A grin slid across Alex’s mouth, and he let out another throaty chuckle. “You’re a bit giddy tonight. How much have you had to drink, Amanda?”
Amanda felt her body sliding down the soft leather cushion. She pulled herself up and turned to face Alex. Amanda noticed the glimmer of blue in Alex’s eyes and the greying hairs around his temples. The lines on his face were deep, and his skin had slight sun damage. Amanda thought it was more than likely from being under the hot desert sun. None of it took away from the fact that he was incredibly handsome.
“What are you the booze police, Alex?” she teased before pushing to her feet. Walking slowly towards the bar, she stopped and kicked off her heels. She nearly fell over as she tried to steady on one foot, but Alex hopped up and gripped her arm. Stumbling forwards she accidentally crashed into him. Her head fell and bumped his chest, and she almost fell over. Alex managed to cradle her in his strong frame. A shuddering wave of electricity passed through Amanda and went straight to her stomach. She looked up pushing back her thick bangs that fell across her cheek and met Alex’s gaze.
He was still holding her in his arms, and Amanda molded her body to his. Fire burned through Amanda as she felt Alex’s heart thumping in his chest. His breathing was ragged, and his teeth grazed over his bottom lip.
Amanda’s breathing escalated. “Alex,” his name came out in a shaky whisper.
She shifted her head tilting slightly left. Alex leaned down brushing his lips to hers. Amanda parted her lips and Alex’s tongue dipped inside her mouth with soft rolling licks. A whimper escaped.
“Amanda,” Alex whispered. “I want you.”
Amanda pushed Alex to the couch and straddled his sturdy thighs. His hands hiked the soft silk of her strapless ivory gown over her hips. He dipped his finger inside the waistband of her lace thong and tugged it gently. The barely stitched together delicate fabric withered from her body. Amanda shoved her fingers through Alex’s hair and kissed him. His hands slid over her bare back and she felt his erection against the inside of her thigh. Amanda deepened her kiss as she lowered her arms, running her hands over Alex’s thick shoulders.
His hands fell from the firm grip he had on her waist, and Amanda heard the zipper of Alex’s trousers release. Her heart began to thump wildly in her chest as Alex’s finger traced the slickness of her sex. Every muscle in her body convulsed causing her to let out a low moan into his mouth. Sweat began to form at the base of her neck and in between her breasts.
He pulled back from their kiss and said, “Lift to your knees, Amanda.”
She gripped the back of the couch for balance and hovered over Alex allowing him to lift his pants to push them down farther. The soft fabric of his pants brushed the swell of her bottom, and Amanda felt the tip of his cock against her clit. Alex’s eyes met hers, she felt exposed sensing he could see how vulnerable and fragile she was. The feeling was frightening yet comforting at the same time. They were face to face in this intimate moment, and merely inches away from a wide open door to the world for anyone to interrupt at any given second. The need she had to desperately wash away the aching loneliness was raw and biting.
“Jesus, Amanda,” he gasped as she lowered onto him. Alex was rock hard, velvety steel. His hands flexed underneath her, and Amanda clenched her jaw. He began to roll his hips and Amanda had to move from side to side to allow him to plunge deeper. He was too big for her. The stretching was almost unbearable, and she didn’t notice that she had stopped breathing. Amanda was holding on tightly to the tension in her stiff body. The pressure was too much. It was building inside her, and she was in agony, not from discomfort, no more from the shock.
“Amanda, you need to breathe, baby,” Alex said through strained breaths. He cupped her face in his hands and looked into her eyes, “I’m here Amanda, and I need you here with me.”
Alex leaned into her, taking her mouth with his, delivering gentle kisses. Suddenly the tightness in her chest began to loosen, the knot in her stomach began to unravel and her shoulders slumped in relief. Warmth ran over Amanda’s body, and she felt a single tear escape her eye. She drew in a breath and let go. Finally, aching hurt was released from her body and floated away.
Alex felt her body relax. He whispered in her ear, “Good girl.”
