We’d almost lost our lives this afternoon. I’d refused to cry, refused to give that bastard who’d almost shot me at point blank range any power over me.
But I was still shaken and I could see Ethan was, too.
Staring behind him into the dusky night I saw Cameron’s BMW driving off. My gaze drifted back to Ethan and the bandage on his forehead. His white shirt was crinkled and his pants were creased. He was also missing his belt - probably removed when he’d had his CT scan. He was holding an overnight bag.
I gave him a polite smile. “Come in.”
He stepped inside. “The CT scan turned out fine.”
“Thank goodness.”
“They wanted to keep me overnight. I signed out AMA.” He sighed. “I promised Cameron I’d come here and have you observe me for any signs of imminent death, as if I’d be so lucky. Thank you for inviting me over.”
“I’m glad you’re here. Talking about today will be good for both of us.”
He studied my face and cringed. “You didn’t know I was coming?”
“It’s fine.”
“Yeah…this isn’t awkward.”
“I want you here.”
“I can Uber home.”
“You don’t want to go home, surely?”
He gave a shrug.
“Stay. I need company right now.”
“If you’re sure.”
I led him into the sitting room.
He stared at the elegant cello resting on a stand in the corner and his gaze met mine.
“You play?”
“It belonged to a dear friend. He wanted me to have it.”
“I heard a cello playing, remember?”
I shrugged. “I’m as baffled as you.”
“That was kind of weird,” Ethan said.
I wanted to believe it, needed to, but was still feeling too fragile to entertain the idea that Danton had come back to me.
“I’ve often felt guilty for keeping his cello. I should give it to a talented musician, but I just can’t part with it.”
“It’s gorgeous.”
“Danton would play for me.” There was that familiar pang of loss. “I found out after he’d died he was one of France’s prominent musicians. He played at Carnegie Hall. I was naive back then and had no idea how truly talented he was. I loved it when he played, but it wasn’t until afterward that I really knew of his greatness. Those final months with him were profound.”
“You were lovers?”
“Yes.”
“I’m so sorry. How did he die?”
“He had a brain tumor.”
He looked devastated for me.
I forced a grin. “We both understand what it is to lose someone special.”
He gave a nod and cleared his throat. “I play the sax,” he said, changing the subject, clearly uncomfortable with the intimacy.
“I remember Cameron mentioning it.”
A coy expression crossed his face, as though he, too, remembered that awkward exchange in Cameron’s office. Ethan looked so much more fragile than I’d ever seen him and Cameron knew I wouldn’t turn him away. Not after everything we’d both been through.
Ethan set his bag on the floor. “I wasn’t sure where else to go. I’m not the most popular person, as you’ve no doubt discovered.”
I suppressed a smile.
“You know how it goes. I’m the alcohol police if you’re driving home. No smoking pot in front of me.” He scratched his neck. “Pay my taxes on time. Never late on a bill. No porn.”
“You’re squeaky clean then?”
“Squeaky has nothing on me.”
“Well, you’re welcome here if you don’t mind hanging out with a fallen woman.”
“A fallen woman who saved my life.” After a thoughtful pause, he said, “Cameron was kind enough to find some new clothes for me.”
“He’s good like that.”
Ethan walked over and pulled me into a hug.
Closing my eyes, I savored the physical contact, his warmth soothing me, and I rose onto my toes and kissed his cheek. “Stay here for as long as you like.”
“How can you be so kind after how I treated you?”
“That’s who we are, Ethan,” I said, stepping back to look up at him. “You can’t shock us. You can’t make us hate you because we know too much about the human condition. ”
“You’re more forgiving than me.”
“I believe that’s the point. I heard somewhere that ‘love is the art of continuous forgiveness’.”
“Going home is gonna be hard.” His lips trembled. “All my memories of her are there.”
“I understand.”
“That fucker desecrated those memories.”
“Come and sit down.” I gestured toward the couch.
Ethan noticed the ocean view. “Wow.”
“Yes, it’s quite something.”
“You live alone?”
“Yes.”
“No man in your life?”
“And no woman.” I gave him an amused look.
“Oh, you’re bi?”
“Yes.”
“But no one special right now?”
“No.”
“Cameron? You two have never…?”
“He’s like a brother to me. We made the decision a long time ago that sex was off limits.”
Ethan raised an eyebrow, as if he found our arrangement hard to believe.
“Let’s order in food. I didn’t have time to shop. Being attacked by a drug cartel seems to take up all my time these days.”
“That’ll teach you to trespass,” he said, winking at me.
And for a split second he reminded me of Danton, the way he’d stare at me like Ethan was doing now with pure kindness in his eyes.
I strolled into the kitchen. “I’ll get the menu.”
He followed me and I slid open the drawer and pulled out the restaurant brochure.
“Shay took care of our problem,” he said.
“What problem?”
“Apparently, they don’t want me to know where the body went. New hardwood floors were installed. The whole thing’s fucked up.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You guys really own my balls now. Don’t you?”
