Impatiently Patient

by Amelia Shea

  “Talked to Dad on the way here, we’re gonna order pizzas. Cass and Sadie are on their way,” Stone said to the group but no one in particular.

  Bogs walked back in to the living room, taking a seat between Roxanne and Emory. He looked over at Emory and winked. “I could say so much.”

  “Yeah but you won’t cause you know I’ll kick your ass.”

  Bogs burst out laughing and turned back to the guys. “What the hell is up with your women?” Pointing to Stone, he said, “Yours was talking about my balls last week.” Turning to Ethan, he continued, “Now yours is talking about my ass.” He sat back on the couch. “Fucking control your women!”

  The room burst out laughing and Emory sat back and just enjoyed being home. With her man.

  Sadie and Cassie arrived about twenty minutes later. They were obviously excited to see her and spent all of Emory’s time asking questions, talking about how happy they were that she came home. She finished her beer and made her way into the kitchen, stopping when she saw Ethan standing by the glass door, Roxanne standing behind him with her arms wrapped around his stomach, resting her head on his back.

  Ethan’s hands covered hers at his stomach.

  “You deserve her, E.”

  “Rox…”

  “You deserve all the love and happiness she’s going to give you. And she deserves you too.”

  Emory stepped back not wanting to interrupt their moment. She leaned against the wall outside the kitchen and listened.

  “You know what would make this perfect?” she whispered.

  “What’s that?”

  “If you guys made me an aunt.” She giggled.

  Emory laughed, shaking her head and heard Ethan’s distinct chuckle.

  “Someday,” she heard Ethan reply.

  *

  It was strangely comfortable for him, sitting around the table, having dinner with his family, with Emory by his side. From the teasing she took from Bogs and a few comments thrown in by Stone, he feared it might be awkward. It wasn’t. It was natural. Aside from the smiles and side glances he got from Sadie and Cassie when he leaned in to whisper in her ear or their eyes following her hand when it rested on his leg, it was all very normal.

  Ethan was finishing his wine when his eyes caught T’s. No one else at the table took notice of their internal conversation. They had decided to covertly question the girls about Evie but they had to be careful. They wanted Roxanne and Cassie in the dark about what they had found out. It concerned them all that the girls were in the crosshairs of an extremely dangerous situation.

  Ethan nodded at T, prepared to offer the segue into a conversation about Evie. Fortunately, Emory stepped in providing it.

  “So, Rox, what’s Evie’s deal?”

  Ethan watched his brothers’ faces tense at the mentioning of her name but they kept their bodies calm and gave the impression of disinterest. Roxanne and Cassie, however, perked up at Emory’s question.

  “What do you mean?” Roxanne asked, confused.

  “She just seemed off today in your office. Well, not off exactly, but…” Emory leaned her elbows on the table. “I mean, I don’t know her well but when I came in she was all normal, we talked, and then I mentioned something and she got weird, almost distant.”

  “What’d ya mention?” Bogs asked, getting a glare from Ethan. He needed to back off and leave this conversation for the girls. The men had to appear indifferent to the topic of Evie. Bogs looked at Ethan, realizing his mistake.

  “I just asked why she wasn’t in the ribbon cutting picture.”

  “She’s just really shy, Em, don’t take it personal,” Cassie chimed in, taking a bite of her brownie.

  “Yeah, shyest chick I’ve ever met.”

  Jesus Christ, Bogs, shut the hell up.

  “Maybe she’s not really shy, she just has good taste and doesn’t want to talk to you,” Roxanne teased and stuck out her tongue.

  Emory laughed and shrugged. “Well, she seems really sweet, just thought I hurt her feelings or something.”

  Cassie shook her head. “No, you’re good, Em. She’s just shy and really private. She said she hates pictures so she asked not to be in them. I tried to get her to come over for dinner a few times but she always has an excuse.” Cassie wiggled her eyebrows. “I’m hoping her excuse is a guy.”

