Chapter Seven #2
I frowned, about to ask him what he meant by that, when he cut off my train of thought.
“I’m officially all moved in—or unpacked, I guess. Henry’s ridiculously happy about it.”
“I bet he is.” I smiled around my drink. “He loves having people around. He got so upset when Oli and I left for college without him. Kept showing up with lunch while he was supposed to be at school.”
Ethan chuckled. “I can totally see that.”
“I’m glad you two finally talked. Are you feeling better?”
“Yeah. Better.” His lips pressed into a line, though a small smile began to form. “It still sucks, but I don’t feel so hopeless now.”
His pride was probably taking another hit just talking about this. I couldn’t imagine what he must be feeling right now. I wanted to kill his fucking father.
“And Charlotte?”
He shook his head. “One step at a time, Ash.”
I opened my mouth to insist he talk to his sister before he cut in again.
“No boyfriend today?”
The leather of the chair creaked as I leaned back. “No. We don’t see each other every day.” I tried to keep it vague. For his sake.
“Sebastian, the relationship guy,” he said, widening his eyes. “Who would’ve thought?”
Another laugh escaped me. “The relationship guy seems a little extreme. I’ve had a couple.”
He pinned me with those icy eyes. “You don’t do the casual thing anymore?”
I shook my head.
“Why?”
“Something you said stuck with me.”
The ice in his glass clinked softly as it stopped halfway to his lips. “Me?”
“Yes, you,” I said, grinning at his shock. “Why does that surprise you?”
“It just does.” He shrugged. “What life-altering comment did I make to change your wild ways?”
“You told me I should get to know the person before I decide if it’s worth fucking with their head.”
A raspy chuckle drifted through the room, and he downed the rest of his drink. “That does sound like me.”
“You don’t remember? We were fighting on the boat ride before we even really started fooling around.”
He nodded, cheeks faintly flushed.
“Anyway, I moved here, and after many months of self-imposed celibacy, I decided I’d actually get to know people first.” I lowered my glass, studying the amber liquid for a moment. “That turned into dating. Then relationships. I’ve had a few boyfriends. Luca isn’t the first.”
“Really? How many have you had?”
“Over these four years?” I rubbed my hand over my beard, thinking. “Two semi-serious ones.”
He leaned forward in his seat. “Is he one of the serious ones?”
“I don’t know, darling.” I finished my drink and set the glass down. “We’ve been together less than three months. It’s new, and you know my workload has been… excessive lately. Three months with me is like three weeks of an actual relationship.”
Those perfect lips curved into a smirk I was becoming too familiar with. “Are you downplaying it for my benefit?”
I laughed. “Maybe a little. Why do you want to know that?”
He bit his lip, a shoulder lifting in a coy shrug. “I want to know if he’s the love of your life. If that’s what I’m dealing with.”
A breath punched out of me before I could stop it. I couldn’t pretend I didn’t find this blunt side of him exhilarating.
Still, I narrowed my eyes. “Why do you ask questions you don’t want the answer to?”
He grinned. “You’re being cagey. Fine. I’ll allow the subject change.” He looked entirely too pleased for some reason.
“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Now who’s being cagey?”
Ethan tried to hide his smile by rolling his lips. “Haven’t dated.”
I blinked. “At all?”
“I tried it your way.” He adjusted in his seat. “That stuck.”
My stomach sank as the meaning landed. “You mean you’ve just had hookups?”
He nodded, rubbing his knuckles under his nose. “Yeah.”
“That’s… not good,” I finished lamely.
Ethan’s brows knit. “Why? You can do it, but I can’t?” His tone edged sharper, the kind I knew could turn into an argument in seconds.
“Because it isn’t like you. You told me that.”
His eyes held mine. “It’s been years, Ash. You don’t know me anymore.”
A knife to the chest would’ve been kinder. “Do you really believe that?” The words came out soft, almost hushed.
His jaw ticked. A couple of tense seconds stretched between us before his lips twisted—down first, then into a small smile. “Maybe.” His eyes flicked to my empty glass. “Another one?”
“Sure.” God knew I could use it after the blow he’d just delivered.
He grabbed both glasses and moved to the bar, pouring refills. He didn’t sit, though—he came around my desk, handed me mine, and leaned back against the edge with his ankles crossed, casual and tempting as sin.
“So, Boss—”
“Marcela is your boss,” I corrected.
He smiled like he enjoyed that. “Why don’t we set some boundaries? So we don’t get called into HR again and you don’t get into trouble. You and I were always shit at being friends. We might as well try, right?”
Something about the look in his eyes—the heat simmering right behind it—started raising the temperature in the room. That and him sitting there like he owned my desk. It did things to me it really shouldn’t have.
Okay, I’ll bite.
I took a sip of my drink. “Like what?”
“First one—look, don’t touch.”
My lips twitched into a smirk. “Wait… what exactly counts as touching?”
He rolled his eyes, but the smile decorating his mouth gave him away. “Just platonic stuff. Nothing with intent.”
I couldn’t help myself. “Intent to what?”
“Fuck off, Sebastian.” His face was flushed in the prettiest way while one of his rings tapped against the glass in his hand. “Your turn.”
I rocked my chair back. “We only see each other in public. No hanging out at each other’s apartments.”
“Fair,” he said, then added, “No calls or texts after midnight.”
I ran my tongue along my canine, trying to figure out his angle. “What about flirting?”
He grinned. “That’s a tricky one.”
That’s what I thought. “How about nothing we couldn’t say in front of Henny?”
