Still Into You (47 page)

:)) I want to kiss that face.

It would definitely like that.

Oh yeah? Would it like anything else?

A serving or two of your lemon chicken?

Seriously?

Um . . . LOL

So, I like business woman Mia. She’s fucking hot.

Don’t distract me, mister! This texting session was about to change directions to sexting and I was so for that!

I’m sorry, suga. I’ll be sure to make that up to you.

You promise?

And then some. You’ll love it.

God, I love you.

I love you. <3

<3

He didn’t hear from her again until dinner time and he could sense her frustration in her words.

I don’t really know why I’m here. All this damn male posturing is ticking me off and wasting my time. Allie and the lawyers are used to this and take it in stride. Me? Definitely not. I’d much rather be back with you than stuck in this conference room.

Your plan . . .

Bah! Be quiet!

Shouldn’t you be paying attention?

Ugh. Probably. Though I’ve had my words. Just waiting now.

So, you decided to text me.

Of course!

Smart move.

I’m a smart girl.

That you are.

Hope you still feel the same after I tell you this . . .

What?

I invited Luke to dinner with us on Wednesday.

What? Why did she do that? At least it was only Luke and not a big party.

Why?

I haven’t been with the two of you, alone, for so long. I need this. Please.

Ethan couldn’t deny her. Not when she phrased it like that.

He’s not staying for dessert.

Oh God. No. Just you and me.

Good.

:) Gotta go. ILY <3

The rest of his day Ethan spent relaxing. Mia texted him goodnight early, telling him she was dead-exhausted and that she had one more day of these flipping meetings. Her words.

He had hoped to talk to her but when she also texted a picture of her lying in bed, he didn’t pursue it. Her eyes were heavy, barely open. She looked so comfortable in her plush, white bed, her blankets up to her chin.

He ordered her to sleep, softened only by the use of those three small but so significant words that had seen a resurgence in use after three years of sitting on the bench.

Mia replied that she missed him and wished she was with him, followed with a text he screenshot to keep forever.

I love you, too, Ethan Christopher. Nothing has ever felt as right as my love for you. Good night. <3

The next day, Ethan put his body through the rigors of practice, punishing himself as he focused on drill after drill, forcing thoughts of Mia from his mind as he threw pass after pass.

At the end of the day, as he sat in the chair outside his locker, his towel around his neck, he didn’t fight the thoughts any longer. Her smile. Her musical laughter.

When he was in the shower, he swore he smelled her honey vanilla scent.

He missed her more than he wanted to admit. He was
not
going to let her go.

His phone buzzed then played the James Bond theme—the tone he had for Mia. A smile crossed his face as he reached into his bag for his phone to read her text.

Mia

March 7, 2011 436 PM

So HAPPY! That step is now complete.

Gonna tell me?

Nope :)

You are a tease!

Am I?

Not really LOL

About to head to the airport. On my way back home now!

Ethan liked how she said back “home.”

Mia

When Mia arrived in Indy late Monday night, she collapsed and slept until three the next afternoon. She spent her evening with Luke and Kaitlyn, shopping, dinner, and a movie. It was a perfect night with her favorite girl and her best friend.

The next afternoon while she waited for dinner with Luke and Ethan, she did some more shopping. This time for the things she saw while out with Luke and Kaitlyn, plus a whole lot more. Mia wanted some new clothes. Her trip to L.A. just scored her and the band an eighty million-dollar contract. It was time to celebrate with some retail therapy.

When Mia got back to the room, she scrambled to get ready. She picked out one of her new dresses, a white sleeveless, high-neck dress that hit her mid-thigh. She wore a wool, tan cardigan over it that hung slightly lower than the dress. On her feet, she put on brown, leather, knee-high boots.

Glancing at herself once more in the mirror, she nodded in satisfaction at herself. Mia collected her small, white clutch, checking to make sure her room key and phone were inside, and proceeded to head down to dinner. She had made the reservations and hoped that Ethan and Luke were down there already because she was starving. That’s what she got for skipping lunch.

She entered the restaurant and immediately the hostess called out her name.

“Ms. Devereux?”

Mia smiled and stopped for her. “Yes?”

“Your party has already arrived. I can show you to your table, if you like.”

“Thanks.”

Mia felt the warmth of her smile when she spotted Luke and Ethan at the table. Their handsome suited selves stood as they waited for her to be seated. Mia smiled her gratitude to the hostess who quickly turned and left Mia alone with her two men.

Luke was the first to move. He kissed her cheek in greeting. “Good evening, sweets.”

She accepted Luke’s kiss and reciprocated with one of her own, then turned to Ethan. His eyes were smoky with desire as they took her outfit in.
Guess I picked the right dress,
she thought. He bent down to kiss her lips, lingering for a bit before backing away.

Mia was grateful that Ethan helped her into her chair. Her legs turned to putty with that kiss. As soon as he sat back down, she reached over and squeezed his muscular thigh, and left her hand there. She needed that contact with him.

“This feels more formal than I originally planned,” she said a little nervously. Seeing them both in suit and ties was a bit too much.

“No, it’s fine. It’s nice to do this with friends every now and again,” Ethan objected. “And we don’t have to worry about how much we drink now. Your suite is right upstairs. So that’s a bonus.”