She smiled at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and nipping his earlobe with her teeth. He lifted Amanda and flipped her back onto the couch. She let out a soft moan as he pushed smoothly, deep inside her. His breath was warm against her neck, and she gripped his firm shoulders as he buried his face in her hair.
“You feel so good, Alex,” she moaned hoarsely.
He picked up his thrusts and Amanda came unhinged, crying out his name. When her body clenched around him, Alex came forcefully inside her, his entire body shaking. Panting breathlessly he eased out of her as Amanda gasped in pleasure.
Upon the buttery soft leather, she lay there helpless, unable to move. The shocks were vibrating her core. Her body was limp, and her skin was misty. Alex moved to his feet adjusting his pants and smoothing his shirt. He picked up her thong and shoved it into his jacket pocket.
Amanda’s eyes opened, and she saw Alex standing there looking at her, eyes wide. His mouth was twisted up on one side, and he ran his hand through his glossy brown hair.
“Amanda,” he said in a low voice.
Amanda pushed to her feet quickly and balled up her fists. She hurried to get her pumps that she had kicked off and looked around frantically for her clutch.
“No, oh no, what have I done,” she mumbled.
Amanda scanned the jet for her purse and found it lying on the bar. Tears welled in her eyes, and she couldn’t stop from crying. Alex stepped in front of her, “Hey, slow down. What’s wrong?”
“Don’t you see Alex, this…this was wrong,” she sobbed. “Vince is going to find out what we’ve done and hate us both.” She rushed to the open door and slid on her heel.
“Amanda, please don’t leave,” Alex protested. “Let me take you home.”
“I’m sorry Alex, I…I need to be alone. I’m sorry if I hurt you,” she said, giving him a warm half-smile. Descending the staircase of the jet, she turned around to Alex, who had caught up with her and said, “Alex, I’m trouble.”
Pivoting on her heel she started to walk briskly to the parking lot. Alex gripped her arm and spun her around to face him.
“No, I don’t accept this,” he huffed.
“It’s best if you stay away from me, Alex. I’ll bring nothing, but chaos to your life,” she warned waving her clutch in the air. She wriggled out of his grip and made her way to the valet stand. Alex watched her get into the limo. Shoving his hands into his pockets a deep sigh escaped him.
Chapter Twenty-Eight:
Emily
Two weeks had gone by since Emily’s house was broken into, and the police had no leads. A few days after the break-in Emily learned that there were no fingerprints on anything in her home. The police weren’t able to pull a single print from the note or any of the pictures that were splashed all over Emily’s walls. The perpetrator was careful in everything they touched, almost methodical, which made Emily uneasy.
Emily told Ethan about the phone calls she had been receiving, what was said and how she speculated at first that it could be Morgan. He was pissed that she never made any mention to him that she was being harassed. As much as it pained her, she divulged her entire past with Craig to Ethan.
Ethan wanted to hire a private investigator, but Emily hadn’t received a phone call or any creepy text messages since the break-in happened. Not a peep from the stalker. Every time her phone would ring, her thoughts immediately drifted to the eerie voice that could potentially be waiting for her on the other end. Thank goodness for caller ID. Admittedly, Emily was frightened, knowing someone was out there possibly watching h
er every move. If the stalker’s main objective was just to scare Emily— goal achieved.
The downside to all of this madness was that something had changed between Emily and Ethan. There was a definite tension between them, or at least it felt that way to Emily. Ethan had not said much to Emily in recent days, she thought he seemed annoyed or miffed at the drama encircling their lives. She desperately wanted to talk to Ethan and ask him what was bothering him, but the first two times she tried, he said everything was fine. When Emily broached the subject earlier today, Ethan demanded sharply that she stop asking him what was wrong.
Emily arrived at Cooper Bentley and pressed her keycard in the panel to disarm the security system. She left Ethan’s house without saying a word to him, not even goodbye. Inside, she felt helpless and emotionally wrecked and that Ethan was slipping away. The only logical thing to focus on now was work, with hopes it might take her mind off of everything, at least for a while, but being at Cooper Bentley right now only reminded her of him. Presently, she was in a lose/lose situation with her emotions.
