Ethan's Song (11 page)

killed, mostly because of the panic that was created." "It must have been terribly frightening." He
comforted her the best he knew how, patting the hand
his still covered. "How long ago did this happen?
Where?" Did he sense her need to talk?
"It’s been almost a year, in Atlanta." With a hint of
a smile she looked up at him, remembering. "I freaked."
She confessed to him in a squeak. "I absolutely went out
of my head. I spent several days in the hospital. I don’t
remember much about it, just the awful screams and the
heat I can’t forget." The look on her face said she was in
the past, remembering what would never leave her mind. "I’m grateful to that person who pulled you from it.
You have a wonderful voice. I enjoyed listening to you
during dinner last night." Both his hands now held the
one he picked up from her lap. One of his thumbs
stroked her left ring finger. "Single?" A small nod came
from her, then her eyes were on something else, other
than his. "Not engaged?" Again she answered with just
a movement of her head, negatively. "Lucky me, then.
You aren’t serious about anyone, are you?" She moved
her eyes to his, nodding her head. "Oh." He sounded
very disappointed. "That’s a shame. Always my luck.
Who might be the lucky one?"
"Me." Ethan stood behind the man, watching as he
dropped her hand back to her lap and stood to face his
host. "Jenà?" Ethan questioned her state.
"Ethan!" The man stuck out his hand, shaking his
host’s as if it had been a long time since they’d met.
Though he pretended to be happy to see him, he was
disappointed at his loss. "Why is it that you always seem
to have all the luck with the pretty women?" He
chuckled, walking away from the couple.
"Everything is fine now." Ethan assured her. "He
wasn’t bothering you, was he?" The look on her face
was a mixture of emotions, he felt unsure of his friend’s
intentions, not able to understand what her expression
was saying.
"No. Actually he helped me through a pretty rough
time." She explain briefly what had happened, wishing
she had thanked the man for staying, talking her through
her fears.
"I’m glad he was here." Squatting as the man had
been doing, and in the same place, Ethan spoke
sincerely, though the look on his face said something
completely different. "I have some things to attend to.
You can go back down to your rooms, if you wish. I’ll
bet you’re hungry." She shook her head. "Alright."
Standing, he pulled her from the chair. "I’ll be down as
soon as I have things straightened out."
"Please, Ethan." Her voice and eyes begged him to
understand. "I don’t want to start things over again." She
knew he would get her meaning. As she took several
steps away, she felt his hand on her arm, gently stopping
her. "I mean it, Mr. Ayers."
"Jenà, you are so mixed up." His eyes sparkled at
her. "I’m going to have to help you sort it out." His lips
then touched hers long enough to make her want more. Without answering, she walked away from him,
going to the stairs. She
was
mixed up, more than he
knew. She wanted to find that place again, the one where
he wouldn’t be able to find her. But at the same time,
she wanted to be waiting for him in his room. She was
sure that was where he wanted to find her.
Slowly she went down the stairs. Fear mixed with
excitement stayed with her. She knew many of the men
in her life had wanted her, and maybe as strongly as
Ethan did. But she hadn’t wanted them. They would
have given her the world. What was Ethan offering her? Inside her rooms, she went to her drawers for
something to change into. The cameo top was the first
thing she found, and a growing pain began gnawing at
her stomach. Yes, she wanted to be in his bed when he
came back. Letting her feet take her to the bathroom, she
quickly undressed, putting the lacy things on for him. Back at her dresser, she found her favorite perfume,
spraying it very sparingly in the right places. Leaving the
door open between their rooms, she wanted him to
wonder where he would find her. If an unlocked door
was an invitation, as he had warned, what would the
open door signify to him?
In his bedroom, her skin tingled as she took off the
short, silky robe and lay it across the chair. Pulling back
his covers, she slid between the sheets that he had slept
in not so many hours ago. She could smell him as she closed her eyes, picturing how he would look at her when he came in. His masculine scent mixed with cologne and soap, brought more tingling sensations to
her insides.
When she heard the first door close a short time
later, she tensed a little, asking herself what she was
doing. It was too late now. He was in his sitting room.
She heard him emptying his pockets of keys and other
things he carried in them, placing them on his desk. He
seemed to know exactly where she was, because he
appeared in his doorway seconds later.
"Jenà." He stood in the opening between the two
rooms, leaning on the frame for just a few seconds. He had spoken her name in such a way that it sent
a shock wave down her spine, creating deeper feelings
for him. "Ethan, I..." She was going to tell him she didn’t
know what she was doing there, but she couldn’t. She
closed her eyes, remaining very still in the waterbed. The
trembling, was it from the desire she felt for the man
who stood looking at her as she pictured he would, or for
fear that he would take her obvious offer for what it was. She opened her eyes as he slowly walked toward his
bed, having pushed the door closed quietly. He began
undressing, never taking his eyes off her. The covers
were over her breasts, but her shoulders were uncovered,
and he could see that she was wearing the lacy top she
had pulled from her dresser so long ago, or so it seemed.
He had pictured her just as she was so many times, that
he questioned the reality of it now.
"Ethan..." She began again, the fear she felt was in
her voice, but her breath caught in her throat as he took his shirt from his chest, exposing the upper half of his body to her. Again she closed her eyes, wanting to run her hands over that chest, around to his back, to feel his
chest on her breasts, to feel all of him against her. "Sh-h-h." He knew she was frightened, but he could
see the want in her eyes. As he continued slowly to the
bed, he unbuckled his belt, undoing his pants. At the
edge of the bed, he dropped them to the floor, as he
reached for the covers, throwing them away from her
nearly naked body.
Her first thought was to recover herself, but she
didn’t move. When he knelt beside her, she felt the
mattress move, as the water shifted away from them. Her
hands went instinctively to his chest, feeling the muscles
as he continued to move, placing a knee on the other
side of her.
"Are you sure this is what you want?" He asked
huskily as he lowered himself to her, kissing everything
that was exposed to him, then moving to her lips before
she could answer him. Ethan rolled to his back, taking
her with him.
"No." She whispered against his mouth, but then
answered him very differently when she began kissing
him as she always had, always would. She felt a
shudder from his body as she moved her hands around
his shoulders and chest. "Yes." She answered him again,
quietly, feeling the excitement build in her. "I want you,
Ethan."
His breath became quick, yet halting as he began his
gentle love making. Pulling her top up, he exposed a
breast, which he began teasing. He was so gentle she relaxed under him when he rolled them both over again, letting him control her emotions. Up beside her ear, he
whispered, "I love you, Jenà."
She wanted to believe that. She wanted to return
those words. But she was silent as she kissed all she
could find within reach. He moaned as she brought his
head back to where she could kiss his lips. So much for
letting him control her!

