by Harley Reid
Shaking myself from my thoughts, I turn on my heels and head back through to the gym to continue the session with Jamison following.
The next few days feel like Groundhog Day. Get up, train, eat, train more, eat, sleep. All while desperately trying to catch a single moment with Mia, who seems to be avoiding me. It’s Wednesday morning and I’m leaving for my press tour in half an hour so I’m waiting by the front door to say goodbye to my girl before I go.
A mop of curly brown hair runs towards me and I instinctively crouch down to let her throw her arms around my shoulders as I scoop her up in my arms and smile at Mia over her shoulder.
I explained everything to her again last night and although I’m in the bad books for going away, she’s looking forward to a couple of days with Mia, especially since I’ve arranged for the two of them to go on a chocolate making experience on Saturday. I’m not sure who’s more excited, Maddie or Mia.
“Promise me you’ll be good for Mia while I’m gone.” I put lower her to her feet and rub the bottom of my back as I straighten up — a reminder that she’s growing up fast and soon it won’t be so easy to just pick her up.
“Yes daddy.” She sighs, rolling her eyes at me, “But you need to tell her that too because she did my hair wrong this morning.”
I laugh as she stands looking at me with her hands on her hips like she’s telling me off. “Okay, why don’t you go get your school bag and I’ll tell her.”
Maddie skips up the corridor towards her room and disappears up the stairs.
“Okay, so I’ll be back on Sunday morning. You’ve got my number if you need it but if it’s an emergency, you can call Sarah. I’ll be calling every night to speak to Maddie before bed too.” This is the most I’ve said to her since the kiss and I really don’t want to leave it like this.
Her gaze is directed towards her worn burgundy converse and she’s holding her arms across her body as though she’s trying to protect herself from something. “We’ll be fine. I promise.”
I turn to leave, then hesitate, “Are we ever going to talk about what happened the other night in the kitchen?”
Her eyes find mine. “There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Is that why you’ve been avoiding me?” I press, knowing that I should just leave it alone.
“Look, you’re my boss. We kissed — and it was a really great kiss, but it can’t happen again because now things are weird and...”
“I know,” Impulsively I reach for her arm, but she pulls away. “It was a mistake, and we should just forget it ever happened.” Even though all I can think about is doing it again.
“I’m ready.” Maddie comes flying past and out the door. “Come on Mia, I’m going to be late. Bye daddy!”
She’s already halfway up the drive when Mia turns to follow her, jogging slowly to catch up with her as she takes her hand, and they fade into the distance. I grab my bag from the corner and head into the courtyard, locking up behind me and waiting for my team to pick me up so we can begin the journey down to London.
I was happy when Ethan left for his press thing on Wednesday. These past four days have been great. I’ve got to spend time with Maddie, and even Lexi has been over to give me a hand, which I never thought would happen — let’s face it, she only spends so much time here normally so she can ogle the athletes.
This morning we went to the chocolate making visit that Ethan had planned for us and I’m pretty sure we ate our body weight in chocolate, so I guess I’ll be reuniting with the couple of extra pounds I put on after the break-up. Maddie was exhausted when we got back this afternoon and put herself to bed straight after her phone call with Ethan so tonight, I am alone and have one heck of a movie marathon lined up. We’re going old school tonight.
First up is Breakfast at Tiffany’s, followed by Gone with the Wind and then we’ll end with Casablanca. We came away with a whole heap of freebies from our visit so I can’t wait to try some of the flavoured hot chocolate calling to me from the kitchen.
As great as it is having the house to myself, I am actually glad that Ethan is coming back tomorrow.
Initially, I was a bit worried that things would be a bit weird between us, but it turns out, we’re both pretty good at pretending nothing happened between us, maybe we can be friends after all — of course it helps that he’s miles away and I’ve only seen him for about ten minutes a day on a small mobile phone screen.
Even on the small screen he looks amazing, especially tonight when he called before the press conference in his fitted suit. I’d be lying if I said my mouth wasn’t watering. He seemed a little distracted though, almost like he was going into a situation that he really didn’t want to be in. I guess he just doesn’t like the press conferences. I’ve come to realise that he tends to keep himself to himself, and instead of filling in awkward pauses by blabbering on about anything and everything like I do, he actually seems more comfortable.
I brew myself a cup of chocolate, crawl under the knitted throw and press the play button as the Paramount screen fades away revealing Audrey Hepburn in that iconic outfit, standing outside the Tiffany store.
What was that?
A loud bang coming from outside makes me jump, hundreds of questions whizzing through my head.
Is someone outside?
Did I lock the doors?
Is the alarm on?
Has Ethan come home early?
My heart pounds as I slowly raise myself from the chair, trying to listen for any other signs of movement coming from outside. I peek through the curtains, glancing around but there’s nothing there. Continuing to listen intently, I move quietly over to the front door to check that I locked it earlier and I set the alarm.
I’m not one for watching horror films but I imagine this is what it feels like to be in one as I systematically work my way around the house, checking all the windows and doors before returning to my nest on the sofa and hitting the play button once again.
