- "Ethan, I think you missed something. We're not together anymore, remember?"- "Yes, I remember," he said, confirming with a nod.- "Then open the fucking door"The truth was, Ethan wasn't taking this situation lightly. The woman in his office was the perfect mix of irritated and beautiful. She looked upset, but something in the man's mind told him that it wasn't real, that it wasn't the feeling Blair wanted to express.Meanwhile, she forced the door handle once more, knowing that she wouldn't break it even if she tried for the rest of her life.- "Oh my God! I hate you" Blair exclaimed.Banks's expression was serious before he continued. He wouldn't let the woman out of his sight until he was sure she wouldn't do something irresponsible. Ethan walked toward Blair and noticed the immediate reactions in her body. Her nervousness, her uneven breathing, her parted lips, and the distrust in her eyes.The man stopped inches away from her, just enough to keep his composure. The blue hues
Ethan pushed Blair's feet with his own, silently urging her to spread her legs. And when she did, he pulled down his sweatpants until all his petrified arousal was free. The man positioned himself against Blair's body, ready to fill her in the most carnal way he knew how.He placed one of his hands on her back before joining their bodies together. The softness of that skin was heaven-sent.- "Oh my God," Ethan couldn't help but express his satisfaction as he invaded Blair's painfully peaceful body, completely uniting their anatomies.She squeezed him tightly. It took him a few seconds to recover, because that contact was a real attack on his sanity. Blair moved her hips as Ethan dictated the rhythm; slow and intense. He wanted to savor every moment, and yet he felt that it would not be enough.Blair was filled to the brim. As the man buried himself inside her, she struggled to accommodate his entire length. It would be impossible to tell where her anatomy ended and Ethan's began.They
To say that those words disturbed the man would be an understatement. He could see the image perfectly, and he knew that he would be compelled by his mind to kill any other man who touched the redhead. In his thoughts, she belonged to him. Ethan's good-natured expression closed like a storm before he processed the joke.- "You don't want to be the center of a murder," Ethan said.- "Keep playing, Banks."Blair knew Ethan had a story he would take to his grave. He was a man of unholy secrets. The Benedict affair was something, but it wasn’t everything. Yet she felt truth in that conversation. Blair knew she knew a part of Ethan, whatever it was, that the world had never imagined.- "I'll stay," Ethan assured.- "I hope so"A few more seconds of silence followed that part of the conversation. A trillion things ran through Blair's mind as she rested her face on Ethan's chest again, but the woman chose not to disturb the moment, as she feared it would be too short.- "Where is Drake?" she
- "Devil" Ethan said, making the woman on his lap smile widely.The sound of laughter reverberated in the man's chest. He felt different, as if his entire existence had been created to hear that smile, to touch that skin, to kiss those lips. If Ethan's life had a meaning, he would bet everything he had on it being Blair Collins.The trance the man was in was broken when he heard knocking on the door. The real world continued to exist, even though they could easily ignore it.- "Come in," Banks allowed, and the door was opened by Alex the next second.- "The aircraft is ready, sir," the security guard announced.- "Okay," Ethan replied, dismissing his employee with a wave.He looked back at Blair and felt his mood improve stratospherically at the thought of taking her to Malibu. The house was like a refuge, and for the first time in his life, the man found himself wanting to share it with someone.- "It's very kind of you to use your aircraft. You know how to impress a girl," Blair com
The house lights were off, and only the floodlights around the island illuminated the place. Blair studied the space, wishing she could explore every detail when the morning came. Ethan waited until the woman got up, and then they disembarked together. He took her hand and led her into the property.- "I want you to like it," he commented.The captain returned to the ship after a wave from his boss. At that moment, Blair realized that they would be alone, as Alex had been at the port minutes before.The man opened the house's huge glass door as soon as they reached it. The first room was a living room, and one decorative item in particular caught Blair's attention. It was a race car parked in the middle of the room, as if it were an ordinary piece of furniture among the others.The car said a lot about its owner; it had gray bodywork, the number ten written on the side, and vivid red details. The chrome wheels shone when the lights were turned on. The sponsorship stickers were still s
- "Yes"- "Don't you think it's a bit... indecent?" She teased.The dress, in fact, did not leave much room for imagination. Its length did not reach the knees, and it was complemented by a slit on the left leg. To compensate for the extravagance in the lower part, the bust and arms were completely covered.Their brief conversation was interrupted when they were approached by a second hostess, already inside the restaurant. The uniformed woman greeted the couple, then guided them to the furthest table in the restaurant, ensuring as much privacy as possible. The table was already perfectly organized with all the crockery and cutlery lined up.Geoffrey's Restaurant was completely open to the environment. There were only the supporting pillars and the glass ceiling, revealing the perfect starry night. Ethan and Blair's table was close to the railing, facing the sea below the mountain.Ethan pulled out the chair so Blair could sit, showing complete chivalry and attention. She smiled in ap
- "When you're ready to talk seriously, we'll talk," and with that, she walked out of the restaurant.Banks remained motionless, sitting alone with his glass of wine in his hands. A part of his brain, perhaps the part attracted to Blair, ordered him to go after her. Ethan didn't like to see her walking away.The man poured the rest of the liquid into his mouth and drank it all in one gulp. After a few seconds, he smiled to himself. What that redhead was doing to his mind was diabolical.Ethan shook his head, knowing that six months ago he would have been incapable of pursuing a woman. But as always, it was different with Blair. He left a few notes on the table, including the tip the waiter didn’t deserve, and began to walk calmly out of the restaurant.Because whether that attitude was typical of him or not didn't matter anymore.*"The building was broken down, abandoned for years, old and full of rodents. Rats ran across the dirty floor of the reception area. The only sounds were ma
The woman picked up the first frame. It was a picture of Ethan with his mother in the winter, dressed in clothes appropriate for the freezing temperatures. The smiles on both their faces were a joy. She turned the frame over and found the date on the photo, which had been taken seven years ago in the Aspen Mountains.Blair looked at the photograph again. Banks seemed like someone different, from another time or another life. His wide smile showed happiness with his mother. His blue eyes held no malice. He was just a man growing up and discovering himself, like any other person. But something after that, after that photo and after those happy moments, made Ethan change.Blair remembered Michele's instructions perfectly. If it was true, then the safe's password would be in the second photo. It was a picture of a yellow race car on a large racetrack, and the redhead assumed it was from Ethan's racing days.She picked up and turned the picture frame over slowly, caught between her loyalty