Complicated

by M. M. Koenig

  “Thank you for giving me one of the best days I’ve ever had here,” Ethan said as his forehead fell against mine.

  I stared into his deep brown eyes. The devout love behind them stole my next breath. I placed my free hand behind his neck to give him a soft kiss. I was about to express my own gratitude, but Ethan placed a finger over my lips. He took the headphones and put them in my ears. He pressed play on the iPod before sliding it into my front pocket. The first song filled my head and I gasped at the depth of it. Ethan ran a finger above my ear to tuck a piece of hair away before he secured my helmet. I wrapped my arms tightly around him as he started the bike. He lovingly ran his hands along my arms as we waited for the rest of the gang. Once everyone was ready, Ethan drove forward to lead us home.

  The playlist he had selected for the ride was much different from the morning’s. It reminded me of the playlist he had put on my phone after our first weekend together. It was almost as if he was reiterating how much he loved me through every song he had chosen. My heart raced along with the speed of the bike, but not because of how fast we were going. It was racing from the music in my ears that came from a deep place within his soul. He truly was beautiful inside and out. I squeezed him tighter before running my thumbs under his waistband to caress the skin between his stomach and boxers. Ethan stiffened so I retracted my fingers and latched them to his belt loops.

  Yeah, distracting him probably isn’t the brightest idea when we’re going eighty.

  As we passed the remarkable landscape, I began to take a new perspective on my life. I felt at peace after such a wonderful day. It was a feeling that had always been fleeting within the last year. I wanted nothing more than to hold onto it, and the love I had with Ethan. My heart began to beat faster at just how in love I was with the man in front of me.

  We reached the city as the sun began its descent. It was falling into that ‘tween for the day. The last time I paid close enough attention to this time of day I was out of sorts. Now, I no longer felt out of place in the world. I still had no clue what would happen with all the problems around me. I lived within the minute, but each minute I felt like I belonged in a way that had eluded me for so long. I wanted to be better, but more importantly, I had found the person to inspire me to go out there and do it.

  We rolled into the hotel garage with Trey and Bri right behind us, just as the sun lowered to the horizon. Jackson and Shane were sitting on the back end of a truck with a guy in uniform. I noticed that their bikes were already on it. As I cut the music and removed my helmet, I raised an eyebrow at Ethan, who had hopped off the bike to help me.

  “What?”

  “Is this another one of your business ventures?”

  “Yes, I have an interest, but only a small one.”

  Ethan placed his hands on my hips before taking my helmet. He gave me a look not to press it. I chuckled and slid off the bike. Ethan put the helmets on the handlebars as he walked the bike to the truck. Ethan and Jackson lifted up the bike while the man in uniform worked to secure it with the others. Trey and Bri were close behind us. I looked over at Bri to make sure she wasn’t feeling sick. She had her hands clasped behind her head and was taking deep breaths, but for the most part she seemed fine. The conversation among everyone was starting to dwindle, with the bikes all packed up.

  “Are you coming home tonight Mia?” Jackson asked.

  He strode over to his Range Rover and opened the door. The rest of the gang strutted over to hop in as well. They all had shithead grins on their faces.

  “I’ll be there tomorrow,” I replied, not caring about the color filling my cheeks.

  Bri rolled her eyes as she got into the truck. “Do everyone a favor and wait until you get back to Ethan’s place before you go at it,” she teased.

  I grabbed Ethan’s hand and tugged him towards his car. After a day like today, I wanted the privacy of his home. He licked his lips before flashing a panty-dropping smile. He opened his car door for me before he hopped in and pulled out of the garage about as fast as he had been going when we were on the motorcycle.

  Ethan always ignited my body when we were in his car. He was sexy as it was, but watching him drive always fired my body up even more. I trailed my hand along his thigh. As my fingers traveled along the inside of his jeans, Ethan became hard. My body tingled from his hand running along my waistline. His nails lightly scratched my skin as he slowly inched further south and a fieriness engulfed me. I was about two seconds away from making him pull over when his hand slid all the way underneath my jeans to the very area desperate for him. My head crashed into the headrest once his fingers really started to move.

