A Week Later
“Good morning,” Ethan said, kissing me on the cheek. I opened my eyes to find his beautiful brown eyes staring at me.
“Good morning,” I replied, yawning and stretching to shake off the sleep.
“Guess what?” Ethan’s eyes glistening.
“What?” I asked, still rubbing my eyes.
“You said you were seasick, so I asked the captain to take us to shore,” Ethan said, making me jump out of bed as the sleepiness cleared from my eyes.
“Are you serious?” I smiled, feeling elated.
Despite the fact that the ship had everything I could think of, I was tired of being at sea. A week on the water with no one but Ethan and his staff made the introvert in me disappear.
“Thank you,” I sighed, giving Ethan a warm hug and placing a gentle kiss on his lips.
“Is that all I get?” Ethan smirked, asking for a deeper kiss.
“My breath, I haven’t brushed my teeth,” I said, using my breath as an excuse not to kiss him. As much as I tried, I couldn’t pretend to be completely okay and avoided every intimate contact with him.
“I don’t mind,” Ethan said, leaning in for another kiss when I turned my cheek to him. “I should freshen up. I can’t wait to go outside,” I said, getting to my feet and about to leave the bed when Ethan grabbed my hands.
“You still haven’t forgiven me, have you?” Ethan’s voice softened. He pulled me to him, struggling to catch my gaze, but I looked away.
“I am sorry, Emily,” Ethan said, and I smiled, forcing myself to kiss him one more time. “It’s okay. I am just glad we are back together,” I lied, the words leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.
Ethan smiled faintly, his eyes hinting disbelief. “Well then, hurry up. We are only here for nine hours,” Ethan said, and my face fell into an instant frown.
“Nine hours? Why?” I asked, hoping our journey at sea was finally over.
“We still haven’t found Wayne and Alfred. I don’t think you are safe,” Ethan explained, and my frown deepened.
“I am tired, Ethan. Can’t we go back to land, and you can have bodyguards surround me instead?” I wondered.
“Remember the last time,” Ethan paused to clear his throat, “even with guards outside, you still weren’t safe,” he explained, reminding me of Jake’s attack.
“Fine, nine hours,” I said, getting into the bathroom and getting dressed. Ethan had finally fixed my wardrobe, getting me dresses I could actually use. Once I was done bathing, I dressed up and ate the breakfast the maids had arranged on the apartment dining table.
“I am done. Let’s go,” I said to Ethan as I rushed through everything just for the opportunity to go out.
“Okay, let’s go,” Ethan said, raising his head from his still-full plate and getting to his feet.
As we made our way out of the door, Ethan stopped in his tracks. “Take this just in case,” Ethan said, handing me a phone.
“My number is saved on it, and there is a tracker,” Ethan explained.
I nodded, smiling as I took the phone, before holding his hands and walking out of the ship.
As soon as we were off the ship, I took a deep breath. The air on sea and the air on land were different. Although the land smelled musty, I didn’t mind.
“Where are we now?” I asked Ethan, wondering what part of the States we were in as I noticed vibrant colors flying everywhere.
“Miami. Where would you like to go first?” Ethan asked.
“A park, any park,” I replied eagerly, as Ethan guided me into a Jaguar. I watched as he drove me to a beautiful park, making sure to look at the names on the signboard.
“I would like to use the bathroom,” I said as soon as we got to the park, watching Ethan nod before getting out of the car and rushing to what looked like a bathroom. As soon as I was in, I began to open the phone, putting in the SIM Wayne had given me and dialing his number.
“Hey, Wayne,” I whispered, despite being in the confined space of the bathroom.
“Emily, are you off the sea?” Wayne asked.
“Yes, but just for nine hours. We are in Miami, and I think Alpha’s motherboard is on the ship. If there is any hope of hacking it, it has to be while I am still on that ship,” I explained to Wayne, who listened quietly.
“Where in Miami?” Wayne asked.