“That’s not how it works.”
“That’s how it always works.”
“Not with us, Ethan. You see decadence when you look at us. Indulgence. What we really are to those who know us are people who believe in forgiveness. Kindness. Understanding. Fulfillment. We take love-making to an ethereal level.”
“Yeah, well, sex is behind me now.” He threw up his arms. “As you’ve discovered.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Actually, I’ve tried everything to fix my…issue. Oh, this is not embarrassing at all.”
“You can tell me anything. I’m good with secrets.”
“You’re surprisingly easy to talk to.”
“So are you.”
“I’m an arrogant bastard and we both know it,” he said, grinning. “Do you have any beer?”
“Yes, of course.”
“This place is very you. Chic. Eclectic. You have a French flair.”
I laid the menu down on the counter and got to work on prying open two bottles of Miller Lite.
I handed him one. “I forgot to ask if you like Chinese food.”
Ethan came closer. “Yes.” He smiled. “I’m sure men tell you this all the time and it’s the most inappropriate thing I’ll ever say to you, I promise.” He stared into my eyes. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met, Scarlet. I haven’t looked at another woman since…”
“I’m sure she made you happy.”
“She was a pediatric nurse.”
I took a sip of beer. “We can talk about her if you like.”
“Later, maybe.”
After I placed our order, we settled in the living room and chatted for a while. When our food arrived, we went o
utside to the balcony to enjoy the sunset, settling in the rocking chairs and sipping beer. Ethan tucked into his orange chicken like he was starved, but I only picked at my cashew chicken. My appetite was still off.
Hours slipped away at a comfortable pace as I rocked in my chair, listening to Ethan share his life story. He talked about his time at Emory University in Georgia and his passion for law. He’d met his wife at a friend’s wedding in San Francisco. He’d ended up in California to be closer to her family. Now, he was seriously contemplating returning to Georgia.
The silences between us felt natural.
When the sea breeze became too chilly we headed back in and talked some more. Eventually, Ethan fell asleep on my couch and I pulled one of my soft throws over him, careful not to wake him.
I headed to the bathroom, needing to find a way to relax and decided on a warm bath. I carried my second beer with me and set it down on the edge of the sink.
Watching the tub fill, I breathed in the relaxing scent of vanilla mixed with lavender that rose with the steam. I actually felt a sense of peace that Ethan was here. I was reassured he’d be safe - for a while, at least, as no one else would know he was here. Shay and Cameron would have made sure of that.
My thoughts drifted, and suddenly I had a terrible flashback of being held at gunpoint.
A chill shot up my spine.
Any sense of control I’d had was merely an illusion. How quickly our lives can be turned upside down. The pathway we are on so easily decimated, leaving everything unrecognizable.
I’d learned long ago what true love felt like and since that day I’d never again experienced it so profoundly. I’d been with other men, of course, but no single man had ever affected me as deeply as Danton had. I hadn’t been so intrigued by another man until Ethan, and the fact that his fierce arrogance was used for the service of others had a sexy edge to it.
And that fricken southern accent made my clit throb.
Jesus, Scarlet, get a grip.
I pulled off my sweater and unzipped my jeans and removed them, placing them inside the hamper. I stripped out of my underwear and placed my bra and panties in there, too.
I was about to get in the tub when I heard Ethan call out from behind the door.
“Scarlet?”
“Yes.”
A moment of quiet lingered.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Can I come in?”
“I’m taking a bath.”
“I heard the water running.”
“I didn’t mean to wake you. There’s another bathroom down the hall. To the left.”
He went silent again.
We were such opposites and yet…
My mind carried me back to those moments of us in Chrysalis’s dungeon, a mistress and sub whose chemistry was undeniable, an undercurrent of passion taut with its denial. That need to touch him was an extraordinary vortex that I yearned to be drawn into.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have bothered you,” he said.
“Do you want to bathe with me?”
He twisted the door handle and stepped in, blinking as his gaze swept over my breasts and down to my sex. “Jesus, you’re beautiful.” He spun round and faced the door. “Sorry.”
“Look at me.”
He combed his fingers through his hair. “Not sure what I was thinking. Bit impulsive. It’s been a long day.”
I recalled how he’d reacted during our session, how in the quiet moments he’d pined to be touched by me, caressed and stroked to the point of pleasure.
“Would you like to fuck me?” I whispered it.
“We both know that’s impossible.” He started to leave.
“Wait.” I stepped forward and touched his back to encourage him to turn around.
Slowly, he faced me.
I rested my palm against his face. “Try not to think so much.”
Working on his shirt buttons first, I began to undress him and he relaxed a little as I unzipped his pants. He slid them off along with his underwear and socks, throwing everything in the corner.
His cock really was a thing of beauty, even as it hung between his thighs in a testament to his pain, unable to be aroused.
Ethan reached out and caressed my left breast, running a finger over the sensitized nipple. “God, you’re stunning.”
I let my gaze sweep over his nakedness in appreciation, showing him how gorgeous he was to me.
