“I know but nothing has changed. You still want romance...” I stroke her cheek as a smile spreads across her face.
“You did a pretty good job with that tonight.”
“You still want a husband and as much as I wish I could, I still can't offer you that.”
“I'm not asking you to marry me. We've only been on one date for heaven’s sake."
She looks at me with eyes as big as the ocean. “So, what happens now?”
“We sleep.” I know exactly what she means but I'm not ready for that conversation just yet. I just want to lie here and fall asleep with her in my arms.
“I mean with us.” She props herself up on her elbow as she stares at me nervously. “I really love being with you but, I'm not someone who can get involved without emotional attachment. I need to know that this is more than just sex.”
It's never been just sex with us. The fact that I broke every single one of my rules for her and would do it again in a heartbeat makes that blatantly obvious to even a blind man and his dog, but I can't promise her something I don’t know if I can give her.
“Look,” I sigh, running my fingers through her hair. “I like you. Fuck, most of the time I can't you out of my head but...My last relationship didn't exactly end well, and I don't know if I'm ready to be able to give you what you need.”
“All I'm asking is that we give this... whatever this is... a go and see what happens.”
She makes a valid argument. I don’t know why I've been so convinced that the two of us shouldn’t be together. I want her more than anything and she clearly wants me so what’s the big deal?
Maybe it’s the fact that she is way too good for me and I know that I’ll end up doing something to hurt her eventually, even if it’s just because I can’t give her what she wants. Or what if I give her what she wants and it’s still not enough? After all, that’s what happened with Sam.
I had absolutely no intention of getting married before she barged into my life, but I loved her and did everything I could to make her happy. For a while, it was enough. For a while, we were ridiculously happy. We had a beautiful little girl and were madly in love — or so I thought. That’s when the lies started. She was sneaking around, telling me she was with friends when she was really with another guy — my friend, my team-mate, and if it hadn’t been for Jamison spotting them together, I would never have known.
Mia is nothing like Sam but that’s what scares me. I can’t help but wonder if I’ll be enough for her.
“Ethan?” She kisses me and wraps her arms around me, “I promise, I don’t need a husband… I just need you.”
How exactly can I say no to that?
I don’t want to say no.
I want her to be mine.
“Okay, let’s give it a try.” I smile, rolling onto my back and pulling her closer to me so her head rests on my shoulder. “But if we’re going to do this, I can’t be your boss.”
“You’re firing me?” She pulls away and screws up her nose, making her eyes narrow as her brows dip and I can’t help but laugh.
“No. We just need to protect ourselves in case anything gets awkward. I’ll need to speak to Sarah and have her take over any employer responsibilities. I don’t know, we’ll figure it out though. Maybe we should get some sleep and see how things look in the morning.”
“Well, aren’t we mister optimistic?” She smirks.
“Just trying to be cautious.” I kiss her forehead again, and a sigh escapes me. “We should probably tell Maddie too. She’s a smart girl and it’ll be difficult to keep it a secret for long.”
“Do you want me to go back to my room?” She asks, biting her bottom lip.
“You’re not going anywhere. It’s official, you’re mine now.”
The warmth of Ethan’s body heats mine as he snakes an arm around my waist and pulls me closer, his erection digging into the small of my back as he nuzzles his face in my hair and kisses the back of my neck. I could stay here forever, but a quick glance at the clock tells me if I don’t get up, Maddie might end up finding out about us sooner than anticipated.
Trying to lift my body off the bed, Ethan groans beside me and pulls me in closer. “Don’t go yet.”
“It’s half nine. I’m surprised Maddie hasn’t been in to wake you up.” I moan as I roll towards him and kiss him, “I should go before she catches us.”
Forcing myself from his grasp, I pull myself up and out of bed, turning to look at him as I step into my dress and pull the straps up over my shoulders. He throws the covers back, staring at me while exposing his deliciously naked body.
“What am I supposed to do about this?”
“You're a big boy, I'm sure you'll figure it out.” I try to give him my sultriest smile as I check to see if the coast is clear before sneaking down the corridor and into the safety of my room.
Getting dressed, I hear laughter coming from the kitchen and the smell of bacon drifts through the crack under my bedroom door. Lexi and Maddie must be up and making breakfast already. Making sure I look presentable, I make my way towards the kitchen where Madison is sat watching Lexi cook.
“Morning sleepy head.” Madison grins when she sees me. “Is
