by Owen, L
“What do you mean?” Caitlin asks. “Tell him about what?”
“What reason do you want me to give Len as to why you won’t be at work tomorrow?”
“Nothing. Kiaya, I’m going to work tomorrow.” Looking my way, she defiantly says, “And I don’t want to argue about this. I’m bloody fine.”
Kiaya glances at me, and I nod to her.
“Okay,” Kiaya mutters. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
Finally, it’s just us. Caitlin’s fidgeting with her fingernails and looking pretty nervous. “Hey, what do you want to do? How about watching a movie?” I ask, hoping to ease the sudden awkwardness.
She seems to be in thought then answers, “I don’t have any movies here or even a DVD player, for that matter.”
“You don’t have a DVD player?” I’m dumbfounded. I mean who doesn’t own a DVD player? “Really?”
“Well, no. I told you I rented the place furnished, and there isn’t one here. I didn’t bring much from England, just a small suitcase. I definitely didn’t bring DVDs, so I don’t need one. I do have a Kindle, though; I read a lot. I can watch movies on it, but I’ll need to stand it up on the coffee table.”
She’s looking really cute right now, sitting there in that oversized t-shirt. “Or we can go and buy a DVD player?” I offer.
“I really don’t feel like going out right now.” No, of course she doesn’t. What a stupid thing to have suggested.
“Netflix it is,” I say, sitting on the small sofa. At least I’ll get the chance to be close to her.
“The Expendables? You want to watch The Expendables?” I ask, when she points to it on the small screen a short while later.
“I love all the older action movies with those actors in them. Rocky is one of my all-time favorites,” she says, surprising the hell out of me.
“Rocky? Is that why you decided to move here then?
“What do you mean?”
“You know that Philadelphia is home to the steps he runs up in the film, right?” By the look on her face, it’s a no.
“I didn’t have a clue,” she squeals. “Now I really want to go see the steps, though.”
“It’s a bit late to see them now.”
She laughs, playfully hitting my arm. “Not now, as in this moment. I just want to go see them now that you’ve told me about it.”
“I’ll take you one day, I promise.”
“You will? That’s really nice of you.” She looks at me like I’ve just offered her the world. The urge to kiss her is strong, so I change the subject.
“Of course I will, so back to the film… The Expendables it is. I thought I was in for an afternoon of some awful romance crap or something.”
She moves forward and clicks the movie to play, then props the device on its stand so we can watch it hands free. As she leans back, I place my arm behind her and pull her into my side. She doesn’t refuse, but instead leans in and rests her head on my chest and curls her legs onto the sofa. I could get used to this. Halfway through the film, I notice her breathing change. She’s asleep, cuddled into me. Feeling content, I let sleep take me, too.
“Ethan. Ethan, your phone keeps ringing,” Caitlin says, poking me in my ribs. I’m confused and groggy. The film’s still playing, so we couldn’t have been sleeping more than half an hour or so. Looking at my phone, I see it’s Nicola—again. I’m not in a mood to deal with her right now, so I switch it off and put it back down.
“Nicola,” I offer.
“Oh, right.” She looks down at her hands again with a tense expression. “Look… um, if she really is your girlfriend, maybe you shouldn’t be here right now.”
“We’ve been through this many times. Why the hell do you keep insisting that?” I say, more harshly than I mean to.
She sits back in the chair, leaned away from me now with her arms folded across her chest. A furious expression crosses her face. “Maybe because she was sitting on your lap last night at Vertex, and when she wasn’t on your lap, she was snuggled up quite like we were just now.”
“So? You’re not my girlfriend, either. Right?” I instantly regret pointing that out and snapping at her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say that, Caitlin.”
She looks down at her hands again, and I think she may cry. Placing my hand around hers, I sigh. “Look, I promise she’s not my girlfriend, no matter how much she wants to be. With the exception of last night, I’ve made it clear it won’t ever happen, but she doesn’t listen. She can be very stubborn.”
