by M. M. Koenig
Ethan held my necklace between his fingers for a minute before grasping my neck. He inched his face closer to mine as his eyes asked for permission. The side of me that had ruled nearly all my decisions with him answered and I swept my lips across his with every intention to quiet the misery in my head. His lips glided along mine and with them came some solace. I deepened our kiss and extended my neck for him to explore my body. I needed to be lost in anything but the seconds trapping me to this earth. If there was anything we did well together, it was getting lost in each other’s bodies. My legs tightened around him as I scratched my nails down his back. Ethan swept his tongue along my neck and collarbone with purpose. His hands went to the hem of my T-shirt before they slowly traveled underneath it. As they moved, my body returned from the purgatory it had been in for the last twenty-four hours. Every part of me that he was gracious enough to touch tingled with its need for him.
Ethan slowly lowered us to the mattress. I closed my eyes as the burn that had been nothing but pure rage for the majority of the day transformed into a potent need for him. His fingers brushed lightly along my belly before he tenderly caressed my breasts. One hand journeyed down to remove my shirt as the other edged down my hips to remove my boxers.
“Open your eyes, Mia,” Ethan requested softly against my lips.
I slowly met his gaze as he hovered above me, his face serene. My eyes begged him to make it quick so we could return to what I desperately needed in order to make it to the next cataclysmic event.
“I won’t give up on us. I’ll do everything in my power to make sure from this day forward that you know how much I need you in my life,” Ethan said earnestly before devouring my lips to drive his point home.
I gasped at his determination as he delved into my mouth on a mission. I shoved away his boxers with a reckless need for him. He ran his hand along my body but it wasn’t his usual style. He was cautious and tender with every part of me. I bit my lip in frustration. He was treating me like a glass figurine that would break from the most delicate of touches. As much as he was probably correct, I needed him to be himself, especially after what he had just declared.
“Ethan, I can’t promise you anything, but if you keep treating me like a porcelain doll, our future isn’t going to be that bright. Please treat me like you always have or I’ll continue to break right in front of you. I highly doubt you want that,” I pleaded.
He looked at me with such desire that my entire body sparked at a higher level. Ethan pressed me against the mattress with such force that it had me eager for what he’d do next. His hands tightened their grasp as he drove roughly into me. His mouth left mine as his lips coasted towards my ear where he gently nibbled. My back arched as his he penetrated deeper. I bucked into him with just as much roughness. His lips slithered down to my shoulder where he bit down hard as he rocked as deep as he could go.
“Yes … God, yes!” I screamed.
I continued to moan against Ethan’s lips as he continued to thrust at an unrelenting pace. His hands went to my legs where he secured them around him. He ran his hands up my back and grasped me firmly against him. I wrapped my arms around him as my fingertips found their way into his messy hair. As he shifted us slightly to the side, my legs tightened around him to take him in deeper.
“Fuck,” Ethan hissed when I harshly tugged on his hair.
He answered by rocking with more exertion than he had at any point. I matched each roll of his hips with a need for so much more. Every nerve within my body pulsated with such want that I clenched tightly around him.
“I love when you do that baby,” Ethan moaned.
His lips met mine with such passion that I lost my breath entirely. Each stroke of his tongue matched the vigorous thrusting of his hips. My heart began to beat rapidly as my body searched for air. I pulled away to trail my lips over every sculptured corner of his neck and shoulders. My teeth deepened when he rocked harder. My body glided against him as we worked our way up to a hot sweat. Our heated breaths created a sonata to match the flames pouring out of our skin.
With everything in my life more or less out of my control, I yearned for him in such a different way than ever before. As our breathing skyrocketed, Ethan shifted me into his lap. He slid us to the edge of the bed and straddled my legs around him. I gripped his neck and rode him until he screamed out in pleasure. His hands gripped my ass with such strength that I didn’t doubt that a reminder would be there for a few days. My body quivered in delight as we rocked our way out of the problems surrounding us.
