I help her clean up and cop a feel constantly while I do. Then I take her downstairs to the garage. It’s supposed to be the polite thing to do, though I open her door so I can watch her dress slide up her legs. Shaking her head, she sees where my eyes go. “I wish I’d known we’d be driving in a convertible.” She pouts. “I would have fixed my hair differently. “Especially a 2015 Ferrari California. You’ve managed to surprise me. If I had guessed which one you picked, it would have been the 458 Italia.” Her laughter is loud in the car. “Let me guess, the 458 was on backorder and you didn’t want to wait for your new toy?”
“Put your seatbelt on.” I’m stern. Annoyed at how well she knows me, the Italia was on backorder three months and I didn’t want to wait. “Smartass. Just for that I’m putting the top down.” I hit the button to send the top down. I don’t get a new car every year, every two or three years was enough for me. When I didn’t get the Italia I expected to get a new car this year but I’ve grown to like it. Ray also prefers it, he used to bitch about getting in and out of my last few cars.
“Ass.” Holly mutters as she puts her straightened hair into a loose bun then leans back onto it.
The day is beautiful. Her face isn’t covered by layers of makeup and she’s glowing in the sunlight. However, when we hit the interstate I put the top back up, the top down at sixty miles an hour is too much even for me. Once I do, she smiles widely.
I turn on the radio, classical music fills the car, lowering the volume to background noise. My hand is barely back on the steering wheel before Holly starts talking. She asks about Ray. I spend the drive sharing memories of Ray. Her interest isn’t faked as she prompts me gently for more.
When we pull into the home Ray had picked himself, Holly seems hesitant. “Come on, Ray will fall at your feet. Just ignore the fact he’s a dirty old man.”
My day is exactly like I knew it would be. Ray flirts relentlessly, Holly takes it in stride. I love how when I haltingly introduce her to Ray, she responds that she’s the housekeeper who does more than windows with a saucy smile. She does surprise me by kicking both Ray’s and my ass in poker. Ray taunts her constantly with smack talk, trying to win back his money, we only ever play with pennies. Holly holds her own with her smart mouth. When Ray teases her, she isn’t above using her cleavage to get his, or my, mind off the cards.
While we play chess, she keeps herself amused going through Ray’s photo albums. Peppering us with questions, yet not needing to be kept amused. She even helps me out by whispering a move that helps me pin down Ray’s queen.
Lunch out is pure entertainment as Holly entices Ray to talk about me in my younger, more embarrassing years. The man looks more alive and smiles more often than he has in years. If he didn’t look so happy I might be a little jealous of Holly. However, given the weeks I’ve been with Holly I can understand his reaction to her. This time, when it’s time to leave Ray isn’t pushing me out the door like he usually does.
Holly begs me to let her drive the car around in the parking lot, crossing her heart and hoping to die she’ll be careful. I can’t say no to those big brown eyes of hers, so I hand her the keys. “Five minutes.”
She takes them, nearly hopping out the door with excitement.
“I’m telling you right now, Ethan Andrew Bishop, if you don’t marry that girl you’ll regret it the rest of your days. Same as I did with Sally Connors. Not a day goes by when I don’t wish I’d married her. Take my advice, Ethan, she’s the one.”
I only shake my head. “She deserves better than me.”
Ray nods vigorously, “Of course she does. It doesn’t change the fact she belongs with you.”
There’s nothing for me to say.
He grunts, goes into his room, and slams the door.
Great trip. I walk out front to Holly screeching to a halt in front of me. She gets out and holy fuck she’s gorgeous. She’s glowing, her cheeks pink, her smile wide enough I think I can see her molars. Throwing herself in my arms, I catch her and hold her tightly. Fuck, my chest hurts.
“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! That was so cool. See not a tiny, baby scratch on it either. My brothers will never be able to say they drove a Ferarri!”
Seeing her so happy, I can’t hold back my own laughter. “Oh, you wanted me for the Ferrari?” I set her down slowly. Her hand is up caressing my cheek. “Silly man, I didn’t know you had a Ferrari. It was because of your big, thick cock.”
I open her door then smack her ass as she gets inside. Her laughter makes me smile simply to know she’s happy. On our way back to into Chicago, it’s still too early for dinner, so I take her home. Although, damn, I would have liked for other people to see her looking gorgeous in the dress she’s wearing.
We’re barely through the door when I have her dress up, on my lap, on the couch. Mouths locked together, the idea of moving to the bedroom is long gone. Tugging off her panties, she’s moaning my name as she pushes up my shirt to touch me.
“Ethan! You’re a freaking animal!” Amelia sounds like a wronged wife. I’m more concerned about Holly’s embarrassment. I whip my shirt off to try and wrap it around her.
“Amelia? What the fuck? This is my damned home. I’ll do whatever the hell I want, wherever the hell I want.”
Fucking shit! She’s getting weepy, only I’m too pissed to care. “I thought I was always welcome here! Well, I guess that’s all over. We go to lunch, you talk about Holly, we’re on the phone, you talk about Holly. Now I come over, and surprise, I’m not welcome anymore. You might be fucking Holly in the living room.”
Really, new baby syndrome from her now? “Don’t even go there. If you want to come over fine, but don’t pull your bullshit with me. You’ve been avoiding me all week long, and then you come over without warning. I love you, but right now, I’m really pissed off with you. I don’t think this is a good time to have this conversation. Please leave, now. We’ll discuss this later.”
Her eyes are big, filled with tears when she turns, slamming out the door.
I look to see Holly fighting back tears. “I’m sorry. I had no idea she resented me like that.”
Picking her up, I carry her into my room before gently placing her on the bed. “Hey, this is a new situation for her to be in. Obviously, she isn’t handling it well. There’s also someone new in her life she doesn’t want me to know about, and she’s trying to balance that with maintaining our close relationship. Which, after the way she reacted, makes me wonder if our relationship isn’t just a little too co-dependent. On my end, she’s the only woman I know how to treat simply like a woman without wanting anything from her. Quite frankly, between Cora and her, there’s never been a woman in my life for very long. For Amelia, I’ve always been the big brother to protect and smooth her path wherever I could. Not just her shoulder to cry on, but when I could, to make it all better for her.
“This has nothing to do with you. In a few days, she’ll invite you for lunch, begging and pleading for forgiveness the entire time. The two of us are going to have a much deeper, more painful conversation.”
I wipe away the tears that trail down her cheeks fighting to keep my breathing even, I really fucking hate to see her cry. Yeah, the conversati