  The girls laughed at Cassie and Ethan smiled. They weren’t going to get anything out of Roxanne or Cassie because they really didn’t know much about her. It seemed Evie had made certain to stay private and keep herself away. That was good, for the girls’ sake.

  Ethan rested his arm over the back of Emory’s chair. Immediately he felt her hand on his thigh and her body curved into his side. He wanted to get her out of here and into his bed. He was finding that his fiery little redhead was becoming an addiction.

  “Well, we’re going to head out soon,” T said, backing out of his chair and standing. Cassie stood up and Ethan watched his brother’s arm wrap around her back, sliding her to his side and kissing her on the lips, then whispering in her ear. From across the table, Ethan could read his lips. “Just give me five, pix, gotta talk to the guys.” He kissed her again.

  Stone and Bogs followed T out of the dining room. It was obvious T wanted to talk before they all left. Ethan turned to Emory, who was staring at him.

  “You go; I’ll help clean up here.” She leaned over kissing him quickly and stood up.

  Ethan tossed his napkin on the table, gazing up to see Sadie smiling at him. He returned the smile and winked before making his way down the hall.

  He closed the door, twisting the lock and turned to his brothers.

  “Well that was fucking useless?” T gritted out through his teeth.

  Ethan walked over to his brothers.

  “Call Trent and Declan. We need to make Evie go away,” Ethan said it and knew his brothers were thinking the same thing.

  “I’ll call. They’re waiting on it. What do we tell Cass and Rox?” Stone asked.

  Ethan shook his head. “Nothing for now. Let’s do this quickly. When we figure out what to do with the girl then we can figure out what to do about Cassie and Roxanne. We need eyes on her. Bogs?”

  “I’m on it.”

  T and Stone went over to his dad’s desk, making the calls. Ethan leaned back on the bookshelf watching Bogs type into his phone, then walked up next to him. Bogs shook his head, twisting his lips.

  “What?”

  He turned to Ethan. “We should have been fucking accountants.”

  Ethan grinned.

  Chapter 16

  “AH…YES!” Emory rocked harder on his cock, slamming down and riding out her second orgasm of the night. She was currently straddling Ethan who was lying on his back in bed. Her knees gripped tight around his hips, her hands squeezing his chest, digging her nails into him.

  She had been a bit hesitant when he propped her on top of him but she got over her fear of being on top; quickly. Hands down, this was her new favorite position. She felt her body shiver, her orgasm so close, her head fell back, straining her neck. Yes!

  Ethan’s hand gripped her hips and fucked her until she heard his long groan and felt him come hard inside her. Panting hard, she collapsed on top of him, her face planting into the curve of his neck.

  Their breathing matched each other in loud steady huffs. His hands caressed her back down to her butt and back up to her shoulders.

  “I can’t believe I waited, this sex thing is awesome.” She snickered.

  Ethan’s chest rumbled with his own chuckle and he slapped her on the ass causing her to gasp. “Ow.”

  “No joking about waiting,” he snarled.

  She kissed his lips. “You were worth the wait.”

  “So were you,” he whispered, kissing her lips and rolling her over. He lay on top of her, letting his fingers graze over her cheeks, across the bridge of her nose, down to her neck.

  He did that a lot, s
he noticed.

  She cocked her head, staring into his blue eyes. “Why do you do that?”

  “Because I miss them.”

  “Miss what?” What was he talking about?

  “Your freckles. Can’t see them with your makeup.”

  She snorted. “You miss my freckles?”

  “Yes. It’s part of what makes you special. Remember?”

  Of course she remembered. How could she forget the day he told her she was special? She was just surprised he remembered.

  “Even back then, before even I knew it,” he kissed her nose, “you were mine.” Pulling away from her, he stood up and walked to the bathroom. She watched him disappear through the door but not before enjoying the amazing view of his ass.

  She licked her lips falling back onto the bed. Damn, her lips were dry.

  “You have lip balm?” she shouted.

  “Check the nightstand.”

