“No, dorky gifts. You can open yours now, though.”
“Wait! Really?”
“Yes.”
Luke ripped off the wrapping paper and tore open the plain box and he scowled at it. Ethan eyed him as he pulled the laptop out of the box.
“I know. I know,” Luke muttered at him.
“It’s all set up for you to Skype with me,” she said proudly.
“But I thought you got me … you know,” he said expectantly.
“Oh, it’s on there!”
Ethan looked over at her, wide-eyed. “Seriously?” He thought that was all a joke. But here he was watching Luke scroll through the contents of his new laptop.
“Whoa, sweets, there’s a file with your name on it.”
“Yeah, that’s a special one, just for you, please.”
“I’ll be right back,” Luke said, leaving the room.
Ethan swung the laptop his way. “Mia?” he asked, troubled by what that video could be.
“Don’t worry. There’s no porn on there. It’s all the same video, just with different porn names. I had lots of fun coming up with those.”
He wondered how she came up with those names if she had never seen a porno before. Had she watched some since they last talked about it?
“Uh, Mia … did you, uh …” he stuttered.
“Yes, Ethan?” she replied with a damn smile.
“You watched one, didn’t you?”
“More than one actually.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes, love.”
“Damn,” he said. He wanted to know what she thought about it. Did she like it? Did she get turned on by it? He had so many questions.
“We’ll talk about it later, Ethan.”
About five minutes later, Luke returned to the room. He seemed like he was fighting a lot of different emotions. Mia saw him return too and she looked like she might cry. He went to the laptop and stared at her.
“There’s no porn on that computer,” Luke said and she burst out laughing, tears falling from her somber eyes. “You didn’t need to say any of that, you know. It’s always been the case and will always be.”
“Yeah, I know but I needed to tell you. I don’t know if it’s this tour and being away from you two for so long, but yeah … I love you and Kaitlyn so much.”
“I love you, too.”
“So, what did you get me?” she asked, wiping her eyes with a tissue.
Luke rolled his eyes. “Porn,” he huffed.
“Seriously?” Ethan and Mia said together.
“Yes! You joked about it. I actually got it for you. Now, I have none!” he pouted.
Ethan looked up and was glad everyone else was focused on the kids and their gifts and not this conversation. Kaitlyn called Luke over so she could show him one of her many presents. Luke gave Mia a quick smile and left.
“Ethan …” she said, her voice breaking.
He took the laptop and headed out of the room to his office. “What’s up, suga?”
“I need to go.”
“You have to go?” he asked incredulously.
“Not have to—need to. I’m just really wishing I was there with you guys,” she said and then she started to cry, slow tears at first but not for long. His heart broke at her tears and the pain that caused them. She covered her face with her hands, muffling her sobs. Mia held it together longer than he thought she would. Hell, he wanted her with him, sitting on his lap, his arms around her as they watched all the presents being opened. He wanted to see her face as she opened his present.
So many wants for this Christmas. Instead, all he had was her face on his screen and when she ran off from her laptop, he didn’t even have that.
After all the food, Luke and Kaitlyn left. His sisters and their kids went downstairs. Ethan stayed with his mom in the great room. She relaxed in one of the chairs and Ethan sprawled out on the sofa, exhausted after entertaining everyone for the entire day.
“A wonderful day, Ethan.”
“Thanks, Mama. I just wish Mia could have been here.”
“That would have made it even better,” she paused for a moment to collect her thoughts. His mama never just said something. She always thought about what she would say before actually saying it.
“She’s very beautiful. I mean, I knew that from seeing her on TV and in the magazines, but today, just on your computer screen, it struck me just how beautiful she truly is. Not just physically. She obviously loves you. She has a kind soul. I mean, look at the way she put up with Hailey and Hannah and all their silly questions.”
Ethan laughed at his nieces. They were in awe when they got to talk to her. They didn’t care that he was one of the top football players out there. Nope. To them, he was just plain ol’ Uncle Ethan. But Mia, she was a gorgeous rock star, an idol to them.
“Tell me more about Luke,” his mother asked.
“He’s her best friend. They met in Chicago and used to work together before he moved here. I met him when he first started working for the Flash. He set the two of us up,” he explained with a wistful grin.
“Is Kaitlyn her child?”
“Oh, no!” Ethan protested. Luke and Mia producing a daughter? No. But he could see why his mother might think that. Kaitlyn looked like her father, but acted a lot like Mia.
“Shame because it’s plain to see that she loves that little girl.”
“Yeah. It’s hard not to.”
His mother took a sip of her coffee before speaking again. “I noticed that Kaitlyn calls you ‘Uncle Ethan’ but just calls Mia by her first name …”
“Yeah, I asked Kaitlyn that one day because I found it odd. You can see they obviously adore each other,” he paused, his mother nodding in agreement. “She said to me, ‘Mia’s more than an aunt. There is no word to describe what she means to me.’”
“Mia is very good with kids. Does she come from a large family?” his mother pried.
“No. She’s an only child. Her parents are not from the U.S. Her father’s from France and her mother, the Netherlands. I believe her father was an only child as well.”
“What about her mother?”
