A thin sliver of moonlight peeked through the open blinds of Ethan’s bedroom, bathing Erin’s body in a silvery glow. Propped up on his elbows,, Ethan traced idle patterns over her thigh while she slept on in blissful ignorance, exhausted from the day at the bake sale then an evening of mind-blowing sex.
At least it had been mind-blowing for him, Ethan amended with a wry smile, but he was willing to bet his company it’d been just as good for her too…if the way she’d screamed his name each time she came was any indication. Just thinking about it caused another stirring in his body but he shook his head…after all, he’d promised to let her sleep after she’d shattered in his arms for the umpteenth time. It was getting harder to ignore the feel of her soft bottom cupped against his hardening groin though.
With a sigh, he moved away and rose from the bed, putting on his boxers before heading out barefoot to the living room. He stopped to pick up the trail of hastily discarded clothing that littered the short hallway, grinning as he recalled just how those items had gotten to be there in the first place.
Ethan retraced his steps to the bedroom and dumped the clothes on a chair then walked back to the kitchen to pour himself a drink, his mind still on the sleeping woman in his bed.
God! But Erin had been spectacular. His thoughts filled with admiration as he remembered the cool way she’d handled his family’s ribbing, even tossing going so far as to reciprocate till she’d earned their admiration and grudging respect and the teasing had subsided into normal conversation. In such a short time, she’d captured their hearts, proving she was just that special type of woman who could handle anything…the same type of women his sisters-in-law Jodie and Claire were.
Too bad he wasn’t looking for that kind of relationship, otherwise Erin Gosling would have been perfect for him. But after Nicky, he’d sworn off long term relationships and commitments, content to take what his sexual partners offered and moving along. With Erin, he intended to enjoy her body just long enough to assuage his need. Feeling restless, he moved to the living room and picked up his laptop, determined to get some work done on the government contract his company was working on.
Erin shielded her eyes from the glare of the morning sun peeking through the blinds, her brain still fuddled from sleep. Yawning, she rolled over, and snuggled deeper under the covers, her nostrils filling up with the heady scent of Ethan’s male essence and the memories of the previous night came flooding back. Rather than the usual feelings of panic and self-loathing however, Erin felt…happy.
Who would have thought that the one man she had sworn to despise would be the same person she was slowly but surely falling for?
“Whoa!”
That last thought had her bolt upright, eyes wide in shock. She couldn’t be falling in love…. no way! It was one thing to jump into bed with him but quite unacceptable to allow her emotions overtake simple logic and common sense. He was supposed to be her sworn enemy…ok…so maybe that was a bit extreme…but….
“Good morning.”
The very object of her thoughts stood in the doorway, watching her with an intensity that made Erin’s toes curl. Her eyes slid from his face to linger over his bare chest, her body heating in response to that delicious expanse of male perfection. Then she let her eyes travel lower, down to his narrow hips covered by his boxers.
Shame, Erin thought, licking her dry lips, desire for him flooding her all over again. She would love nothing more than to feast her shameless eyes on him all day.
“Morning.” She replied, stretching languidly, aware Ethan’s eyes were trained on her breasts. “Did I sleep long?”
Ethan chuckled.
“Long enough.” He moved to sit beside her, the bed dipping under his weight. He leaned close and brushed a strand of hair from her face, the sweet gesture tugging at something inside her. “You hungry?”
She was hungry, Erin realized with a grin. “Yep, starving.”
He smiled at her enthusiasm. “I’ll run down to the bakery across the street and get us something. Any preferences?”
“Coffee.” She replied promptly.
Ethan raised an eyebrow in query. “Just coffee? You can’t survive on only coffee.”
“Fine, fine…you can get me some sandwiches…and maybe a muffin.”
“Yes ma’am.” His eyes sparkled in mirth. He stood and crossed to the bathroom. Moments later, she heard the shower running and she lay back down, a silly smile on her face. God! But she loved this side of Ethan, maybe Emily was right and they could have a relationship of sorts after all.
*******
Still reeling from the hard kiss Ethan had given just before leaving, Erin sighed in contentment and burrowed under the covers, a silly smile plastered on her face.
“Oh boy! I could get used to this.” She giggled to herself, breathing in Ethan’s scent. “I really could.”