  She rolled over onto her stomach, opening the drawer. She moved her hand through some papers, digging into the back of the drawer. She felt it and lifted the papers. Grabbing the lip balm, she noticed a few pictures and grabbed the small pile.

  She flipped past the first one of him and all the guys at Stone’s wedding. The next was from when they were younger, his graduation from college with the whole family surrounding him. She smiled at the memory. She had gone to watch him get his degree. To most sixteen-year-olds it would have been boring but she thought it was so exciting. Everything about Ethan was exciting.

  She flipped to the next picture, pausing. It was a picture of Ethan about seven years old holding a baby. There was a man sitting next to him with dark hair and a beautiful smile. It was Ethan’s smile. It must have been his dad. The woman was smiling at the camera, resting her hand on Ethan’s lap and propping up the baby. Roxanne. The woman’s blue eyes were gorgeous. Only two other sets of eyes she had seen, were that beautiful. It was their mom.

  She flipped to the next one. They were in front of a Christmas tree. Roxanne in her dad’s arms hugging a doll. She couldn’t have been more than three; Ethan standing in front of his mom, her arms wrapped around his chest, her chin resting on his head. They looked really happy, causing tears to well up in Emory’s eyes.

  A small movement caught her eye. She glanced over at the bathroom door to see Ethan leaning against the frame. He was watching her. He didn’t look angry but he didn’t smile.

  She gave him a sad smile. “You got your dad’s smile and your mom’s eyes.”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Rox never showed me pictures of your mom and dad.”

  He walked to the bed and sat next to her, taking the picture from her hand, staring at it. “She doesn’t have any. Don’t think she’s ever seen these.”

  “Why?”

  He was silent. His face was solemn, as if he were locked in a memory. She’d never seen him this way. Vulnerable. Her hand draped over his leg, caressing him. She didn’t need him to talk or explain, she just wanted him to know she was there. For him.

  His voice was low as he kept his eyes on the picture.

  “She doesn’t remember them. She was young. I remember her crying in my arms for my mom, night after night. She was so little.” He paused, a small smile playing on his lips. “From the first day, Darla and John took us in, she never cried for our mom again. Darla made sure to dote on her, love her. John too. The only memory Roxanne has of her parents are John and Darla.

  “When I was younger, I was jealous that Rox had that. She didn’t remember our mom and dad so she didn’t miss them. I missed them.” He paused. “I wanted to give her that, not feeling the pain of losing them. I didn’t want her to hurt like I did so I never talked about them, never showed her pictures.”

  “She never asked?”

  “A few times but I said we didn’t have any. Everything was sold off after they died. Our grandparents didn’t want us or any of my parents’ things.” He gazed at Emory. “I grabbed the only pictures I could find before we left our house. Those are the only ones I had.”

  He placed the picture back down on the pile, picking up the next one. “Darla wanted me to show Roxanne.” He smiled. “Said it was important to remember them, talk about them, keep their memory alive.”

  Emory fought back the tears. “What were they like?”

  “They loved us and each other.” He laughed. “I swear, my first memory of my dad is him kissing my mom every day when he got home from work. My mom was a teacher and my dad was an investment banker. They were good people, good parents.”

  They remained quiet. Ethan stood up, gathered the pile of pictures and placed them back in the drawer. Emory rolled over on the bed making room for him, and he slid next to her. Wrapping his arms around, he pulled her into his body, his face nestled in her hair.

  She wound her fingers through his at her stomach and whispered, “Someday, I think Rox would like to see those. Someday, when you’re ready, I’d like to frame those pictures and hang them up. I want to remember your mom and dad, too. They brought me the two most important people into my life.”

  Ethan hugged her tighter and they lay in silence.

  *

  He woke to the sound of his phone ringing on the night stand. Peeling his eyes open, he reached for it and answered, “Ethan Barrett.”

  “You know that shit annoys the piss out of me, is that why you fucking do it?” T stated from the other end of the phone.

  Ethan snorted. “I didn’t know it was you, T. Although knowing it pisses you off only encourages me to continue doing it.”

  T ignored his comment. “Emory around?”

