Amazed (Tempted Book 3)

by Heather Doltrice

  “Babe, back up,” Ethan said, sounding tense.

  Turning around to look at Ethan, I gave him a questioning look when I saw the pissed off expression on his face.

  “Did you want pizza instead?” I asked, feeling way beyond confused.

  “Leave or I’ll call the cops,” Ethan said, threating the delivery guy.

  What was his problem? Turning around, I saw who it was and I felt vile rise in my throat.

  Talon was standing in my doorway with a sick grin on his face.

  I tried to move but it felt like my feet were super glued to the hardwood.

  “Grace, I’ve missed your body,” Talon said, running his hand down my arms.

  Being pulled away from his touch, I felt onto Ethan’s chest.

  “Don’t touch her,” Ethan growled, gripping me tighter with every word, “Grace, go in your room and lock the door. Don’t come out.”

  Nodding, I ran like Lighting and slammed the door behind me.

  I could hear muffled voices, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. Pacing back and forth, I felt my through try to close up and I started to break out in a cold sweat. I was having an anxiety attack.

  I took a few deep breaths to calm myself down.

  I couldn’t let Ethan stay out there alone with that monster, so I did the first thing I could think of. I grabbed my phone and dialed Roman.

  “Grace, what’s up?” he asked, sounding confused.

  I knew I was going to get that reaction from him because I never call Roman.

  “Roman, you need to get here now,” I told him, sniffling.

  “Are you crying? What’s wrong?”

  “Ethan came over and we were about to watch a movie when someone rang the doorbell. I thought it was our food being delivered but it was Talon, Roman.”

  “Where are you now?” he asked.

  “I’m in my r-room,” I said, trying to stop crying.

  “Breathe, Grace. Where is Ethan?”

  “In the living room with Talon. Get here quick, Roman. He needs you.”

  “I’m on my way,” he said before hanging up.

  Hearing glass shatter, I jumped.

  Getting in the corner, I slid down the wall and pulled my knees to my chest. Rocking back and forth, I prayed that this nightmare would end and I would never have to see Talon again.

  Hearing another voice, I got up and slowly walked to the door. Pressing my ear against it, I tried find out what was going on.

  Feeling something roughly hit the door, I jumped back. My mind started to go through all the scenarios that could have been happening on the other side of my bedroom door.

  What if Ethan gets hurt?

  What if Roman gets hurt?

  What if Talon gets away again?

  What if Talon comes near me and hurts me again?

  All of the “what if” questions had me on the verge of another anxiety attack.

  “What do I do?” I asked myself, pacing back and forth.

  I had two choices, I could stay in my room and hide or I could stand up to him. I could take my life back and not give him what he wanted. Fear.

  Choosing to not be afraid anymore, I opened my door and saw Roman sprawled out across the floor holding his knee.

  “Grace, I told you to stay in your room,” Ethan yelled, causing me to turn my head to find where he was at.

  He was standing over Talon’s lifeless body.

  “I didn’t want to let fear take over me anymore,” I said, staring at Talon, “Is he dead?”

  “No, but I wish he was,” Ethan replied, looking at Talon with disgust all over his face, “Call the police.”

  Running into my room, I grabbed my phone from its place on my bed and dialed 911. After hanging up, I ran back in the living room and saw Roman standing, well more like leaning on the couch for support but he was up. That’s all that mattered.

  “They’re on their way,” I announced, making my way to Ethan and planting myself in his arms, “I love you.”

  Ethan’s whole face relaxed when I said that. Looking down at me, he smiled and pulled in close.

  “I love you,” he said, kissing my cheek.

  Feeling brave, I knew it was the perfect time for me to take charge.

  “Come on, Baby, kiss me like you mean it,” I told him, pulling him by his shirt.

  “Ouch,” Roman said, grabbing his knee, “Get a room.”

