Chapter 29 Blurring Those Lines
BLURRING THOSE LINES
Ethan unlocked his office at seven on Tuesday morning, sweat slicking his skin and exhaustion pressing behind his eyes. A long run hadn’t helped. Neither had the sleepless night that came before it.
Sleep had become a stranger lately unless Nora was next to him. Those were the only mornings he ever woke up rested. The only time his mind didn’t race itself into exhaustion.
And after Sunday, after he’d told her he loved her and she’d said it back, he’d honestly thought she’d stay longer than one night.
But by midafternoon, she’d slipped out like she always did.
Monday had been all business. They’d seen each other at the office, keeping things professional. He’d gone to a late dinner meeting afterward, the kind of thing he used to drag Blair to without thinking twice. It would have been natural back then, expected even.
But now? The idea of asking Nora to come along hadn’t felt right. Not yet. Not when she was still careful of what they had. Or how they acted around each other and not blurring those lines in public.
He moved through the quiet office, the stillness almost comforting in an eerie way. This early, no one was around. Just the faint hum of the building on this floor, the echo of his own thoughts.
In the bathroom, he turned on the shower and let the water heat while he grabbed fresh clothes from the small closet.
When he stepped under the spray, the first hit of hot water across his shoulders made him groan, then he adjusted it cooler.
He scrubbed fast, then stood there for a long moment, palms braced against the tile, his head down, letting the water pound over him.
Why the hell couldn’t he just ask her to stay? Not hint.
Not hope.
Just say it.
He knew how she felt now. She’d said the words. She meant them.
She knew how he felt. And that he meant them also.
And yet here he was, still overthinking, still holding back for fear of pushing her away rather than going after what he wanted. Like he always did.
Those times it failed. This time he wouldn’t let that happen.
So that meant biting his tongue, holding his breath, and hoping to hell she caught up.
The secrecy didn’t matter to him anymore. Not like it did to her. He’d honor it in the office, but outside these walls? It was getting harder to pretend she wasn’t already his whole damn world.
He shut the water off, reached for the towel, rubbed it across his head, dried off his chest and the rest of his body, and was holding it in front of him when the bathroom door opened.
There she was, the woman consuming a hell of a lot more of his thoughts.
“Oh boy,” she said, the heat creeping up her face. “I’m sorry. I heard a noise but didn’t think it was you this early.”
Her gaze was slowly giving him the once over, then down and up again.
He laughed, reached for her hand and tugged her close. “Why are you so embarrassed? It’s not as if you haven’t seen it before. Or touched it. Tasted it,” he whispered against her ear.
She melted against his body the way she always did. “Not here I haven’t,” she murmured back, her hand running up his thigh, then his waist. He was testing her and she was passing.
“Is my office door open or closed?”
“Closed,” she said, her hand moving toward the front of him. Oh yeah, she was letting go without him even saying a word.
Now who was protecting those boundaries? More like lowering them.
He reached over and shut the bathroom door, then turned the lock. What he should have done to begin with, but he’d locked his office door. Very few had a key.
“Good,” he said. “I’m sure you’re the first one here.”
“No,” she said, grinning. “You are. And never are. So I didn’t know who was here.”
If they’d talked yesterday she’d know what was going on. Or maybe spent the night like he wanted and they could have left together.
“Now you know. And it seems to me you might want something.”
“It’s wrong,” she said, shaking her head, but she wasn’t stepping back, nor bolting out of the room.
“Nothing we do is wrong,” he said. “And the office isn’t open yet. But your call.”
She laughed. A wicked sound. One that said he didn’t have to make a move for this to go further. And he was damn well leaving it in her hands so that he wouldn’t be the bad guy if she had second thoughts.
He’d honor them too.
“God, I should just turn and walk away, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit this has been a little fantasy of mine.”
“Fuck,” he said, wrapping her hair in his fist, his mouth crushing hers, the towel only staying in place as it was pressed between their bodies.
His tongue invaded her mouth, the taste of mint clinging. The candy she always popped after she finished her coffee lingering and intoxicating him.
Her hand slid down and gripped his cock, which was ready for action the minute he saw her in the doorway.
She was stroking him softly, her fingertips almost dancing along the taut skin, her nails lightly scratching and leaving chills on his arms.
He grabbed a fistful of her dress, thankful for small favors that she was wearing one, then bunched it until it was around her waist.
Their mouths were still aggressively attacking the other, his hand slid into her underwear and cupped her ass.
All he could think of was that he didn’t have a condom on him.
That didn’t mean he couldn’t pleasure her other ways, his palm sliding around, his fingers finding her heat and gliding between her wet lips.
He thrust two fingers in, she jerked up slightly, then moaned in his mouth.
Curving the tips, he found the soft tender flesh inside of her he knew would make her sing out. If he let go of her mouth, which he had no intention of doing.
She was pressing against him, parting her legs, grinding for more pleasure.
He shifted his thumb to cover her swollen bud, pressed down and let her go to town as if he was the toy she needed to get off.
He had no problem taking on that role.
Her hips were pushing forward and back as she worked herself to a fevered pitch, her hands still holding his cock. He didn’t think she knew. She wasn’t doing much more than gripping it like a lever and moving it toward her body.
It was enough that he knew he could be done in seconds if she didn’t get there first.
But she did. Her inner muscles twitching, grasping on and not letting go.
He loved to feel her coming. Loved to know that he brought her there.
Their kissing stopped, but her lips were still pressed to his as she groaned out her release.
When her head went down to his chest, he removed his hand, put it in his mouth and sucked on his fingers. “Best breakfast there is.”
She groaned but smiled at the same time.
She stepped back, the towel dropping to his feet, her hand now sliding up and down, and her head lowered to lick the tip. “I might say the same,” she said.
“Best not to do that here,” he said. “First, don’t need you coughing that loud, but my shout would be even louder.”
Her face filled with heat, but she continued to jerk him off, her eyes watching her motions the whole time.
Fast, then slow. Her thumb grazed the tip for more fluid and spread it around.
Every time he thought he was going to blow, she changed it. She’d try something new.
She’d prolong it until the frustration might be as great as he’d felt waking up alone this morning.
Only this time he knew he was getting relief and he did.
The minute she latched onto what worked the best, she sped it up, pumping her fist so hard and fast he almost shot it on her dress if she hadn’t jumped out of the way.
She kept going, kept milking him dry until he gripped the counter to steady himself.
“There is more steam in here now than when I opened the door.”
He leaned down to kiss her quickly. “Damn straight. Now I need another shower.”
“Crap,” she said. “I should clean up but don’t want to get in the shower.”
“There are washcloths in the drawer.”
He grabbed a fresh one, turned the shower back on, ran it under the warm stream, then worked a little soap into the fabric before handing it to her.
She didn’t hesitate. Just lifted her dress, slipped her panties down, and cleaned up like it was the most natural thing in the world.
And it was.
That ease between them, the quiet trust said everything she tried so hard to deny.
What they had wasn’t pretend. It wasn’t something that burned bright only to fade.
It was real. The kind of effortless connection that felt like it had always been there waiting for them to find it.
Now all he had to do was make her believe it too.