Chapter 36: Why Not?
ETHAN
I stroked just above her knee before slowly sliding my hand upward, lifting her dress, savoring the feel of her soft skin beneath my fingers.
She cleared her throat before kicking my foot. So, I moved my hand to the inside of her thigh. I enjoyed watching her breathing quicken as my fingers inched closer to her panties.
She swallowed hard, taking a deep breath.
“I’ll check my schedule,” she said, before kicking my ankle with the tip of her shoe. “But I think I’m free.”
I felt fury hit me like a wave, making me dig my fingers into her thigh. I wanted to drag her away and show her that was the wrong answer. So I decided to do it with my fingers. But just as I reached the fabric of her panties and discovered she was wet, she stood up, pulling her dress down.
“Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom,” she said before turning her back on us.
I wanted to follow her and show her that she couldn’t flirt with another man in front of me, but that was impossible with everyone aware of our involvement. Knowing she was wet didn’t help my situation.
We gathered again in the living room after dinner. I couldn’t take my eyes off her for a second, feeling like I was about to explode while watching the two of them talking in a corner, away from everyone else.
Sophia had gone to bed, and there was nothing left to distract me. Zoe approached me.
“You know you’re not hiding it well, right?” she leaned her arm against mine.
“Don’t start,” I said, downing the rest of the whiskey in my glass.
“I guess this didn’t turn out the way you wanted.”
“What do you want?” I sighed, trying to hold onto whatever patience I had left.
“I have an invitation.”
“An invitation?” I asked, eyeing her with suspicion.
“The holidays are coming up, and we’re taking a trip in a week…”
“No,” I interrupted. I wasn’t interested. I’d rather keep working.
“Let me finish.”
“What makes you think I’d want to go on a trip with you and my brother?”
“We’re all going.”
“All of us?”
“Our group of friends. Even Neil and Jason.”
“So, not only would I have to put up with you and Bennett, but four other couples too?” I scoffed, shaking my head.
As much as I missed my friends, there was no way I’d agree to this madness.
“Ellie’s coming too,” she said, watching me carefully for any reaction.
“Of course, she is, crazy enough for that.”
Who in their right mind would accept going on a trip where they’d have to deal with five couples alone?
“Think about it. You need to relax a little. We all know you work too much.”
“I appreciate your concern, but the answer is no.”
“Fine, then I’ll invite Anthony to take your place.”
“What?”
Shit! She had to be joking.
“What? You said no,” she shrugged.
“I know what you’re trying to do. He’s not even part of your group of friends.”
Zoe knew that if I had any say in it, I wouldn’t let Anthony get within a meter of Miss Brown. So her goal was to force me into going on this trip by using Anthony as blackmail.
“You men are unbelievable!” She laughed before stopping in front of me, crossing her arms over her chest in mock indignation. “When I offer you the chance to spend a week near her, you say no, but the moment another guy gets involved, you want to prove who has the bigger dick? Don’t be such a jerk.”
“Are you really going to invite him if I refuse?”
I couldn’t believe this.
“Yes.”
She wasn’t joking.
“Shit. I’m starting to think my family and friends have a completely skewed sense of what it means to help.”
“I’ll give you a few days to think about it, but don’t take too long. I can’t invite Anthony last minute.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Absolutely.”
“What does my brother think of this? Because I’m sure he wouldn’t approve of keeping me near Ellie.”
“Don’t worry about your brother. I know how to handle him.”
“Spare me the details.”
“Think carefully and quickly,” she kissed my cheek before walking away with a satisfied smile, knowing she’d gotten what she wanted.
Zoe could be incredibly manipulative. I wasn’t sure whether to admire my brother or pity him. As if the current situation wasn’t bad enough, now I had to worry about this damn trip.
Well, not really. There was no way in hell I was letting Anthony go on that trip.
I watched as the two of them walked toward the group. Anthony announced he was leaving, and of course, Miss Brown offered to walk him to his car.
No way was I going to let the idiot have any chance of getting his hands on her. As soon as they walked out the front door, I let everyone know I was leaving too.
“Oh, and count me in for that trip,” I told Zoe before walking out.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
