ETHAN "Who are you? My therapist?" she asked, smiling, but before that, I could see the pain in her eyes. Whoever the jerk was, she had loved him and he didn't appreciate it. Damn. I knew exactly what she had been through. It made me feel like a jerk. Not that I intended to make her fall in love with me or pursue it dishonestly. I could never do that to someone. I knew firsthand the hell it was to go through something like that. Contrary to what Miss Brown thought, I always tried to be honest with the women I got involved with. "Did you just make a joke without trying to offend me?" I asked, trying to make the trace of sadness disappear from her face. "Yeah, and I almost believed that you care about what I'm saying," she said, shaking her head. "I do care." "Of course," she rolled her eyes with a slight smile. "I don't like to waste my time on things that don't interest me," I was being honest with her. "You know there are plenty of women who would be interested in devoting the

ELLIE When I locked the door, my heart was pounding in my chest. What had just happened? Why did I do that? I sat on the couch and stared at the door while trying to calm my breathing. I was begging the heavens for him to leave because I didn't know what I would do if he knocked on the door. My legs were still weak. That was a mistake. Damn, Todd. Because of him, I acted like a jerk. The bastard had the audacity to send me a message in the middle of the night, making me so angry that I took it all out on Ethan like an idiot. First getting mad at him and now using him to try to push Todd away. That was the worst idea I've ever had in my life. And now I knew what I was missing. I knew what it felt like to have his lips and his massive body pressing against mine. And just a little bit of that was enough to make me lose my mind. I had no idea what would happen now. I sat on the couch for an eternity, trying to process everything that had happened. Then I dragged myself to my room, wear

ELLIE "Not." I managed to say, even though my body was begging. I tried to keep my breathing calm as my heart pounded violently. "The way your body reacts says the opposite." He spoke. I opened my eyes when I felt his breath on my face, his lips only inches away from mine. My whole body felt like it was being pulled toward him. I wanted to grab his hair and kiss him urgently. "You just have to ask," he whispered. If I didn't pull away soon, I knew how it would end. I sought the ounce of reason that remained beneath all the desire. "Say it," he demanded. "Stop it." I stepped back before losing control, passing by him, feeling my legs weak, aware that my panties were soaked. "Oh, Ellie, let's see how long you can fight against what your body wants." Hearing him say my name was the last straw. "I told you to stop." I left him alone, returning to the laundry room. I couldn't think straight with him so close. What the hell! He barely touched me, and I was already falling apart. I tri

ELLIE"I waited for you last night," he said, reminding me of the previous night.From the blonde at the bar next to him. Bastard. I opened my eyes and stared at him."Take your hands off me, you lying bastard," I hissed through gritted teeth, getting up. I stepped back to avoid slapping him."Why am I a liar?" he asked, surprised and confused, getting up and approaching me."Just leave. Let's discuss any work matters through email.""Answer me, damn it. Why am I a liar?""I was there, at the bar. So, tell me, did you wait for me before or after you were done with that blonde?" I was being ridiculous, I had no right to be angry. But I couldn't control myself."I didn't see you there. But nothing happened. I went home alone last night.""That's none of my business. Do me a favor and go away.""If it's none of your business, and you don't care, why are you so irritated?""I don't care what you do with others, as long as you keep your filthy hands off me.""I've already said I didn't do

ELLIEThe storm began to fall as I waited. Every passing second made me feel more anxious, which led me to drink almost half of the whiskey I had poured into my glass.Then he came back, descending the stairs, wearing only a towel, his hair still wet, with some strands falling on his forehead. I think my jaw dropped. I had to close my mouth to keep from drooling.I bit my lip, trying to ease the desire that the sight of his body made me feel. He must spend a few hours at the gym every day. Being in shape was an understatement for Mr. Morgan. His abs were so sculpted that they seemed to have more muscles than I could count, his chest was even bigger than I imagined, and the muscles in his arms were huge and well-defined.He approached closer, giving me a better view and appearing even larger. My attention was captured by the indentations in the lower part of his abdomen, forming a sensual V. There was something so sexy about that area that it left me almost desperate to know what await