Something else? I sleep now. All night. I sleep until the alarm goes off and I have to get up. But only when I’m with Ethan.
My things have comfortably found residence in his bathroom and closet, as though they’ve always been there. Even my pots and pans have managed to wiggle into his cabinets, since he barely had anything to cook with.
While he talks, I head into the kitchen to make something to eat, since I barely had time to scarf down some fruit at lunch. Ethan must hear me clanking around, because he comes up just as I toss some chicken in a pan, and one arm wraps around my waist as he continues to talk on the phone.
“No, don’t let him know you’re considering Phillip’s company. There’s bad blood there and it could disrupt you buying in,” he tells whoever it is he’s talking to.
He kisses the top of my head as I work on cooking, and I lean back against him as though it’s the most natural thing in the world. We’re meeting the guys for drinks tonight, and Ethan is having a party tomorrow.
I don’t know how I feel about this gorgeous house enduring another party after pretending it’s my home for two weeks. It almost feels like an invasion to have strangers come in and trash the place without any concern or regard to the people who live here.
But it’s Ethan’s house; not mine. It’s what he wants at this point in his life, and I’m prepared to weather the storm, because he’s sure as hell worth it.
“Hey,” he says softly against my ear, even though I can hear the other person on the phone talking excitedly.
“Hey,” I say back, melting against him when he leans over more and kisses my cheek.
“You smell so good,” he says in a soft, deep rumble, not seeming to mind my wet hair.
“Just showered,” I say, as though it’s not obvious.
“Yeah,” he says. “Do that, and he’ll be putty in your hands.” And he’s back to talking into the phone.
I smile, impressed by how easily he can pretend to devote all his attention to someone else even as he’s kissing his way up my cheek to my ear again.
“I missed you,” he says against my ear, taking a deep breath as I turn my head toward him and smile.
His lips brush mine, but he doesn’t get to deepen the kiss, because he’s back to telling the person on the phone what to do, step by step. However, he doesn’t leave me. His body stays pressed against mine, just like it does for the majority of the time that I’m here.
When I’m not at work, Ethan is coiled around me, showing me more attention than I think I’ve ever had. It’s like he’s just drowning in this as much as I am, loving the closeness of it all.
I expected a lot of fighting and craziness. I never pictured how easy we would blend together and coexist. In fact, I think living together is easier than living apart, even if my heart is steadily falling deeper and deeper for the guy I never saw coming.
As the chicken finishes, I grab two plates, and then reheat some leftover asparagus from last night. Ethan follows me, finally getting off his phone.
“I swear, he’s never going to learn to run the company if he calls me with every new deal they want to close.”
“Do you ever miss it?” I ask him as he grabs a couple of glasses and helps me get things ready.
“Honestly? I did… Then you moved in, and I don’t miss it anymore. I don’t like being bored, and you sure as hell keep things interesting,” he says, pulling me closer before his lips find mine in the kiss I’ve been wanting since I left for work this morning.
I kiss him back, trying not to overanalyze his words. I don’t want to just be someone to pass the damn time with, but I really don’t think he meant it like that. I hope.
“How was work?” he asks when he breaks the kiss.
I sit down, scowling, as my good mood vanishes. His lips twitch as he sits down too, eyeing me like he can’t wait for me to spill.
“Julia is a fucking bitch. I’m sick of working with her. Today, she and I got into it, and because she lies without any problem at all, I was the one who got in trouble. Can you freaking believe that?” It’s a rant, but I don’t care.
He doesn’t look as passionately affronted on my behalf as he should. “Look, I really don’t do the whole chick drama thing, because I have a dick and not a va—” He swallows his words when I glare daggers at him. “That fucking bitch,” he deadpans instead. “How dare she.”
It’s hard not to laugh, especially when he holds a straight face, despite the humor I see in his eyes.
“Cute,” I say, rolling my eyes when it’s impossible to restrain my smile.
When he flashes a grin at me, my bad mood dissipates. The rest of the meal contains normal conversation… until he mentions the party tomorrow and I tense.
Ethan may not mind a hundred strangers touching his things, but I have a major complex about it. It’s his house though. I keep reminding myself of that. I’m a guest, and nothing else.