Still looking down she whispers, “Well, if that’s true, what you did to her last night was unfair. Not just to me, but to her, too.”
Huffing, I reply, “Yes, I know. I was pissed and wanted to make you jealous. It’s not my proudest moment.”
She looks up quickly. “Why did you want to make me jealous?”
Now I’m the one who can’t look her in the eye. “I wanted to make you realize you’re attracted to me, like I’m attracted to you. I was playing games and being a dick.”
I gaze at her, and she’s eyeing me with no expression. “Well, you didn’t succeed at making me realize I was attracted to you, but you did succeed at being a dick.”
“I know,” I laugh dryly. Her next comment shocks the hell out of me.
“I realized how much you mean to me at the hospital when I was wrapped in your arms.” Now she’s the one smiling.
It takes a moment for the comment to sink in. In that time, her smile disappears, and there’s a heated, passionate look in its place, a look that mirrors my own. I lean forward and kiss her, and it’s fucking awesome.
FOURTEEN
Caitlin
I really had thought after our conversation at Vertex, I had messed everything up. Thankfully that’s not the case because Ethan Kendricks is kissing me! It’s as every bit amazing as last time, but so much has happened since we slept together. This kiss is deeper, more passionate, and meaningful. He’d lunged at me, pinning me against the arm of the sofa, with his hands on either side of my face.
His lips press forcefully against mine; hungry and demanding, I dig my fingers into his biceps. This isn’t a slow romantic kiss. No, this kiss is hot and heavy, and I don’t ever want it to end. He groans as he pulls away, and I’m left panting and needing more.
“Ethan?” I question.
Groaning again, he rubs his face. “I’m sorry,” he says, not looking me in the eyes.
Shit! “What’s wrong?”
He shakes his head. “Nothing’s wrong, babe. I’m just trying to be a gentleman. I know it’s a bit late to go slow, but something tells me you need this. I don’t want to ruin what we’ve got going on here.”
“But we’re only kissing,” I playfully tease.
“I know, babe, but it’s only a matter of seconds before I lose control, strip you bare, and fuck you until you scream my name.”
Holy shit! “I fail to see the problem with that,” I teasingly say with a playful smile. Ethan shakes his head.
“Caitlin, why do you insist on making this difficult? I’m trying to do the honorable thing here.”
I nod and bring my gaze to meet his. We sit there looking into each other’s eyes, our breathing still heavy. Neither of us moves until the burning desire we’re feeling has begun to diminish. As much as hot sex sounds like the best idea ever, Ethan’s right. We need to slow way down, and I like him that much more for pointing it out. What happened yesterday with Clay has shaken me up, even though knowing he’s in jail reassures me I’m safe. He can’t get to me, and that has helped a lot. I do feel somewhat detached from the situation, like maybe it was just a dream, but I attribute it to the drugs he gave me.
My stomach grumbles, and I glance at the clock. It’s time to eat, so I ask, “You hungry, Ethan? Could you eat something?” His reply is an ear-to-ear grin. Shaking my head I mutter, “Pervert.”
“When it comes to you, babe, you have no idea how perverted the thoughts are that run through my head.” Well, okay then. I
’m getting so turned on right now, and I wonder why the hell we’ve stopped? Oh yes, we’re going slowly, although at this moment in time, I can’t for the life of me fathom why.
Huffing out a breath and swallowing hard, I ask, “Chinese?”
“Sounds good,” he says as I go and search for the menu.
Once our food arrives, I dish it out, and we sit at the table to eat. “I don’t want to freak you out by pushing, but why did you move to the States? Were you running from something or someone?” he asks while looking up at me.
My hand is still mid-air as I’m about to take a mouthful, and my eyes reach his. His face is blank and gives nothing away, but I’m pretty sure mine shows only panic. How the hell would he know something as specific as running from someone? Oh, no. No! No! Please don’t tell me Ethan’s really just a private detective that Stephen has paid to find me. I drop the fork with a clatter to the table as I reel back in the chair, causing it to screech across the floor. I spring up and back away, desperately trying to make my way towards the door. It’s getting difficult to catch my breath.
