Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Ethan
My parents and Lila liked Aubrey. In fact, I was pretty sure they fell in love with her the moment they met her. I knew they would, and I knew this could cause a potential problem for me. The problem was that my mother wouldn’t leave me alone about her. Lila and Aubrey went outside while my mother asked me to stay back and help her for a moment. But I knew damn well she didn’t need help with anything.
“Aubrey is a very nice girl, Ethan.”
“Yes. She is.”
“It’s incredible to me that she’s a teacher. She’s a very strong woman.”
“Yes. She is.”
“She’s very sweet.”
“Yes. She is,” I spoke because I knew exactly where this was going.
“So does this mean that the two of you will be spending a lot of time together?” she asked innocently.
“No. It does not. I already told you that Aubrey and I are friends and nothing more.”
“But you brought her home to us.”
“Because I didn’t want her staying at my house all alone. That’s the only reason, Mother.”
I walked over and clasped her shoulders.
“We’re just friends. Please don’t read any more into it.”
“Ethan—”
“Friends, Mother. Now drop it,” I spoke as I walked out to the patio.
I knew this would happen if I brought her here because my mother couldn’t understand that I wasn’t interested in any type of relationship, so I shut her down quickly. When I walked outside, I took a seat next to Aubrey. Not too long after, Kenny showed up, and dinner was served. After we ate, Kenny, my dad, and I all shot some golf balls and bullshitted about life. Every time I glanced over at Aubrey, which I found myself doing more than I should have, she was laughing, smiling, and enjoying her conversations with my mother and sister. A feeling stirred inside me that was getting harder to control. It was getting late, so I asked Aubrey if she was ready to go. After saying goodbye to my family, we climbed into the car and headed back to the city.
“I didn’t know your dad was a chief technology officer for a Wall Street company, " she said.
“He was until he had a heart attack a few years ago and decided to retire. He said the job's stress and demands weren’t worth it anymore.”
“You must get your technology smarts from him.” She smiled.
“I guess so.” I smiled back.
“How did you get to owning your own company at such a young age?”
“I’d always been a tech geek, so to speak. I always looked at technology and thought if I could make whatever it was I was interested in better, I would. I started web designing when I was fifteen, coding when I was sixteen, and creating and selling two video games to Nintendo and an app worth a lot of money to Apple by the time I was twenty. After scoring his first few million, I did what any twenty-year-old would do and traveled for a while. When I was twenty-one, I started Klein Technology. I rented a space, hired some staff, and here I am nine years later.”
“You should be very proud of yourself.”
“Thanks, Aubrey.” I glanced over at her. “Did you have a good time today?”
“I did. Your family is wonderful. I think it’s great that your sister is an editorial assistant over at Elle magazine. Since she works in the city, do you see her a lot?”
“Not really. Occasionally, I’ll run into her at a restaurant. Sometimes, if she’s over by my office, she’ll drop in and say hi.”
Finally, we arrived back at my townhouse. After parking the car, I climbed out and opened the door for Aubrey, took her hand, and helped her out. Stepping into the house, I placed my hand on the small of Aubrey’s back.
“Would you like a glass of wine?” I asked.
“Maybe just a half of glass.”
I told her to stay put while I went into the living room and walked over to the bar, where I grabbed a bottle of wine and two wine glasses and brought them to the kitchen. I had sex on my mind all day long, and thoughts of her underneath me aroused me on more than one occasion. I found myself needing and wanting her more than I should have. After pouring a half glass, I walked up behind her, took her hand, and placed the wine in it.
“Here you go,” I whispered in her ear as I moved her hair to one side.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” My lips lightly pressed into her neck.
She slightly tilted her head to the side to allow me full access. That was her way of telling me not to stop. I took the glass out of her hand and set it down on the counter. My cock was getting harder by the second as my fingers took hold of her straps and pushed them off her shoulders, letting her dress fall to the floor. Unhooking her bra, I tossed it to the side and wrapped my arm around her breasts, feeling her hardened nipples pressed against my skin while my tongue traced circles around her soft neck. She gasped as I placed my other hand firmly against her stomach, and my fingers traveled down the front of her panties, not stopping until they reached her wet opening and dipped inside her. I felt her body tremble as I firmly held her against me, pressing my hard and throbbing cock against her. Several moans escaped her lips while my fingers explored her, and my tongue devoured every inch of her neck.
