6. Ethan

Chapter 6

Ethan

The next morning, I find myself right outside Clara's door again. My palms sweat with anticipation. Last night didn't end how I expected it to, but walking back to my boat last night I thought about what Clara said. I'm glad that she slowed things down. I wouldn't regret anything that happened between us, but I don't want to rush this. I want this to be forever, which is crazy after one day together, but I've never been more certain of something in my whole life.

I knock on her door and, once again, she answers instantly. "Good morning, gorgeous."

"Good morning, handsome."

This morning she's dressed in a cute sundress over what I'm assuming is her bathing suit. Her hair is pulled back in a high ponytail and her face is free of makeup. She looks young and innocent. The thought that she's too young for someone like me crosses my mind.

With a big bag in her hand, she closes the door. "I packed a book and some other things." She looks at me sheepishly like she expects me to tell her not to bring anything with her.

"Angel, you could bring everything with you and stay on my boat if you wanted to."

We have breakfast together in the hotel restaurant and Clara insists on paying. I let her, only because she smiles an incredibly sweet smile as she explains it will mess with her brothers to see breakfast for two when they do their check of her expenses. From what she's told me, she absolutely adores her older brothers but also loves giving them hell for how overprotective they are of her.

I leave a very generous tip on the table as my contribution and we leave her hotel to walk to my boat.

"Are we staying in dock? Are you even able to take this thing out like a regular boat?" she asks once we are on board.

"Well, I have a smaller boat that we could take out if you want to go somewhere, or we can just stay here. There's a pool if you want to swim or we can watch a movie. If you could do it at a hotel or at home, you can probably do it here."

"Let's go swimming," she says while taking off her coverup. The bikini she's wearing underneath should be illegal. I'm not even sure you can call it a swimsuit. It's barely fabric.

"Fuck." I mutter, hoping that she doesn't hear me. I'm just wearing my swimsuit and the tent I'm sporting makes it obvious how I feel about her in that swimsuit. I pull my shirt off my body as quickly as I can and jump into the pool to try and cool down my overheated skin.

When I surface, Clara is standing by the side of the pool like an absolute goddess, laughing at my antics. "Um, Ethan, can you put sunscreen on my back? I don't want to burn."

Touch her? Yes, I would like that very much. Even if I have to get out of the pool and make a fool of myself with a hard on that won't go away like a teenage boy's. Clara knows I want her.

I pull myself out of the pool and walk over to where she's now sitting and slathering her exposed body with SPF 50. My dick leads the way as I stand behind her. She turns around and comes face to face with the monster.

"Don't worry, he won't bite," I say with a laugh.

"Um, okay." Clara blushes and turns back around and that's when I decide to play a little bit. I know she's still not ready for more, but that doesn't mean I can't show her how sexy I find her or how much I desire her.

I sit in the chair behind her, putting my legs on each side of her body. I pull her closer to me, so her body is flush against mine. I hold my hand out for the sunscreen.

She places it in my hand, her own shaking a little as it touches mine.

"You okay, honey?" I don't want her to be uncomfortable. The very last thing I want is for her to sit through something she doesn't want.

"Yes, I just want so much all at the same time. I think I'm getting a bit overstimulated."

"Okay, what do you need from me right now?"

"Can you kiss me?" Clara turns her head, her eyes large and full of want.

"Hell yes, I can kiss you."

I softly place my finger under her chin and tilt her head toward me. The kiss is soft and gentle. I can tell from the way her body relaxes against mine that Clara needed this. She needs time, and I need to respect that more than I have been in the last ten minutes. There are two of us in this relationship and if one of us isn't one hundred percent on board, then this thing will not work.

I pull back and let her lean into me. We sit there for a bit, just enjoying being together. Then I slowly sit her up and put the sunscreen lotion on her back. No innuendo or sexual touching, I just do the thing she asked me to do.

When I'm finished, she turns in my lap and lays her head back on my chest. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. I'll always be here for you, Clara. If you need everything shut down, you just tell me. If you need me to kiss you, these lips are yours."

"I'm usually the loud and sassy one, but with you, I feel like I don't have to be that way. I never tell my family I feel overstimulated even though it happens almost every time we are together. The only person who notices it is my brother Knox's wife, Scarlett. She will usually make an excuse for me to leave the room."

I sit and listen as she unburdens herself, knowing what a gift this is.

"It isn't because they don't love me. They love me so much. I think they just don't exactly see me as a whole person." She pauses and a tear escapes down her cheek. "That sounds terrible and it's not. It's just the way it is."

"Angel, I don't doubt that they love you. You are very loveable." I love her, but I don't want to scare her away, so I keep that to myself. "It will take time, but I'm sure that if you talk to them, your brothers would welcome hearing how you feel. I know if my brother was feeling like I didn't see him, or like I treated him in a way he didn't like or deserve, I would want to know."

She nods her head, but I can tell that she's not ready to think about talking to her brothers, and that's okay. She has me now, and I'll always be her safe space.

"Do you still want to go swimming?"

She shakes herself as if shaking away her bad mood, and her bright smile returns. "Yes, let's get in the pool."

She gets off the lounge chair and quickly makes her way to the edge of the pool. Looking over her shoulder, she sees me watching her and, with a wiggle of her delectable ass, she jumps into the water.