  “Ethan …” I moaned loudly.

  The dexterity he had with those magical fingers brought every part of me to an ache that only he could satisfy. I shifted to my side to see how Ethan was even driving right now. His chest rose as he worked to even his breathing.

  “Oh God …” I groaned as his fingers changed tempo.

  I unbuttoned his fly so that I could distract myself. After I freed him, I didn’t bother looking at him to see if he wanted me to stop. I took him in as deep as I could. My lips swiveled along his piercing for several minutes before I really began to move along his large erection.

  “Fuck … I love when you do that with your tongue,” Ethan hissed.

  He slipped his fingers in and out of me rapidly as I took him in repeatedly. Every moan escaping from him fired up my body even more. I licked and swirled to entice as many reactions out of him as I could. When he finally stopped the car in his garage, he hoisted me on top of him. His lips crashed against mine with a hunger matching my own. His hips drove into me as my tongue swept through his mouth to soak in every taste of him. The windows started to fog as our bodies pressed together at a pace neither one of us were satisfied with.

  “Mia … we need to …” Ethan shouted before he gently pulled away.

  The torn expression on his face was something I knew I could fix if we ditched our clothes. His breathing was uneven as he refastened his jeans and slid me down his lap. My body cried out at the sudden distance.

  “As much as I like taking you in this car, I want you in my bed,” Ethan said hoarsely. I flicked my tongue under his chin before lightly sucking. “Fuck … Mia…”

  I slid back up his lap and rocked my hips into him. Ethan drove back into me with force. I ran my hands into his hair before clasping them around his neck. My tongue ran along his hairline to his earlobe before veering downward.

  “God yes … your tongue is amazing,” Ethan groaned loudly.

  Seeing his guard had tremendously dropped, I went to unbutton his jeans again, but Ethan prevented me. He brought my hands behind my back fixed them in a steel hold with one of his. His free hand ran underneath my shirt in search of my breasts. His fingers grasped roughly around one until my nipple stood painfully to attention.

  “Ah … Ethan,” I shouted and bucked into him again. Ethan thrust even harder into me.

  His head fell to my shoulder where he started licking and nibbling. I tilted my head to his ear where my tongue kissed and caressed until I was out of breath again.

  “I need you now,” I panted, struggling to free my caged hands.

  Ethan’s grip remained solid. I licked his neck before biting it hard. He rocked into me forcefully to warn me not to it again. He ran his tongue up my neck and suckled lightly until he got to my ear.

  “We can make it upstairs,” Ethan husked, releasing my hands as he opened the door.

  We jumped out of the car. I looked around to see if there were people around because I was beyond ready for a release. I didn’t really care where it happened at this point. Ethan shook his head and grabbed my hand. We practically ran to the elevators. I hit the button and cursed as it made its way slowly down to us. Ethan hauled me into him and brought his lips to mine. He licked and nipped before going to that spot under my ear that he loved to torture.

  I nearly fell apart when the doors opened a
nd we were able to get on. Ethan kept his lips along my throat as he walked us in and selected his floor. We backed ourselves into the corner where he grabbed my leg and secured it around his hip. My hands clasped around him as he continued to grind against me. He brushed his lips lightly against mine for a much more intimate kiss than what we had been exchanging thus far. His mouth lingered on my bottom lip where he sucked softly. I ran my hands up his sides before securing them around his neck.

  Finally, we were at his floor. Ethan swept me into his arms and closed the distance to his door. He unlocked it and ran us to his bedroom. He gently laid me on the bed as he pulled his shirt over his head while pulling off his jeans. My entire body nearly combusted at the sight of his bare chest. Every carved line jumped out with the beauty of his tattoos that spoke even louder volumes after today.

  Wanting to waste as little time as possible, I tossed my clothes to the end of the bed. Ethan crawled towards me with a passion in his eyes that matched my own. He lowered himself within inches of me and placed my legs on his shoulders before thrusting deep within me.

