Morning After (A Reynolds Security Novel)

by Hale, Melissa

  “Zoe,” she whispered, “what have you been putting on your credit cards?”

  “Am I that obvious?” she asked.

  “Only to me.” She looked into Zoe's eyes and saw a lot of emotion that wasn’t usually there. “It’s the shelter isn’t it?” Zoe nodded.

  “We lost the Hartman grant and then the roof had to be fixed after that storm and then the water heater.”

  “Zoe, you can’t take that all on yourself!”

  “I know but the donations barely cover operating expenses. We have applied for several grants, this is only temporary. I couldn’t let it close Erica, not even temporarily.”

  “How much do you need?”

  “No.”

  “Zoe let me make a donation it’s tax deductible.”

  “No. It's not a big deal Erica I just have to carry the balance on my credit cards until the grants come through."

  "Zoe are you okay, really?" Erica asked softly. "You seem to be very stressed." Zoe sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Zoe you're my best friend. You know you can tell me anything."

  "You're right, but can we get out of here? I don't want to have a break down in the shoe store."

  "All right, but I am buying you these boots."

  Erica drove to one of their favorite cafes. Once they were seated in the in the back at a somewhat secluded table she leveled her gaze at her friend.

  "I was adopted. Sort of." Zoe blurted. Erica could only stare.

  "Sort of?"

  "Apparently my dad is... was my dad but my mom is not my mom." She had no idea what to say she just stared at her friend until she continued. "They lied about when they met. They lied about how they met. My dad paid off my birth mother."

  "Wow. I don't know what to say."

  "Yeah neither did I. This is actually the first time I have said it out loud."

  "What does your mom have to say about all this?"

  "Well she's the one who had to tell me the whole story but... I haven't talked to her since I came back."

  "Why not? Are you angry with her?" Zoe normally talked to her mom every couple of days. The fact that she wasn't talking to her while they were both grieving worried Erica.

  "I don't know, maybe. To tell you the truth I just feel numb. They lied to me about everything. My dad kept everything in his will separate. Like he assumed after he was gone we would go our separate ways. It's just... Weird and uncomfortable and... I just don't know." Erica reached across the table and patted her friend's hand.

  "You know I am here for you. Whatever you need."

  "I know, thanks Erica."

  Ethan tugged on his bow tie one last time before he stepped out of the limo. He was having second thoughts. He hated these work things. They were always long and boring that wasn't really the kind of thing he wanted to subject Erica too. Of course he hadn't been thinking about that. He'd only been thinking about the fact that he wanted to spend every waking moment with her. Zoe opened the door when he knocked and flashed him a quick smile.

  "You clean up nice GQ."

  "Thanks."

  "Erica will be right out."

  "Thanks."

  "Did you bring a corsage?"

  "No." He frowned, "Should I have?"

  "No." She laughed, "I was kidding." He followed her to the living room and sat down. "You just kinda look like you're going to the prom." He didn't go to the prom but he doubted he would have been this nervous then.

  Zoe looked at him long enough to make him squirm a bit. "I am going to break one of my personal rules. In general I don't get involved. I usually don't need to. Erica doesn't get attached and so when she ends things she does it clean. However, I sense that this time is different, for both of you I think."

  "It is." Ethan confirmed.

  "I am not going to make any threats about hunting you down and removing your fun parts if you hurt her, though I will. Instead, I am just going to say Erica is the most important person in the world to me. She is one of a kind and if you want her you need to take care of her."

  "I fully intend to," he said seriously.

  "Good." She turned and headed toward the bedroom but then she stopped and turned back. "Compliment her shoes."

  "Excuse me?"

  "Compliment her shoes. Shoes are an important detail to a woman and guys never notice them." Zoe Explained Ethan smiled and nodded.

