Chapter 10
TEN
ETHAN
After working out in my dad’s gym, I grabbed a shower then came down to grab a drink before bed. I’m walking through the dining room, downing a bottle of water, when I see Nevaeh heading straight for me. Her head is tilted up toward the chandelier, looking sexy as fuck in my white T-shirt.
Stopping in place, I take a second to appreciate the woman in front of me.
She truly has no idea how gorgeous she is.
Take right now for instance. She’s wearing my shirt sans bra.
Her perky tits are pushing through it, exposing her pert, hardened nipples.
The bottom of my shirt stops several inches above her knees, showing off her creamy thighs and legs.
I saw it in the way she acted at the club.
Nervous and insecure, not understanding that the woman on her ex’s arm was nowhere near as gorgeous as she is.
Some women will play coy. Act like they don’t know how hot they are, when they really do know.
But Nevaeh, she’s not playing coy. She’s too na?ve.
Too innocent. She really has no idea she is a walking, talking, breathing, fucking temptation.
And fuck if that doesn’t make her that much sexier.
Not realizing I’m standing here, checking her out, she walks straight into me.
At first she looks shocked, but then she notices I’m shirtless and gets distracted, her wide eyes slowly roaming down my body like I’m a piece of art on display.
This goes on for a good thirty seconds before I decide to fuck with her.
“Like what you see?” I give her a knowing smirk, and her eyes widen, her face turning an adorable shade of pink. Jesus fuck. I need to get a grip. She’s not adorable. She’s a pain in my ass.
She looks me over one more time then glances down at herself, probably wondering if she’s decent enough to be standing in front of me. This woman’s innocence is almost comical, and the way she fruitlessly tugs at my shirt, wishing it to grow, is priceless.
Her doe eyes meet mine, and that’s when I notice under her eyes are puffy, and her cheeks are splotchy and pink.
“You’ve been crying.”
She sniffles and nods. “My brother and I were really close.”
I nod back, unsure of what the hell to say in response to that.
After we stand here for a good minute, neither of us saying a word, I break the silence. “Are you down here for a reason?”
“I’m hungry,” she says, and I immediately regret not feeding her. I have no idea how long Logan’s had her, and I’d bet he didn’t bother to give her anything to eat. I have no clue what’s even here, but I’m sure there are cans of something she can eat, so she’s not hungry.
Grabbing her hand, I guide her through the swinging door and into the kitchen, pointing for her to have a seat on the stool against the island. She sits, and my shirt rides up her thighs, causing my dick to swell in my pants.
“Did my boxers not fit you?” I ask, annoyed because I’m completely in over my head with this woman. At this point, I don’t know which way is up.
She nods then stands, lifting my white shirt to show me my boxers. Fucking hell.
“They do. I just had to roll them up a few times. Thank you.”
My eyes dart down, catching a glimpse of her flat stomach, and my dick twitches in appreciation.
Oh, hell no. This is not happening. I need to get away from this woman.
How could someone so godly be such a fucking sin?
“There should be something in the pantry you can make. I’ll get some food tomorrow,” I growl out, mad at myself for not being able to control my thoughts—or my dick—around her.
I need to get my shit together. This woman is off-limits, and even if she wasn’t, she isn’t my type.
She’s the forever type of girl, the one you marry and have a dozen babies with, and I’m nothing more than a for-now type of guy.
I did that forever bullshit once, and I learned my lesson the hard way.
Growing up, my dad would always say a smart man learns from his mistakes, and I’d like to think I’m a smart man. Therefore, I won’t be making that mistake again.
“I could make you something as well,” she offers as she walks around the island, my shirt lifting as her ass sways, a hint of my boxers peeking out. Fuck! I need to get out of here.
“No,” I say way too damn loudly.
She spins around, and the corners of her lips curve downward.
“No,” I repeat, softer this time. “I’m good. I just worked out.”
“Okay,” she says, opening the pantry door.
Before I can change my mind, I stalk out of the kitchen. Once I’m upstairs in the guest room, I check some emails on my new phone, but I can’t concentrate. All I see is Nevaeh in my damn shirt and barely-there boxers.
