by Krista Lakes
“Do you have a condom?” Laura asked, suddenly realizing they hadn't discussed this part yet. If he didn't, she wasn't sure what she was going to do. She wanted this so badly. She was tempted to just go for it anyway. She was on the pill anyway, so she wasn't worried about getting pregnant.
He bent down and fished something from his pocket. He held up a small tinfoil square between his fingers, and she relaxed. It only took him a moment to slide out of his briefs and unroll the condom onto his impressive length. Maybe he was related to a T-Rex, she thought for a moment.
She sat on the couch, watching as he moved, still only wearing his tie. He put one knee on the couch and leaned forward to kiss her. She leaned back, spread her legs and guided him in.
She moaned as he filled her, pushing in deep and slow. He swallowed her cries in a kiss as he began to rock his hips and thrust into her. She wrapped her legs around him, pulling him ever into her. With every forward motion, he completed her in a way she'd never known possible.
He was powerful and primal. His body matched hers for every movement. Every motion spread pleasure through them both and Laura heard herself cry out with every thrust. Her fingernails dug into the muscles of his back as she felt pleasure overtake her yet again.
He pushed her over the edge of bliss without stopping this time. His hard length pounded into her, filling her in ways she didn't know needed filling. His tongue mimicked his body's movements, claiming her with every thrust.
She felt him swell and arched her hips to take more of him. It didn't take long before he joined her, shuddering in her arms. His arms shook with strength as his body claimed her as his own.
His own.
Something about being his made her heat again, but it was the low, male sound as he came that did her in. Her body reacted with an orgasm to rival the one earlier.
He dropped his head into the crook of her neck. His breaths came hard and fast, his chest rising and falling beneath her hands. She whimpered as her body shook with pleasure. This was better than anything she'd ever experienced.
He lifted his head to see her face. His green eyes were so damn beautiful that she gasped a little before kissing him. He kissed her back before collapsing back onto her. His weight was like a warm blanket that she never wanted to take off.
Laura was fairly sure her legs were now made of jelly and would never work again. Yet, she felt so amazingly good that she didn't care. This was the best sex she'd ever had in her life. Ever. It blew all other sex out of the water.
He stood up slowly and stretched. She liked watching his muscles stretch with him. She could watch him do that all day. It was almost as good as her jelly legs.
“So, can I see you again?” he asked, turning to smile at her when he caught her watching.
“I'd like that.” She shrugged. “Maybe we can go to an art museum or something.”
He chuckled at her joke and leaned over to kiss her. Good lord, he still tasted amazing.
“What's your number?” she asked, reaching to the floor to find her phone. It took her a second to locate it, but he waited patiently.
“555-1978,” he said, making sure to give her enough time to type in each number. She grinned, and his phone chirped from where he had dropped his pants.
He went to pick it up, smiling as he saw the text message. “Sexy Party Girl? That's what you want your contact name to be?”
“What? Like you're really going to remember my real name?” she asked.
“It's Laura,” he said, his lips caressing her name. He said it like it was important. Goosebumps ran down her arms.
“Okay, Ethan,” she replied with a smile. Maybe this was more than just a one-time thing.
He grinned at her. “I'm still saving you as Sexy Party Girl, though,” he said, hitting a button on his phone. “It'll make me smile every time I see it.”
The flutters filled her chest again. He wanted to see her number on his phone again. “I'm okay with that.”
“What are you saving me as?” he asked her, setting his phone down so he could put his pants back on.
“Sexy Party Boy,” she replied, hitting “save contact” on her phone. “I don't want us to get confused.”
He looked at her like she was the most amazing thing he'd ever seen. “I am so buying you another drink.”
She grinned and stood up to put her dress back on. “After this,” she motioned to their clothes scattered on the floor. “I'd hope so.”
He chuckled and kissed her before finishing getting himself dressed. She watched, enjoying the view and missing it as the clothing covered him up.
After making sure the coast was clear, they both snuck back out of the mother's room and back into the museum. Ethan grabbed Laura's hand as the walked, giving her a gentle squeeze as they left the quiet restroom area and rejoined the party.
“Can I get you a drink?” he asked, motioning toward the bar.
Laura chuckled. “Are you actually going to get me one this time, or are we heading back upstairs?”
The way his pupils dilated and focused only on her had her heating for him all over again. She was used to having lust fade after a sexual encounter, but this time it wasn't fading. If anything, she wanted him more now than she did ten minutes ago. She wasn't sure how that was possible, but she was going to enjoy it.
“I was planning on drinks, but if you kiss me again, we'll have to go right back upstairs,” he replied, his voice low and deep.
“Just don't walk under the mistletoe then,” she advised.
He glanced up toward the ceiling. “You have no idea how tempting that is.”
She flushed and smoothed her hair back. This party was definitely working out better than she ever could have hoped.
He gave her hand a gentle tug, and together they started walking to the bar.
“Ethan! Ethan!” A woman in a sexy red dress ran over to them, relief on her features. She was beautiful, but the dress seemed a bit much for a company Christmas party. “There you are. You weren't answering your phone.”
“It's a party, Janie,” he said gently. “I turned it off.”