Emily stood up and walked to the break room. She thought about calling Ashleigh, but realized she was working at a wine tasting event in Chicago. Instead, she made some tea and headed back to her office where she was nearly scared half to death by the sight of Ethan sitting in the corner of the room at the work table Emily used for small meetings.
“Ethan… Jesus you scared me.”
“Sorry Emily that was not my intent,” he replied apologetically.
“How did you find me?” she inquired while taking a seat at her desk.
Ethan pushed to his feet and began to walk towards her. “If you don’t want to be found you probably shouldn’t use Foursquare,” he advised with a smirk.
“I’ll keep that in mind next time,” her tone was laced with sarcasm.
Ethan stood directly in front of her. He was brooding. His eyes were narrowed, and his jaw was rigid. Emily sensed something heavy was weighing on his mind.
“Can we talk, Em?” Ethan inquired as he took a seat in the chair in front of her desk.
The blood pooled in Emily’s ears as her heart pounded rapidly in her chest upon hearing those words. He sounded serious which made Emily nervous and a bit on edge. She really wished she had something stronger than tea to drink.
“Not if you’re going to bite my head off, Mr. Carlson,” she joked trying to lighten the mood.
Lifting his eyebrow he replied softly, “I suppose I deserve that, Miss Greene.”
Emily stood up and walked around the front of her desk and sat next to Ethan. Sitting at the desk across from him made the situation feel too formal and business like. They were involved in a romantic relationship, and Emily wanted to be close to him, even if he was about to drop a bomb on her.
“Emily, I have been thinking, and honestly this past week has made me realize a few things. First, I need to apologize to you. I’ve been a real jerk. Pushing you away when you needed me the most was not acceptable.”
Relief at the soothing tone and warm words washed over her. “I can’t disagree with you on that Ethan,” she teased offering a warm smile.
Ethan stood up and walked to the window. He ran his hands through his brown hair and sighed deeply. Leaning against the wall he said, “Em, I’m going to admit something to you that I don’t normally say out loud.”
Emily knitted her eyebrows together and gave him a puzzled look.
“The truth is I am a man who needs to be in control of certain matters in my life.”
Emily’s jaw dropped, but secretly she understood Ethan’s need for control. Emily liked to be in control of things, too, especially when it came to her job. She guessed she was probably less obsessive about it than Ethan, however. Still a bit apprehensive of what was to come next, Emily stood up and padded towards where Ethan was standing.
“Can you explain exactly what you mean, Ethan?”
“All of the chaos that happened with the break-in, the photographs and your confession to me about the weird phone calls shook me off my axis. I guess you could say it threw me for a loop. There was nothing I could do to help you. It was tearing me up inside and pissing me off. In turn, my oversized male ego got the better of my emotions,” he admitted.
Emily swallowed the lump that had crept into her throat and was finally able to settle her heart rate.
“Then there was the matter of your ex-boyfriend who disappeared. Now, that really did a number on me emotionally.”
Emily was even more confused, wondering if Ethan had been drinking before he came to the office. Was Ethan Carlson jealous? No, there’s no way.
“What do you mean? Why did it do a number on you?”
He turned to face Emily and replied smoothly, “Because I love you.”
Emily thought her heart was going to burst out of her chest. “You love me?” she asked feeling her eyes beginning to well up.
Emily had done more crying in the last two weeks than she had all year, especially taking into consideration that crying during movies and commercials didn’t count. Ethan placed both hands on the side of her face and kissed her. Emily was overjoyed and relieved at the same time. The anxiousness she had been feeling evaporated. Something had changed between them—he loved her and she loved him.
“Yes, I love you. I might have known for a while. I don’t want to lose you, and I especially don’t want anyone to hurt you,” Ethan said as he gently brushed Emily’s hair off the side of her face. “I guess some part of me thought you might still be in love with your ex. After talking with my brother, I realized those thoughts were utterly ridiculous.”
