9. Ellie

9

Ellie

“I remember when you used to love my pick up lines.”

“I was young and dumb then,” I reply.

I would like to smack that smug sexy smile off his gorgeous face.

“Seems I’ll have to step up my game.”

“Please don’t. Save it for one of the puck bunnies that swoons at your beckon call.”

“I don’t make you swoon anymore?”

“I will get in touch with the youth league and see if we can work out some practice times. I’ll get in touch with the local paper and a few news stations to see what we can coordinate too. I’ll get pictures and videos also. The library is about to implement storytime on the weekends, maybe you can read to the kids. It would be great if you could check in on social media and show that you’re shopping local and here. Maybe post pictures or reviews of something you bought.”

I need to redirect his flirting and keep on task here.

“Ahhh, look at you figuring something out to benefit both of us.”

I shrug nonchalantly and look at my computer screen.

“I’ve got to do what I can. Grams left me a mess here.”

“Daniel said it was bad.”

“Nothing is organized. Nothing is labeled. There are receipts everywhere. There’s no calendar to suggest if she has a schedule for shipments and when I ask her she says they’ll show up when I need them to. She was taking consignments from local people and there’s absolutely nothing to tell me what they brought in, how much they've sold,” I ramble.

“Not everyone keeps spreadsheets for everything. You didn’t used to.”

“I’ve seen the light. If you’re running a business you have to be organized or you will drown and look flakey.”

“I’m not drowning. I don’t look flakey.”

I cock an eyebrow at him and he chuckles.

“Says you.”

“I go with the flow. You’re making it way more difficult than it needs to be.”

“I have systems and processes in place that work for me.”

He leans forward and grabs my laptop. He looks at the screen and shakes his head.

“How long did you spend on this?”

“What does it matter?”

The door to the boutique opens and I stand to greet the customer. My stomach drops as Dakota walks in.

“I heard you were back in town, Elena. I had to see it with my own two eyes.”

“Hey Dakota, how are you?” I reply with fake enthusiasm.

“So good! My husband has the kids today and let me go on a shopping spree. I thought I’d come support you.”

“Well that’s awfully sweet of you.”

“I do what I can. Man, you look incredible. I don’t think I would have recognized you outside of here. You’re no longer frumpy.”

I narrow my eyes at her.

Is that supposed to be a compliment?

“Is there anything I can help you find?”

“No, I can find it myself, but thank you.”

Ethan scoots his chair back and Dakota gasps as she looks back at him.

I will rip her hair out.

Down girl, he’s not yours to worry about anymore.

“Ethan Anderson, is that you?” Dakota drawls.

“Hey Dakota,” he mutters as he makes his way toward me.

“Funny running into you here. I never thought I’d see the two of you in the same room again.”

You definitely tried to make that happen, bitch.

“Do you need help with the store? I can help you make sense of Grams’s filing system, he asks as he turns his attention to me, effectively dismissing Dakota.

“No,” I snap.

He shrugs and walks to the back room just as Keeley, my only employee, comes into the store. She nods at me and gestures for me to go away and she’ll take care of the customer.

Thank goodness, if I have to be nice to Dakota for much longer I might rip her damn hair out.

I grab my laptop and follow quickly behind him. Ethan is in the storage room looking around.

“It’s not that bad.”

“Not that bad? Are you kidding me? I’m getting hives just looking at it.”

The dim light of the single bulb overhead casts long shadows across the cluttered expanse of the storage room. A wave of musty air washes over us, carrying with it the unmistakable scent of old paper and dust. My footsteps echo off the walls, the sound muffled by the mountains of clothing and boxes that surround us on all sides.

I navigate through the maze of towering shelves, my eyes scanning the endless rows of forgotten treasures. Everywhere I look, there are piles of clothes stacked haphazardly on top of one another. Dust motes dance in the air, catching the dim light in a ghostly glow.

The room is pure chaos, with no rhyme or reason to the arrangement of its contents. Clothing, boxes, and tubs of all shapes and sizes jostle for space on the overcrowded shelves, their contents obscured by layers of grime and neglect. Every surface is covered in a thick layer of dust, giving the room an abandoned feel that gives me anxiety.

It’s not even the clothing. There are towers of boxes filled with random papers and receipts haphazardly thrown inside and years scribbled on the outside of the white boxes. There’s no order to any of it.

I reach out to grab a sweater from a nearby shelf, only to have a stack of papers come tumbling down on top of me. I curse under my breath as I struggle to extricate myself from the mess, the weight of the clutter pressing down on me like a wet blanket.

I can't shake the feeling of overwhelm that threatens to consume me. It's as if the sheer volume of stuff surrounding me is closing in on me, leaving me gasping for air in its wake. I try to focus on the task at hand, but it's difficult to think straight amidst the chaos that surrounds me.

I glance around the room, my heart sinking at the sight of the endless piles of clothing and boxes that stretch out before me. It's as if the clutter has taken on a life of its own, multiplying and spreading like a virus with no end in sight. I trip over a stack of boxes and land right in Ethan’s arms.

Fuck.

I look right up into those blue eyes, my stomach flipping as the shock of our touch shoots through me.

Ethan steadies me, his hands on my elbows as he helps me stand.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

I straighten myself just as he pulls me into him, kissing me at the same moment.

