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“Open it. This is given without presumption. You can take whoever you want, and there are no strings attached.” He kissed my neck, his arms tightening around me. “I promise.?
?
With shaking hands, I opened the envelope.
I drew out the folded pieces of paper and unfolded them slowly. My eyes drank in the printed words. I read them once, then twice, and then I spun around in Ethan’s arms to face him.
“I can’t accept this.”
He stroked his hands up and down my back, sending shivers through me.
“You can, and you will. It’s the least you deserve. I want you to know how much you mean to me.”
“No one has ever done anything like this for me before,” I whispered, a lump in my throat.
We stared at each other, his eyes soft and full of emotion as he looked down at me.
“Ethan…when you look at me like that…” My voice trailed off, and I buried my face in his strong chest.
“Avery, you mean everything to me.” He stated the words with conviction, leaving no room for doubt in my mind.
“I feel the same,” I confessed. “And there’s no doubt in my mind that I want you there with me.”
“I’ll admit, I was hoping you’d say that.” His low rumble vibrated through me, and I laughed, drawing back to look up at him.
“And why is that?”
“I have so much to show you. I can’t wait.” A smile spread across his face, and I returned it, happiness making my heart soar. I pulled his head down to mine, and our lips met in a searing kiss.
True to his word, Ethan had the advert for a new staff member up and running the next day. Over the following week he received a huge number of applications, and he cleared the whole day after the closing date to go through them with Luke. They managed to narrow it down to four potential candidates, and Ethan invited them for interviews. Now he’d come to the decision that he was reducing his workload and hiring the new staff member, he wasn’t wasting any time. Luke had booked a week’s leave a few months prior for the week that the interviews were due to take place, but Ethan was so keen to get things moving that he decided to go ahead with the interviews without Luke.
On the Monday morning after Luke had gone on leave, the four candidates arrived in the office for their interviews. I managed to sweet-talk Ethan into letting me be involved in the interview process. Okay, I bribed him with sexual favours. Should I have? No. No, I shouldn’t. Did that stop me? No.
To be fair, he actually only let me greet them and get them drinks, staying firmly professional as always. And I admired him for that. I admired his work ethic, his dedication to Barrett London, and, to be honest, I was still shocked that he’d taken this step at all, let alone for me. The fact that he’d gone to all this trouble reinforced how much I meant to him. I still couldn’t quite believe that he felt the same way as I did.
I placed a coffee on his desk, accidentally-on-purpose nudging his drinks coaster as I did so.
“Avery, please,” he groaned.
“Sorry, couldn’t resist. Your desk is far too neat.” I smirked, and he rolled his eyes, an affectionate smile playing across his lips.
“Come here, you.” He pulled me into his lap, and I melted into his kiss, winding my arms around his neck. When we drew apart, he gazed at me, heat in his eyes. “Come home with me after work. I’m taking the evening off to spend time with my girlfriend. Unless you’re busy?”
Damn, he was gorgeous. And he wanted me.
“I’m never too busy for you. I expect you’ll need some stress relief after a long day of interviews.” I ran my hand over the obvious bulge in his trousers, and his eyes rolled back.
“Avery…”
“Drink your coffee. It’s almost time for the interviews.” I jumped up, and strolled towards his office door with a sway in my hips.
“You’ll pay for that, later,” he called after me.
I paused in his doorway. “I’m counting on it.” Smiling to myself, I headed out into the main office to greet the interviewees.
18
Ethan
