Still, he’s looking at me like he wants to say more. But before he can, the elevator dings and we both turn to watch as Aria bursts into the room.
She’s still dressed in her cocktail waitress uniform and she looks good. Really good. Especially when there was a part of me that was convinced she wouldn’t want anything to do with me after hearing what Janet said. Not that I’d let her get away with that—I planned on giving her the night to assimilate what she heard and then finding her in the morning. Making her talk to me.
Instead, she’s here. She’s pale and frantic and more than a little frazzled, but she’s here. For now, that’s more than enough.
“Aria.”
“Sebastian. I need you to—”
“And I’m out of here.” Ethan pops out of the chair like a jack-in-the-box—probably PTSD from the last time Aria came bursting into a room and announced that she needed me to fuck her.
But unlike last time the two were in a room together, Aria actually notices him. Her eyes go wide and she steps back. “I can come back later—”
“No!” Ethan and I say at once.
“It’s fine. We were just talking.” I reach for her hand, pull her into my body. “Aria, this is Ethan Frost. Ethan, this is my girlfriend, Aria.”
Her eyes widen at my use of the word girlfriend, which I completely understand. Partly because we haven’t talked about what we are to each other yet and partly because girlfriend seems like such an insipid, ridiculous word for what Aria is to me.
For the fire that rages between us whenever we get within ten feet of each other.
For what we are, and what we have.
“It’s nice to meet you, Aria.” Ethan holds a hand out. “Sebastian’s told me quite a bit about you.”
“Nice to meet you, too,” she says faintly. She looks even more confused, if possible. It’s obvious she recognizes Ethan—hard not to when he’s known far and wide as one of the most visionary men on the planet. It’s just as obvious that she can’t imagine why he and I would be talking about her.
“I’ll be going now. But Chloe and I are in town for a couple more days. Maybe the four of us can have dinner one night.”
“I’d like that?” It comes out sounding like a question. And she still hasn’t blinked.
Poor Aria. On top of everything else tonight, meeting Ethan just might be too much. I decide to nip things in the bud before they get even more awkward. “Thanks for coming up, Eth.” I start ushering him toward the elevator. “I’ll text you tomorrow and we can meet to discuss the necessary plans.”
“Here’s your hat, what’s your hurry?” he mumbles to me as the elevator slides open.
I just lift a brow. “You are the one who said you were out of here.”
“Because I was afraid of what I might overhear if I stayed.” He grins. “Your girl seems to be the kind who knows exactly what she wants.”
I flip him off again, just as the elevator doors swoosh shut.
When I turn back to Aria, she’s staring at me with a cross between consternation and concern.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” I ask, crossing to her. As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I feel like a total dick. She just spent an hour with Dylan’s mom—there are probably more things wrong than she can even begin to name.
But she’s here, I remind myself. It’s a start. More than a start, really.
“I’m having a flashback to this afternoon.”
They aren’t the words I expect to hear from her and I grin before I can stop myself. “Yeah?”
“Was Ethan Frost in your office when I…” Her voice trails off.
“When you came in demanding that I fuck you? Pretty much, yeah.”
“Ethan. Frost.”
“Yep.”