  “Oh. My. God!”

  “Fuck … You’re incredible,” Ethan cried out.

  He rocked even deeper into me. My whole body became red-hot as my heart raced along. I wasn’t in a position to bring my hips into his and it was clear Ethan preferred it that way. My body started to slide with his as we carried on unhurriedly. He tenderly caressed my lips before he drove deeper than ever before.

  “Oh God!” I shouted.

  I was extremely close and began to tremble. I clenched tightly around him, knowing that it typically drives him over the edge, but Ethan remained unwavering as he continued at his own, measured pace. Unable to hold back, I shuddered around him. My body drifted from this existence to a higher one of pure bliss, where only Ethan could take me.

  My eyes remained shut as I started to reheat. Ethan switched between fast and hard to deep and slow. Each time he changed speed my body became frantic for more. He brought my legs down and settled them between his as he remained in control with each thrust. He continued to kiss me with a reverence that made me boil even hotter than I did through my first orgasm. My body began to prepare for another. Ethan must have sensed it because he slowed down.

  “Don’t. Not yet,” Ethan moaned.

  He shifted us to our sides, with my back to his chest. The entire position created a whole different set of sensations within me as my body readjusted to him.

  “I don’t know how much longer I can hold on Ethan,” I panted, in need for more.

  His lips ran along the back of my neck as he brought our hands together around my stomach. Ethan released one of his hands and ran it further south where his fingers began to heighten my already over-sensitized body. His thumb settled on my hot spot as he continued to thrust deep and hard. We screamed out together at the intensity of his depth within me. His back bowed as his pace began to pick up. His fingers increased in motion as his breath started to fly higher.

  “Yes … Mia …” Ethan hollered.

  My heart was about ready to quit with how fast it was beating. Ethan buried his head into the crook of my shoulder as he pushed relentlessly for his release. His mouth sucked down hard against my neck. I arched into him to absorb every ounce of pleasure that he was giving me with his body, lips, and hands. We both started to shudder in pleasure. As he hit his climax, he kept pushing to ensure that I got there with him. I clenched around him and let go for the second time while shouting his name.

  Ethan slowed to a stop, but remained inside as we worked to take in a breath. My chest was beating fiercely as my body exerted extra effort to steady my breathing. His lips started moving again. I tilted my head so that I could capture them with mine. He pressed his cheek against mine before sliding out. I blew a piece of hair out of my eyes as Ethan allowed me to flatten out onto my back. He remained on his side and ran his hands along my belly. His fingers brushed along in aimless patterns that made my insides hungry for more. I had to work hard to use my words, or I knew I’d be on him again.

  “Thank you,” I said, barely above a whisper.

  “Babe, that was nothing,” Ethan remarked cockily.

  I gave him a playful punch on the abs. “Not for this. I know we do this extremely well. I meant thank you for an amazing weekend,” I said earnestly.

  “It’s always my goal to give you pleasure in any form,” Ethan kidded.

  “I know you’re trying to be funny, but I’m grateful for today. I feel like we’re getting closer to each other, and not in the biblical sense,” I replied, seriously.

  Ethan sighed and rested a hand on my forehead. “We’re getting there, aren’t we?”

  I placed a kiss on his cheek and sat up on my elbows. My eyes darted towards the direction of his bathroom. Ethan gave me his naughty grin before pulling us up from the bed. I didn’t bother fighting it. It was an unspoken rule with him.

  “I do want to get clean while I’m in there,” I pointed out.

  “Oh, you’ll get clean; but I plan on being dirty first,” Ethan said devilishly.

