Izzy Moffit's Road to Wonderland (Road to Wonderland Series Book 1)

by James, Victoria L.

  “I own a club in town called Crystal. She used to work there for me, and as you know, she used to like to party hard. I tried to do her a favour, give her a focus and a job.” He shrugs. “She was a good employee.”

  The pennies all seem to drop at once and I know exactly who he is and where I’ve heard his voice before. Memories of the phone call I made to quit her job for her come flooding back. Even then, he was able to pull me in and make me feel nervous, just from the other end of the phone. It all makes sense now. She’s set me up with someone from those days of her past. The more this date goes on, the more pissed off I seem to be getting, and I hate the next question that falls from my lips, without apology, as I look up at him sharply. “You knew her from the club. Wait… Have you two dated before?”

  The ‘I remember you’ on the tip of my tongue thankfully stays where it is.

  He laughs quietly, guiding me further inside a building I haven’t even looked up at yet. He’s all I see. “No, I haven’t dated Paris.”

  “Welcome to McDonalds. May I take your order?”

  Huh? What?

  The voice of another woman seems strange in the middle of this conversation we’re having. My head snaps up to look all around me and it’s at that point I realise just exactly where we are - as if her welcome speech hadn’t told me enough already.

  “Yeah, I’ll have a Big Mac meal with a coke, please,” Ethan replies casually, before turning to look at me. Catching his eyes and noting the way he tries to hide the small cringe of his mouth, all I can do is stare. I’m not above being taken to a fast food restaurant on a date, it’s just that it’s never happened before now and I’m not entirely sure how to react. Part of me wants to curl my lip and take the piss, ask him if this is really the best he’s got when I expected so much more from Mr. Don Juan, but the other, more prominent, part of me wants to burst out laughing at the comedy of it all. “Moffy?”

  Turning my attention back to the woman behind the counter, I raise my brows at her and clear my throat once again. “Umm, I’ll just have some fries, please.” Then I turn back to him, fingers fidgeting nervously as both hands tug on the strap of my slouch bag and my lips press tightly together to fight off the laughter.

  For the first time since I saw him on my doorstep, Ethan looks unsure. His feet shuffle awkwardly as his hand rubs the back of his hair and his brows crease together. “You sure? I can’t get you some nuggets or something?”

  Kill me now. My eyes fill with moisture as I try my fucking hardest to hold back anything sarcastic. I’m so close to cracking up, I have to look away from the absolute cuteness of his lost little boy look. Turning to face the server again, I nod weakly and swallow down the lump in my throat. The way she’s flicking her eyes between me and the man I’m stood with tells me all I need to know. She can sense this is a date and she, right alongside me, can’t believe he’s brought me here of all places.

  It’s all too much. I have to slip away and let the giggles out without him seeing. Making my excuses, I spin on my heel and tell him I’ll go find us a seat, leaving him to deal with the food. Sliding into my chair, I press both hands to my mouth to stifle the small fit of laughter that escapes. It’s impossible to miss him moving around the restaurant. He has one of those presences that you don’t need to see, you can just feel. I know he’s walking back over with the tray before he even comes into my line of sight.

  Quickly wiping away the moisture under my eyes, I straighten up and fluff my hair back around my shoulders as he glides into the chair opposite me. Ethan’s head is down, focusing on sorting everything out before he tosses the empty tray onto the table beside us and starts eating. He’s displaying the bruises of his ego so obviously that I can’t help but pick up one of my fries and nibble on the end.

  “So, Ethan Walker,” I say, leaning forward and smirking, dropping my voice to a seductive, Hollywood whisper for effect. “Is this where you bring all the ladies?”

  He scratches the top of his head before slinking back into his seat and finally allowing himself to look up at me. I guess a big part of me expects him to come back with some arrogant, I-am-man-hear-me-roar type answer, so when his eyes soften as he stares at me and his head tilts to one side, I can’t help but feel a little surprised. My stomach tightens under his intense gaze as the silence hangs between the two of us. He really is beautiful - a word not usually used when describing a man, but for him, it seems so perfect.