My heart races as I melt into the warmth of his embrace. His lips are soft against mine, and I feel a rush of longing that I've tried to suppress for so long. This kiss feels different, more urgent, as if we both need to feel the other one.

His eyes burn into mine as if silently asking if I’m okay with what’s about to happen next.

I’m no longer thinking, just feeling.

He kisses me again, this time it’s rougher, hungrier.

Ethan's hands roam my back, sending goosebumps across my skin I clutch onto his shirt, pulling him closer.

His hands move from my elbows to cup my face, deepening the kiss with an intensity that sets my whole body on fire. It feels like every nerve ending is on fire, every thought consumed by the need for him.

He reaches down and cups my butt, picking me up and moving so that my back is against one of the racks.

His lips trail down my neck, and I close my eyes, surrendering to the swell of emotions. My breath hitches as he kisses the sensitive skin beneath my ear, and I know we're crossing a boundary that we can't go back from.

I gasp, slightly taken aback by the unexpected move, but my hunger for him overpowers my surprise. He deepens the kiss, his tongue probing my lips until I open to him.

His hands grab the skirt of my sundress and bunches it up to move it out of his way. He expertly uses his other hand to undo his pants and pull his hard, thick cock out of it.

I groan, the memories of him inside me, filling me so long ago make my core flood with heat and wetness.

My hands run up and down his tight abs and muscled chest.

Damn, I forgot how sexy he is.

It’s clear that he’s still putting in the work in the gym.

He positions himself between my legs, his erect cock brushing against my moist center. I whimper softly, reaching up to wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him closer.

With one swift, powerful thrust, he enters me. I cry out, arching my back as the sensation of being filled by him once again floods through me. He groans deep in his throat, his hands gripping my hips firmly as he begins to move.

“Ethan,” I cry out.

He stills and looks back at me with wide eyes.

“I’ll stop if you want me to.”

“I don’t want you to. Please don’t stop.”

He leans forward and kisses me as he starts thrusting inside me again. His mouth moves over to my ear, then my neck.

His tongue tracing the sensitive skin, as I arch my back, begging for more.

His fingers dig into my hips, guiding me onto his shaft, impaling me deeper with each thrust. My hands grip his back, nails digging into his skin as I urge him on, wanting more, needing more.

He groans deep in my ear, the sound sending shivers down my spine. I can feel his cock thicken inside me, the head hitting me with a force that takes my breath away.

My eyes flutter shut, lost in the pleasure of the moment. The pain and the pleasure are melding into one, a fierce, pulsing agony that I'm desperate to escape.

I moan, the tension building inside me as he continues to thrust, each movement making me tighter around him. His lips trace a trail down my neck, leaving goosebumps in their wake, and I beg for him to go faster.

His chest heaves with each breath, the rhythm of his heartbeat syncing with the pounding in my head. I feel him tremble, and I know he's close to the edge.

"Ethan," I whisper, my voice barely audible over the sound of our breaths mingling. "I need you."

With a low growl, he thrusts harder, hitting me just right to send me over the edge. My whole body tightens around him, and I cry out as waves of pleasure wash over me.

He groans, and I feel the warmth of his release filling me to completion. My eyes flutter shut, and I cling to him, my heart pounding in my chest, feeling a sense of wholeness I forgot existed.

Oh my goodness, what did I just do?

I specifically told him that we could not do this and then… I did it at the first opportunity.

As the post-orgasmic euphoria fades, the reality of what we've done begins to set in. I pull away slightly, looking into his eyes, searching for something that wasn't there before.

His eyes are stormy, but they still hold a hint of tenderness. He kisses me gently on the forehead before speaking.

“Are you okay?”

“This doesn’t change anything.”

“I didn’t expect it to.”

“We can’t do it again.”

“Okay.”

He pulls out of me and slowly sets me down on the ground.

I didn’t expect him to say okay.

Damn, would it kill this man to fight for me once in his life? Why does he continue to give up so easily on me?

Easy there, Elena, knock it off.

You’re being ridiculous right now.

“I should… I should…”

Tears stream down my face and I curse myself for not being able to hold it together.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

Could Keeley or Dakota hear us having sex?

How do I fuck my ex-boyfriend in a storage room of my business when there are other people around?

Who am I?

“Hey,” he breathes as he grabs me in a hug. “Hey, come here.”

“No,” I snap. “We shouldn’t have done that because it complicates things. You’re my boss and…”

“I’m just Ethan, baby. It’s me. It’s okay.”

“It’s not okay though. I can’t… I can’t ever go through that heartbreak again, E.”

“I’m not asking you to. We’re not the same people we once were, El. I’m not going to hurt you.”

“You can’t say that. It’s impossible to promise that.”

“I guess it is, but… at the same time, I am in this forever.”

I gasp and pull back from him.

What the fuck did he just say to me?

Forever?

Is he serious right now?

I can’t even trust him and now he’s spouting about forever.

My heart pounds in my chest, and my mind races with a mix of confusion, anger, and hope.

"Ethan," I whisper.

He holds my gaze, and I can see the sincerity in his eyes. But I don’t want to believe it.

I’m imagining things.

"I mean it, we'll figure it out. Together."

Together?

Did I just agree to something?

“I can’t,” I say quickly as I race out of the room.

It feels like the world is closing in on me and I have to get out of there, get away from him before the panic attack takes over.

Can’t we just be fuck buddies? That would be so much easier than giving him my heart all over again, right?