“Lexi Park,” I replied.
“Just stay there. I will be there in an hour. Don’t take off the SIM,” Wayne instructed, and I nodded, immediately putting the phone on vibration and walking out of the bathroom.
I walked out of the bathroom to find Ethan standing right outside. “Are you okay?” Ethan asked, his brows furrowed.
“Yes, I am fine,” I replied, feeling confused.
“What happened?” I asked, watching him stare at his phone.
“Your tracker, it’s no longer reading,” he replied, his voice sounding worried.
“Oh!” I exclaimed, thinking of the perfect lie. “The phone, it…” I paused, staring at the toilet. “It fell, it fell into the toilet, and I think it got damaged” I said, the most ridiculous lie I had ever told, hoping he would believe me.
“Really, but it’s waterproof” Ethan explained, his eyes hinting disbelief.
“Yes, I don’t know” I felt caught in my lie, l “it’s a machine, it’s not perfect, maybe it’s going to get better when it dries” I keeping up with the lie, Ethan paused staring into his eyes before nodding.
“Alright, just stay close to me, please,” Ethan pleaded, and I nodded, holding his hands as we walked through the park.
The park had limited things to do, and after a few minutes, I was already bored.
“Is there somewhere else you would like to go?” Ethan asked, noticing me yawn out of boredom.
“No, I am enjoying the feel of grass on my feet,” I lied. “You know what? Let’s have a picnic,” I suggested, pulling Ethan’s hands as I led him to a small shop in the park.
We got a picnic mat and some fruit juice at the shop. “I think I saw an ice cream stall,” I said, guiding Ethan through the park as we got things set up for the picnic. I was doing anything to stall for Wayne.
“Perfect, this spot here is perfect,” I said, watching Ethan lay the mat and set up the little things we got. I sat on the mat, calling Ethan to sit beside me, and as he sat beside me.
“This is nice,” I said to Ethan, who smiled. The fresh breeze of the park and the beautiful sound of birds put my mind at ease.
“Everywhere with you is nice, Emily,” Ethan’s voice softened, and I blushed. I moved closer to him, laying my head on his warm, firm chest, and for a moment, I forgot how angry I was with him.
“I missed you so much,” I found myself saying as I felt his heart beating in my chest.
As I snuggled deeper into his chest, Ethan’s arms wrapped around me, holding me close. I felt his lips brush against my hair, sending shivers down my spine.
“I missed you too, Emily,” he whispered, his breath tickling my ear. “You have to believe that the last month without you was unbearable.”
I lifted my head, looking up at him, feeling a tear threaten to fall from my eyes. “It was?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. This was what I wanted to hear then, that the distance broke him as much as it broke me.
“Then why did you have to stay away from me? Why did I have to get kidnapped and find out who you were before you came for me?” I thought, staring into his eyes. My brief moment of love for him began to vanish.
I quickly got off his chest, trying not to forget what I promised to do. But he pulled me closer again.
“I am really sorry, Emily,” he said in the softest tone ever, his beautiful brown eyes glistening under the sunlight and his beautiful lips inches from my forehead.
I began to feel out of breath as I fought the urge to kiss him. “He is a monster,” I tried to remind myself, but even that was not enough to keep my heart from fluttering at his touch.
“Please forgive me, I only left to protect you,” he said, his voice filled with sincerity as he used his thumb to lift my face to his, our lips almost touching.
“I promise you, Emily,” he began to speak again, and before I knew it, my body took control, and I crushed my lips onto his, kissing him, as he held onto me tightly, caressing my back, and holding my hair gently, my brief moment of weakness was interrupted by the vibration of the phone in my purse.
Reminding me that I was against Ethan and working with men too take him out, “my phone is ringing” i said pulling away from him and moving to the purse, i picked it up and it was Wayne calling. I turned to Ethan who stared at me, his eyes filled with disbelieve, “I thought you said it fell in the toilet?” Ethan wondered.