  “Eh, not really,” he finally answers, grabbing a few fries from in front of him and dipping them in the ketchup. “This was kind of sprung on me at the last minute. I’m normally better prepared than this.”

  My eyes light up at his ability to admit defeat. The casual way he acknowledges that he is about as ready for this date as I am allows my shoulders to relax, and before I know it, I’ve reached across the table and dipped the end of my fries into his sauce. Leaning in even closer, I raise a brow. “You’ve been dreading this as much as me, haven’t you?”

  Ethan’s body rises to match mine as he casually takes two of my fries and grins up at me. “The whole blind date thing isn’t normally my style. It’s not that I haven’t been on one before; they just don’t tend to end well. Paris was rather… vague, when she set this up. Though, in my defence, I’m enjoying this one.”

  “You are?” I smirk. “Even though you’re tanking it?”

  “I’m tanking it?” he asks incredulously, both his eyebrows raised as though he can’t quite believe what I’ve just said, but the smile on his lips grows so wide, I can see his perfect white teeth for the very first time. Lucky bastard seems to have it all.

  “Oh…” I nod eagerly, chewing down on the food I’ve just devoured. “So, so bad. This is, like Armageddon for your dating reputation. Imagine what all the other girls will say when I tell them Ethan Walker took me to…” I let out a gasp, “McDonalds. You’re doomed. Not even your looks can save you now.”

  His eyes narrow as though he’s seeing me properly for the first time and his mouth opens to respond. The sound of his phone ringing out from his pocket soon forces it closed as he reaches down inside and swipes to accept the call. If I was on a date with anyone else, the fact that they’d bothered with their phone at all would probably put me off a little, but with Ethan, I’m actually grateful. It allows me some time to stare at the outline of his jaw, the cute dimple that forms in his left cheek when he speaks and, more importantly, listen to the sound of his husky voice without having to worry about formulating any quick comebacks to keep myself interesting.

  As soon as he ends the call, which was apparently to his brother about a car he seems to hold a little too close to his heart, he leans across the table and looks at me like I’ve suddenly become a target to him. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that, and I’m going to try to raise the standards a bit so you don’t think I’m an utter twat. Let me get you out of here. I have an idea.”

  “Okay,” I chuckle softly, reaching for my bag. His hand appears from nowhere and takes hold of mine as he pulls me out from my seat. There’s a new urgency about him that wasn’t there before and I can’t deny it makes my chest pound that little bit harder as we make our way back outside.

  Even in my converse, I’m struggling to keep up with him as he leads me down the street. Our hands are entwined so tightly, it should feel strange, but all it feels is right and the grin on my face soon becomes so ridiculously big that my cheeks ache from the force of it. Coming to a stop at a corner, he practically spins me around so I’m in front of him. His body steps in behind mine and I can feel the heat of his chest through his shirt as it presses against my back and his hands rise to cover my eyes. My breath catches in my throat and I pray to all the gods I know that he can’t see the reaction I’m having to the most basic of his touches.

  “No peeking!”

  “Okay,” I repeat in a nervous giggle as he guides me awkwardly to an unknown destination. I’ve never giggled much in my life, yet here I am.

  A sma
ll bell rings above my head, alerting me to the fact that we’ve obviously just entered another building. Ethan’s hands slip away from my face and all I can think about is not where we are, but wanting him to put them back and for us to stay that way a little bit longer. The scent of his aftershave is so intoxicating, it’s making me want to lose control and throw myself at him, no matter where we end up when I open my eyes. It’s the most bizarre, out of control feeling I’ve ever had and I wonder, just for a moment, how many women he’s had without even having to seduce them for a second.

  My eyes remain closed and my body flinches slightly as his mouth falls close to my ear. His breath upon my skin does things to me I can’t process and it takes all my womanly willpower to clench my fists and try control the impending outburst of goose-bumps on my arms.

  “Open your eyes,” he whispers. “This place sells the most amazing ice cream.”

  I can already feel the intensity of his gaze as my eyes flicker open to take in where we are. As soon as I see the counter filled with a hundred different colours and flavours, my grin widens even further than I knew possible.