  When Erica emerged Ethan rose and his jaw fell. He was speechless. She was wearing a black sheath dress with thin straps that crisscrossed across the back. The fabric seemed to mold around her curvy hour glass figure rather than straitening it out. She had pearl studs in her ears and a silver choker around her neck. Her shiny honey brown hair was down and fell around her shoulders in big bouncy curls. She was wearing makeup, she usually didn’t and looked fantastic but she looked good with the makeup too. It was subtle but made her eyes look large and dark. Her lips were shiny and he really wanted to kiss the shine.

  "Is this okay? You said black tie..." Erica bit her lip and he realized he hadn't said anything at all. He was just staring at her.

  "Yeah" he blurted, "You look great, gorgeous!" Erica smiled and he wished he were a little more eloquent. "You always look gorgeous." He glanced down at her shoes they were black heels and had straps that crisscrossed over her foot the way the dress did over her back. They showed off a set of bright red toenails. "Those are great shoes." Erica beamed and lifted one foot.

  "Thank you. Aren't they cute? They look like they were made for this gown." Ethan met Zoe’s eyes and silently thanked her for the tip about the shoes. He offered Erica his arm as he led her out the door.

  "A limo?" Erica gasped when he escorted her down to the parking lot.

  "It's part of the ambiance. Plus we don't have to worry about drinking too much champagne." She laughed and slid across the black leather seat of the stretched car. He slid in beside her.

  “I have to admit to an ulterior motive. I would much rather sit back here and enjoy the ride with you than drive.”

  “Oh really, you want to make out in the back of a limo?”

  “Ha, of course I do.” He grinned. She scooted closer so her side was pressed against him.

  “You want to know a secret?” She whispered. He reached over and pressed a button raising the privacy partition between them and the driver.

  “You know I do. I love your secrets.” He whispered back.

  “I’ve never made out in the back seat of a car. I always wondered if I had missed something important.”

  “Let’s find out.” He leaned in and kissed her. He sucked her lower lip into his mouth and ran his tongue over the plump softness. She sighed and parted her lips her tongue slipping out to meet his.

  “You taste like cherries.” He said against her lips without truly breaking the kiss.

  “It’s flavored lip gloss.” She giggled.

  “I like it.”

  “That’s good because I have twelve flavors.”

  “I can hardly wait to guess the flavors.” He groaned. He kissed along her jaw line to her neck. She sighed and tilted her head in invitation. He licked and nibbled up to her ear lobe carefully avoiding the pearl stud in her ear. He heard her breathing hitch as he nibbled her ear and mentally marked the place. “Are you ready for another base lesson?” He whispered into her ear.

  “Yes.” She breathed. She felt his thumb stroke the side of her breast. She had fairly large breasts, they often drew male attention. She had men bump into her on purpose or accidentally brush her. Most of the men she dated tried to cop a feel at one time or another. None of those experiences compared to this. Ethan’s thumb swept along the underside of her breast then moved in a wide circle over the tip. Even though there were layers of clothes between his thumb and her skin she could feel the heat of his hand. She wanted to press against him but she couldn’t find the courage so she simply held still waiting to see what he would do next. The circles he was making grew smaller until he rubbed his thumb across her nipple. Her nipples were already
hard from the anticipation and she was a little embarrassed. As the pleasure shot from her nipples to her core, her embarrassment melted away. His thumb stopped moving and she huffed a slight sigh of disappointment. He bent his head and ran his tongue down the sweep of her cleavage along the neckline of the gown. She moaned softly under the torment.

  She squirmed against him a throbbing need low in her belly.

  “Ethan I want you,” she said breathless and he chuckled.

  “I want you too sweetheart, so much.” She lifted his head with her hands and kissed him fiercely, her passion amping his, as his arms tightened around her.

  “Easy sweetheart, you are testing my resolve and I’ll be damned if I will make love to you for the first time in the back of a car.”

  “But I want you Ethan, I want you right now,” she said surprised at her own boldness. He eased her down onto the seat. Kissing her as he slid his hand up the inside of her leg.

  “Oh God, are those garters and stockings?” He groaned.

  “I like them, they make me feel sexy.”