SHE HADN’T seen him so relaxed, nor had she felt so complete as she lay in his arms. Beneath her fingers, his chest swelled as he took in a deep breath. His arms tightened around her, bringing her up to him. His slow, searching kiss caught her up in the love she knew she felt for him. "Tell me." He coaxed her, kissing her with great tenderness everywhere he could reach without moving.

"What do you want me to tell you, Ethan?" With her eyes closed, she returned the kisses until he caught her lips again. The love was there, she was certain he could feel it.

When he let her come up for air, he chuckled at the look on her face. "Tell me what you feel inside." He lightly tapped her chest where her heart beat beneath his fingertips. In a swift movement, he rolled her over, following. The motion of the bed moved them rhythmically together.

"What I feel inside?" She echoed his words. "What do you think I feel?" She teased him, her growing passion was calling to him to love her again.

"Tell me how much you love me, Jenà. Tell me it’s with all your heart. I need to hear that you return the love I have for you." As he whispered the words, he continued nibbling at her neck and ears, stopping to taste of her lips again.

"Are you sure it’s me and not my sister?" The words she spoke hurt her, and she saw the expression on his face change, but she needed to know.

Pushing himself above her, the look he gave her was hard. "Your sister was a young man’s dream, Jenà." All the tenderness had been pushed aside, and he let her know with his look that he didn’t want to hear that again. "I’m no longer that young man, and it’s you I hold in my arms. You, sweetheart, that I feel so deeply about." As he spoke, the gentleness returned.