  “I love ice cream,” I sing with enthusiasm. The excitement of the moment, the ache I feel inside to thank him for such a sweet, non-extravagant gesture forces me to turn my head to kiss the side of his cheek. What I’m not expecting is for him to be making the same move at exactly the same time, so when our lips connect inside of what was originally planned, my body tenses beneath him. Moving awkwardly and about to apologise while still resting my mouth against his, I stop and watch as his lips curl into a smile.

  It’s in this moment, right here, when I know I am in serious danger with this man. The look he’s giving me makes me feel like I’m the only woman he’s ever seen in this world. The power he has gained over me in such a short space of time scares the shit out of me and, despite wanting to ignore every instinct I have and just enjoy the feel of his touch, my head is screaming that this is exactly what Jack did to me; this is exactly the control he took.

  As if reading my thoughts from my face, he slowly pulls away, smiling all the while as he takes hold of my hand again and pulls me closer. “It’s a surprisingly beautiful day for April. Seeing as we walked here, I figured we could make the walk back a little sweeter.”

  Raising my chin, I turn to look at him and smile. “That sounds like a great idea.” I bounce forward on the tip of my toes and head towards the glass counter, trailing my fingers along the front. “I’m going to have the mint choc chip. What about you?” I peek back over my shoulder and grin, “my treat.”

  “I know this is probably setting women’s lib back a couple of decades, but I’m a traditionalist. It’s my treat,” he growls, shaking his head and grinning at me. “You get whatever you wa-”

  Watching as his face falls flat and his words stop short, I frown in confusion before looking between him and the thing that’s so obviously caught his attention. My eyes lock on the woman working here, all tiny framed, long, flowing, brown hair with boobs of perfection and eyes that sparkle with nothing but the devil. She’s gorgeous, and the way she’s looking at Ethan screams that they know each other.

  And they know each other well.

  My heart sinks into the very pit of my stomach when he clears his throat and eventually forces himself to speak again. “Hey, Chloe,” he says with more discomfort than he’s shown all night, nervously rubbing the nape of his neck as he casts a quick glance my way. Before I even have time to raise a brow in question, his hand finds the small of my back and he tries to turn me around in the opposite direction of the ice cream we originally came here for. I’m about to protest and ask what the hell is going on, even though I’m certain I already know, when I hear her cocky cackle reverberate off the parlour walls.

  “Well, if it isn’t Ethan Walker, strip club entrepreneur.” Her voice is full of venom as she practically spits the words out and tosses them to the floor. “Who is she? Another dancer you’re fucking?”

  Well this just got interesting really fucking fast, didn’t it?

  Thirty-Nine

  My feet turn to lead instantly, and I can tell by the way his body sags and his head dips that he knows there’s no way out of this for either of us. A small whisper of something falls from his lips, but I’ll be honest, I’m so wrapped up in how the hell I’m going to deal with this situation that I don’t hear a word of it.

  Unable to stop the look of disgust from forming on my face at this stranger’s insult towards me, I slowly spin in his grip and look back at her. Whatever it is that Ethan has done to her in the past, there's no excuse for her taking her frustrations out on someone she doesn’t even know.

  “Excuse me?” I scoff, feigning just enough confidence to save face while showing her I am really damn annoyed. “I am no dancer he is fucking, love.”

  I spot Ethan in my peripheral vision and see the hand he drags down his face in desperation. I’m not sure what to make of it. He’s acting guilty of something, even though I have no idea what that could be. If he did treat this woman badly, I don't know why he would want to hide it from me. I’m nobody to him and, judging by the stunning looks of this girl, I never could be. His standards are clearly off the charts high. I can't compete.

  The realisation of that simple truth surprises me with how much it hurts.

  “Jesus Christ, Chloe! You’re a fucking class act. That was uncalled for. Looks like I definitely made the right decision, not that I questioned it once,” he snaps, looking a little helpless as his eyes flicker between his ice-cream cone ex and me. “And not that it’s any of your business, but no, not a dancer.”