The woman pouted, and Laura wondered what kind of lipstick she used. Whatever it was, she wanted to have lips like that, too.
“Ethan, I've been trying to find you since I got here,” she told him. That's when she noticed Laura. The woman's eyes went to their hands, and she frowned. “Who's she?”
“Janie, this is Laura,” Ethan replied. “Laura, this Janie. We work together.”
“Hmm.” Janie's eyes looked over Laura, and she stuck out her lower jaw, obviously unhappy. She then shook herself and turned back to Ethan. “I've been looking for you. You have an important message from Mr. Williamson. He couldn't get a hold of you, so he called me.”
Ethan's brows came together slightly. “About what?”
Janie shrugged, showing off a perfect creamy shoulder. “He wouldn't say. Just that I needed to find you right away. It sounded important.”
Ethan sighed. “It's probably about the airbags.” He studied Janie for a moment. “And you're sure he wanted me to talk to him now? Not tomorrow?”
“He said 'I need him now,'” Janie told him. “I told him I'd find you right away.”
“Thank you, Janie.” Ethan turned to face her. He took both her hands in his. “I'm so sorry. I just have to make a call. I'll be right back.”
He squeezed her hands once and let go, turning and hurrying up into the museum where it was quieter. Laura stared after him, unsure of what to do next. Should she go get a drink? Find a place to sit? Or just stay here and wait for him?
“So, you two seem cozy,” Janie said, watching her intently. “How do you know Ethan?”
“Um, well...” Laura wasn't quite sure how to answer that question. “We just met tonight, actually. Did you know that he's a great dancer?”
Janie's eyes widened and then narrowed. “He's never taken me dancing.”
“Well, if you work together, why would he take
you dancing?” Laura asked. “I don't take my co-workers out dancing.”
The woman let out an irritated huff. “I do more than just work with him. I am so much more than just an employee to him.”
“You are?” Laura's heart started to drop. Was he cheating on Janie with her? He didn't seem like a creep, but who ever did in the beginning? Was she the other woman?
The woman puffed herself up and opened her mouth to answer, but then her eyes widened and her mouth shut.
“I'm so sorry about that, Laura,” Ethan said, returning to the conversation. Janie lost her haughty demeanor and instead fluttered her eyelashes at Ethan.
The sexy dress suddenly made sense to Laura. Janie wasn't his girlfriend. She wanted to be his girlfriend. If they really were involved, Janie would have had no reason to back down as soon as he appeared.
“It's okay, Ethan,” Laura said, purposefully running her hand down his arm. He smiled at her and caught her hand, bringing it to his lips and giving a soft kiss. Laura glanced over to see Janie's eyes light up with jealousy and Laura knew she was reading the situation right. Ethan wasn't seeing her, despite Janie's best efforts. Laura smiled up at him. “We can go get that drink now.”
His smile faltered. “I'm afraid I can't.” He looked down at her hand still in his and his. “There's been a development that I have to attend to. Immediately. I came back to tell you I have to leave.”
“Oh.” Laura's lower lip quivered for a moment. Everything suddenly seemed very quiet, even though the band was still playing.
Ethan ducked his head to get back into her line of sight. “But, I want to see you again. I have your number. You still want to go climbing?”
“You climb too?” Janie squeaked in disbelief. Ethan looked at her, and she quickly put on a smile and shrugged. “That's so awesome. Climbing. Woo!”
Ethan gave her a funny look before meeting Laura's eyes again. She looked up into them. Their light green depths drew her in, wrapped her up, and made her feel warm. If eyes were the window to the soul, then he had the most beautiful soul she'd ever seen.
“Yeah, I'd love that,” she finally whispered. “I'd really love that.”
Light sparkled in the depths of his eyes as he smiled at her. “Good. I'll see you soon.”
“Okay.” She did her best to smile back, but this wasn't how she wanted to end her night.
He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. His lips were smooth against her cheek, and it made her heart skip a beat. She breathed in, smelling his cologne. It immediately brought back a flash of his naked skin against hers, and she shivered.
“I'll call you,” he promised, his lips brushing against her skin as he spoke. She was in a daze of lust, but she could hear his cell phone start to ring. He pulled back and looked at her one last time before picking up his phone. He answered, and his eyes watched her for just a moment longer before he turned and walked away.
“I should go with him,” Janie said, looking smug. “Have a great night by yourself.”
She adjusted her dress to show off her cleavage just a little bit better and strutted after her boss.
Laura watched him navigate the crowds to get to the exit before turning away. She was ready to cry and hated it. She'd known the guy for less than two hours, yet she hated being apart from him. She already missed the way his hand felt in hers.
She didn't feel in a party mood anymore. She looked around, trying to figure out what she wanted to do next. She wanted to do him, but that wasn't an option. There was nothing else here that appealed to her. The bar was too crowded, the music was too loud and not her style, and she'd already looked through most of the museum exhibits.
“This is how the Prince felt after Cinderella left,” she murmured. “All I need now is his shoe.”
She chuckled mirthlessly at her own joke. Somehow, she knew Ethan would have laughed at it. She checked her watch. It was just after midnight, which really fit with the whole Cinderella vibe. She glanced around again and decided she was done with the party.