“Do you want to come?” I whispered in her ear.
“Yes. God, yes.”
I tightened my grip around her as my fingers moved in circles, hitting the right spot that sent her body into an explosion. Her cries of ecstasy heightened as her body stiffened in my arms, and she orgasmed. I smiled as I turned her around and explored her breasts with my mouth, making my way down her torso before getting on my knees and tasting the sweetness that emerged from her.
“I need you right now,” I softly spoke. “I need to be inside you.” I lifted her up and placed her on the granite countertop.
Wrapping her legs around my waist, I thrust inside her, hard and deep, until my cock was enshrouded by her warmth. Placing my hands on each side of her face, I tilted her head slightly up so our eyes met. I wished she could see how unraveled I became when I was fucking her. To see the pleasure she gave me each time I thrust in and out of her. The pressure was building, and I was getting ready to explode. She placed her hands on the counter and leaned back as I grabbed her hips and held her steady, pounding into her at a rapid pace. Both of us moaned in excitement as our bodies synced together, and we came at the same time. I halted and strained to pour every last drop inside her.
I picked her up, her legs still tight around my waist. She wrapped her arms around my neck and laid her head on my shoulder in exhaustion while I carried her to the elevator and took her up to her room. Laying her down on the bed, I pulled out of her and stroked her hair as I rolled on my side.
“I have a confession to make,” she spoke as she turned her head towards me.
“What’s that?”
“You are the only man that I’ve slept with who has given me orgasms during sex.”
Hearing her say that made me smile, but also, an unbearable rage of jealousy crept inside me, knowing that she’d slept with other men. I knew I had no right to feel that way, but I did, and it bothered me.
“That’s a good thing, right?”
“Of course it is.” She laughed as she brought her hand to my cheek. “You’re an amazing man.”
“Not that amazing, Aubrey.”
“To me, you are.” She smiled.
Things were getting heated between us, and I was too frightened to continue this type of conversation.
“I should go to my room now and let you get some sleep.” I sat up and placed my feet on the floor.
“Please don’t go. Just stay with me tonight. Please, Ethan.” She placed the palm of her hand firmly against my back.
I sat there, clenching my fist while I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath. I wanted to stay with her and feel her body wrapped around mine all night. But what if I had another nightmare?
“I know something is going on with you, and I know you had a nightmare last night. I don’t need to know what it was about. You don’t have to tell me. I just want you to stay.”
“You don’t understand, Aubrey. I don’t do this. I don’t stay. I fuck, and I get out. It’s best that way for both you and me.”
“So is that what we just did? We fucked? Because I know it was more than that. I felt it from you—in the way you touched me.”
“I do that to all the women I fuck. I’m sorry if you read anything more into it. It’s just sex, Aubrey. I’m a man, and I have needs. You’re a woman, and you can fulfill those needs. I can’t, nor will I ever give you anything more. I don’t have it in me.” I stood up and walked towards the door.
“My Aunt Charlotte was right about you,” she spoke. “And so was Ian when he told me that people call you ‘The Iceman.’ Now I understand why. But if you want my opinion, I think you’re hiding. You’re carefully guarding yourself because of Sophia.”
I whipped my head around and spoke in anger. “How the hell do you know about Sophia?”
“Your sister accidentally mentioned her. She didn’t mean to. It just slipped out. What happened to her, Ethan?”
“I don’t discuss that, and you are to never speak of her again. Do you understand me?” I spoke in a commanding and angered voice.
“No, actually, I don’t understand, and I’m not going to lie to you and say I do. We all lose the people we love, but life does and still has to go on.”
“Enough!” I shouted. “This discussion is over.” I walked out the door.