  “You are sexy.” His hand was resting on the bare skin of her inner thigh and she wanted to squirm against it but again she waited for him. Instead she kissed along his neck and nibbled his ear lobe the way he had been doing to her moments before. She felt his finger rub along the seam of her panties and whimpered slightly. When he gently moved them to the side and touched her she moaned softly. He continued to kiss her as he slipped one finger deep inside her. She couldn’t force herself to hold still. She squirmed and held tight to him as he stroked his finger along her inner wall. She could feel the liquid heat and wondered if that was okay, before her brain fully formed the question he was answering.

  “Oh Erica, you’re so wet, so hot. It’s sexy as hell.” The gruff whispers sent chills up her arms and she pushed against him searching for more. He obliged adding another finger. He stroked her from the inside with his fingers and on the outside with his thumb until she was desperate to have him.

  “Please Ethan I need you. I don’t care that we are in a car.”

  “I know sweetheart, you’re almost there.” She didn’t know what he meant by ‘almost there’ until he pushed her over the edge. Her interior muscles spasmed and her hips bucked as the sensation washed over her and just kept washing over her like a tide. Ethan continued his movements. Until she relaxed then he gently slowed and stopped altogether.

  “Feel better?” He whispered. Surprisingly she did. She still wanted him but she didn’t feel the desperate need to have him that she had minutes before.

  “Yes,” she sighed. “That was… impressive.”

  “Thank you.” He laughed. “That was third base.”

  “You’re right; you are very good at third base. Should we continue home?”

  “No sweetheart. I told you. The first time we make love is not going to be in the back of a car.”

  “Are you sure? Can I make you feel better? I mean aren’t you…?”

  “As hard as a fence post? Yes I am.” He laughed. “But I’ll be okay in a little bit.” He sat up and she did too, attempting to straighten her clothes. She’d had an orgasm before but that was self-inflicted and this was different, much much different. She felt alive and relaxed and giddy all at once. It was like a good wine buzz without the brain fog.

  “Thank you.” She whispered suddenly feeling a little embarrassed.

  “Oh sweetheart, believe me it was my pleasure.” He laughed and kissed her not releasing her for several long minutes. “All right,” he sighed “If I am going to get myself under control I am going to have to stop doing that.” She giggled.

  Chapter 12

  “Good morning sleepy head.” Zoe smirked when Erica stumbled into the kitchen.

  “Do I smell food?”

  “I made waffles.”

  “Bless you, I am starving.”

  “So Cinderella how was the ball?”

  “It was…” Erica searched for the right description. “A long and boring political fundraiser for some guy running for Senate, no Congress, no Senate, I don’t know, he was running for something. There were a few celebs there. No one to write home about. My new shoes gave me a blister.”

  “That good huh?”

  “It was fantastic, wonderful, absolutely divine.”

  “Uh, you wanna run that by me again?”

  “It was the company. Ethan was amazing, he was funny and considerate. He’s a good dancer. He didn’t check out any of those silicone hussies showing too much cleavage.” Erica sighed. “He is amazing Zoe, what am I going to do?”

  “What do you mean what are you going to do?”

  “There is no way he is real. He is too good to be true. He has to be a robot. A boyfriend automaton.” She giggled and Zoe laughed. “We took a limo downtown and made out on the way. Then we danced and he introduced me to people I will never remember. Then on the way back he kept me laughing making jokes about the boring speeches we had to sit through. He walked me to the door and he kissed me goodnight. He didn’t ask to come in and he didn’t hint for an invitation.”

  “Definitely an automaton.” Zoe agreed.

  “He is having a BBQ at his house today. He invited both of us. Please say you’ll come with me. I don’t want to go by myself. What if his friends hate me?”

  “No one ever hates you Erica.” Zoe laughed. Erica looked at her with pleading eyes and she relented. “All right I’ll come with you.”

  Erica was so nervous she couldn’t sit still. She was worried she was going to do something stupid in front of Ethan’s friends. She was going to embarrass him and he was going to see how wrong for each other they were.

