Chapter 5
Mirabel
Inthatsnugdesignersuit, Ethan had billionaire playboy written all over him. The jacket looked stitched on, cut to show off his broad shoulders, his lean waist, and the perfect swell of his upper arms. His crisp white shirt accentuated his tanned features, giving him that sexy Mediterranean look, especially with those big dark eyes.
Smoke hit the back of my throat as I sucked back the weed to help ease my nerves. It normally made me paranoid, which was why I smoked on rare occasions.
With Ethan looking like he belonged on the cover ofSexy Billionaire Monthly, I needed something to help me chill. His shirt seemed close to bursting, especially during that tomcat act around Orson.
How could I turn away from him when he looked like that? And he’d come to see me. Then there were all his messages.
I bent over to pick up my guitar and nearly ripped a seam. I’d bought a stretchy 80s dress, which was tighter than my normal floatier outfits, from a local vintage shop. My hormones must have done the choosing, given how sexy the dress made me feel.
Ethan’s gaze roamed from my face to my nipples, which had started to poke through the stretchy fabric.
I clipped shut my guitar case and waited for him to say something since he’d asked to speak to me. He hovered about looking uneasy instead.
What have you done with that easy-going, strut-through-life version of Ethan Lovechilde?
Dirty thoughts buzzed around in my head, like letting him fuck me senseless before spitting abuse for being a greedy developer.
Pushing that guilty urge aside, I didn’t fuck billionaires. Particularly ones about to decimate significant pastoral land.
He pointed at my guitar case. “Can I carry that for you?”
I shook my head. “I’m good.”
We stood at the back of the venue, shifting about and looking uncertain. It wasn’t usually this difficult for me to communicate.
“I actually should go back and sell some CDs,” I said, shifting my weight again.
Suddenly, we were awkward teenagers, stealing glances at each other while pretending to play it cool.
He ran his hand over his dark-brown hair.
“Why don’t we go somewhere quiet? Dinner?” He gave that uncertain half smile again that was new for him, then added, “I’ll buy the lot.”
I frowned. “You’ll buy all my CDs so you can have dinner with me?”
He rubbed his thumb over his plump lower lip. “I mean, I’d like one for me. And I’m sure Declan, Theadora, and Savvie would each love one.”
I hesitated before answering. My mind went blank as I watched him lick his lips. All I could think about was how much I wanted him to do that to me. “I can’t be bought, Ethan. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
I headed to the door, but then he touched my arm, and sparks sizzled through me. An awkward gap of time swallowed my thoughts. I couldn’t think straight. Why was I allowing this man to affect me this way? I wanted to scream.
“Hey. No. I didn’t mean that.” He wouldn’t break eye contact with me, and the same inner conflict I felt seemed to reflect back at me. I wondered if the hurt of losing his father had deepened him. He’d already proven he wasn’t as shallow as I’d always assumed.
I was fucked. At least when I’d seen him as a vain, empty-headed player, giving him the middle finger was easy. Now that I’d had a taste—well, okay, a banquet—I’d grown attached to him. Maybe it was just that beautiful dick and what he did with it.
So what does that make me? Shallow and driven by sex. Just like him.
He ran his tongue over his lips again, and I had to lean against the wall to hold myself up.Talk about pussy teasing.
Losing all sense of time, I couldn’t tell how long we’d been standing in that dark hallway with our eyes locked.
His was more a sizzling eye fuck. I imagined mine was more that of the stunned-animal-caught-in-lights look.
“I’m meant to hate you. I mean, Idohate you.” The exasperation in my tone reflected the brewing frustration between my head and my vagina.