About halfway into the movie, I hear it again. This time I’m frozen in place and for some reason, I can’t stop myself from chuckling to myself.
“Come on Mia, what’s so funny.” I ask myself out loud as if I’m having some kind of nervous breakdown.
Who lives with a professional fighter and has no idea how to defend them self if they need too? This girl right here. That’s who.
I slide my phone off the table and dial the first number that comes up. A familiar voice will calm me down.
“Mia, is everything okay?” Ethan’s voice cuts through the sound of voices in the background. Wherever he is, it’s busy.
“I’m not sure, I keep hearing banging from outside.” My voice is shaky, and I can tell he’s worried, “I’m probably just overreacting but I got scared and wanted to talk to someone.” I could have called Lexi, but I didn’t. Why?
“Do you want me to come home after the press conference? It’s only drinks after that anyway so it’s not like I need to be here.”
“No, I’ll be fine. I just realised that I have no idea what to do if anything does happen and you’re not here.” I hate that I feel like a need a man to protect me. “When you get back can you teach me a little bit of self-defence?”
“If you want. But in the meantime, make sure the doors are locked and the alarm is on.”
I reply with a mutter, letting him know that it’s taken care of. “Look Mia, they’re calling us to the stage, so I need to go but don’t worry, it’s probably just a fox or something.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
His deep gravelly tone has a soothing effect on me as my heartbeat steadies, it’s a million miles away from the effect he had on me when we first met — although, I may have let his reputation cloud my judgement a tad. “Good luck with the conference, I’ll see you in the morning.”
I press the big red button and put my phone down beside me in case I have to call the emergency services at some point and then I settle down to watch the rest of the film, on high alert.
&nb
sp; Ethan has been back a couple of days and true to his word, his evenings have been dedicated to teaching me how to look after myself. After a hot and sweaty training session with him, I am absolutely beat.
I was a little hesitant about learning to fight when I first asked him but it’s actually quite fun hitting the big heavy bags and letting the day’s frustrations out. It is definitely a lot different to yoga though.
Every bone in my body is telling me to crawl into bed and sleep but as I pull my sticky t-shirt over my head I get hit with the most obnoxious stench. The realisation that Ethan has been up close and personal with that smell while we were rolling around on the floor, doing what he calls grappling, fills me with embarrassment.
The grappling is my favourite part of the training so far. Ethan says it’s to help me get out of situations where someone has control over me and I need to get them off me, so we’ve been working on how to shift my body into positions to allow me to kick them off me. It mainly consists of him sprawled on top of me while I writhe around and try to buck him off with my hips.
I’m pretty sure it’s something he’s made up just to tease the heck out of me after that night in the kitchen and if that’s the case, it’s definitely working. Having him pin me down like that should make me feel uncomfortable but for some reason I trust him.
I like having his strong hands on me and feeling his rock-hard muscles against my body. It fills my body with this intense heat that I’ve never felt before.
As my mind continues to drift, my phone pings on the bedside table so I reach over and read the text message from Lexi.
Lexi: U up?
My tired fingers type back slowly, letting her know that I’m just about the jump in the shower and then get my head down. A few seconds after pressing send, three little dots appear, followed by another text.
Lexi: Got rejected from another casting today. Beginning to think acting is not for me!
Those stupid casting agents make me so furious sometimes. I mean, what more could they want. She’s beautiful, smart, funny, maybe a little too sociable and she can actually act. I mean, if she doesn’t get an Oscar one day, the world is crazy. I just don’t understand how they can keep rejecting her, audition after audition.
I’m about to text back but dial her number instead. I think this is one of those occasions where she needs to hear a friendly voice.
“Hey Mia, sorry if I’ve interrupted your night.” She frets “You didn’t have to call.”
“Yes, I did. My sister needs me.” I perch on the edge of my bed, “You okay?”
“Yeah, just re-evaluating all of my life choices and wondering if a bar job is in my future.”
“Not a chance. You haven’t been cast in anything big yet because the right part is still out there waiting for you.” I’ve lost count of how many times I have given this particular pep talk, but I can’t bear the thought of her giving up on her dreams and missing out on an amazingly successful career. “Just stick with it and give it a little more time. The perfect role will find you once it’s been written and, in the meantime, you can just stick with the commercials.”
“I guess, I just really wanted this one.”
“I know but there’s something bigger and better out there for you, just have faith.”
“Okay, Good night.” There’s a short pause on the other end of the line and just as I’m about to hang up, she speaks, “Thanks Mia. Love you millions.”
“Anytime. I love you too.”
Switching the phone off, I plug it in to charge, tear off the rest of my clothes, covering myself with a towel and grab my stuff before heading to the bathroom.
When I get there, a crack of light seeps through the slightly ajar door. I knock lightly and when there’s no answer, I just assume Ethan forgot to turn it off and walk in.
So wrong! How did I miss the sound of running water?
Through the steamed-up glass panel of the shower cubicle I catch sight of a glorious muscular silhouette and a jolt of electricity races through my body. Time stands still as I watch him lather up his tattoo covered body. My eyes glide across every contour of his body, his strong arms, his broad shoulders tapering down into his torso with the butterfly shaped muscle down the centre of his upper back.