Her phone rang and she turned towards the object on the bedside table, puzzled because she couldn’t remember putting it there…matter of fact, she couldn’t remember much about undressing…only the feel of Ethan’s hands on her body, his mouth on hers doing things that had scrambled her brain.
The insistent ringing broke her thoughts and she reached for the phone. One glance at the screen and all color drained from her face.
“Shit!” Why would Nicky be calling this early? A glance at the screen showed the time to be seven am.
She hit the call button and instantly, Nicky’s frantic voice flooded her ears.
“Erin where the hell are you?” Her cousin sounded close to tears. “I went up to your apartment but you weren’t home and I don’t know what else to do…you need to get here now…please I….”
Panic shot through Erin. “Nicks…slow down, you need to calm down and I promise we’ll sort out whatever it is. But I need you to be calm and tell me what’s happened.”
“It’s…Ryan.” Nicky sniffed back tears. “We…we…. had a fight…please come Erin.”
“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes ok?” Erin shot from the bed and began hunting for her clothes. “Just stay cool and don’t do anything crazy.”
“Hurry.” Nicky whispered, her tone so heartbroken that Erin wished she could hold her. “I’ve done it again Erin…and I don’t know what I’ll do if he leaves me.”
Erin sighed and shut her eyes for a moment, all too aware of what Nicky was talking about. “Oh Nicks, you didn’t.”
She ended the call and found her clothes in a neat pile on a chair. Ethan must have placed them there while she slept and she took a minute to appreciate his thoughtfulness. She dressed quickly and hurried out the apartment, stopping only to scrawl an explanation on a piece of paper which she placed on the table by the front door.
As Erin shut the door, a small gust of air stirred the paper and it fluttered in the air for a moment before sliding out of sight under the low table.
The sight of Nicky’s tear streaked face when she opened the door drove every other thought from her mind.
“Oh Nicks!” Erin pulled her cousin into a comforting hug, while Nicky broke into fresh sobs. “Ssh.. it’s okay, we’ll sort it out like last time…. stop crying…”
“Ryan…he…he…caught…”
“Come, let’s sit Sweetie, then we can talk.” Erin led Nicky to the sofa and went to fetch a box of fresh tissues from the bathroom. She caught sight of her reflection in the mirror and winced at her scattered hair and kiss-swollen mouth. But she would worry about her appearance later, right now, she had to sort through this new mess Nicky had created.
She came back to the living room and sat beside her cousin, handing her the box of tissues. “Ok, tell me what happened.”
Nicky sniffed and stared down at her hands. “Ryan caught me cheating.”
Erin sighed. “Nicky…. I thought you love Ryan, why cheat?”
“Because I was so scared.” Nicky jumped up and began pacing, shredding a tissue as she went.
“Last night, it just hit me…I was going to commit my life to him…everything about me would revolve around him and I was terrified Erin…. I mean I was just sitting here, trying to have a quiet evening alone when I started having the exact same panic attack like I did with Ethan and I…. I…just had to go out to get some air…and I somehow ended up in a bar and I had too much to drink and next thing I know…I wake up and there’s a man in my bed and Ryan’s standing over me yelling…. oh Erin you should have seen how hurt and angry he was and…. oh my god! I can’t lose him…I love him so much.”
Erin sighed again. At least this time Nicky was willing to admit she still loved her fiancée. She could clearly recall the fiasco five years ago, on their way back from having dinner with Ethan, Erin had tried to talk to Nicky about her misgivings with this new relationship with Ethan, but then her cousin told her something that had shocked her to the core…
She’d been cheating on Ethan…not just with one guy…no…. Nicky had admitted she’d gotten into the habit of picking guys up from several bars and having casual sex. Shocked, Erin had confronted her cousin about lying to Ethan but she could clearly remember her cousin’s words.
“Oh come on Erin, it’s not like I even love Ethan. He’s just…. convenient is all.”
“You have to help me talk to Ryan!” Nicky’s voice broke into Erin’s thoughts. “I need you to explain things to him, please.”
“I’ll see what I can do. But you have to do something for me.”
“What is it?”
Erin leveled a stern look at her cousin. “There will be no more picking up strange men Nicky…and so help me God, but if I ever find out you so much as let another man kiss you….”
Nicky nodded frantically. “It won’t happen again Erin, I promise.”