  Raising his eyebrow, he put his lips on mine and fireworks went off. For the first time in a while I actually felt safe. I felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

  Our kiss was cut short because just as it was getting good the police knocked on the door.

  “I would get it but I don’t think I could make it to the door without falling over. He kicked my ass,” Roman said, pointing to the door.

  Pain was evident on his face. If Emma would have been there she would have kicked Talon when he was down. Literally.

  The police asked what seemed like a million questions and then finally they left.

  “Roman! Where are you?” Emma shrieked, busting in the room with tears streaming down her face and Kate on her hip.

  Kate was giving her a “What the heck” look but I understood those tears, I knew the meaning behind them. She was in love and the love of her life was in danger and she didn’t even know it was happening. I know what went through her head when she found out he was hurt. She loved him fully. She loved him with everything she had. I got it because that’s the way I loved Ethan.

  It’s special and rare to find that kind of love. The kind you cherish. The kind that comes before anything and everything. The kind you read about, hear songs about, and watch movies about. The kind that gives you chills and makes you smile. The kind that makes you believe in happy endings. The kind that makes you happy. The kind that is real.

  I had found it. Sure, it was a bumpy road but Ethan was finally mine and I was finally his. For good this time.

  For always.

  Chapter 32

  I finally felt up to going out of the apartment because Talon was where he belonged, behind bars. I wore a short dress, make up, and heels for date night with my boyfriend and I felt empowered. I wasn’t going to be a victim anymore, I was going to be a happy girl that was madly in love.

  Looking over the menu, I felt Ethan staring at me.

  “What is it? Do I have something on my face? Do I look okay?” I asked, looking down at my blush colored dress.

  “No, you don’t look okay,” he said, letting his eyes roam all over me, “You look phenomenal.”

  Blushing, I glanced down at my menu again. It amazed me that he had seen me naked but he still had the ability to make me blush with words alone.

  “Thank you, Baby,” I said, dragging my foot up his leg.

  “Don’t thank me, I’m only telling the truth.”

  “I’m so relived you got good news today,” I told him, reaching for his hand and squeezing it.

  Ethan had went to his doctor earlier that day and was told that his leg was healing quickly. He was expected to be back on the field come fall. The doctor said it was a miracle because from the beginning they didn’t expect him to recover as fast as he was.

  “Did you see my mom’s face when they told her I was fine?” he asked, laughing and shaking his head, “She was as damn nervous over that surgery.”

  “I did, she was over the moon but I think Roman had the best reaction.”

  When the doctor told us Ethan didn’t need the surgery. I cried tears of joy, Ava started jumping and screaming, West did a little dance because he’s weird like that, Emma, Maddie, and Holland ran up and hugged Ethan, Lucy latched on to his good knee, and Roman hit the ground and started sobbing.

  He wanted his brother to have the best life possible. He wanted him to wake up every morning and get to do what he loved. Roman enjoyed working at the shop because cars were his jam. Ethan not so much. He was most at home with that football in his hand.

  So,
when we found out he didn’t need the surgery and he could still play football we were ecstatic. We didn’t want him in pain but that wasn’t the reason. No, the reason was because he deserved everything he wanted in life and more.

  He had to grow up quickly when his dad died. He never really got to be the immature, carefree teenager his brother did. He had to step up to the plate and be there for his family because Roman couldn’t handle it all. But most of all he stepped up for Lucy because he wanted her childhood to be special.

  He always backed everyone else one hundred percent in what they wanted to do, so it was his turn. We wanted him to achieve every dream, every last one.

  “He’s such a drama queen,” he said, rolling his eyes.

  “Ethan?”

  “Yeah, Amazing Grace?”

  “Will you spend the night?”

  It was a big step in our relationship. Sure, we had spent the night together plenty but that time was different. We hadn’t be intimate since my attack, the farthest we had been was kisses. Lots of them.

  “Are you sure?” he asked, giving me an opening to back out if I felt uncomfortable in any way.