"I shouldn’t have asked, but I had to know. I love you, Ethan, with all my heart." Hearing it come from her lips just confirmed what she already knew was true. Here she lay in his bed, confessing the love she felt for him, and yet she knew so little about him.

He kissed her with all he felt. Her response was overwhelming, he found it hard to control himself. He knew he had to be gentle with her, teach her everything she needed to know about him. Yet, the way he felt, he wanted all of her, right now. Taking a deep breath again, he pushed himself back from her once more, seeing a confused look come across her face. So accepting she was of him.

"Are you hungry?" He had to take his mind off of his feelings and concentrate on her needs.
"I am." She confessed with a grin. "But what I really want is right above me. Kiss me, Ethan," she begged him. "Let me know how much you love me. I need to know that." Her words went through him, sending shivers down his back where her hands were moving.
"Before that, darling little tease, I want some answers." His tone and expression had changed. He had gone completely serious, making her wonder what she had done wrong this time. Moving from her again, he lay on his side, propped up on an elbow. His fingers were running up and down her arm. "Will you marry me? And if so, how soon? And where? How shall we spend our honeymoon?" He fired the questions at her so fast, she was dumbfounded by his suddenness.
"But..." Her voice stopped there, her lips still moving slightly, mostly from the trembling that was bringing tears to her eyes.
To stop the trembling of her lips, he pressed his against them. Then looking into her eyes, he continued speaking to her. "I have never felt what I did that night I grabbed you up in that first kiss. When I saw you fighting Mr. Marx off, I knew you’d be a challenge, and I love a good challenge." In his eyes she could see the truth of what he was telling her.
"I knew that about you. I was afraid you would want me because I posed a great challenge to you." She lay still beside him, wanting to hear more.
"You became even more of a challenge when you promised so much in your kisses, then turned me down when I wanted to make love to you. I admit you cooled me down when you said you were a virgin." His fingers trailed down the middle of her stomach, circling her navel.
"I thought having an untouched woman was every man’s dream." She teased, reaching up to his chest, spreading her fingers in the fine hair.
"I still wanted your body, sweetheart." He let her know without a doubt. "I wanted you so bad, I couldn’t think of anything else. But the thought of taking that purity... Spoiling the clean, sweetness of you..." His fingers left hot streaks, as hers were now doing on his back. "Though you spoke readiness with everything you possessed, I knew you weren’t. I had to prime you, so to speak." His grin was boyish.
"And when you came down here this morning to find me waiting in your bed? Were you not surprised?" She moved toward him, arching her back to press closer.
"I was." His confession came with a chuckle. "You told me you didn’t want to start again, and I was going to leave it at that, for now." Taking her movement as being what it was, he rolled over her, kissing her. "Surprise isn’t the word I felt when I saw the door open, then found you here." He was kissing her passionately again, taking all she was offering.

WHEN SHE awoke, she was alone. The room was totally dark. He had shut off the light when he left her. A disappointment fell heavy over her as she lay in his bed, wondering where he was.

After a good stretch, she stood, turning on the lamp beside the bed. The door was closed to his sitting room. Her thoughts were on taking a shower, then going out to look for him to ask why he had left her.

A towel wrapped around her, she walked back into the lighted room, a smile finding her lips when she saw him sitting in the chair he had taken to the side of the bed, a cart of food before him.

"It’s almost a replay. Different room, same setting, different feelings," she mused, her voice teasing him as she walked to his side. "You could have warned me that you were leaving." She placed her hand on his shoulder.

"You were sleeping so peacefully, I didn’t want to disturb you." He put his arm around her hips, pulling her down onto his lap. "You are hungry for food now, aren’t you?"

Her arms around his neck, she kissed him before answering. "Maybe I could sit through a meal with you." She reached over to uncover one dish. "And this is?" She asked looking at the concoction.

"It’s something from the island. With the kitchen a mess, it wasn’t easy to find these dishes, much less something to put into them." Lifting a cover, he found dark grapes in the dish. Picking one up, she opened her mouth as he set it on her tongue. "Most the pantry was destroyed. Edward’s quick thinking had the fire under control before I got up there." His fingers toyed with the top of the towel until it came loose. "You are the most desirable woman I’ve ever known, Jenà." He kissed her shoulder as she tried a bit of the food before them.