Chapter 21 Better Than That
BETTER THAN THAT
“All set?” Ethan asked her the following Friday night.
It was seven, and he picked her up at her apartment. She threw a bag of clothing in the back seat as she hopped in.
“I am. I’m surprised you wanted to do this.”
“It’d be nice to get out of town for the weekend. Did you not want to?”
“Oh, I did. I do.” He didn’t have a baseball hat on his head like he normally did when they were walking around together. “Is it because you don’t want anyone to recognize you?”
He sighed. “That is a big part of it. The other is it’d be nice to have a quiet place to just relax. It’s on the water. A great view. It’s not big. One bedroom and bath. Somewhat modern.”
She laughed at the look on his face. As if he were almost embarrassed he couldn’t get a brand new home to rent for two nights.
To her it was about the time together and not where they stayed.
“Not going to be fancy enough for you?”
“I can handle it,” he said, laughing.
“I bet you’ve never roughed it. Like, have you ever gone camping before? In a tent, not some rented RV?”
“Wow,” he said. “You have such a low opinion of me. I’m hurt.”
She looked at the shorts and T-shirt he was wearing. A few hundred dollars that didn’t look any different from her shorts and T-shirt that she bought at the mall on sale.
His watch cost more than she would want to guess. Probably more than her yearly rent.
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“No,” he said, laughing even harder. “I’ve never been camping, not even in an RV. Have you?”
“I have. I’ll never do it again, but I have.”
“And all I’m saying is this place is cozy. Kind of rustic.”
“Rustic is awesome,” she said. “As long as there is a toilet, a bed, and a fridge, I think we are good.”
“It’s got all of that,” he said drily.
He maneuvered them through the slow trek out of Boston. Not as slow as it could be since they were leaving after rush hour traffic.
“Then we will be set. I’m assuming we are going to stop for some food for the weekend.”
“On the way,” he said. “We’ll pass a store before we get there and can run in to get what we need.”
She’d left work before him, walked home, eaten a light dinner, then he called when he was on the way. It was planned to go later anyway.
“I’m pretty flexible,” she said.
“And that is what I’m hoping for.”
“Don’t be typical,” she said, laughing. “You’re better than that.”
He reached his hand over to pat her thigh. “I am better than that. But just happy to have this time with you.”
“Me too. I feel as if we can relax more. You don’t always seem that when we are doing things. Or unless we are in your place.”
He sighed. “It’s been hard. I’m a fairly private person, but it feels as if we have to be more so.”
“Because I work for you.”
“It’s what we both want,” he said. “At least in terms of work. I’m not always noticed but can be.”
And they walked the area, doing things, going out to eat.
They hadn’t gone to the island because his family didn’t know and they’d find out, as he didn’t have his own place to stay.
Though they could stay at the casino, but she didn’t want to spend a weekend there and have memories of what she’d done before.
It didn’t feel like the healthiest of relationships at the moment, but it was what they had.
“I’ve seen it during the week when I’ve left to get lunch and you’re coming back to the building. Or leaving it the same time as me.”
They almost always kept their distance, or at least didn’t go to the same places. Most knew by now who she was in terms of him, but it didn’t change the fact that if they were out to lunch together, some might think it was more than work.
They wouldn’t be wrong either.
“I guess I never realized how annoying it can be.”
Because he was a friendly guy and used to people calling his name or wanting to be around him. For many reasons.
Men to elevate their status. Women to say they got his attention.
She’d never been one who wanted eyes on her. Yet here she was, not only dating her boss, but someone that she’d recently overheard was considered one of the most eligible and sought out bachelors of Boston.
And he wanted her.
She was still trying to wrap her head around that fact.
Was it because of the way she looked?
It was what attracted him at first. He admitted that much.
“Neither did I. And this weekend, it won’t matter.”
“No. I appreciate you doing this for us.”
The rest of the trip they talked about the area. No work. It was agreed that they’d minimize that as much as possible.
They stopped and got some food to get them through and pulled into the little cottage on the water.
“Here we are,” he said.
She looked at the white-sided home. “It’s adorable.”
“It’s not even a thousand square feet.”
“Oh no, there you are roughing it again. That’s much bigger than my apartment.”
“Sorry,” he said. “We know I’m a little on the high maintenance side.”
“There is no reason you can’t be with your life, I get it.”
She opened the door and got out, then reached for her bag in the back, but he took it out of her hands, leaving her to carry in the two bags of food while he snagged the case of water.
He unlocked the front door, holding it open for her to go first.
“The view sold me,” he said.
“It’s stunning.” They were right on a bay, the view out the glass doors to a deck beautiful. The setting sun made it even more so. “Romantic.”
He dropped the bags on the floor and she put her two on the counter, then he wrapped his arms around her from behind.
His mouth went to her neck, his lips moving up to her ear, his breath causing shivers to rush down her spine.
“This is the most stunning view to me. Right here, in my arms.”
“Are you trying to be romantic?”
