27. Cassidy
I came to the library to calm myself. Books always had that effect on me. I used to lose myself in solving mysteries alongside Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, absolutely devoured the Goosebumps series, and read just about anything Terry Pratchett wrote.
But I didn’t go in search of an old favorite. I’m intrigued by Ethan’s job, and I’m guessing there’s something in here about gemology.
I curled up in one of the overstuffed wingback chairs facing the dead fireplace, a copy of Gemstones of the World in my lap, nursing my glass of wine as I flipped through the colorful pages.
But I’ve been staring at the cold, dark hearth of the library’s fireplace for a while now, eyes unfocused as worrying thoughts tumble through my mind.
How long will it take the rental car company before they report their car stolen? I told them I only needed it for the day, and that was three days ago. I assume they’re just adding charges to my credit card for every day I have it…but at some stage my bank’s going to let them know I’ve hit my limit.
That’s Myles’s problem.
Who the hell is this Myles guy, anyway? And why does Ethan think he’s the one that sent me here? I’m so fucking confused, but if I don’t go along with this, Ethan’s going to ask all the wrong questions.
And just when am I going to admit defeat? After the open house? When I’m in the city? I’ve already let things go too far, but I feel like I’m stuck in quicksand.
Too scared to fight, because I just keep sinking deeper.
I groan as I stretch out my legs before tucking them under me again.
All the manual labor from the past few days has finally caught up with me. My feet, legs, shoulders, and back hurt something fierce, but those aches and pains are simmering down now that I’m on my second glass of wine.
Ethan disappeared to his bedroom after our early supper, leaving me to fend for myself in his massive—if sparkling clean—mansion.
I page through the book again. One gem catches my eye, and I set my wineglass down on the coffee table beside the chair. Putting a hand down the front of the hoody Ethan brought me this morning, I tug free the necklace I’ve been wearing almost every day for the past six months.
The chain is an elaborate yellow gold set with tiny diamonds, which in itself is stunning, but the pendant is absolutely jaw dropping. The dark, almost black, oval stone is larger than my thumbnail, with a flurry of green and red dots inside that shift when the light hits it.
“Here you are. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
I jolt in surprise, hastily shoving the necklace back behind my hoody. Ethan appears, a faint smile on his mouth as he sees me reading one of his books. I love the way his muscles fill out his sweater. Reminds me just how small I am compared to him. How powerful he is. How unstoppable when he wants his way.
Hurriedly clearing my throat, I will my cheeks to stop glowing. “Here I am.”
“Found this in my junk drawer,” he says, holding up a phone charger. “Have no idea if it still works, but you’re welcome to try.”
“Thanks,” I say, getting to my feet so I can put the book away. “Hope you don’t mind.”
“Books should be read. Dry subject, though.”
I quirk an eyebrow at him. “So you’re only in it for the money, then?”
“It’s the family business, actually. Of course, things worked a little differently back in my great-grandfather’s day.”
“Is your family still involved in the business?”
“I’m the only one left.” Ethan’s gray eyes darken. “My mother died shortly after giving birth to me. My father threw himself into his work. If I wanted to spend time with him, I had to do it in his workshop. Lung cancer got him in the end.”
I slowly set the book down on the coffee table beside my glass of wine. “I’m so sorry. That must be awful.”
He hands me the charger, and I roll it into a bundle before setting it down on top of the book. “Wasn’t a surprise. He smoked two packs a day for most of his life.”
He stares at the book, but it’s as if he’s looking back into the past.
“Left behind a lot of clients. I could have followed a different path, but it was easier to pick up where he left off.”
I hesitate, and then draw my necklace out from behind my hoody. “So…since you’re such an expert, can you tell me what kind of gem this one is?”
His gaze flicks to the pendant and then gives it a double take.
There’s a sudden intensity in his eyes as he steps closer, attention glued to the gemstone. I gingerly release it to him when he slides his fingers under the heavy stone, staring up at him through my lashes. His eyes shift almost imperceptibly as he studies the stone, irises dilating and contracting ever so slightly as they move over the stone.
A tingle goes through me when he makes eye contact again.
“Breathtaking,” he says, and I don’t think he’s talking about the gemstone anymore.
The kiss shouldn’t have caught me off guard.
He tenses. His irises flood his pupils. His lips part.
But he moves so suddenly it feels like an attack.
His lips crash into mine, warm and powerful and smooth, his hands delving into my hair to keep my head in place. I’m immediately breathless, panting, swaying like I’ve had three bottles of wine all to myself as his mouth sends a drunken swoon through my body.
He grabs the small of my back, forcing our bodies together, his other hand still tangled in my hair.
I kiss him back voraciously, urgently, almost desperately. My hands come up, fingertips sinking deep into his pecs. Pushing him away, but clawing into him at the same time.
Making him fight for it.
A growl escapes him. Shit, have I triggered the beast inside him? He grabs my ass in both hands and hoists me up against the closest bookshelf, holding me in place as he crushes into my apex with the ridge of his hard cock.
I gasp into our kiss as he grinds his shaft against my clit, sending a wave of bliss crashing through me. Instead of clawing at him, my hands slide over his broad shoulders and latch onto the back of his neck. Muscles cord under my fingers as he pins me, stealing my breath as our kiss intensifies.
There’s wetness between my legs, soaking into the sweats where the fabric is trapped between us. I turn my head away, embarrassed, my cheeks growing hot.
Ethan chases my mouth with his, drawing me back into a kiss before pulling back.
“You don’t belong to me,” he growls into the side of my neck.
What the hell is that supposed to mean? My head reels as he spins me around, my body jolting—not unpleasantly—against his as he walks across the room. I gasp when he releases me and I fall, but my panic is snuffed out when my back hits the cool leather of the three-seater sofa in the reading nook.
There’s a faux-fur throw hanging over the back, and I accidentally claw it off as I’m groping to sit up again.
Ethan snatches it off the sofa and lifts me up like I don’t weigh a thing, dragging the deliciously soft fur under my body before settling down on top of me.
He’s so heavy, so damn big. My body trembles at the thought of how easily he could crush me.
“Why can’t I bear the thought of you leaving?” His voice sends an illicit thrill through my body. I clamp my legs closed so I can produce a touch of friction between my thighs.
Ethan snatches up my bottom lip between his teeth, nibbling on that tender flesh as he yanks at the waistband of my sweats, dragging them past my hips.
He shoves a hand between my legs, groaning when his hand cups my wet pussy.
Cool air rushes past my lips as he draws in breath, his finger sliding along my seam, causing furious tingles to rush into my core. He smears my juices over every inch of my pussy, toying mercilessly with my bottom lip until it feels bruised from his vicious attention.
And instead of batting him away, or yelling at him to stop, I submit.
As he strokes my pussy, I dig my fingers into the back of his neck. He pushes up just long enough to rip off his sweater and toss it to the rug beside us.
He’s bare chested beneath. I admire his sculpted chest and the trail of dark hair that disappears behind his belt… then he unbuckles it and rips it off, too.
He doesn’t toss to the floor.
He uses it to punish me.