Chapter 47

When Ethan came to a stop near where I stood, he paused, catching his breath and easing my way over until I was directly behind him, I came to a stop.

The instant he noticed me, his whole body tensed, and drawing another deep breath, I took the last step, bringing my body flush against his. No sooner had I settled into him than a huge shudder rippled through him.

In one swift move, he turned, thrusting me against the edge of the pool, as mouth urgent, he fused it with mine.

Moving his lips against my own, he probed, demanding I open to him. Moaning, I obeyed, and ever so gentle, he slid his tongue against mine: tasting and sipping of the nectar he found. The action caused me to give a strangled whimper as heat flooded to the core of my need.

A fierce quake ripped through his body at the sound: one so violent, I could feel the vibration, and grinding against him, my body begged its hunger to be satisfied. Instead, allowing the need in me to grow, he pulled away, and peering down into my eyes, his own burned hot. His breathing harsh, and his chest working to pull air within his lungs, he groaned, “I want you. You don’t know how fucking bad I want you, but—”

Laying a finger on his lips, I shook my head, silencing his words, before pulling him back against me, my body kicked into overdrive with the realization he was as naked as I was. The hard length of his erection nestled against me, its rigidity revealing the depth of his arousal as it quivered in need. The heavy weight of arousal grew between my thighs, and I began to rotate my hips against him.

With a harsh movement, he pushed me away again, a sound almost like pain stealing from between his lips. At the action, I sank beneath the water, unprepared for the abrupt movement. As I crested the surface of the water, I felt again the sting of rejection as I watched him swim away with purposeful strokes.

He didn’t slow until he’d placed the length of the pool between us, where he braced against the edge, shoulders heaving. “Christ, Nicole!”

Gliding across the water until I was behind him again, I watched his shoulders quake and afraid of another rebuff, I drew in several deep breaths, before reaching out I slid my fingers down his back.

A loud groan erupted from deep within his chest. “Dammit, Nicole, you have me so fuckin’ turned on, I can’t think straight.”

Sensing his weakness, I slid toward him, pressing against his back. “Then, don't,” I whispered, snaking out a hand and laying it on his chest, beginning to stroke the flesh beneath my fingers with sensuous circles. Slowly, I worked my hand down until it rested on his abdomen, where I could feel his stomach muscles clench beneath my palm. Growing braver, I moved lower, wrapping my fingers around the hard length of his erection. Unable to stop his reaction, Ethan began to move within my grasp, sliding forward and back within my water-slicked hand. With each stroke, his breath rasped harder and faster through his lips. After a few seconds of my administration, he turned, facing me. Refusing denial again, I wrapped my legs around his waist, pushing the feminine heart of me against his hard protrusion.

At the contact, Ethan’s face became masked in agony, his eyes tortured. Grabbing a hold of my hips, he tried to push me away. “Nicole, please, I can't take being—”

I stilled his words before he finished, easing onto his hardness and allowing the tight, hot, heat of me to envelop the head of his penis. In an instant, fire burning a white-hot flame through him, Ethan went beyond reason, beyond any sense of gentleness, as with an animalistic growl, he jerked my hips the rest of the way down on his blood-engorged cock until he’d buried himself deep within me. Becoming awash in the warmth and feel of me encircling him, he thrust into me, a low growl erupting from within his chest at the feel of my inner walls surrounding him. I panted, an uncontrollable shudder taking over my body when his thrusts fell into a rhythm. They became smoother, slower, and oh, so arousing. I could feel every inch of him as he slid in and out, causing the molten lava to build and increase within me until I flew apart in his arms. Crying out his name with each clenching spasm of my orgasm, I felt him pulsing strongly within me, finding his own release.

I was still quaking with the aftereffect when he shoved me away. “Fucking, Christ, please tell me you’re on the pill?” he roared.

My mind was still like puffy balls of cotton candy, and I took a minute to hear his words. “The...p-pill?” I finally stuttered out the question.

“Dammit, Nicole, I just fucked you without a goddamn rubber,” he bellowed.

Dawning understanding widened my eyes for we had always used protection before. “Oh, shit! I didn’t-I didn’t think—”

Ethan interrupted my words with a harsh bark. “Damn right, you didn’t think.” Shaking his head, he snapped, “What the fuck wee you thinking? You damn well better hope to God, that didn't result in any little… repercussion—” His words cut off and another curse ripped loose before he sneered, “Well, baby, once again you got what you’ve been wagging that ass for… You happy now?”

Reeling from his words, I scrambled away from him. God, how could I have been so stupid—so fucking—stupid. Hurt and fear rocketed through me to the point I felt sick. He’d made what happened sound so calculating. Unable to stop my reaction, I lashed out in pain, my hand connecting against his cheek. However, before I could jerk it back, Ethan grasped my wrist within a band of steel. “What’s the matter, sweetheart? Can’t take hearing you acted no better than a fucking whore?” he sneered.

Unable to believe he could be so ugly, as well as to listen to any more of his verbal abuse, I jerked my hand away and turned, climbing from the pool. Heedless of the fact I was soaking wet, I grabbed my clothing, wanting to get away from Ethan, and his flesh stripping tongue before he completely shredded me.

After sliding on my panties, I stuffed my arms through the armholes of the shirt, all the while, trying to slip into the jeans. However, I damn near fell on my face in my haste to finish. Finally, having wiggled my way into the clothing and gasping through my tears, I ran to the gate. Pushing it open, I made my escape, never once glancing back in Ethan’s direction. I couldn’t handle seeing the look of anger and disgust on his face again—it would have broken me, annihilated what little pride I had left.

Once on the other side of the fence, I paused, realizing I didn’t have my pickup. Quivering with nerves, I turned back around, not sure of what to do. Ethan stood not ten feet behind me, his upper body glistening with moisture as his hair streamed water down his face and chest. The cut-off jean shorts he’d pulled on in his haste, sat cockeyed on his hips, their button-up fly, undone.

I stood staring at him as he reached in my direction. “I’m sorry—” His voice came out low and hoarse before it cut off, betraying his emotion.

“Go to hell,” I growled at him. My heart, felt ripped to pieces, weeping within my chest, and no words at this point, would soothe it, either. Turning back around I began to run, my bare feet making a slight slapping sound on the hard pavement beneath them as I fled. From behind me, I heard Ethan shout my name, but I never slowed. I was somewhere around two blocks away from Ethan’s home when I spotted the cab. Waving him over, I climbed into the backseat, stuttering out the address of the agency.