  That made me feel more confident with my offer to him.

  “Positive,” I said, smiling.

  “Well, in that case I would be honored.”

  After dinner we drove back to my apartment and went straight to my room. Ethan unbuttoned his shirt and let it hit the floor.

  “Let’s get you out of that dress,” He said, turning me around and slowly dragging the zipper down my back until my dress was around my feet.

  Scooping me up, he softly laid me on the bed and pulled my shoes off.

  “You sure you want to do this? Because if you have any hesitations we can watch a movie,” he said, proving to me that he was one of the good ones and I was sure about us making love.

  My heart felt like it was going to explode with joy. Seriously, if it would have busted open teddy bears, flowers, and glitter would have fallen out. I was that happy.

  “You would wait for me?” I asked, falling more and more in love with him by the second.

  Kneeling down beside the bed, he stroked my face.

  “I would walk through fire for you, Grace. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

  “I’m sure. I want to do this, I want us,” I said, pulling him on top of me,

  “Let’s go slow,” he whispered, resting his hands on my thighs.

  “Why? I’m fine. I’m not fragile, I promise you I’m not going to break.

  “I know you’re not fragile. I want to take it slow because I want to worship your body. I want to make love to you. I want to take my time,” he said, placing kisses all over me.

  “No arguments here,” I said, beaming.

  Getting off of me, he discarded his clothes and pulled a condom out of what seemed like thin air. Making his way to the bed, he slid my lacey panties down my legs and tossed them behind him. My bra was the next thing to go.

  “Amazing,” he said, sucking in a breath while looking at my body.

  Smiling at me, he lowered his mouth to my nipple and nipped at it with his teeth. That caused me to grip my bed spread and howl out in pleasure.

  His mouth moved over to how my other nipple some attention. Grabbing my legs, he pushed me up further onto the bed and let his mouth wander this time licking my inner thighs before letting his tongue go to work inside of me.

  “This is what I was hungry for,” he growled, swirling his tongue around my hood, “You taste so good.”

  “Shit,” I shouted, using one hand to tug on his hair.

  He knew how to use his tongue, I had to give him that.

  Removing his mouth, I got excited knowing what was coming next. He could really work his fingers. Hell, he knew how to work everything just right.

  His finger teased me. He would rub me and then move it away. He was building me up and I knew he wouldn’t let me fall. He never did.

  “Ethan, please,” I begged, biting my lip and pulling on my nipples.

  Putting me out of my misery, he slowly put his finger inside of me. He was slowly but surely entering me to make sure I felt everything and I did. Oh, I did.

  He thrust his finger in me while using his other hand to stroke himself. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him. He was the sexiest man I had ever seen and he was mine. All mine.

  I was so afraid I was going to link sex to Talon for the rest of my life but Ethan was proving me wrong. He was showing me that Talon didn’t matter. That he didn’t deserve to be a part of my life and that I needed to forget about what happened. I needed to put it behind me and not give Talon the satisfaction of knowing he had this hold over my life.

  Ethan made me feel free and I was loving every minute.

  “Look at me, Babe. I want to see your eyes when you feel me inside of you,” he said, pressing his tip against me.

  Nodding, I locked eyes with him. He gradually inserted himself inside of me. When he was all the way in he rocked back and forth making my eyes widen with excitement.

  “That’s the expression I was hoping for,” he said, smiling down at me.

  Each thrust got more intense.

  “Don’t go easy,” I begged, moaning breathlessly.

  “You’re killing me,” he said, speeding up.

  He just thought I was killing him when in reality he was killing me. I was on the verge of an orgasm when he pounded into me, sending me over the edge.

  Feeling my body convulse, I started smiling so much my cheeks were beginning to hurt.

  Rolling off me, Ethan started smiling the same way.

  Apparently happiness was contagious and I didn’t want any cure.