Ethan began to tremble when I drove into him in quick spurts so that we climaxed together. His hands drifted from my ass to my cheekbones. There was no mistaking the depth of love he had for me as he stared into my eyes with such devotion that it pushed me right over the edge. My entire body became euphoric as he quickly followed me. He loosened his grip as his head fell into my shoulder. Ethan began pressing feather-light kisses on my neck and collarbone before traveling back up to my lips. His tongue traced along my mouth before he gave me a soft kiss. I rested my forehead against his. He wrapped an arm around me before shuffling us up the bed. We laid on our sides facing each other without a word. He worked to even his unsteady breaths as I did the same. Eventually, they evened out and the only sound between us was the beat of our hearts.
“Please tell me that you still love me. I need to hear it,” Ethan said softly as his palm rested on my cheek.
“Ethan, I love you. I just don’t know if it’ll be enough to save us,” I whispered as a single tear cascaded down.
He brought my hands to his chest. He locked his hands with mine without ever breaking eye contact and vowed, “It will. Mia, my love for you will get us through anything.”
My eyelids drooped with the uncertainty around me. As my mind began to replay every horrible secret I had uncovered, my body returned to its ruined state. My chest became heavy as the weight of the days to come piled on it like concrete slabs. I had no response for Ethan’s undying faith in us. To say that part of us had been destroyed today didn’t really sum it up. My heart flip-flopped with doubts that came from so many places.
As if that wasn’t enough, I had even more pressing decisions to make – time wasn’t on my side, either. Every part of me ached because I had no clue where to begin. This was far too much for one person to ever face yet, here I was without a way out. Ethan shifted his hands to my face and closed my eyes before pulling me into his chest. I melded into him to gain a tiny morsel of comfort. His hands slid around my neck and into my hair where he began to gently brush it. His steady breathing worked to even out the rapid breaths pouring out of me.
“Try to rest Mia. Know that there’s an apartment full of people here that will walk through hell and back to keep you safe,” Ethan whispered.
“Sophia, I want you to remember I’ll always love you.”
I look at him and say, “I love you too Daddy.”
He puts our book on his lap and hugs me. His eyes look sad as he says, “Sophia, there might come a time when I won’t be with you.”
My arms wrap around him even tighter as I whisper, “I don’t want to be anywhere without you and Mommy.”
“Oh, sweet girl, we never want to be without you either. You’re everything to us. You always will be,” Daddy says. He runs his fingers through my hair and gives me kiss on the head.
I don’t know why we’re talking about this so I hug him with all my might. He gives me one more kiss and points at our book – it’s my favorite. I smile and snuggle into his arms.
I flew up with tears in my eyes. It was the first time I had remembered my dad. I had an idea of what he looked like from that brief dream. His brown eyes matched my own. My hands flew to my chest to ease the heavy ache there. This flash was more than painful – it was devastating. I saw how much he truly loved me. Even if he was the worst human being on the face of the earth, there was a love he had for me that was undeniable. The devout look in his eyes when he spoke made me cry eve
n harder.
Why am I remembering this now? Like the last twenty-four hours haven’t been heartbreaking enough, you go and add this to the mix. If this is some sort of cosmic revenge for all the mistakes I’ve made, please consider the score even. I can’t take much more.
I wasn’t sure about sleeping anymore. Every time I shut my eyes my heart paid the price and there wasn’t much left to rip apart. My gaze drifted around the room. Sunlight was pouring in through Ethan’s window, so it was definitely the next day. I stumbled over to his closet and grabbed a pair of ripped jeans and a long-sleeve button-down shirt in plaid. For the first time, I started to feel the frostiness of our impending winter. It was more than likely my body becoming cold to everything, but I’d take that over the cyclone that had been inside of me for the last few days. I tossed on the clothes before tying my hair back. I didn’t doubt that the rest of the gang would still be here. It was time to face them, along with everything else.