He winked at her. The waiter came by to ask for drink orders. Mia ordered a Coke. The guys went with Scotches.

They sat in silence as they looked over the menu. There was absolutely no way she was going with a light dinner tonight. “I already know what I want to eat,” she said excitedly, closing her menu.

“Let me guess—a salad?” Ethan asked.

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “A big, juicy steak, mashed potatoes . . . and a side salad! I’m starving!”

Ethan and Luke laughed at her exuberance.

The waiter came by with the drinks. Mia sipped her soda as she glanced around the room. They were hidden in a little nook, windows on two sides, overlooking the busy Indy street. She couldn’t make much out, just the passing of headlights. Their privacy should be safe, so that was not the reason for her nerves.

She returned her gaze to the two most important men in her life. If she let the thought come to the front of her mind, she’d know her nervousness stemmed from the things she wanted to say to them tonight. This talk was long overdue.

The waiter returned and efficiently took their orders and left. Everyone went with a steak of some sort.

After the waiter left, she felt their eyes on her. She knew it was now her time to talk. Ethan cleared his throat and she smiled over at him, waiting for him to speak. “So, are you going to tell me how your trip to Los Angeles went?” Ethan asked.

“I would say it was a successful trip,” she said smugly.

Ethan looked like he was going to say something else, but he picked up his Scotch instead and took a long frustrated drink.

Yeah, time to tell him. Mia had to give him something . . . something to prove she meant business. “We were in L.A. for contract negotiations. There were things I wanted to have to make my career more flexible. So, we . . . uh . . . ended up with an eighty million-dollar contract plus our own label.”

Both men just stared at her, mouths slight agape as they took in what that meant.

“Shit, Mia! Congratulations!” Luke exclaimed, leaning over to hug her. Mia kept her sight on Ethan to see his reaction. After the shock of what she said wore off, a proud smile lit his handsome face.

He leaned in and kissed her cheek, his lips gliding across her skin to her ear. “Well done, suga.”

“Thank you,” she said, turning her face to his. He lightly pecked her nose before his mouth landed on hers and kept it there until Luke cleared his throat. The waiters had arrived with their dinners.

As they ate, the three joked around like they hadn’t been apart at all. It was easy and fun. The time with them put her at ease. She had needed that.

After having the dinner charged to her room, the trio headed to her suite. She let them in, glad she had tidied up before heading out.

Immediately, Mia sat in a chair near the stairs leading to the bedroom and took off her uncomfortable boots. She flexed her cramped feet and then put the boots in the corner. She rose from the chair and felt so tiny compared to Ethan and Luke.

Both men had removed their suit jackets and loosened their ties and headed straight for the seating area. Luke sat down in one of the side chairs and placed his feet on the table. Ethan sat down in his usual spot—the middle of the sofa. Just like that night just a few days ago. The night that basically put her life back on track.

“Like what you’ve done with the place,” Luke said jokingly. She rolled her eyes at him and flung a pillow from the sofa at him.

“Ass,” she said with a smile before heading to the mini-fridge. “Do you guys want a beer?” she asked over her shoulder. They both answered affirmatively. She grabbed two cold beers and returned to them. Her smile stretched her cheeks, she was that happy to have them both with her.

Handing a beer to each of them, Mia stood before them and tried to calm her jittery stomach.

Nerves, go away,
she ordered. She was not naïve; Mia knew certain topics were going to come up tonight, topics that needed to be addressed, but that didn’t mean that she wanted everyone handling her like she was going to break. She was stronger than that now.

She’d hit bottom—twice. She’d learned from her mistakes, her past. She had grown and was still the same Mia, for the most part. She ticked off each item on her life list, she felt different . . . more complete.

Ethan called out her name and broke through her thought process, bringing her back to them.

“Hmm?”

“Come sit down. I feel like you’re going to lecture us the way you’re standing before us.”

She chuckled. “Sorry. I’m a little antsy.”

“Why, sweets?” Luke piped in, leaning forward and putting his beer on the table.

“I haven’t been in a room with just the two of you for well over three years. This should be easy for me, but my mind keeps focusing on three years and how completely fucked up that is.”

“You like to swear,” Luke stated the obvious.

“You like when I swear,” she retorted, a smile forming because her wonderful best friend always knew how to make her laugh, how to lighten the mood and make things easier.

“Yeah, I do!”

Heading towards the sofa, she asked, “Do I swear a lot?”

“I, for one, think you should swear more often,” Luke chimed in.

“It’s not very lady-like to swear,” she said, sitting on the arm of the sofa by Ethan, her bare feet on the cushion, facing both Luke and Ethan.

“When have you ever been a lady?” Luke asked.

Her mouth formed a perfect “O” causing Ethan to laugh. She kicked at him and he grabbed a hold of her ankle and pulled her on to the sofa. As he pulled her to him, her dress rode up high on her thigh.

“Proving my point,” Luke said, getting up to get another beer.

Ethan’s hand continued to snake up her leg as Luke walked to the fridge. He pulled down the dress but left his hand on her bare thigh.

“Luke, another for me,” Ethan called out, his smoldering eyes locked on hers.

“Uh, Ethan,” she whispered as his fingers inched up beneath the fabric of her dress. Her eyes fell shut as he teasingly touched her panties before quickly removing his hand.