Ruined (Ethan Frost 1)

Seconds later, Ethan follows me, his strong, powerful body shuddering in my arms as he pours himself deep inside me. I hold on tight through it all, determined to keep him in my arms as long as I can. I don’t ever want to let him go.

“Damn, baby,” he says after he gets his voice back. “I’m sorry that was so fast. ”

“Do I look like I’m complaining?” I smile up at him, trail a hand over his neck. Relish the flare of heat in his satisfied eyes.

“You look like you’ve just been fucked,” he murmurs in my ear.

“Why, how convenient considering that’s exactly what happened to me. ”

He leans down, captures my mouth with his, then groans when the intercom on his phone buzzes. “Ethan, your eight o’clock is here. ”

“I need to get going, too,” I tell him as I straighten his tie. It amuses me no end that we’ve just had hot, sweaty, wall-banging sex and yet his tie is barely askew. “I have a bunch of research that’s calling my name. ”

He pulls away reluctantly, both of us gasping a little as he slides out of me and disposes of the condom. “I have an overfull schedule that’s calling mine. ”

Still, he takes the time to fix my skirt for me, to tuck in my blouse and smooth a hand over the rioting mass of curls that is my hair.

When he starts in on his own clothes, I take the opportunity to pick up my purse from where it fell to the floor during his very enthusiastic greeting. I pull out an envelope filled with little presents and mementos—including the panda penny I made for him at the zoo—and slide it onto his desk without him seeing.

Then I’m brushing a kiss across his cheek and breezing toward the door. My whole body is lit up from the inside from the orgasm he just gave me—and the feelings for him that grow stronger every moment we’re together. “Have a good day,” I tell him on my way out the door.

“I already have. ”

That puts a goofy smile on my face, one that lasts all morning, despite an escalation in Rick’s less-than-friendly campaign against me.

I ignore him like I did all of last week, focus on doing my work instead. I’m still on the Trifecta case, and while it makes me sad to think of a family losing their business the way they are, I can’t help thinking about those men at the VA hospital. Can’t help wondering if the disputed patents will somehow help Alejandro and the others to heal faster, better.

At eleven o’clock, one of the interoffice messengers drops by a package for me. Surprise, surprise, it’s the blender, only this time it’s filled with a strawberry and pineapple smoothie.

I open the note attached. Now it’s been used, so it’s nonreturnable. Enjoy.

I can’t help it. I throw my head back and laugh and laugh and laugh. It’s a go

od feeling.

Chapter Twenty-five

I start Tuesday morning in Ethan’s bed. He tries to convince me to spend the whole day in it—with him, of course—but there’s no way I’m calling in sick my second week of work.

“You’re a bad influence,” I tell him as I climb out of the world’s fastest shower. It’s a good thing I only live a mile away from here, because otherwise I’d be late for work. I got up in plenty of time but…well, Ethan is a powerful distraction when he wants to be.

“Only because you’re such a good girl. ” He starts to wrap his arms around me from behind, but freezes halfway there.

“It’s okay, you know. I’m not that fragile. ”

He drops a kiss on my nose. “You’re not fragile at all. But I never want to do anything that makes you uncomfortable. ”

“Really?” I ask, brows arched. “Because this whole hickey thing is getting out of control. ” I gesture to the new love bites that cover my breasts and throat and hip. “Yesterday I caught a couple of the guys I have lunch with staring at them. I was very uncomfortable. ”

“You’re mine. ”

I wait for him to say something else, but he just smiles at me before climbing in the shower. Which leaves me trying to figure out what those two words mean. I’m his, so he likes seeing signs of that on my skin? Or I’m his and he wants to make sure all the other guys know it? I’m not sure I like how possessive either of those interpretations sounds, but then he turns in the shower and I see the scratches I made on his back last night. And I have to admit, they turn me on a little bit. This physical representation that he belongs to me and only me.

Yeah, maybe I should cut the guy some slack, considering the fact that in my own way, I’m not any better than he is.

I shimmy into my yoga pants and tank top, then stick my head into the bathroom, where Ethan is still in the shower. “I’m taking off. The interns have their Tuesday morning meeting today and I am not going to be late this week. ”

“If you wait a second, I’ll take you. ” He starts to rinse out the shampoo in his hair.