It took her a little bit of time to work through the crowd to the entrance, but since the party was slated to continue for another two hours, she had no trouble finding a cab. It was a quick ride to her hotel, but she held her phone in her hands the entire way, hoping it would ring. She had this silly hope that his emergency was quickly solved and he'd call her to spend the rest of the night with him.
But her phone stayed silent.
Chapter 10
Laura
As the memory of his kisses from a year ago flooded through her body, she found herself surrendering to him. He returned the kiss that she had started, and she could feel him begin to get excited. With all the relief she felt, she could let herself be taken right here, right now, in this snowstorm if he wanted her.
But then she remembered just who she was kissing. This was the man who never called. This was the man who had his secretary tell her off. This was the man who didn't care. She pushed herself away from him.
What the hell am I doing? She thought, hating the way she already missed kissing him. She should never have kissed him in the first place.
“I'm sorry,” she told him, backing away and figuring out the quickest way to the shed door. “I didn't mean that. Forget I just did that.”
She stumbled past him and ran out into the snow. The temperature difference between the shed and the outside was a shock to her system. She didn't realize how much the wind chilled her. The storm was coming hard and fast now, with big, wet white flakes. It was a heavy spring snow that would probably break branches on trees. It was a good thing Dallas wasn't stuck out in this.
She sprinted across the snow, heading directly for the main house. She tried to think only of Dallas, but Ethan and that kiss wouldn't leave her head.
She kissed him.
Why in the world did she do that?
“Stupid, stupid, stupid,” she whispered to herself as she ran through the snow. The man didn't want her. He'd made that incredibly clear. And she'd just let her body do its own thing and kiss him. She slowed to a walk as she neared the house.
“It was just the shock of finding out he was okay,” she told herself. “Yeah, that's it. Just shock. If any male had been there, and possibly any female, I would have done the same thing.”
She nodded to herself, but deep down she knew it wasn't anywhere close to true. The only person she would have kissed was Ethan. She was just lying to herself and she knew it.
She pressed her hand to her lips, still feeling the lingering warmth there. She was going to be thinking of him all day now. She pulled her hand away, determined to get past this. Besides, she was at the house.
She threw open the kitchen door and entered, stomping the snow from her boots before getting too far inside.
“Where is he?” Laura asked Mia once her feet were clean enough to come inside.
“They're almost here,” Mia assured her from the kitchen table. She was sitting in one of the chairs while Emma stood with the baby beside her.
Laura nodded and paced by the door. She wasn't sure who she was actually more anxious would walk through it: Dallas or Ethan.
The door finally opened with a flurry of snowflakes sneaking into the house. Ella led the two boys by the hands into the house while Jace followed behind with Jupiter in his arms. Once inside, Jace set the dog down. Jupiter promptly shook wet snow everywhere.
Laura ran to Dallas, falling to her knees and hugging him tight to her. He felt so small in her arms, so fragile. She tucked her face into the boy's shoulder, trying to keep her sobs of relief to herself. Thankfully, Dallas didn't push her away.
“I'm okay, Laura. Promise,” he whispered, giving her a hug back. “You are squishing me!”
She chuckled and loosened her death grip on him. She didn't let him go, but used one hand to wipe the tears off her face. “Don't do that again, okay?”
“It was an accident,” Dallas explained. “We were playing fetch with Jupiter and the ball hit a rock and w
ent crazy. Jupiter chased after it, and it was funny. So we threw it again.”
“And that's how you walked away from the barn?” she asked. She ruffled his brown hair, just glad that she was able to touch him at all.
Dallas nodded. Laura looked over to see Ella sitting in one of the kitchen chairs with Elliot in her lap. She had her arms wrapped tightly around him looking fierce and relieved at the same time. Jace stood behind them with his hand on Elliot's shoulder with a matching expression.
“Then what happened?” Laura turned back to Dallas.
“We just kept playing until it got really cold.” He looked down at his shoes and frowned. “But, we didn't know how to get back. We couldn't see the house anymore. Jupiter didn't know where to go either. We tried following him since dogs are supposed to be good at that kind of thing. He wasn't.”
Laura pulled him into another hug. His cheeks and hands were still cold from being outside.
“Then Mr. Jace and Ms. Ella saw us,” Dallas continued. “They brought us home. Jupiter was going in the wrong direction.”
“I'm so glad you guys are okay,” Laura told him. “You scared me really bad. I thought... I thought...” Her voice caught and she had to take a breath. “I thought I was going to lose you, too.”
Dallas' eyes went big and wide. He slammed himself into her chest, nearly knocking the two of them over with the need to hug his sister. “I wouldn't leave you, Laura. Never. You don't leave me and Ivy. We don't leave you. That's how it works. We promised.”
Laura felt fresh tears trickle down her cheeks. That was the promise they'd made each other at their parents' funeral. “We don't leave each other.”
A blast of cold air followed the door opening again, but Laura didn't let go of her brother. From the corner of her eye, she could see Ethan coming in and shaking the snow from his shoulders and boots. She ignored him, focusing on her brother. Luckily, he just went to the far side of the room to talk to Emma and Mia.