I drop my phone onto the nightstand and, throwing a pillow over my face, go to sleep.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
I open my eyes and for a second assume I’m in my bedroom. The view out the window is similar. But as soon as I look around, I’m confused. The walls are a different color. The furniture is white instead of dark wood. Then I remember I’m at my dad’s beach house, in his guestroom.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
“Come in,” I yell, grabbing my phone to check the time: seven eighteen in the morning. What the hell is she doing up so early? I groan, nestling my face into my pillow.
The door creeks open. “Ethan?”
“It’s early, Nevaeh.”
“I couldn’t sleep. I was wondering if you figured anything out. If maybe I can go home today.”
Rolling over, I see her standing in the doorway, still in my shirt and still without a damn bra. Her tits still fucking perky and her goddamn nipples still peeking through.
“This has to be a test,” I say out loud to nobody.
She scrunches up her nose in confusion. “A test?”
“Never mind.” I shake my head then sit up, scrubbing my hands down my face, hoping when I look back at her, she’ll suddenly be more dressed.
Of course she’s not.
“I already told you, you can leave any time you want. No, I didn’t get anything figured out. I have no idea what Logan’s been up to, and it’s going to take time to get it all sorted. If you leave, you’re on your own to deal with him and whoever the hell he’s trying to sell you to.”
“Can’t you like put a hit out on him?”
The fuck?
“You want me to kill him? I’m a club owner, not some mafia boss.”
Her eyes go wide, and I chuckle.
“What?” she screeches, and because it’s too early for all this, I roll back over, covering myself with a blanket. “No! I thought it meant call someone, like to get information. I heard it on a show once. I thought he was hiring someone to find stuff out.”
“It’s too early for all this. Wake me up in a few hours.”
It’s quiet for a moment, and I think she might’ve left, until I feel her tap on my back.
“Nevaeh, I’m tired. I run a club.” And with my dad being out of town, doing whatever the hell he’s doing, I’m running all his shit too.
“You didn’t run a club last night, and I need answers.”
The bed dips next to me, and impulsively I roll over, regretting it immediately. Nevaeh is sitting on the edge of my bed, her right leg propped up showing me way too much skin, with those perky tits in touching distance. What I wouldn’t give to wrap my lips around one of her pert nipples…
“Angel, a man only has so much self-control.”
“I need answers,” she repeats, standing her ground. I’m not sure what happened between the night at the club, to when I found her in Logan’s office, but this woman has grown herself a pair of balls.
“What happened to the shy woman from the club?” I sit up, propping my pillows behind my head.
“I’m done living my life like that. This is the new me.” She juts her chin out and fuck if it isn’t adorable.
“Oh yeah, you’re going rogue?” I chuckle, earning me a glare.
“I’m not going rogue. I’m just not going to live my life afraid anymore.”
Hmm, interesting.
I sit up a little more and, grabbing her ass, pull her toward me so we’re only inches apart. “So, you aren’t afraid of me?”
“I figured if you were going to kill me you would have already done it.” She shrugs. Fucking shrugs.
“There’s still time,” I deadpan, and she blanches. I laugh, and she grabs my pillow behind my head, throwing it right at my face.
“Keep it up and I’m going to sell your ass.” It’s meant as a joke, but the look on her face tells me no matter how strong she’s trying to be, she’s still scared.
“Do you really think he’ll try to sell me?” she whispers, and Jesus, if the tremble in her voice doesn’t tug at my heartstrings.
The words come out before I realize what I’m saying. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you. I promise.”
“Why would you promise that? You don’t even know me. Why would you help me?”
“I don’t know,” I answer honestly.
“Were you there when my brother was killed?” she asks quietly, clearly not realizing I was the man standing outside as she fell out of the window and ran.
Her grief-stricken eyes lock with mine, waiting for an answer, and for the first time in a long ass time, my heart hurts for someone else. I’ve spent so many years keeping it on lock, but this woman brings something out in me, emotions I can’t explain.
“I was outside when it happened, but that doesn’t mean I’m not just as guilty. I’m not a good guy, and it’s best you remember that.”
“Did Logan kill him?”
When I don’t say anything right away, she adds, “He said he did. And he said the only reason he wasn’t raping and killing me was because I was a virgin and he could make a lot of money by selling me.”
Of course he did. Because he doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut. I never should’ve told Nevaeh’s business to him, but I didn’t think I would ever see her again.
“I just… I need to know for sure if he’s dead,” she says, her eyes filling with tears. “I saw him on the floor. He was bleeding out. But when I tried to tell the police, nobody believed me.”