I gestured to the bath.
He climbed in and then reached out to take my hand, guiding me as I stepped in to join him. I stood in the welcome warmth and turned my back on him. Water swooshed around us as we sat down. I laid my back against his chest and my legs between his. He wrapped his arms around me.
“See how nice this is?” I reached for the sponge and caressed his calf.
“Can I touch you?”
“Yes.”
“I mean touch you.”
“I’m not going to come, Ethan.” I turned to look at him.
“Even if I want you to?”
“No. It doesn’t seem fair for me to come if you don’t.”
“It’s payback, baby,” he said with a Cary Grant accent. “You’ve been flaunting your beauty since I’ve met you.”
Laughing, I relaxed and let my head rest against his chest, my thighs parting slightly.
He nuzzled into my hair. “You smell amazing.”
He reached around my waist and his hands dipped lower, cupping me between my thighs. That first caress of his fingers sent pleasure coursing through me. He tenderly explored, easing apart my folds and flicking my clit with a brilliant precision, slowly at first and then faster, setting a perfect rhythm.
My inner wetness grew as his fingers continued their delicate strumming, his breaths heavy with desire.
He let out a long sigh. “I feel pleasure. Just can’t get the fucking thing up.”
Guilt washed over me that I was about to go where he couldn’t, rise higher than he ever would, my thighs trembling, my back arching as I neared climax.
I nudged his hand away.
His left hand gripped my throat in a strike of power.
Just as Danton had once done.
I froze.
“Ethan?” His name slipped from me like a quiet plea.
His show of domination sent me reeling and had my clit throbbing for more. I pushed back letting him know I liked his flash of dominance.
“This is not about you, Scarlet.” He let go of my throat and plunged his fingers between my thighs again, flicking.
I gripped the tub as bliss stole my ability to resist rising higher. “Ethan.”
“Come for me.”
Letting go, spine arching, I gave him what he demanded of me and came hard, writhing against him, my thoughts scattering as I climaxed, my sex clenching for him, my heart aching that I’d never feel him inside me.
This was the intimacy I’d craved when I’d first met him and it blew my mind we’d made it here, to this place of closeness and understanding. He had been my enemy, this man who had threatened to destroy my world, and yet now Ethan was fulfilling it in the most glorious way.
Drifting in and out of bliss, we stayed in the bath for a while, topping up the water as both heat and time evaporated, continuing to comfort each other.
He explored me further, sending me into a frenzy as he pumped two fingers inside me while his right hand flicked my clit, slowly at first, and then fast enough to cause my body to go rigid as another orgasm consumed me.
As I came again and again, I realized Ethan needed so very much to see he could still pleasure a woman…see he was still desirable.
I wanted to give him more of me and see him healed.
We let the water drain from the bath and stepped out, taking our time drying each other off. The continued intimacy was what we both needed, as though the cruelness of today could be endured no other way.
Not wanting to be apart, we headed off to bed together. I’d taken such pleasure in decorating m
y tranquil room with its refined Asian design. The leather headboard added the final touch of simple comfort, the lighting soft and inviting.
We lay facing each other with our heads resting on the two plush pillows, snuggled cozily beneath the satin duvet and holding hands like lovers who’d known each other for years - not like a couple who’d been going at each other in an argument just this morning.
“How are you doing?” he whispered.
“Good.” I smiled at him.
“I like being with you.”
“This is all very unexpected. One minute you’re threatening to shut my club down and the next we’re in bed.”
“That’s how I roll, baby.”
He made me laugh.
My fingertip ran over a small scar on his chin.
“Fell off my bicycle as a kid. Wish I could say I got it doing something more impressive, like wrestling an alligator.”
“I have one on my knee. Got it wrestling a croc.” I gave him my best oh yeah, got one up on you buddy look.
“I can’t believe you’re not married,” he said.
“I’m pretty choosy.”
“I’m honored then. You’ve let me in.”
“Not so long ago I thought you didn’t like me.”
He broke my gaze. “Sorry I treated you so harshly. In the dungeon you took my breath away and it scared me.”
“Why?”
“Well, other than my impending threat to charge you and shut down Chrysalis, I could see myself becoming obsessed with you.” He cringed. “I’m going to scare you off.”
“You had me mesmerized, too, Ethan. It’s that accent. Does things to me.”
He waggled his eyebrows. “Careful, that’s an invitation for me never to shut up.”
I dragged my teeth over my lip suggestively.
“Can’t believe I’m lucky enough to be with the sexiest woman alive.” His eyes devoured me.
“You’ve not dated since your wife?”
“Women tend to want a man who can deliver the goods. When was the last time you dated seriously?”
“Danton.”
“How long ago?”
“A long time.”
“You’ve never gotten close to someone since him?”
“Yes, but there’s never been anyone like him. He was pretty special.”
“Tell me more.”
“He was a beautiful man. Sweet and strong and brilliant.”
“A lot to live up to then?”
Enthrall Secrets (ENTHRALL SESSIONS 7) Page 13
