Chapter Eleven
Ethan’s heart turned over at Piper’s words. She’d seen exactly what his mother had depicted in the painting.
If Piper only knew that it was Ethan and his wolf in that painting, she’d probably run screaming from the building and never look back.
Giving her hand a slight tug, Ethan nodded to a room off to his right. “This is my study.”
Piper entered the room and ran her fingertips along the hundreds of books that lined the wall. “Wow. This is amazing. I could fit three of my offices in this space.”
The tour went on for the next fifteen minutes with Ethan glued to Piper’s every expression.
“What’s up there?” Piper nodded toward the staircase.
Instead of answering, Ethan guided her toward the stairs, holding tightly to her hand as she stepped onto the bottom step.
At the top, Ethan stopped before his bedroom door, gripped the knob, and pushed it wide.
Piper’s mouth opened on a silent gasp.
Ethan couldn’t take his gaze from Piper’s face as she stepped into his room and took in its contents.
“Your bed is on a dais,” she pointed out, her eyes round with admiration. “And I love the onyx tile beneath the white rug.”
“This is my favorite place.” Ethan nudged her forward to the glass doors and slid them open.
He watched as she stepped onto the large balcony and took in the scene in front of her.
“It’s absolutely breathtaking. I love how the lights sparkle on the surface of the water.”
Ethan liked it too. But not as much he loved looking at Piper’s enchanting face.
She released his hand and slowly moved to the railing of the balcony. “I’ll have a view like this one day.”
Moving to stand next to her, Ethan peered down at her profile. “I hope I’m able to help make that happen.”
Piper glanced up at him before returning her attention to the scenery. “No. I’ve decided to go with Calibri’s.”
More than a little surprised by her statement, Ethan rested his finger beneath her chin and brought her gaze back to him. “You’re turning down my offer?”
“I am.”
“If it’s not enough money, I—”
“It’s not about the money,” Piper interrupted, effectively cutting off his argument. “It’s about us.”
Ethan stilled, waiting for her to elaborate.
“I enjoy your company, Ethan. If I’m going to do business with you, I can no longer see you on a personal level.”
“Does that mean you want to see me?”
She blushed a little, turning her face away in an obvious attempt to hide that fact. Which only endeared her to him even more.
“I’m here, aren’t I?”
Ethan’s cock stirred to life once more. Damn her for being so honest. Yet, he loved that quality in her. “That you are. Shall we eat?”
He rested his palm against the small of her back and ushered her through his room and back down the stairs.
Dinner consisted of roasted duck, new potatoes, a variety of vegetables, and a chocolate soufflé.
Ethan couldn’t remember ever having enjoyed dinner as much as he did that night. The food was cooked to perfection, the wine one of his favorites, but the company, ah, the company was the best.
Piper’s beauty and confident demeanor literally stole his breath. He wanted to leap from his chair and devour her.
She obviously had no idea what kind of power she wielded with those pale green eyes of hers.
He picked up his glass of wine. “Were you serious about not accepting my offer?”
She shrugged a silk-covered shoulder. “That all depends on what you tell me happened to you last night.”
Another rush of blood surged to his cock. He wanted to kiss that challenging tone from her lips. To remove the rebellion from her eyes.
Ethan wanted to dominate her, he realized, shifting in his seat to relieve the throbbing of his erection. Bending her to his will would prove to be a challenge, but he was damn sure up for it.
Taking a sip of his wine, Ethan met her challenging gaze. “I deal with a lot of shady characters in my business. Men that have much to lose and no moral compass. Remember what I said after our kiss next to your car?”
“You said we were being watched.”
Taking a deep breath, he continued. “I was followed from the restaurant to the Blue Sapphire. I went outside to confront the man following me, only he wasn’t alone. I trailed him through the woods for a while before giving up and returning to the bar.”
“To find me gone,” Piper finished for him.
With a nod, he took another drink. He hated lying to her, but left with no choice, that’s exactly what he did. “I’m sorry, Piper.”
Her defiant gaze softened. “No, I’m the one who should be sorry. You even came to my home, and I shut you out.”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” Ethan insisted. “Had the shoe been on the other foot, I would have reacted just as you did.”
Time flew by as Ethan sat, listening to Piper talk of her childhood, her friend Rhonda, and her love of fashion. He felt as if he could sit there all night, gazing into her exotic eyes.
“Any serious relationships?” he found himself asking before he could stop it.
Piper shrugged. “A couple, but they never amounted to anything.”
“Tell me about them.” Had he really just asked her that?
A far-off look appeared in her eyes. “One was right after high school. I was working in sales at a local department store and had recently began modeling. His name was Lenny, but everyone called him Casper.
“He had light blond hair,” she added when Ethan lifted an eyebrow. “Plus, he burned pretty easy when he got in the sun.”
Ethan nodded for her to continue.
“Well, we saw each other for about a year, until he unexpectedly proposed one night.”
“I take it you said no?”
Piper laughed, the most intoxicating sound Ethan had ever heard. It wasn’t one of those fake laughs, or sultry chuckles. No, it was genuine, and man, his erection was back in full force.
“I couldn’t accept his proposal even if I’d wanted to. My modeling career had recently taken off. Between that and work, I barely had time to breathe, let alone be a wife.”
“But you loved him.” It wasn’t a question.
Piper smiled, swirling her glass of wine. “In a sense. But I wasn’t in love with him. And I knew I’d never settle for anything less.”
Unable to stop himself, Ethan pressed. “And the other relationship?”
Piper took a drink of her wine. “His name was Vince. He was the polar opposite of Lenny. Dark hair, biker-type bad boy. I suppose he fit into my rebellious lifestyle at the time.”
Jealousy settled in Ethan’s gut. She spoke of Vince with a different tone than the one she’d reserved for Lenny. “So, Vince swept you off your feet, huh?”
“I guess you could say that,” Piper murmured. “He was my first, so I sort of formed an attachment to him.”
Yeah, Ethan despised Vince already. “What happened?” He wasn’t sure he really wanted to know.
Piper leaned back in her seat and crossed her shapely legs. “He had no ambition. No drive. I somehow knew he would never grow up and learn responsibility. So, I broke it off with him.”
“You ever hear from him?”
“Last I heard, he was doing time for armed robbery.”
Ethan’s shoulders relaxed. He didn’t have to worry about Vince waltzing back into Piper’s life. Not that she would have the criminal, he silently admitted. She had far too much class for the likes of that guy.
“And you?” she prompted, staring at him with that damnable assurance he found so intriguing.
Ethan shook his head. “I’ve never been in love. Not even close.”
“You’ve never had a serious relationship?”
“I’ve never wanted one.” Until now, his mind whispered, catching him off guard.
Stunned and more than a little confused by his thoughts of Piper, Ethan stood and held out his hand. “Would you like to sit on the balcony?”
“Actually, I should probably go. It’s after midnight.”
She moved to stand, only to sway on her feet. “Whoa. I must have had more to drink than I realized.”
“You’re staying here tonight.”