“Hey! Hey Caitlin, calm down.” Ethan stands, holding his hands up, and slowly edges towards me.
I’m still struggling to catch my breath. “No,” I try to choke out.
He stops dead in his tracks still holding up his hands. “It’s okay, I won’t come any closer. Just take deep, slow breaths, Caitlin.”
I do as he says, studying the expression on his face. He seems concerned. After some time has passed, I get my breathing under control, but my heart still races in my chest. I finally manage to get out, “How’d you know?”
Slowly and calmly, he states, “I didn’t. It was a guess?”
“How could you guess something as specific that?” I ask, not yet convinced.
“I was in the army for ten years, babe. It was ingrained into me to look for signs, and to me, you have a big, flashing neon one.” He states this matter of fact. “You moved to a new country with only one small suitcase. That says you left in a hurry. You’re always jumpy and anxious, like you can’t relax. Then there’s your panic attack just now. You’re always telling me to go away, but your body says otherwise. That’s just to name a few. Like I said, big flashing neon sign.” His face still shows concern, and I believe he’s being honest. I start to relax around him again. I’m not sure why I trust him, but I do. I hope I’m not wrong about him.
“Oh, right,” I say. “Maybe we need to talk then.”
Ethan breathes out a long sigh, and his smile is faint. “Good. Now come here.” He opens his arms wide. I falter for a short moment before my feet take me into his warm embrace.
We stay this way for a while before going back to the table. “You need to eat first, but please, tell me what brought that panic on so fiercely,” he insists. I nod, and we eat in silence as I gather my thoughts.
Once we finish eating, Ethan takes my hand and leads me to the sofa. “Okay, it’s time to talk,” he prompts.
I clear my throat. “I really don’t want to go over my whole sob story right now. I’m sorry I reacted like that before. I got paranoid you were some sort of private eye sent to find me. Silly, I know,” I say quietly.
“Then don’t go into detail, just give me a rough idea. Who are you running from?”
Rough idea? Okay, I can do that. I don’t look at him when I reply. “My ex-boyfriend. I don’t know if he would go to that extreme, but I do know he’s been to visit my friend and inquired where I’ve gone.”
His face gives nothing away. “So why run this far away?” He seems unaffected by what I’ve told him, except his voice comes out in a low growl.
“It’s the same story that’s been told a million times before.” I shrug.
“But this is YOUR story. I need to know what he did to frighten you so much that you’d feel compelled to leave your continent.” His blank expression now slips to one of anger.
I take his hand, trying to soothe him and also hoping it will calm me, too. I take a deep breath. “Fair enough. I was with him for nearly two years. He was nice at first, but it wasn’t long before he alienated me from everyone but my Nan. I didn’t see her as much as I wanted to, though. She passed away a few months ago and left me a little bit of money. She asked me to use it to get away from him. That’s pretty much it.”
“There has to be more to it than that, Caitlin.”
Sighing I answer, “I don’t want to go into details. It’s painful for me talk about, but if you’re insinuating he was violent, then yes, he was violent. Now that I have gotten away, I can’t ever go back.”
“Hey,” he says, bringing my attention back to him. “You’ll never have to go back. If he ever contacts you, I don’t care what’s happening between us, you let me know. I won’t let him near you again.” As I look into his face, I know he’s sincere, and I’ve never felt safer. He places a gentle kiss to my lips.
We spend the rest of the evening chatting about other things and getting to know each other better. “I know you were in the army. I hope you don’t mind me asking, but can you tell me more about how you were injured?”
“Yes, okay, I had to retire after I was injured. My team’s vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb.” He takes a deep breath; I can see it’s painful for him to relive. “There were four of us in our vehicle and another behind us. Luckily, they were uninjured. In mine, my sergeant and I sustained injuries. He lost both legs; the other two died there on the side of the road.” He looks tormented by the memories, and I don’t blame him. I don’t know what to say, so I continue to hold his hand.
