Ben woke to silence. He rolled over expecting to find a warm body next to his, but the bed was empty.
“Anna?” he called out. When there was no response, he climbed out of his king-size bed and slid into a pair of sweats. A part of him was afraid that she scrambled from his bed once he was asleep and high tailed it out of there. Like she said, ‘my life was normal until I met you.’ He had become so entranced by the woman, he yearned to see her when they weren’t together.
Fortunately, he found her sitting in the kitchen with a cup of coffee in her hand while she stared out the window. Ben stood there for a few minutes, taking in the sight of her. The smell of coffee filled the air and her beauty radiated with the morning sun. He was suddenly seeing this exact scene in his head on repeat. Waking up each day to the woman of his dreams, enjoying coffee and breakfast before their hectic days, and finishing the night strong, holding on to one another as they made passionate love.
“Well, good morning, sunshine.”
Ben smiled at the sound of her silvery tone. “Good morning.”
“Coffee’s made.”
“Thank you for that.” He walked to the machine and poured himself a cup before joining her by the window. “You’re up early.”
“I couldn’t sleep. My mind wouldn’t shut off.”
Ben frowned. “I’m sorry you’re feeling this way.”
Anna shrugged. “It’s not your fault.”
“It kind of is. We don’t know who’s been harassing you.” She frowned and the look on her face broke a piece of his heart off. “Don’t worry, Anna. We’ll get to the bottom of this.”
She nodded once, knowing very well that it was her way of brushing the topic of conversation off.
“So, how am I supposed to get to work today if you have to get to the field?”
“I have a couple cars. You can drive the one we were in yesterday and I’ll take one of the other ones.”
“Of course you have more than one car.”
“Be nice…” Ben murmured.
Anna laughed. “I’m sorry. It’s just that you’re so easy to tease. I’m still trying to get over the shock of the size of this house. The only thing I pictured you living in was some bachelor pad filled with uncomfortable contemporary furniture. But this,” she waved her arms around, “words can’t even describe how amazing this house is. It’s fit for a magazine.”
“Actually, I believe it was featured in a magazine. Can’t remember which one though.”
“Of course it was,” Anna mumbled behind her cup.
Ben growled and pounced on her. “You’re forcing me to do something I don’t really want to do.”
She pulled her head back and responded with, “And what is it you don’t want to do?”
“Bend you over this table and have my way with you.”
Anna giggled. “That’s something you don’t want to do?”
Ben kissed her neck and worked his way to her jaw before landing one on her lips. “I lied. It’s something I really want to do.”
She leaned her head back to give him a better view of her exposed flesh and he dove right in. Ben bit and teased the sensitive area and his cock hardened when a small moan escaped her lips. It was all the invitation he needed to turn her around and take her.
“How do you want it?” he whispered in her ear.
Ben was surprised when she responded with, “Fast and hard.”
He kissed the back of her neck and trailed kisses down her back. When he reached her shorts, he slid them down gently then reached up her shirt happy to find that she was still braless. He twisted a nipple between his fingers and she arched her back slightly. Ben took his other hand and pressed into the hot center between her legs, pleased to find that she was already ready for him. He removed his finger and pulled his own pants down.
Needing fulfillment, Ben plunged all of himself into Anna. She threw her head back and cried out in ecstasy. He caught her cry in a kiss and continued to pump in and out of her. He could feel his climax building but couldn’t allow himself to have it until she did. Just as he was thinking it, her body tightened around him and she cried out once again. He pounded himself into her a few more times before he, too, had his fulfillment. When their breathing slowed, he pulled out and she faced him.
“I can’t imagine a better way to get the day started.” The sultry look on her face had him hard for more, but she kissed him passionately and walked away. Ben watched her leave the kitchen, dazed that such a beautiful, amazing woman was his.
* * *
Anna walked back to the bedroom on cloud nine. She was just ravaged in the kitchen by an amazingly gorgeous man, and she couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. It wasn’t until she reached the bathroom that reality set in and she remembered that she would have to deal with all the crap that was happening in her life. And by crap, she meant Cara and the unfortunate events that were geared towards her. Thankfully, she didn’t have to worry about stumbling upon another dead animal at her door since the likelihood of someone finding her here was slim. It didn’t ease the unsettling feeling she had in her stomach.
Once she finished getting herself ready for the day, Ben walked Anna to his car and kissed her goodbye. Anna arrived at her office to find a familiar face waiting for her, causing her stomach to sink. Ethan had arrived, yet again unannounced, and she was afraid it was about to become a recurring problem.
“Ahh, there you are!” he exclaimed happily.
“Ethan, what a pleasant surprise.” Anna set her things down on the ground beside her desk and was glad to see him smiling instead of frowning.
“To what do I owe the pleasure?” she asked as she sat across from him.
“I was hoping you’d be kind to an old man and let me glance at the master bathroom design.” He stuck out his bottom lip and gazed at her with puppy dog eyes.
He was back to being the Ethan she had known these past few months. It was nice, but it also had her questioning his motive. She took advantage of the good mood he was in and agreed.
“Absolutely!” Anna was just about finished with the tile design and knew he would be happy with what he saw. When she had it pulled up on her laptop, she came around the desk and sat in the chair beside him. She thought nothing of him moving his chair closer to hers until they both leaned closer to the screen and she heard Ethan take a deep breath of her hair.
“What is that intoxicating smell?”