  He opened the bathroom door and gripped my hips before quickly shutting it behind us. He brought his lips to mine as he strived to spark everything inside me again. I let him, knowing I treasured every second we had together.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Pieces of Me

  The following morning I was up well before Ethan. I despised having to start another week at the office. It made the magic of the weekend disappear in a heartbeat. I finished my coffee and headed to the entryway to grab my bag. My sleep patterns were still as wonky as ever. Ethan used to get up with me, but I kept telling him that he didn’t have to. After several exceedingly early mornings, he relented and remained in bed. This was one of those mornings. Normally, I’d stick around and say goodbye to him, but I had to stop at home before heading to the purgatory of his office. As I left his apartment, my phone vibrated in my jacket. Walking down the hallway to the elevator, I cringed as I retrieved it. My blood boiled as the text appeared. I slammed my hand on the button to go down and stared at the latest message from hell.

  You better stay focused Mia. You seem to be enjoying yourself far too much with this situation. I won’t have you screw up my plans.

  It was going to be one of those weeks. The text came with a picture of Ethan and me from the rooftop concert. My fists curled as my stomach stirred. It wasn’t surprising that Harrison would want to reinforce his hold over me after this past weekend. The run-in with the Fitzpatricks tapped at my skull. What was their place in this entire mess? Even worse, what the hell was Sean doing with Bri’s dad?

  Stop Mia! Let’s recap that particular part of the night. It ended with a gun pointed at your boyfriend. This is the world you willingly walked into. If it wasn’t clear before, it sure as hell should be now! These people won’t hesitate to kill you. Who knows the extent of their ties and what they’ll to do you and your loved ones. Don’t risk it. You’ve screwed up enough!

  I scowled and boarded the elevator. The bitter bitch inside my head was starting early. I wanted to know more, especially after what Ethan had shared, but the thought of digging for answers terrified me. It would be a long time before I let myself off the hook for being so stupid. I wanted it all to be behind me about as much as I needed air. The continuous push back of this meeting only increased my level of frustration. It surprised me that Harrison hadn’t brought that up yet. I had no idea what it was concerning. I blinked to get rid of the conflicting thoughts running through my head. Most days, it was like Jekyll and Hyde in there. As I walked out of the elevator, I became even more agitated. It consumed every part of me on my drive home.

  Bri was awake when I arrived. I could tell she had been up for a while, and not because she wanted to be. She looked exhausted, so I cut my time short. I asked her to check with Trey to see if we could have dinner tomorrow night with his family. Bri perked up at the idea. I left, dreading where I was off to, but my time avoiding it
was up.

  The workday went by quickly. We managed to get through it without a fight. Those days were rare, but I enjoyed them when they came along. Ethan was open to dinner the following night with Trey’s family. I told him I’d give him the final answer after talking to Bri and Trey tonight. I sensed he wasn’t thrilled to be taking the evening off from each other, but we needed to have those days. I hadn’t slept in my bed in over a week. I desperately needed to do laundry – not to mention spend time with my friends without him.

  The night at home was exactly what I needed. The amount of sharing over the weekend was enough for me to want to take a night off. As much as I loved learning more about Ethan, it exhausted me at the same time. His past only brought more questions – and I had enough already. I avoided them and distracted myself with my friends. It was a low-key evening, with us playing poker in The Cave. After I hustled everyone out of their money, I excused myself to bed. Bri kept an eye on me throughout the evening. I knew she was curious as to what was on my mind, but I dismissed it.

  Lying in bed I contemplated how tomorrow night would go. Trey had confirmed that it was a go. I had no doubt that Mrs. Donovan would make Ethan feel welcome, but it would be the first time she’d seen me with someone other than Micah. The three of us were such a package growing up that I had some reservations. I still had a long way to go at making amends with Trey’s family for cutting them out after last year. I tried not to think about it any longer and gave in to my heavy eyelids.

  I dropped my necklace and inhaled deeply before opening the car door. My nerve-endings were practically on the outside of my body. I thought stopping by Ethan’s to change clothes would calm me down some, but I was sorely mistaken. Ethan had slipped into a pair of dark-blue jeans with a burgundy striped hooded sweater and black combat boots. I went with my favorite skinny jeans, a light-faded V-neck sweater in purple and my heels. It was a far cry from the high-end clothes we wore to his office, but I wanted to be comfortable for the evening ahead.