  Before I even have time to respond, he’s taken hold of my hand like he owns it and is pulling me out of the shop so quickly and with so much force, I don’t stand a chance of protesting and making him stop. Not that I want to anymore. My fight has gone completely and all the negative thoughts are threatening to rip me apart in front of him.

  I knew this was a bad idea. I’m not ready. I’m not strong enough yet.

  “Don’t drag me, Ethan!” I snap, yanking my hand away from him and taking a step back. Deep down, I know I should just say goodbye to him and walk away, but I can’t seem to stop myself from taking a glance back into the shop and sighing quietly. “You have a reputation for sleeping with every dancer within a ten mile radius, huh?”

  He doesn’t deny it, even though I’m sure I leave him enough time to say something that will make me stay. Another sign that he probably wants this over with as much as I do. My eyes narrow and my hands fly up into the air as I look down.

  “Well, I’m sorry, I’m just not that kind of girl. So if you think I’m going to give you a blow job in exchange for a wink and a happy meal, you can think again.” As soon as I’ve said it, I know it's a mistake. I need to go. I need to get out of here, fast, before I make a complete fool of myself in front of him.

  “Hold up a minute, Moffy. You’re telling me that you’re just going to listen to what she says without giving me an opportunity to defend myself?” His self-protective tone should piss me off even more, yet all I can think about is how much hotter his voice sounds when it’s got an edge to it. “Yes, I slept with her. Who hasn’t? I found out she was sleeping with most of the other lads in the club. She tried to play us off against one another so I fired her arse. It’s that basic. She’s bitter, resentful and obviously still sore she was caught out. Now she’s getting the retribution she thinks she deserves by making you think the worst of me.”

  Dropping my hands down to my side, I look up through cautious eyes and hold his gaze. He’s right. Who am I to judge him for his past without even letting him explain? Who am I at all? I’m nobody in his world. I have no right to make assumptions and chastise him for anything that’s happened in his life before today. I’m just about to lift my hand and make some sort of feeble apology when his mouth opens again to speak and the growl gets even thicker.

  “I guess now that you have this bullshit image of me in
your head, I should live up to it - screw your brains out and loosen you the hell up.”

  Sucking in a sharp breath, I reach up to hold my chest tightly. Shock, anger and absolute disbelief run through me all at once and I know there isn’t any coming back from what he’s just said. I only wish my cheeks weren’t blushing and my bottom lip hadn’t just trembled at the thought of him doing exactly that. The way he says it, so primal and raw, so matter of fact, all I can think about is what it would be like and how it would feel to just let him take me home and ‘screw’ the tension out of me.

  “Oh no… Please, please tell me you did not just say that,” I whisper, trying desperately not to let him see me falter.

  “Just… forget it. I should get you home,” he replies flatly, half turning away from me, shaking his head and pinching the bridge of his nose.

  “If that’s what you want, fine.”

  “You think this is what I want? You think I like having my past thrown about and used against me? So I worked and slept with beautiful woman… sue me! Christ, Moffy, I can only imagine what you think of me. From your tone and attitude I’d say it’s so far off the mark it’s not even funny. It’s fucking typical that shit like this comes up and ruins a date with someone I actu-” He stops, even though I suddenly really, really want him to finish that sentence. I want to know why he’s getting so angry and so defensive. I know I’m acting like a bitch in his eyes, but this kind of behaviour is confusing to me from someone like him. Why does he even care? Maybe it’s because of who we both know. Maybe it’s… Shit… no.

  “Paris is beautiful,” I suddenly say nervously. “Did you sleep with her, Ethan?”

  His eyes lock on mine as he weighs up how best to answer me. The slight pause tells me enough before he finally confirms it with a small nod of his head. I can’t will myself to look away from the expression that crosses his face as he closes his eyes and drops his chin to his chest in defeat. I’ve not known him longer than a single hour, yet I can’t miss the small fracture that seems to tear into a small part of my heart. I don’t move much to respond, in fact, I’m not sure how he even hears me when I eventually breathe out my response.