“Shampoo?” she asked, trying to keep the mood light.
He chuckled. “Well it’s good to know that my interior designer showers.”
Anna laughed and pointed to the screen. “I used the herringbone tile pattern here. Of all the emails of tile design you sent me, this pattern was the one that popped up the most.”
“This is why I love you, Anna. I didn’t even realize that I was sending you pictures of the same tile pattern but you did and incorporated it beautifully.”
Anna scratched her head and smiled, trying not to read too much into his comment. Those words have come out of his mouth before when they chatted about the work on his house, but she took it as the highest of praises. Now, because of Cara, she didn’t know how to act around him and found it hard to be silly with him. Cara’s innocent email ruined everything.
Ethan leaned back in his chair. “And the color will be that shimmery blue I liked?”
Anna nodded.
“Perfect. It all looks great.” He folded his hands across his chest. “Now, tell me about this new boyfriend of yours.”
Before Anna could speak, Ethan continued.
“Cara said she ran into you at the mall the other day and was happy to find that the man in question is a major league baseball player?” He raised his eyebrows. “I’m impressed.”
“Uhh, yeah. Ben is his name. We met through friends.” She wasn’t about to go into details. She leaned towards the laptop again and scrolled to the shower section of the design when he continued talking about her relationship.
“Is it serious?”
It was a question she had often thought about herself. It was serious enough to her, but she wasn’t sure it was serious enough to him. She drunkenly threw up the first night they met and was being harassed by an unknown, mentally unstable person. If he wasn’t such a gentleman who thought this was all his fault, he probably would have run screaming for the hills by now.
“Anna? Is it serious?” Ethan asked again, eyeing her.
“We’ve gone on quite a few dates, so I like to believe it is. When he’s not at the field, we’re together. So, yes, it’s serious.”
His frown returned.
“Why does this upset you, Ethan? I’d think you’d want me to be happy in my personal life.” It was a bold question, but he was a married man, for God’s sake. She shouldn’t have to explain her private life to him.
He sighed heavily. “You must think I’m nuts, but I’ve enjoyed being the only man in your life.”
Unsure how to respond, Anna giggled nervously.
“Seeing as I’m a big Diamondbacks fan, I’ll let it slide.” He winked.
Anna released the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “Well, thanks.”
“Did you ever receive the roses I sent?” he asked changing the subject.
Her stomach sank once again. She had wondered daily where those flowers came from but with everything going on, decided that it didn’t matter.
“There were twenty-four of them.”
Anna nodded. “Yes, Ethan. I did get them, but I didn’t know they came from you. There was no note.”
“Damn flower company.” He stood.
“They were beautiful and extravagant. Completely unnecessary.”
He waved his hand. “Think nothing of it. I was just expressing my gratitude for all your hard work.”
Anna stood. “Did you want to see the rest of the bathroom?”
Ethan shook his head. “I’ve got to get to a meeting. You can email me.”
“Okay then. I’ll talk to you soon.”
Ethan nodded and walked away. Anna watched him until he disappeared from sight, feeling odd about their interaction. He wasn’t at all interested in the plans she had for their master bath remodel; he was there only to pry into her personal life and she didn’t like it. Anna rubbed her temples and took a deep breath, reminding herself that she needed to humor him if she was to get through the remodel and make the money she needed to venture out on her own. She was beginning to wonder if it was worth it.
Ethan had started out sweet and sensitive. She saw how hardcore he could be with the workers on his property but never thought she would ever have to experience that side of him. Even though she hadn’t felt the wrath of Ethan directly, she felt it vibrate off Cara the last time the pair was in her office and it was something she did not want to see again.
The thought of quitting the project popped into her head again but she shook those thoughts aside. There was a light at the end of the tunnel and all she had to do was keep her head down and push through the drama that was starting to come with the project. She just hoped that she didn’t have any more run-ins with Cara.
Anna was emotionally drained after her meeting. There was no way she would be able to sit through another one of his surprise visits and wondered if she was allowed to set boundaries. She shook her head, already knowing he would be offended if she came at him with the request. He would take it the wrong way and she would risk losing everything.
She was half glad when Ethan declined wanting to see the plans for the master bath since she hadn’t completely finished the design. Anna picked up her phone and sent a text to Ben.
Hey, good looking! I’ll be at the office late today. I’ll see you back at the house later tonight. Don’t miss me too much!
She smiled at her phone when she thought of Ben’s reaction to her text. His eyes would light up and that gorgeous mouth would curve into a smile. The man had consumed her thoughts lately, which was one of the reasons she was behind at work. Well, him and the insanity that was following them around. She couldn’t remember the last time she had feelings this strong for a man. And when she thought of those feelings, she felt sick to her stomach. Their relationship was all hearts and rainbows right now, but once the season began, she knew he wouldn’t want to have anything to do with her.
Anna glanced at her phone again hoping to see a response from Ben, though she knew that wasn’t possible. It was game time. She sighed and stared at her computer screen.
“Focus, Anna,” she said aloud. “You aren’t leaving here until you get this bathroom done.”
* * *
Ethan fled from Anna’s office. The confusion and disgust on her face screamed that she was displeased he sent her flowers, and it was a reaction he wasn’t used to receiving. Women welcomed his kindness and in return, they were happy to throw their naked bodies at him. Anna was making him work for her attention and he was becoming weary of it. It was time for her to see just how encouraging he could really be.