Emily put her hands in his. Looking him straight in his deep brown eyes she said, “I don’t love Craig. He left me, but if I get the chance to have closure from that part of my life, I will talk to him. I hope you can understand that, Ethan.”
Ethan pulled Emily in close and replied, “Yes. I can certainly understand that. Evan made me realize that I cannot control the past, and that I should be more supportive. I think in a way I was spooked by the possibility of getting hurt.” He let out a deep sigh, “I haven’t mentioned this, but Libby cheated on me once, and it wrecked me. I forgave her, but that was a turning point in our relationship.”
“I’m sorry Libby hurt you, but your brother gives excellent advice,” Emily said with a wink. “Oh, and in case you’re wondering, I love you too, Ethan.”
A smile crossed Ethan’s lips, and he leaned in and gently pressed his lips to hers.
Breaking their kiss, Ethan said, “Get your things, Miss Greene. We have some celebrating to do, and it involves me taking you to bed and gifting you with repeated orgasms.”
“That’s quite the promise, Mr. Carlson. I hope you can make good on that,” Emily replied while giving him a playful smirk.
He smacked her bottom as Emily began to gather her things. The warm July air was heavy and thick. The scent of fresh mulch and lavender filled the air, with the lavender reminding Emily their time together in California. She smiled, placing her keycard back in the security pad she set the alarm. Emily gripped the door tight, and locked it.
“I’ll meet you at my house,” Ethan called as he approached his car.
Just as Emily was about to step off the curve of the sidewalk she heard the screeching of tires. Swinging her head to the left she noticed a white Cadillac barreling at a high rate of speed through the parking lot.
Emily screamed, “Ethan! Get out of the way! Ethan!”
Emily panicked as she saw the blinding light from the car’s headlamps heading towards Ethan. Turning tightly after nearly swiping his Lexus, the car sped out of the parking lot. Fear spread through Emily’s body. Frantically, Emily ran towards Ethan. He was lying on the ground moaning in pain.
“Ethan, oh my God, Eth
an,” she bellowed through tight sobs.
“I’m okay Emily,” he said a bit winded. “I dove out of the way and landed right on my knee. I’ll be fine.”
“Ethan your arm is bleeding. You must have scraped it.”
Ethan looked at his arm and turned back at Emily. “Em, are you okay?”
Nodding her head, she replied, “I’m fine, just shaken. Do you need me to take you to the hospital, Ethan?”
“No, but did you get a good look at that car?” he asked panting through deep breaths. Ethan began to stand up. “License plate? Anything?”
“I think so.” Her voice was a bit shaky. “I can see the license plate number in my head. I’m going to take down everything I remember right now.”
Pulling out her phone she began to take notes typing fast and muttering to herself. Looking up she noticed Ethan was on his phone.
“Hey buddy, it’s Ethan Carlson. You got time to do me a favor?” he inquired. There was a long pause. “I’ll pay you double the fee if it will get my name to the top of your list.” Ethan winced as he let out a low chuckle. “Great, thanks. Can you meet me at my house tomorrow morning before you leave for Chicago?”
Ethan turned back to Emily. “My buddy is a Private Investigator. Actually, he’s a little more than that, but that’s all I can say.”
Emily gave Ethan a perplexed look, but realized that if he needed to keep a secret she wouldn’t push the issue.
“He’s going to find this asshole who is stalking us. I know that fucking car meant to do one or both of us harm.”
Her insides began to churn. Desperately trying not to think that this event was related to the break-in and the calls, Emily offered a sympathetic smile and said, “Okay, I understand. Are you sure you can drive Ethan?”
“Yeah, just follow me okay, Em?”
Emily nodded, and they drove out of the parking lot. Hopefully this will all be over soon and Ethan’s friend can help us find out who is messing with our lives. Who could want to hurt us? The initial shock
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