Ruined (Ethan Frost 1)

Ethan takes me to a Spanish tapas restaurant for lunch, and he’s such charming company that I forget about everything but being with him. He’s smart and funny and a great listener who—despite running the company—still seems really interested in the minutiae of my day.

He wants to take me to dinner, too, followed by home to his bed, but it’s Tuesday. Girls’ night for Tori and me. And while she missed it last week, I feel like it sets a bad relationship precedent for me to blow my friend off for my boyfriend.

It doesn’t seem to bother Ethan, though he does ask to take me to breakfast in the morning, before he leaves on his business trip. The fact that he’s going to be gone five days almost makes me reconsider my plans with Tori, but I decide to hold firm. Though I do invite him over for some late-night cuddling…and whatever else we happen to get up to.

He accepts with a wicked grin that tells me exactly what he plans to get up to. And into. I can’t wait.

* * *

Wednesday morning I watch Ethan drive away in the limo he called to take him to the airport, and a feeling of anxiety crashes into me. Which is stupid, I know. He’s an international businessman, CEO of one of the most exciting companies in the country. Of course he’s going to travel. Of course he’s going to have to go on business trips. There’s no reason to get upset just because I’m going to miss him.

And yet it feels like more than that. A sense of foreboding is settling over me, making me freeze up deep inside. Even as it’s happening I tell myself that I’m being ridiculous. That we don’t actually have to be in each other’s pockets all the time. That it wouldn’t be healthy if we were.

Determined to shake whatever this funk is that’s settled over me, I grab my briefcase and head toward my cube. As I walk, I send a text to Zayn and the others, asking if they want to meet for lunch in the cafeteria. I haven’t even reached my office when I get three affirmative answers. Their friendliness puts a smile on my face. Rick and the other intellectual property interns might not like me, but at least I’ve made three friends—all of whom are exceptionally cool.

Once at my desk, I dive into the mountains of research Maryanne has heaped on me this week. I thought that with the Trifecta deal having gone through, the amount of stuff they’d need would go down, but it seems like the opposite has happened. There are a million more questions that need answers, dozens of precedents that need to be looked at. It’s more than enough to keep me busy and my mind off Ethan.

I’ve been working steadily for about an hour when I get another delivery. It’s not a blender this time—after Ethan’s last trick, I’ve given up on getting him to take the Vitamix back. Instead, it’s a fancy black box with a silver bow holding the lid in place.

There are no clues to warn me what might be in the box, but still, something tells me that discretion is probably the route to go with this present. Sure enough, when I peek inside, I find a dozen or so pairs of fancy underwear in a rainbow of colors. Red, pink, blue, purple, black—the only thing they have in common is the fact that they are very fancy and very expensive.

There’s a note on top in Ethan’s bold scrawl. All it says is I think I owe you some of these. My cheeks flame as I think about him ripping off my panties yesterday in his office and then another pair at my apartment last night. At the rate he’s going, he should probably set up a standing underwear delivery a couple of times a month.

Not that I’m complaining.

I text him to say thank you, but don’t get an answer for several hours, until after he’s landed in New York.

I like the red ones.

Having had a chance to look at all of them at this point, I know that the red ones are the skimpiest pair he sent me.

Maybe you can wear them, then. Gives me a chance to rip them off you this time.

I’ve always been told blue is more my color.

LOL. Safe flight?

Long. I miss you.

I miss you, too.

Gotta go—business dinner.

XOXO

* * *

My phone rings about eleven. With Ethan gone, I took the opportunity to catch up on some of the sleep I’ve been missing the last few days, so I’m groggy and half asleep when I answer it.

“Hello?”

Ethan’s voice, warm and sweet, pours down the line. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I thought you’d still be up. I’ll call you tomorrow. ”

“No! It’s fine. ” I pull the phone closer to my body, wrap myself around it like I would with Ethan if he were here. Considering the amount of time we’ve known each other, it’s crazy how much I miss him. “How was your dinner?

“Boring. How was yours?”

“Very exciting, actually,” I tease, tongue in cheek. “Tori and I ordered Indian food and watched Firefly on Netflix. ”