  “Erica, relax.” Zoe finally said as they neared their destination. “You look fabulous. You are a smart beautiful confident woman.”

  “You sound like one of these self-affirming tapes people listen to.” Erica giggled. Zoe grinned.

  There were several cars parked in Ethan’s circular drive when they pulled up and Erica’s nerves intensified. The front door was open so Erica and Zoe just walked in. Erica put the veggie tray she brought on the counter in the kitchen. There was a baseball game on the big TV and a few people on the sectional watching it. Erica could see that most of the activity was out the sliding glass door on the back deck. The BBQ was smoking and there were quite a few people milling around some in deck chairs, some seated around the patio table. Ethan was one of them he was sitting in a chair with his long legs stretched out in front of him. A pair of board shorts showed off his powerful tanned legs. She was thankful that Zoe was with her. She had never been so nervous. She didn’t even know what she was supposed to call Ethan, was he her friend? Her boyfriend? That sounded so juvenile. She stepped out onto the deck and he looked up. His face split into a wide grin and he hopped to his feet. He crossed to her and kissed her soundly. She could feel herself blushing. There was certainly no doubt about the nature of their relationship now. He had claimed her hand at some point when he was scrambling her brain with that kiss. Now he leaned over and gave Zoe a welcoming kiss on the cheek but he didn’t release her hand.

  “Glad you made it. Come meet everyone.” Erica recognized Jace. He unfolded his lanky frame from his chair and kissed her cheek.

  “Good to see you Erica.”

  “You too Jace. This is my friend Zoe.” The introductions continued all around and Erica knew she wasn’t going to remember all the names. Zoe was much better at that. She could always remember names and socialize with just about anyone. Ethan and Jace pulled up a couple chairs for them. Just before she sat Ethan nudged her.

  “You mind giving me a hand in the kitchen?”

  “Of course not.” She followed him inside but instead of going to the kitchen he ducked down the hall toward the office. He pulled her against him and kissed her again.

  “I missed you.”

  “It’s only been twelve hours.” She laughed.

  “I don’t care.”

  “You were sleeping for
most of that.”

  “You have ruined me for sleeping alone.”

  “You’re such a sweet talker.” She teased but inside she was doing a happy dance. He kissed her again.

  “You look great by the way. I love the shoes that show off your sexy red toes.”

  “Thank you.” She smiled and he kissed her again.

  Most of the BBQ attendees were men, the only women there seemed to be paired up with one of the men. As a result there were several single men who flirted shamelessly with her and Zoe. Erica just laughed them off but Zoe as always gave as good as she got. Not long after they arrived they were joined by a couple that had a little boy in tow and the woman had what looked like a bundle of pink blankets in her arms. Ethan introduced them as Daren and Sarah, and the little boy was Bobby. Erica was surprised to see the lower half of the man’s leg was replaced with a metal rod. She forced herself not to stare or ask the multitude of questions that sprang to mind.

  “Uncle Ethan!” The little boy cried and bounded into his lap. Ethan moved quickly and caught the little boy before he took a foot where he didn’t want it. Then he settled him into his lap. “I got a baby.” The boy pointed excitedly.

  “Really, did you get her from the mall?”

  “No mom got her at the hospital. They took her out.” Everyone laughed and the little boy beamed.

  “Let me see the little Darlin’.” Jace stood up and retrieved the baby. “Oh thank heaven she looks like her mama.” Jace said looking at the sleeping baby’s face. Everyone laughed and Darren flipped him off causing everyone to laugh again. Erica was trying not to watch Ethan. She already thought he was too perfect. Did he really have to be good with kids too? She noticed Zoe watching the baby and her heart ached a bit. Unfortunately, Jace noticed too.

  “You want to hold her?” He offered her the baby.

  “No way!” Zoe laughed and jumped to her feet. “Don’t you know those things are contagious?” She made a hasty retreat the house as if getting away from the germs.