I walked down the hallway and found it surprisingly quiet, sending chills up my spine. It almost made me grateful that they wanted to be attached at the hip because this moment provided me the eeriness I’d have if I were alone with just my thoughts. I continued towards the kitchen. My body craved a pick-me-up, so getting a cup of coffee became imperative. My mission fell to the side when I backtracked to Ethan’s office. As much as java was necessary, I wanted what Jayden had given me. I opened his office door and strode over to his desk. Fortunately, it was all sitting in a neat pile at the corner of it. I snatched the manila envelope and turned to leave. I stutter-stepped forward only to return to his desk. It was wrong of me to do it but I didn’t care. We clearly had issues at being honest with one another so it shouldn’t surprise Ethan that I’d go through his stuff. I had to know if he was hiding anything else from me.
I sat down and leaned back with my eyes darting around the room. There were tons of books lining the walls. I got up and carefully ran my hands along each shelf. Coming up with nothing on the right side of his office, I crossed over to the left side. My disappointment grew when there was nothing to find there either. I shuffled back to his desk and started digging around his drawers.
Yeah right, Mia. He’s as clever as you are with most things. There isn’t a chance in hell you’re going to find something just lying around. Wake up!
I wanted to run my head into the wall just to silence the bitter bitch in my head. It was far too early for her snide comments. While I rummaged through the bottom drawer, a file caught my eye. A smug smile crossed my face as I took a closer look – it was old and falling apart at the seams. I gingerly placed it on the desk. When I opened it, a picture fell out that made my stomach drop. It was a picture of a man that looked like my dad. I sifted through it and gasped after spotting an old picture of me.
“By all means, make yourself at home Mia,” Ethan said gruffly, startling me.
My eyes shot up at his condescending tone. He sure had a set of balls on him if he was about to chew me out for anything. I slammed my fists on the desk before tossing the picture of me in his general direction.
“You’re an asshole. Care to explain why you have this picture?” I shouted.
Ethan narrowed his eyes as he strutted my way. He picked up the picture and reached across the desk to snatch the file underneath my hands, but I tightened my grip on it. There was no way he was getting out of telling me the truth. Ethan rounded his desk to stand alongside me. He crossed his arms and took measured breaths while staring out the window. After a few minutes, he shoved the computer on the corner of his desk aside so he could sit down.
“It’s not what you think. That’s not my file,” he said in a strained tone.
“It’s in your possession Ethan. I find it hard to believe it’s not yours,” I bit back.
He glanced at me, clearly upset. “I stole that from Sean a couple of days ago. It isn’t really his anyway. It was my dad’s. I recognized the handwriting, which is why I took it. I haven’t gone through it all yet. I stopped after the picture you found. I couldn’t handle anything else,” Ethan confessed in a tortured whisper.
My heart rate surpassed what was acceptable for the human body. Ethan had become practically limp. His reaction more than terrified me. My hands shook as I continued to pull out items. Ethan reached over to stop me, but I pulled my hands away from him. He let out a long breath before turning to face me.
“Mia, the picture you just showed me … it isn’t the first time I’ve seen it. I saw that photo when I was a little boy. I was around ten when I came across it. My dad beat the shit out of me when he caught me looking at it. I didn’t see it at first … but now … I can see why my heart remembered you when we first met. Even as a young child, you mesmerized me. I wanted to meet the girl in that picture. The soulfulness in her eyes captured my heart,” Ethan admitted softly.
My heart continued to pound harshly against my chest as tears formed in my eyes. Ethan slid closer to me and placed his hands over mine. I gazed at him in complete shock. He tenderly pulled me up from his chair before sitting down with me in his lap. He urged me to relax into him. Without the ability to fight it, I leaned into his strong body. I took a deep breath before whispering, “Will you go through this with me?”
Ethan squeezed my hands and lovingly answered, “Of course.”