“I don’t know,” Ethan said, hating to admit that to his mother. He needed to do a better job of knowing these types of things.
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know much about her family. That’s been one topic that she does not like to discuss.”
“Hmmm …” his mother said thoughtfully. Ethan knew that was his mother’s way of making him think on that himself.
“I know I should press her about it, but my focus lately has been on making her happy. This tour has not been fun—for either of us. Not having her here for Christmas,” he rubbed his forehead and dragged his hand through his hair. “It sucks, Mama. I’m not going to see her again until mid-March.”
“How long has it been since you last saw her?”
“It’s been nine weeks.”
“Oh, you poor boy and then another ten?”
“Five months. If we had normal jobs, she’d be here right now.”
“But if you did have normal jobs, you would not have met. What she does for a living is a big part of why you love her. It’s a bond between you two—this spotlight. You understand as does she. That is important.”
“You’re right, Mama.”
“Where is she off to next?” his mother asked, not giving him a moment to dwell on that.
“South America. Brazil first.”
“When does she leave?”
“Tomorrow evening,” he sighed. In a couple days she would be half a world away.
“Does she have a non-stop flight? I can’t stand the hassle of connecting flights.”
“No. She flies from New York to Chicago to …” he stopped. She has a layover in Chicago! A grin broke out on his face. He flew off the sofa and ran over and kissed his mother on the head. “She’ll be in Chicago, Mama!”
Ethan hurried to his study. He pulled out her
itinerary from his desk drawer and saw that she would get into O’Hare at six p.m. and leave for Rio at nine-thirty. He started searching for earlier flights into O’Hare.
“Damn!” he said, finding it harder than he thought and then he found it—a flight arriving at O’Hare at one in the afternoon. That would give him and Mia eight hours together. Not a lot of time, but better than nothing. He changed her flight and then went about finding one for him to O’Hare.
He booked them a hotel within walking distance of the airport. He didn’t want to waste any time getting a car or driving around the city.
“Merry Fucking Christmas!” he shouted, genuinely happy for the first time in days.
Now to tell his fiancée.
He checked the time on his phone. A little after nine o’clock. He placed the call and impatiently waited for her to answer.
“Hello?” came her cute groggy voice.
“You were sleeping?” he asked, surprised.
“Ethan?” Mia asked happily.
“Yeah, suga,” he replied, his face starting to hurt from the damn grin on his face.
“Hi,” she said and he immediately imagined her face covered in that adorable dopey grin she always got around him. “And, yes, I was sleeping.”
“What a lazy rock star you are!” he joked and the laugh she gave him made his heart swell with happiness.
“Don’t remind me of my lameness. So, my love, why’d you wake me up?”
“How do you feel about having a longer layover in Chicago?”
“Why do I want a longer layover? I’ll already be traveling for almost twenty-four hours!”
“Mia. Use that brain of yours,” he said, shaking his head. “I was thinking that maybe we could get a few hours together … maybe even time to …”
“Oh … Ohhhh!” she said in realization. “I love you!”
“Haha! I love you, too, suga,” Ethan said as he sent her the updated itinerary. “I just emailed you all the info. It’s all taken care of. I will be there waiting for you as you walk off that plane.”
“I’m going to see you tomorrow.”
“How big is your smile?”
“So big my head hurts!” she replied, the sound of sweet laughter lacing her voice. “Oh my God! I am so happy right now, I’m going to cry!”
“Merry Christmas, suga.”
“Merry Christmas, Ethan. I love you!”
“I love you, too. Now go back to sleep.”
“Yeah, right. I’ve got to pack now!”
“Goodnight, Mia. Sweet dreams.”
“Goodnight,” she said, a beautiful smile heard in her voice. He hung up the phone and hurried back to the great room.
“Mama! I’m going to see my fiancée tomorrow!”
Mia
Chicago, Day after Christmas 2007
With a few people ahead of her, Mia’s anticipation was high as she walked through the gate, dragging her wheeled carry-on behind her and her backpack over her shoulder. In mere moments, she would lay her eyes on Ethan, feel his arms around her, breathe in his—
She stumbled as the wheel on her carry-on caught on a lump in the carpet. Annoyed, Mia turned around to right her luggage. When she looked up again, she spotted Ethan and her heart filled with joy at the sight of him as did her eyes.
She stopped mid-step and began to cry. It wasn’t dainty, quiet tears. Nope, it was more like big elephant tears and some not-so-attractive sobs. Her heart was going to explode any minute, she was sure of it. She had never been so happy to see anybody in her life.
He grinned and made his way through the crowd to her. Letting her backpack fall to the ground, she hurried to her fiancé, throwing her arms around his neck.
Ten weeks without holding him.
He wrapped his strong arms around her waist and lifted her in the air, hugging her so tight she thought she might pee her pants.
“Hi, suga,” he whispered against her ear, his warm breath sending shivers down her neck and straight down her back.
“Hi,” she replied, kissing his smooth cheek. His arms around her felt so good. She had missed that, how they made her feel safe. Home.
Ethan put her down and cupped her face with his strong hands, placing his lips on hers. She didn’t realize how much she’d missed the taste of him.
Ten weeks without kissing him.
