him. Her nightie said Angel on the front, and that's precisely what she looked like. Next thing he knew, pictures of Becca licking her fingers at dinner and that throaty moan of satisfaction she'd made began replaying in his mind. God, how he wanted to be the one eliciting those sounds from her.
Down, boy. Stick to the plan, he told himself. Only one more day, and with any luck, you will be.
Becca joined him in the sunken living room. She took off her slippers and curled up in the corner of the sofa with her feet pulled up underneath her like she often did at home.
Tog
ether, they enjoyed the movie in companionable silence. As the credits rolled, Ethan looked over to find Becca's head resting against the back of the couch and her eyes closed. As usual, he had little idea of what had happened in the film. Instead, he'd been covertly watching her from the corner of his eye. He knew exactly the moment she had dozed off. She would be disappointed that she'd missed the ending, but he couldn't bear to wake her. She was so ethereally beautiful, he wanted to watch her sleep.
Sighing deeply, Ethan reluctantly rose from the sofa. Becca needed her bed, or she would wind up with a crick in her neck. With all he had planned for her in the next couple of days, he certainly didn't want her to be in pain, so he decided to sacrifice his own desires for her comfort. Placing one arm around her shoulders and the other under her knees, he lifted her into his arms. Her head rolled against his shoulder, and she mumbled something unintelligible in her sleep.
Ethan carried Becca to the bedroom and gently laid her on the bed. The maid had turned down the covers earlier, so all he had to do was pull them back and tuck her feet underneath.
As he tried to slip the robe from her arms, her eyes flickered open. “Ethan? Wha...?”
“Shh,” he soothed. “Help me get your robe off, and then you can go back to sleep.”
“Um...K.”
He chuckled softly when her arms started flopping around and her eyes drifted shut again. In her present state, she really wasn't being much help, but eventually he managed to get the garment removed. No sooner had he drawn the covers up to her chin than a cute little snore emanated from her slightly open mouth. Ethan silently laughed again as he turned off the bedside lamp. When he leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her temple, she let out a sweet sigh. It took every ounce of self-control he possessed not to climb into bed with her and take her in his arms, but finally, he left her side.
As he reached the doorway, he paused for a moment to look back at her sleeping form. He could sacrifice one night of bliss for the hope that he would be able to share her bed for a lifetime and watch her sleep anytime he pleased.
Chapter 17
Becca woke to see bright rays of early morning sunshine streaming through the Arcadia door of her bedroom. She lifted her arms above her head and stretched lazily before snuggling under the sheets and hugging her extra pillow like she often did at home.
She smiled as foggy memories of Ethan carrying her to bed last night came to the forefront of her mind. If only he were still here this morning. She clasped her pillow tighter imagining it was him.
It was then that she made up her mind. Tonight, she would finally tell him how much she loved him. Then maybe she wouldn't be spending another night alone in this big bed. Happy with her plan, and eager to find out what other surprises Ethan had up his sleeve, she sprang from the bed and donned her robe.
After a quick morning ablution, she headed for the kitchen. Halfway there, she stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of Ethan sprawled on the sofa, still asleep. A lock of dark hair fell over his forehead, making her fingers itch to smooth it back into place. She had touched his hair a few times before, in a friendly way, and knew that it was as soft and silky as it looked. She imagined burying her fingers in it and pulling his mouth to hers for a deep, passionate kiss.
Becca allowed her eyes to rove over the rest of his body. The lower half was covered by a blanket, but one leg peeked out. She felt a pang of disappointment to find that he was wearing sleep pants, but thankfully, no shirt.
Her breath hitched at the sight of his gorgeous chest and muscular arms. She closed her eyes for a moment and thought of those arms encircling her while she trailed kisses all over that smooth chest. She opened her eyes again and bent over him, unable to resist running a finger over his hard planes.
When he stirred slightly, she snatched her finger back, afraid she might wake him. Tonight, she told herself, if all goes as planned, I can touch him to my heart's content.
Then she willed herself to go into the kitchen. After all, they did say that the way to a man's heart was through his stomach, so preparing a nice breakfast for Ethan certainly couldn't hurt her chances of making her dreams come true.
Twenty minutes later, Becca was having serious second thoughts about that. The meal she had managed to produce probably wouldn't even tempt Ethan's dog, Buddy, much less the man himself. As she surveyed the plate of charred bacon and scraped over-browned scrambled eggs from the bottom of a skillet, she felt like crying.
Just then, Ethan entered the kitchen still wearing only his sleep pants and a sunny smile. He yawned as he ran his fingers through sleep-tousled hair, making it stick out at odd angles. He looked absolutely adorable–and hotter than hell. For a moment, she stopped what she was doing and stared.