We started pulling out a lot of paperwork. Most of it was gibberish to me, but Ethan seemed to find sense in some of it. The disgruntled sighs coming from him didn’t help the wretchedness coasting through me. He attempted to cover it up each time by giving my hands or sides a subtle brush, but it was more than clear that plenty of what we discovered didn’t sit well with him. When we reached the end of the file, my stomach dropped when I saw that the only two photos were of an unknown man and me. Ethan took several deep breaths before glancing at me. I seized the photo of the man and set it in front of us. “Do you know who he is?”
“Yes, he’s your dad’s brother,” he said in a rough whisper.
I gulped. “Why is he in this file?”
Ethan wrapped his arms around my waist and sadly admitted, “Because he helped my dad put together the truth on your mom – at least that’s what it seems like.”
I gasped. “Do you think your dad had something to do with my grandparents’ death?”
He looked away while squeezing me tight. “Yes, I think he had a hand in it. He was a heartless prick, so his main concern was always his money. It didn’t help that there was already bad blood between the two families. I don’t doubt he led on your dad’s brother just to get to his money,” Ethan responded, his voice strangled.
Before I had a chance to dive any deeper, a soft tap sounded from the door.
“Come in,” Ethan answered.
Bri opened the door and poked her head into the room. Her eyes caught mine and her face promptly fell. Trey was behind her and sensed the shift in her right away. He glanced at me to have the same reaction. Bri bit her lip as she walked to the front of the desk.
“I’m very sorry to bother you two, but your phones won’t shut up,” Bri said, handing my cell to me. Trey was less sensitive and threw Ethan’s at him. Obviously, there was a lot of residual fury there. Ethan reached up to catch it before it sailed past him.
My stomach did somersaults as I scrolled across the main screen of my phone.
You’ve crossed your last line with me. Ian is missing and you’ve elected not to show up at F. F. & Sweeney for the last two days. If you fail to show up on Monday morning, people will start to die. I think you should have an understanding of that much from your pathetic ex-boyfriend. Micah was the beginning. If you choose not to finish this out, don’t be surprised when bodies start piling up around you.
“Son of a bitch! He’s a dead man walking!” Ethan shouted.
He leapt to his feet with me still in his lap. I scrambled to get my feet on the floor to avoid falling on my ass. I wasn’t sure if he read my text message or if he was upset over whatever he found on his own phone. I
glanced at Trey and Bri but they were just as flabbergasted as me. I set my phone down and turned to Ethan, who was marching along the back wall. On more than occasion, his fists tightened together to the point that they became stark white. I rested my hand on his back. He secured it around his abs while taking deep breaths.
“Ethan, what is it?” I asked, terrified.
His hand gripped the life out of mine as he bitterly answered, “Kieran told Sean you’re aligned with Harrison and that’s why you’re going to the meeting. Sean and Colin want to meet with me. I’m sure they want to interrogate me on what I know about you. I don’t doubt they will want to eliminate Harrison. It’s pretty much how they handle any potential problem. To that extent, I’m absolutely onboard. It’s been something I’ve wanted to do from the second I found out he blackmailed you.”
Ethan turned to face me and rested his hands on my cheeks. I gave him a tight smile and admitted, “I can’t say I’m opposed to having Harrison taken out.”
The words flew from my mouth before my filter had time to stop them. I wasn’t entirely sure I meant them, but there was a part of me that had no issues with having Harrison murdered. If Ethan had a way to do it, I wouldn’t stop him. He gazed at me to see if I had meant what I said. I nodded in assurance. His approving smile increased those feelings.
Bri stumbled into the chair next to her. She opened her mouth several times but never spoke. Her fingers massaged her temples as she took deep breaths. It tore at me that she was probably feeling everything more than we could see. I wanted to ask, but resisted. I wasn’t sure if she had told Trey. Bri looked up and read my thoughts. She gave me a quick headshake. I redirected my attention to Ethan. There was one thing I wanted to do before we went forward on that front.