Certain that he is unaware of me watching him, my eye line drifts lower, stopping to admire his firm, round bum with cute little dimples just above where the curve of his lower back meets the top of his cheeks.
Mia. What are you doing? Don’t be such a pervert.
As I come to my senses, I turn to leave hastily, dropping my bottle of shampoo with a thud.
The shower door slides open and suddenly I am faced with a very wet and very naked man.
“Are you going to just stand there or are you planning on joining me?” He stands confidently, eyeing me up and down and I can feel the rush of heat taking over my body. Without thinking, I close my eyes, awkwardly scrambling to pick up my things before apologising and rushing out of the bathroom.
As I close the bathroom door behind me, air escapes my lungs. My hormones are telling me to get back in that bathroom immediately, but my head and my heart don’t agree.
I’ve been searching for my soul mate since I was fifteen. I don’t want to waste my time on something that isn’t going anywhere, and he’s made it perfectly clear that he isn’t interested in any kind of relationship.
But on the other hand, maybe Lexi is right. Maybe a little bit of fun is just what I need. This whole soul mate thing hasn’t worked out too great so far has it?
No, I’m not a fun, no strings kind of girl and getting involved with him would be a massive mistake. I’d be on a collision course with heartbreak. I need to go back to my room.
Without thinking, I am back in the bathroom with Ethan's eyes watching me in anticipation. My eyes devour every inch of his body with a hunger I have never felt before. My chest heaves up and down, heat building between my legs at the thought of his touch. His eyes lock on mine, making my body tremble so much that I'm unable to move.
What am I doing? This isn’t me.
I bite my bottom lip watching this Greek God stalk towards me, tiny droplets of water hitting the floor in slow motion and the strong masculine smell of his shower gel filling my senses.
My eyes drift to his chest and instinctively, I reach out to trace the black and grey ink that adorns it as my towel drops to the floor.
I'm naked. In front of this perfectly carved body.
My cheeks are on fire and my heart racing as I frantically try to position my hands to cover my body, until I can retrieve my towel and run away.
What the heck was I thinking?
“Don't.” He commands, taking a step back and exploring my body with his wide, lust filled eyes. “I want to see all of you.”
Without saying a word, I slowly lower my arms to my sides. A feeling of vulnerability washing over me as my gaze trails to the floor.
“You are so fucking beautiful Mia.” My eyes continue to move towards the floor, his growing erection causing me to let out a small gasp. “I wish you could see yourself the way I do right now.”
The next thing I know, I'm pulled against his rock-hard torso and into the shower. Water rains down on us from above as his hands explore every curve of my body.
Ethan slides a hand into my hair, tilting my head back to lay soft kisses along my jawline.
“Are you sure about this?” he moans into my neck making my skin tingle.
Struggling to get the words out, I nod and immediately he spins me around to face the wall, my hand pinned flat against the white ceramic tiles above my head with his. He gently caresses and kisses my neck while his hands travel down my body, slowly making their way to my hips. I arch my body towards him, silently begging him not to stop as he glides his hand between my thighs and begins to rub my clit. I roll my hips into his hand as he dips a finger inside me.
I want him. I want him more than I've ever wanted anyone before.
Into
xicated by his touch, my body trembles as he slowly brings me to the edge of orgasm.
Then without warning, he spins me to face him as his lips crash against mine, his fingers continuing their exploration of my most sensitive parts.
As he cages me against the cold, hard tile, his mouth trails along my jawline and down my neck until he whispers into my collarbone, “You taste so fucking good.”
My body is on fire, screaming for release as he drops to his knees, laying kisses over my stomach as his hands grasp my butt, pulling me in closer.
“I want to taste all of you.” Warm breath trails over my belly button and down to my thighs, the slight scratch from his stubble making every hair on my body stand to attention.
I lace my fingers through his hair and try to steady myself as my knees give way.
“Oh my...” a gasp escapes me as he runs his tongue over my entrance, flicking and sucking my clit, slowly at first and then gradually increasing the speed until my knees buckle and my body explodes with ecstasy.
Breathlessly, I collapse into Ethan's arms as he raises himself to his feet and pulls me close, smothering my face with tiny kisses.
Wow. That was even better than I imagined it would be.
His hands glide over my body and down to my hips as his warm tongue crashes into mine, stifling my moans. His erection jabs me in the stomach, begging for attention.
I want him inside me. I need his inside me.
Sliding his hands to my bum and grabbing it forcefully, he lifts me. I wrap my legs around his waist, holding him tightly as our bodies mould together, and he presses me against the cold, hard wall.
After shutting off the water, Ethan opens the shower door with a creak. Stepping out onto the pale blue fluffy mat. Still carrying me as though I weigh nothing, we make the quick journey across the hall to his bedroom, leaving behind a trail of water droplets to mark our path.
Once inside his room, he closes the door behind him and clicks the lock in to place. He carries me towards the bed, laying me down carefully.