  Ethan rubbed his eyes and looked over at the crumpled sheets on her side of the bed. Pulling the phone away from his ear, he heard her off-key singing coming from his shower.

  He chuckled. Emory had a lot of amazing talents; singing was not one of them.

  “No, what’s up?”

  “My office at six.”

  “Evie?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  “Later.”

  Ethan didn’t bother saying bye, T had already hung up. Emory’s inability to hit a high note had him laughing his way into the bathroom. Even with the fan, the room was foggy from the hot shower. He stalked over, catching the curve of her breast through the glass door. His cock sprung up at the sight of her full breast, water dripping off her beaded nipple.

  He opened the door and slid inside. His shower was huge, another selling point to his place. There was a long bench on the opposite side, big enough for two people. Ethan smirked at the thought of taking her, all wet and hot, on that bench.

  She turned around and screamed. “God, Ethan!” She immediately covered her breasts and crossed her legs. “You scared the hell out of me.”

  The water pelted his naked body and he cocked his brow. “Surprise!”

  She blushed, still covering her body. He inched closer, hovering over her. “Baby, I’ve seen your body.”

  “I know but, not like on display, or wet.”

  His mouth came to her ear, his hands grasping hers, pulling them away from her breasts. “I’ve seen you wet, Em.”

  Her hands tightened on his, “You know what I mean. I’ve never showered with anyone.”

  “Good.” He licked down her neck. “I like being your first and last.”

  She giggled relaxing into him and wrapping an arm around his neck and her hand around his erection. She moved over him, making him grow harder.

  “I want to be your first and last for something. Ever have sex in the shower?”

  Ethan kept his mouth shut but he felt her stiffen against his body.

  “Fuck.” She backed away, releasing his aching cock.

  He knew she was seconds from bolting out of the shower. He hadn’t slept with tons of women but he obviously had more experience than Emory. He grabbed her hand, bringing it to his mouth. “You are my first and last for a lot o
f things, Em.”

  “Name one,” she challenged, her eyes holding a slight anger.

  His hands slid up her body to her face, bowing his head and kissing her lips. His tongue stroked the seam of her mouth, begging for entrance. She gripped his waist but held back from his kiss. His mouth dragged down her neck, licking her soft skin.

  “Never been sucked dry during a business call,” he whispered. “Hottest fucking thing I’ve ever seen.”

  Her head came down nudging his to meet his lips. Her lips parted and he thrust his tongue, tasting her. Her hand grazed his hip and grasped his cock, again. The water beating down on his back and head, the water seeped into their kiss. Her hand jerked him slowly as he moved into her touch. He moaned into her mouth, wanting her to know what he was feeling.

  His hands caressed her neck, dropping down to her breasts. His fingers glided over her nipples, making her gasp.

  “Never come so hard as I did being inside you.” He whispered, “Taking you bare was a first, hopefully not a last, ’cause, Em,” his mouth skimmed her lips in the faintest touch, “being inside you, with nothing between us? Never felt anything so good.”

  He nudged her backward, her grip still on his cock, pulling in long strokes. His hand drew down to her stomach landing between her thighs, sliding his finger into her folds.

  “Ethan.”

  He took her mouth in a passionate kiss, her mouth opening to his and sucking on his tongue, her teeth grazing with a soft bite. He spun them around, sitting down on the bench, pulling her over his body. Her legs straddled him and his mouth came down, latching on to her nipple, drawing firmly.

  She moaned, rubbing against his cock. His arms circled her back lifting her ass up and setting her back down.

  He felt every inch of himself enter her wetness.

  His mouth moved to her other breast, licking her nipple, growing harder from every shift of her core. Her body moved over his, pulling far enough out then sliding back down. He crushed her chest to his, moving his hips slowly to meet her thrusts.

  Her arms wrapped him. He kissed her neck. “First and last to chase a girl five states to make her mine.” He plunged deeper inside her, feeling her moist walls grip him tight. He groaned, feeling his dick about to explode inside her.