“It’s okay,” he says. “I’ve come to terms with it. It was hard at first, believe me, but there’s a charity for injured vets. I had a lot of help from them, and I stayed in a rehabilitation center for six months after I came home. Readjusting to civilian life and the fact I had lost a limb were really hard. If it hadn’t been for them, I don’t know how I would’ve coped.”
“I don’t want to embarrass you, but when we first met, I had no clue about your leg. You manage brilliantly, but what I find most inspiring about you is your attitude. You don’t seem to let it affect you. Look at what you’ve been through and look at me. You’re, so together, and I’m just a mess. I really need to get my life in order.” I shrug.
“This happened to me some years ago. You left your ex, what six months ago?” I nod. “I’ve had a lot of time to get it together and a lot of help. I promise, you’ll get over this, and I’ll be here for you while you do.”
His fingers glide over my hand. “I still hear him. His vicious words haunt me day and night.”
With my face in his hands, he takes a deep breath. “It took years for the sounds of the screams to die down. Eventually, those screams turned into whimpers, and it became easier to function. I promise, it’ll be the same for you, but it’ll take time.” This man is amazing, and in this moment, I decide to take the risk. Leaning forward, I bring my lips to his, desperate to show how much he’s beginning to mean to me. I pull away, and he smiles, pushing some loose strands of hair behind my ear then he lovingly strokes the side of my face.
My phone beeps with a text and brings us back to reality. It’s Beth confirming she’ll be here at the end of the following week. That’s in less than two weeks! I reply, telling her how excited I am before letting Ethan know.
“Beth’s the friend who helped you get away from your ex?” he inquires.
“Yes, we’ve been friends since we were very young.”
“When her flight gets in, I’ll go with you to pick her up from the airport. I need to thank her.”
Smiling, I proudly state, “You don’t need to thank her. Beth’s my person; we would do anything for each other.”
Smiling back he says, “I don’t care. I’m still thanking her. Without her help, you wouldn’t be here with me.”
“I don’t understand why you’re interested in me. I mean, have you seen yourself?” I ask shyly.
“You’re beautiful, and you don�
�t take my shit. Let me put it to you this way, whenever we’re together, the room could be packed with hundreds of people, but you’re the only one I see.” Ethan takes my hand. “I only ever see you.”
My breath catches in my chest. “What the hell do I say to that?” I ask, grinning.
“Nothing at all, just kiss me.” He doesn’t need to ask twice.
We manage to control ourselves the rest of the evening, but just barely. Ethan stays in my bed that night, and I’m soundly wrapped in his arms when I drift to sleep.
I wake before Ethan, so I take time to enjoy watching him for a while before sneaking out of bed to take a shower. This time I lock the door. Walking back into my bedroom wrapped in my towel, I spot Ethan. He’s lying on his back, one arm behind his head, smiling at me.
“Hi, babe. Did you sleep well?”
I sit on the edge of bed. “Yes, thanks. How about you?”
“Really well.” After attaching his prosthetic, he gets out of bed, walks around to me, and kisses the top of my head. “Do you mind if I take a shower before I drop you to work?”
“Of course not, help yourself,” I reply.
“Are you sure you want to go in?”
“Yes, Clay’s in jail, and he can’t hurt me. I have to stop letting bad people control my life.” He accepts my answer with a quick kiss.
After his shower, we have a light breakfast, and Ethan drops me off at work. He gets out of his truck and kisses me passionately right in the street, not caring who sees our display.
“Can we catch up tonight?” he asks.
“I’d like that,” I say with a shy smile.
“I look forward to seeing you later then, okay?”
“Okay.” He gives me a quick kiss and a wave as I float inside.
FIFTEEN
Caitlin
I walk into work and find Kiaya with her arms folded across her chest while wearing a huge shit-eating grin. “Well, someone obviously feels better, and to think I was worrying about you. I just saw your little show, missy, and by the way, it looked like fun. A lot of fun,” she says, her grin still firmly in place.