It was no wonder that the kiss quickly increased in urgency. This wasn’t just a hello kiss. It was an ‘I want to possess you’ kind of kiss. As soon as he could get them out of there, she’d let him do just that. Possess her.
Mia put her hands on his wonderfully strong chest and lightly pushed away, her eyes darting across his handsome face before smiling up at him. “So, we’ve got like seven hours until I have to be back here. What do we want to do? Back to my place?”
“Hell no! That wastes time getting there. So I, uh, got us a room at one of the hotels near the airport.”
Her smile grew wider. God, she loved the mind of this man! “Seriously? You and I—together?”
He chuckled quietly. “Yeah, we’ll be like two virgins.”
“Haha! No, I don’t think so,” she said, rising on her tip toes to steal another kiss from those fabulous lips. “Let’s go!”
She picked up her discarded backpack and he took her carry-on from her and, with his free hand, he laced his fingers through hers and gave her a squeeze. For these next few hours, she would not be leaving his touch. No absolute way.
“Where is the hotel?” she asked, looking up at him. Even though she’d just seen him on Skype yesterday, he looked different to her. Maybe it was the three dimension thing throwing her off.
“They said walking distance from the airport.”
Mia couldn’t stop smiling. She knew this was just for a few hours, but she needed this so badly. She was starting to sink fast and needed him to help keep her afloat. She had held it together for so long that when she found out it’d be over two months before seeing him again, she had snapped. She didn’t know how to cope anymore so she reached out for her go-to remedies—alcohol and drugs. It had been so long since Mia had felt the need to take them. Hopefully this time with him would be what she needed to get back on the straight and narrow.
They quickly made their way from the airport to the hotel, checked in, and with hurried steps, made their way to their sanctuary for the next several hours. Mia was surprised by an attack of nerves as he opened the door for her. She’d had sex with him hundreds of times. He was her fiancé, the man with whom she would spend the rest of her life. How could she be nervous? If she was being honest, she wondered if things would be different and if they were, would he like it—would she?
She went inside the room and busied herself with taking care of her bag and her jacket. She stayed there and took a deep breath to center herself, to try to rid herself of these stupid nerves.
Ethan stood behind her and snaked his arms around her waist, enveloping her in the warmth of his body. Mia leaned back into him, her head against his chest. “Hey, beautiful,” he whispered, before brushing his lips against her cheek.
She turned in his arms and placed her hands on either side of his face. She gazed briefly into his amber eyes before pressing her mouth to his warm and wonderfully sweet lips. She couldn’t imagine if she would have had to wait until March for that kiss.
Putting a large hand to her back, Ethan drew her even closer to him. Mia smiled against his mouth when she felt the hardness of his erection between them. She glanced up and loved the eagerness she saw in his eyes.
Suddenly, she was lifted in the air. A surprised shout escaped from her when she landed on the soft bed. Mia looked up to find him peeling off his sweater and shirt. She stared longingly at his lean muscular chest that looked so much better in person. She couldn’t wait to touch him, taste him.
Mia gasped as Ethan quickly undid and stripped her of her jeans. Her pulse quickened as he removed his pants. That got her into gear. She sat up and clumsily took off her shirt and tank t
op and when they were off, he stood at the foot of the bed, his honey-colored eyes drinking her up. “You coming?”
He let out a boisterous chuckle. “Not for awhile, suga,” he said, making his way onto the bed.
Her short burst of laughter was swiftly silenced when his lips found the inside of her leg, his warm hand high on her thigh. The moans rolled out of her mouth as his lips traveled higher up her leg, the inside of her knee, and then her firm thigh, until he reached his destination. Her back arched high when his lips touched her center.
She dreamily sighed his name as he teased her, loved her before he continued his trek upward over her stomach to her breasts where he lingered.
Months she dreamt of his mouth on her and he didn’t disappoint. The part of her that had waited weeks for this wanted him to hurry but the other part, the one that would have to wait months for his touch again, definitely savored this.
“Look at me, suga,” his husky voice urged her. Mia opened her closed eyes and found his face right above hers.
“Hi,” she said softly, a smile forming.
“Hi,” he said, kissing her chin.
“Ethan?” she asked as he placed soft kisses along her jaw.
Ten weeks without telling him to his handsome face that she loved him.
“Hmm?”
“I love you,” she stated simply, touching his cheek.
That stopped him and his smiling eyes found hers. “I know, suga. I love you, too.”
“Well, speaking of love,” she said, devilishly emphasizing love. “I was thinking that maybe we could, you know …”
“No. What?”
She pushed him over and climbed on top of him, sighing when she felt him hard and strong between her legs.
“Nice answer,” Ethan said, sitting up and holding her tight. His hands in her hair, he brought her face to his, capturing her mouth with a kiss that took her breath away. Mia wrapped her arms around him, pressing her breasts against his hard chest. She moved her hips, his erection pulsing between her legs, waiting, wanting. She couldn’t hold out any longer. Grasping him in her hand, she lowered herself on top of him. They both gasped loudly, finding each other again, her body paralyzed by the sensation of him within her. She had missed him for way too long.
Bring Me You Page 27