“Some of them were invited, but some of them…had no choice.”
A chill hits my veins, and I’m suddenly aware of my heartbeat, strong and pounding in my ears. “Ethan, are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
He seems to be holding back still, as though the truth is even more horrible than what he’s already told me.
“Yes. Trafficked. Kidnapped. Blackmailed or extorted. And Bailey…many of them were taken when they were the age you were when I left. Do you understand now?”
I feel like I’ve been punched in the chest. You read about things like this or see them in the movies, but you never really believe they’re real. My fingers are tingling, and my legs are weak, so I go over to the couch and sit down. Ethan joins me, his eyes fixed on me while I try my best to process what he’s just told me.
“So, Ethan…you’re saying that if you hadn’t left, your family…”
“Would have taken you,” he replies as though the words themselves hurt just to say them. “I left to keep you safe. It killed me not to tell you why. I knew you’d want to know, but I hoped you would forget about me—”
“Forget about you!?” The absurdity of his statement breaks my stupor and pulls a laugh from my chest. “Ethan, I had the biggest crush on you. You know that, right?”
Finally, Ethan manages to smile too, and a golden light seems to spill over me, wrapping me up like a warm blanket on a cold night. “Of course I did. I’m not an idiot. But you were just a girl then.”
“And now?”
Without trying to hide it, Ethan drags his eyes up my body, starting at my feet, inspecting every inch of me. When his eyes return to mine, they’re blazing. “Now you’re all woman, Bailey.”
I open my lips as he moves in. When he kisses me, the whole world seems to bloom with that same golden glow that’s enveloped me. His hands close around my waist and pull me to him, and I fully submit. I’m ready for him to do what he will with me. In fact, I want him to do everything. All I want is to please him.
“Jesus Christ, Bailey,” he whispers. “Look how you’ve grown. Your fucking body…”
His voice trails off, torturing me to fill in the blank. “My body what?”
“Belongs to a goddess.”
I’m simply not ready to hear that. Not after all this time. Not after what happened tonight. But Ethan isn’t ready to wait for me to catch up. I blink and gulp air as he tugs the top of my dress down, exposing my breasts. The sharp intake of breath I hear from him excites me. No man has ever commented on my body before and certainly has never seen me topless.
But topless isn’t good enough for Ethan. His strong hand slides beneath me and lifts my hips while his other raises the hem of my dress to my waist.
“Bailey,” he whispers. “You’ve grown into a naughty girl, haven’t you?”
“I—what?”
“No panties.”
Oh. My. God. I’m not wearing panties. But it’s not because I’m trying to be a naughty girl or anything; I simply forgot. But I’m sure as hell not going to tell Ethan that and ruin the moment.
“A little bit of hair,” he muses, letting the back of his fingers drift across my mound. “But I’ll take care of that later. Right now, I want to do this.”
A shudder vibrates through me as he slides a finger inside. I suck a deep breath as my back arches off the coat. Ethan brings his lips to my neck, and it’s like fireworks exploding all around us.
“Christ, you’re a virgin, aren’t you, Bailey? I can feel it. God, I can’t wait to feel that tight little pussy stretch around my cock.”
Wow. He’s going to take my virginity. I’m not afraid; I’m excited. Trembling in his arms, shaking with his touch as he uses a skilled finger to please me. It’s only a matter of seconds before I go off.
“There, my girl,” he purrs as my climax takes me. “Yes, just like that. Mmm, it’s so sexy when you come.”
His mouth closes over mine, devouring my orgasmic whimpers as they spill from my lips. This is beyond what I could have imagined when I pictured meeting Ethan again. Golden waves crash down on me, tugging deliciously at my body with an ever-increasing intensity until I finally cry out and slump back onto the couch, panting, staring up at the man
of my dreams.
“That—that was incredible.” It’s all I can say. The only thing I can even think.
But Ethan’s still in full control. He’s smiling down at me as he slips out of his shirt. “Baby, I’ve just gotten started with you.”