  Chapter 33

  Emma and Roman’s backyard was full. Roman decided to throw a fourth of July barbeque. Emma wasn’t too thrilled and maybe that was the reason she was trying to kill him with her eyes.

  She didn’t like having such a big group of people around her baby but Roman was the total opposite. He wanted to show his girls off any chance he got.

  I sided with Emma. I had grown to dislike big crowds. Ethan had left me to navigate the backyard by myself when we walked through the door. Looking around, I didn’t see him anywhere.

  “You’re so sexy when you’re lost in thought,” Ethan whispered in my ear, wrapping his arms around my waist.

  Found him.

  “Hey, Babe. Where have you been?” I asked, laying my head on his shoulder.

  “West and Maddie were fighting. He called me in to tell her she was crazy,” he said, moving away from me.

  I had this strange feeling he was lying to me. His body language was giving him away. Something was up.

  “You seem a little off today. You sure everything’s okay?” I asked, folding my arms over my chest.

  “Yep, fine. I’m going to see the guys,” he said, walking away without as much as a peck.

  Something was definitely going on with him. He always kissed me goodbye, even if he was just going to the kitchen.

  Did I do something wrong? Did I say something? Was he not happy with me anymore? I wasn’t a fan of not knowing and he knew that.

  In an attempt to keep myself from freaking out I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a glass of lemonade.

  “He needs to tell her, Maddie, not you. Let him do it,” I heard West whisper yell in the next room.

  He didn’t know the difference in an indoor and outdoor voice apparently. Tiptoeing closer to the wall between the kitchen and the living room, I pressed my ear to it and listened.

  “Well, Ethan needs to hurry up and tell her. He needs to man up,” Maddie replied, getting closer to the wall.

  What did Ethan need to man up about? From the way their conversation sounded it seemed to me that Ethan was going to break up with me. My heart dropped to my stomach and I instantly felt sick.

  Hearing her footsteps getting closer, I turned on my heels and ran outside.

  Seeing Holland and Emma, I sprinted towar
d them.

  “Whoa, where’s the fire?” Holland asked.

  Giving her a “don’t start” look, I sipped my lemonade and tried to catch my breath.

  “Where’s your better half?” Emma asked, holding a sleeping Kate, “You guys are usually connected at the hip.”

  “He’s having guy time,” I said, pointing to where Ethan and all of the guys were laughing and talking.

  He wasn’t even looking my way. That was the only time the whole day that I saw him smile, I mean really smile. When he was around me he was uptight and not himself, but looking at him then he was the happy go lucky Ethan I knew and loved.

  “They do love their guy time,” she said, laughing,

  But that was thing, Ethan usually hated guy time. He always wanted to be with me and I always wanted to be with him. We weren’t only in a relationship, we were best friends.

  “Hey, Ladies,” Maddie said, taking an empty seat and joining us.

  “I don’t see any ladies here,” West said, walking by.

  “Suck it,” Maddie told, getting some laughs from Emma and Holland and a mock shocked look from West.

  I wasn’t in any mood to laugh. Shaking my head, I watched West go join Ethan. A minute later it looked as if they were in deep conversation. Even from the other side of the yard I knew what they were talking about.

  Me.

  West was probably telling him that if he wasn’t happy needed to get out of the relationship. As much as it hurt me to admit it, if that’s what West was telling him he was right if he would be happier without me he should end it.

  I sat there hoping like hell that I was just over thinking it and everything was fine. Ava and Lucy walked over to join us, so I pepped up. I didn’t want them to worry about my relationship. I wanted them to be happy.

  “Hey, Luce, what’s up?” I asked, pulling the beautiful girl on to my lap.

  “When are you going to marry my brother?” she asked, looking up at me with a huge mile on her face.

  Choking on my gulp of lemonade, I tried to think of an answer to her question.

  “You okay, Sweetie?” Ava asked, patting me on the back.

  “Yep, I’m good. It’s really sweet,” I said, holding up the glass cup.