ELLIE After hiding Ethan's computer, I went downstairs to meet up with my friends. Will decided to cook dinner. I wondered if I should be concerned because everyone seemed a bit high. I sat on one of the chairs at the end of the kitchen counter. Everyone seemed engaged in some conversation while drinking wine. Rosie showed up a minute later, sitting next to me. "Hey!" she said, smiling at me and squinting her big green eyes. "Hey! Do you think it's safe to let Will cook?" She laughed beside me, tucking a strand of her dark blonde hair behind her ear. "I'm listening, El," Will said, turning to us. "Try not to hurt yourself; don't forget I still need your DNA." "Alright. Should I have understood that?" Rosie asked, confused. "No. It's something between us. I'm trying to convince Will and Anna to donate some of his DNA to me to try cloning him in a lab." "Oh, of course, because you're a scientist," she laughed. "And also because Will is the best catch I know: nerdy, handsome, an
ELLIE After dinner, I went upstairs to get ready. We planned to visit the nearby city and do some exploring. Anna had told me that the city offered light projections in certain places at night. After choosing something to wear, I found myself staring at the single bed that was now a short distance from mine. Mr. Beauchamp had brought it in shortly before breakfast. That meant Ethan would be sleeping in the room tonight. I don't know why, but it made me a little nervous. The door opened behind me. Mr. Morgan walked in. Without looking at me, he walked over to his suitcase and started rummaging through it. "Are you going to take a shower?" I asked, trying to figure out why he seemed strange. "Yes," he replied curtly. "So am I." "Do you want to go first?" "That's not exactly what I expected to hear." "What did you expect?" he asked, finally turning to face me without showing any emotion. "Maybe something like, 'Do you want to join me?'" I teased him, but he remained expressionl
ELLIE I should be angry with him for calling me that, and I knew he only did it because of the handsome British guy next to me. But the way he was looking at me made all my desire to yell at him disappear. "Shall we sit at a table?" he asked, pulling me out of my trance. I blinked a few times. "I…" I turned my face, remembering the stranger sitting next to me. He was watching us. "I already ordered something. Actually... this gentleman beside me chose a wine for me. A Pinot Noir?" "Richebourg," Edward added. "I admit, you have good taste," Mr. Morgan said, his tone making it clear that he wasn't only talking about the wine. At that moment, the bartender approached with my glass. "Thank you, you can bring the bottle to our table," Ethan said, taking my glass. "Of course, sir," the bartender said before turning away. Then Ethan offered me his hand. Behind all the pretended charm, he was being a big, arrogant jerk. "Excuse me and thank you," I said to Edward before taking Ethan's h
ELLIE I woke up, feeling something warm and wet against the skin between my neck and shoulder. I opened my eyes in the darkness. There was only a small gap in the curtain of one of the windows, allowing a faint light to enter and preventing complete darkness. I focused on the firm and warm body pressed against my back. I moaned as his teeth closed on my skin. I could feel his hard and hot cock pressing between my buttocks. One of his arms was around my waist. Beneath the fabric of my nightgown, his hand rested between my navel and my panties. His tongue slid down my neck before reaching my ear, where he bit. He didn't need much to make my reasoning disappear; he was driving me crazy just by feeling his mouth and his warmth. "What are you doing?" I murmured with my altered breathing. "Apologizing for being an idiot," he whispered, kissing behind my ear. Oh, heaven. "Do you want me to stop?" Stop? No. Stopping was the last thing I wanted. My insides were pulsating with desire, lon
ELLIE Even after our breaths returned to normal, we stayed in the same position. His body remained warm against my back, and he was still inside me. I tried to avoid the thought that it could stay like this forever, but I couldn't. It scared me, but I pushed the feeling away. His fingers brushed away some strands of hair that were falling on my face before he finally pulled out of me. Settling on the bed, he simply pulled me closer to his body. I rested my head on his chest. I could feel his heart beating rapidly against his rib cage. I took deep breaths, several times until I calmed down and managed to push away the strange feeling of anguish. "You're forgiven for being an idiot," I finally said, feeling more relaxed. I couldn't see his face, but I knew he was smiling. "That was easier than I thought. But I still plan on apologizing for the rest of the night." I laughed. Mr. Morgan was insatiable, for better or worse. I opened my mouth to ask something but gave up. Silence settl
ETHANWhen I thought my biggest problem would be dealing with her anger, she managed to surprise me once again, throwing the truth in my face. Half-truth, actually. I didn't use and discard women; I was always honest about my intentions and never gave them false hope.It was their choice to get involved with me or not. The truth was that I genuinely avoided crossing any boundaries beyond casual sex. And so far, it had been working out well for me. I didn't want or need to have feelings for someone; it had already ruined me once. I would make sure that would be the last time.The other fact was that I had just been a complete jerk to her, and I couldn't sleep with that tormenting me. She didn't deserve my disdainful words just because she threw a half-truth in my face.I got up, determined to fix my mistake. It wouldn't be easy if I had to rely on the hatred I saw in her eyes and the way she stormed out angrily.I went downstairs and found her lying on one of the leather sofas in the l
ELLIEI only realized what we had done when the climax haze dissipated. It wasn't news that Ethan Morgan always made my reason disappear, but all that adrenaline from the risk of getting caught hadn't helped much.Mr. Morgan was making me act recklessly and impulsively. First, having sex in a restaurant bathroom, then yesterday outside that bar, and now this."Are you okay?" He whispered, still holding my body. I nodded. "Can you stand?"It was precisely in these small moments when he acted so attentive and caring, that the warning signs rang in my head, alerting me to all the dangers of crossing the line with him."Of course," I said before pulling away.I put my nightgown back in place and picked up my panties and the sheet that lay on the couch before heading back upstairs, aware that he was following me.I locked myself in the bathroom for a few minutes, trying to clear my cluttered mind.When I came out, he was sitting near the headboard on the double bed. Passing by him, I walke
ELLIEWhen we finished the tour of the castle, we went to a nearby village. Each French village seemed to have a more peculiar name than the other, names that I could hardly pronounce. Basically, all I knew was that we were doing the Burgundy wine route.There were gentle hills along the way, and the vineyards stretched in rows between each village. The villages always seemed to follow the same typical French architecture, beautiful limestone houses with tiled roofs, with vineyards all around.Old wine shops could be found in almost every village, some dating back two or three centuries, as well as hotels and churches with Gothic architecture.Sometimes I felt like I was in one of those old French movies when I stopped to observe the landscapes. The place made me feel too American. It must be normal for a California girl.Automatically, it made me miss my parents. Maybe I could still visit them when I returned to New York before having to go back to work.We made a stop to have lunch