He laughed. “Sure.” Then he lifted a hand to run his fingers through his hair, the light catching every golden strand. It was fucking mesmerizing.
I leaned forward, elbow on the desk. “How platonic is hair touching?”
Ethan scrunched his face like he was genuinely considering it. “No pulling, no grabbing. Definitely no stroking.”
“And brushing it back?” Heel, boy.
“That’s not so bad,” he conceded.
I stood and stepped closer. From this angle, I towered over him—his chin tipped up, neck exposed, that teasing smile curling at his mouth. Sinful.
My hand lifted, brushing a lock of hair behind his ear, lingering longer than I should’ve. “Not so bad…” I was hypnotized instantly—by the closeness, his scent, his entire presence tilting the ground beneath my feet.
Before I knew it, my finger hooked gently under his chin, lifting his face up to mine. “What about compliments? Endearments?”
He went still. Perfectly still. Obedient in a way that made the air combust.
“You wouldn’t be you without them,” he murmured. “But I think that counts as flirting.”
I hummed, considering, then let my hand fall. “We’ll stick to ‘darling,’ then. And I’m sorry—your hair looks fucking fantastic like this. It’s hard to restrain myself.”
His gaze dipped from mine, dragging slowly down my chest before lifting again.
“You’re still hot as fuck,” he rasped. “So I get it.”
Oh god…
RIP, shy Ethan. Make way for the phoenix taking his throne.
He had me—completely. And it was effortless for him. He didn’t even realize the damage he was doing.
I stepped closer. “That came out laced with intent.”
A low chuckle slipped from him. One shoulder rolled in a lazy shrug. “Oops.”
He was a fucking menace.
I exhaled sharply, a dry laugh slipping out as I forced myself to take a step back—trying to break whatever spell he’d cast over the room. “Boy, are we going to be great friends or what?”
Ethan just grinned, bright and wicked, and it was fucking everything.
My computer chimed, breaking the moment. I forced my attention back to the screen.
“What are you working on?” he asked, lifting his glass again.
“The freeze,” I said, sliding my chair forward. “Compliance flagged an authorization inconsistency in one of our state submissions. Until it’s cleared, everything tied to it is stalled.”
His brows lifted. “Everything?”
“Projects. Payments. Bids. Cash flow.” I exhaled. “It’s a nightmare. A quarter of our business is tied to state work.” I glanced at him. “You’ve probably noticed the mood around the office.”
His mouth tilted slightly. “Hard to miss.” He set his glass down slowly. “Can I look? I’ve been buried in documentation all week. Might help me understand what you’re dealing with.”
I angled the screen toward him. “Be my guest.”
He stepped closer, leaning over my shoulder. His arm rested along the back of my chair, his heat bleeding through my shirt. I tried my best to ignore it.
“This is the authorization package?” he asked.
“Yes. The one that triggered the review.”
He scanned the page in silence.
After a minute, his brows drew together. “Is this approval reference number supposed to be the same across projects?”
My stomach tightened. “No.”
He pointed to another tab. “Because this one has the exact same authorization chain ID… and it’s for a different site.”
I leaned forward, pulse kicking up.
He opened a third file.
Same number. Different project.
Cold slid down my spine.
“That’s the state authorization stamp,” I said slowly. “Each project should generate its own chain.”
Ethan clicked into the file properties. “These were created from the same template.”
“Holy shit,” I breathed. “It’s not just one submission.”
He leaned back slightly. “Is it bad?”
I dragged a hand over my jaw. “It means the auditors won’t stop at the original file. They’ll start checking every submission tied to this template.” I sank back in my chair, staring at the screen. “I need to find out how far this spread.”
If it ran wider than the initial package, the review wouldn’t stay contained. It would expand, delaying everything. Maybe expose us to penalties we couldn’t afford right now.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to make it worse.”
“You didn’t.” My voice came out rough. “You just confirmed this isn’t a one-off mistake.” Panic pressed at the base of my throat—but I couldn’t keep the admiration out of my voice. He fucking did it. “We’ve been trying to figure this out for weeks.”
Ethan gave me that soft, dangerous smile. “Then you’re welcome,” he said quietly. “Friend.”
Jesus Christ.
A strained laugh escaped me. I caught myself before I did something reckless, like pulling him into my lap. “Careful,” I muttered. “You keep being useful, and I’m stealing you from marketing.”
He grinned. “Corporate poaching already?”
“Hostile takeover.”
Our faces were only an inch apart, and even though my world was threatening to collapse beneath my feet, I couldn’t deny the rush that came from watching his mind work. And from having him this close.
The moment held for half a breath too long, then reality slammed back in.
I pushed back from the desk and reached for my phone. “I need to call Compliance,” I said, already scrolling through my contacts. “And Legal. And Elena.”
Ethan straightened, the warmth between us settling into something steadier. “Do you want me to flag the files that match the template?”
My eyes lifted to his.
Fucking perfect.
“Yes,” I said. “Please.”
He nodded once, all focus now, settling into my chair as he turned back to the screen.
Just like that, he was beside me in it—not watching from the sidelines, not expecting me to fix everything—but stepping into the fire with me.
“First week, and you might actually have earned a raise.”
“Don’t need it.” He didn’t look up, eyes fixed on the screen, nimble fingers moving over the keys. “I’ll just pull your camera footage and start building my case for sexually inappropriate behavior. The settlement alone will keep me comfy for life.”
A laugh broke out of me—real, unexpected—even through the fear.
And I found myself wondering how the hell he made it feel easier to breathe just by being here.