“Morning, gorgeous. You didn't have to fix breakfast.”
She looked again at the carnage littering the stove and countertop, the mess effectively putting a damper on her desire. Her shoulders sagged. “I don't think it's fit to eat anyway,” she replied morosely.
“Uh-oh.” He grimaced. “I thought I smelled something burning.”
“Try blackened.”
She gave up on the skillet and tossed it into the sink, then leaned back against the counter. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the floor glumly.
Ethan's bare feet came into view, and his masculine aura filled her senses. He reached out a finger to lift her chin. His eyes locked with hers as he tenderly cupped her face in his hands.
“Hey. Why so upset?”
Becca could barely think with his hands touching her like that. She took a deep breath and somehow found her voice. “You've been so nice to me. I wanted to do something nice for you in return.”
Ethan drew her into his arms, and then she was well and truly lost. Her cheek rested against his bare chest. She wrapped one arm around his waist and laid the other on the well-defined pectoral muscle right next to her face. She wanted to slide her thumb over his pebbled nipple–better yet, flick it with her tongue. She bit her bottom lip and tried to calm her erratic breathing.
He laid his cheek against the top of her head and gently rocked her as his response broke into her lustful thoughts. “That was really sweet of you, but I told you this weekend is all about you.”
“But...” Becca was dismayed to find that her voice squeaked out the word.
“Uh-uh. No buts,” he said mildly as he lifted her face again and gave her a smile that fairly lit up the room. “Besides,” he continued while opening the cupboard behind her and pulling out a box of cereal, “occasions like this are why Frosted Flakes were invented.”
Becca rolled her eyes at Ethan's jest, but nevertheless, the corners of her mouth turned up in response. She withdrew from his embrace and gathered bowls, spoons and milk while he poured tall glasses of orange juice.
She spotted the loaf of bread she'd laid out earlier. “How about I make some toast to go with the cereal?”
Ethan narrowed his eyes skeptically. “How about I make the toast? I think you've murdered enough food for one morning.”
She snorted in indignation and playfully slapped him on the arm for good measure, earning her a hearty laugh in response.
“Hey, the weather is beautiful. Why don't we have breakfast out on the balcony?” he suggested while placing slices of bread into the slots of the toaster.
“I'd love that.”
As they ate their breakfast, the cheerful sunshine warmed Becca all the way through to her bones. Not that she really needed any help with that. She continued her perusal of Ethan's body through the veil of her lashes. He was doing a fine job of heating her up without even trying.
Becca cleared her throat. “If I'd known you were going to sleep on the sofa, I would have let you share my bed.” She tried to make her tone playful even though she was dead serious. “It's way too big for one person.”
Ethan choked on his juice.
Becca reached over to pound him on the back. “Oh my gosh, are you OK?”
&n
bsp; When his coughing fit ended, he managed to croak, “Yeah...yeah, I'm fine.”
“I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you choke. I–I was just joking,” she lied.
Momentarily, she wondered if the thought of sleeping with her was undesirable to him. Maybe he did think of her as nothing more than a friend, and had never even considered it.
There was that time last year, she reminded herself. But Ethan was only comforting her that night, and neither of them had really intended to fall asleep together.
She quickly reigned in her racing thoughts, refusing to let her doubts get the best of her.
“Don't worry. It's not your fault.” Ethan took her hand in his and squeezed it gently. He chuckled. “And for the record, the sofa was surprisingly comfortable.”
Becca's hand tingled at his touch, and she smiled at him shyly. “I'm glad. But I thought you had another bedroom here. What's that door on the other side of the living room?”
“Oh! Um...yeah.” Ethan released her hand and scratched his brow. He seemed rather flustered by her questions, making her wonder if he was hiding something.
“I-I'm having that bedroom remodeled. You don't want to go in there. It's really messy with all the...uh...sawdust and everything.”
“OK.” She shrugged, but still couldn't shake the feeling that he was acting strangely.
Ethan glanced at his watch. “We should get ready, or we're going to be late for my next surprise.”
She grinned. “What do you have up your sleeve now?”
“Well, if I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise anymore, would it?”
Becca rolled her eyes at him and sighed. “Fine. Have it your way.”
Ethan started gathering up their dirty dishes. “Since it takes ladies longer, why don't I clean up here while you get started. We can meet in the living room in say...forty-five minutes?”
“It's a date!” she replied enthusiastically as she got up from the table and headed to her room.
His Heart's Desire Page 23