“Just stating a fact,” he said, turning her. “I’ve been thinking of this all week. Since you left on Sunday morning.”
She hadn’t wanted to stay two nights in a row, but he’d sweet-talked her into it.
Though they saw each other daily, it was hard to keep the two parts of their lives separate.
Or harder than she thought it’d be.
Being so close and yet not able to touch.
Their sly looks full of promise.
Or maybe even secrets. Yeah, the secrets were a bigger turn on.
Always assuring no one could guess what they had going on. What they talked about behind closed doors.
Ethan didn’t always follow the rules and keep it to work. Not as much as her.
“Maybe I’ve been thinking of it too.”
He reached down and pulled her shirt over her head. “No time like the present.”
“We have to put the food away,” she said, moving away from him.
“You’re no fun.” He picked both bags up, opened the fridge and tossed them in there. Everything. Even the things that didn’t need to be.
Guess that was one way to take care of it.
“I’m a lot of fun,” she said, undoing his shorts and pushing them to the floor with his underwear, Nora going to her knees.
If he wanted to play that way, she could too.
His dick was hard and sprang right in front of her face, pointing in her direction, begging her tongue to come out and give it a taste.
Her tongue swiped across the tip, her lips closing around, a little pressure there, then ending with a kiss.
She lifted her eyes under her lashes to see his reaction.
He was holding her stare, lifting an eyebrow as if questioning her next move. Not telling her. Not asking. Just leaving it in her hands.
She was more than okay with that.
Her thumb came out and rubbed across the top, caught some dew on the tip, then massaged it in.
He let out a little moan. She wanted more than that sound from him. Louder. More aggressive.
It was as if he could bring so much out of her it was her turn.
She leaned forward, opened her mouth, closed it around the tip again, then sank down slowly until she couldn’t take a breath more of him in, then popped back out and did it again.
Then a third time.
His fist wrapped in her hair, not really controlling her, but letting her know he could.
She didn’t think it’d amp the arousal up anymore, but somehow that dial cranked to the right.
Her cheeks sucked in, the air with it, then she bobbed up and down three times like that.
“Fuck!” he said, then yanked her back. There was a moment of pain in her scalp, but the look of ache on Ethan’s face was well worth it.
“Are you done?” she asked. “Tapping out? Cuz it doesn’t look it to me.”
“Don’t push my buttons.”
“I’m trying to. Guess you’re not strong enough for it.”
“I’m trying to be gentlemanly,” he said, releasing her hair. “But go for it.”
She grinned. “Maybe I like your hand there,” she said, dipping her head down as she said it.
This was the woman from the casino that night.
The one who never had the courage to voice what she wanted from a man.
But with Ethan she felt the freedom. Felt as if anything she wanted, he’d be the one to give it to her no questions asked. No judgment cast.
All ten of his fingers slid into her hair and pulled her back onto him.
Oh yeah, that was what she was talking about.
She continued where she’d left off before he’d rudely pulled her away.
Her mouth was loose, sliding up and down, then more pressure as she felt his fingers curl into her head more.
It was obvious what he liked... and what he loved.
She caved her cheeks in again, sucked hard and slid up and down fast, her hand going to his balls, gripping them like he was her head.
He let out a shout and then shot into her mouth.
She wasn’t prepared and jerked back fast, coughing while she tried to swallow what she could, but most was coming out as she gagged.
“Shit,” he said and yanked his shorts up, grabbed a napkin on the counter and brought it over. “I warned you.”
“Well, sort of. I mean I knew it was coming. Literally, just not that fast or at that second.” She coughed some more. “And well, it’s the first I’ve done it, so I didn’t know it’d be like that.”
“You’re making me feel like crap,” he said.
She looked at the pained expression in his eyes and laughed. “Why? I wanted to do it. Relax. It’s all good. I promise. I’ll know for next time. Unless, of course, that ruined it for you, me doing that?”
Why the heck hadn’t she thought of that?
“No dude is going to say that ruined anything,” he said. “Seriously. It was great.”
“I’m glad. And it was a lot of fun. A blowjob in the sunset. Since my shirt was off, I could feel the heat on my back. You at least got to admire the view.”
“I was only looking at you,” he breathed, his hands reaching out for her to move toward him.
She thought she was going to end up in a hug, but he lifted her up and tossed her on the couch, then removed her shorts and underwear just as fast as she’d dropped his.
When his mouth lowered between her legs, then had her feet up and wrapped around his shoulders, he buried himself deep, showing her how skilled he really was.
In less time it’d taken for her to make him come, she was moaning out his name.
“So, how was the view? You got to watch the rest of the sun lowering just now.”
She laughed, her hand reaching for his head and ruffling his hair. “My eyes were closed. I guess I missed it.”
He moved back and helped her sit up and adjust her shorts, then found her shirt to put back on. “We can sit here and watch the rest of it together.” He tucked her under his arm, her head landing on his shoulder.
This was supposed to be a weekend away, not the weekend she lost her heart.