His declaration switched on a part of her that Mandy had never imagined existed. His mode of expression was part-crude, part-factual, and countless layers of stimulating in the most elemental way possible. He’d gone for the shock factor, and if her thumping heart and hardened nipples were anything to go by, he’d certainly hit the mark.
“I…I don’t know what to say.”
“Just trust me, okay? I’ll never hurt you. I literally would rather get my hands cut off before I do that.”
Mandy wanted to melt into a puddle in her seat. Too much to process at once, it was virtually impossible for her to argue as he suddenly swung the car into the next U-turn on the highway and sped up the hilly slope till a storied house could be seen in the distance.
She could tell it was a huge, manor type of place in the middle of nowhere. Mandy’s heart beat faster in a mixture of excitement, terror, and wonder. Had Ethan really just said all those things? As incredible to believe as it was, she couldn’t fault her hearing. She’d known he was physically attracted to her and yet this was different. He was practically confessing he’d become infatuated with her, and it just seemed impossible to consider.
What had it been…three or four days since they’d met? She couldn’t deny he’d struck her senses that first time and since then, she’d been fixated on finding out all she could about him. Just for professional reasons, she’d thought. Now things were getting real and Mandy panicked.
She hadn’t signed up for this. Some women might feel flattered, but Mandy was just freaked out and terrified. What the hell was she supposed to do now?
Chapter Six
Too late, Mandy realized how easily she’d let down her guard. Big mistake with a guy like Ethan. Even with his best intentions and hers, the attraction was far too strong. She may have denied it in her heart from the beginning, but her body now had a mind of its own.
They’d taken a tour of Ethan’s beautiful mansion, which had an inviting yet relaxing Zen feel to the bedrooms and a living room filled with items by the world’s top designer. Andy Warhol paintings adorned the walls and the whole house shone from the beautiful, dark wood flooring. The kitchen was the most impressive that Mandy had ever seen; it was sleek and modern with stylish bar stools and contemporary lighting to set off the well-laid island and state of the art kitchen appliances. In his office, Mandy got to see his collection of custom guitars plus many awards that were displayed proudly on the walls, both from The Strum albums and personal ones he’d received for being best guitarist of the year two years in the running.
Mandy fell in love with the master bathroom, which had a luxurious marble floor, and the master bedroom, which boasted a fireplace and its own private balcony. He even had a recording studio and a game room, which looked like a gamer’s paradise complete with a huge screen, consoles, and gaming chairs. She could just imagine how it must have been growing up in such a lovely house with its view of the mountains and wooded valleys.
“Robert bought this place because it was a great place to write and raise a family,” Ethan said. “Now that it’s all finished, I can come here and write my music and do some recordings, too. None of the guys have been here yet, not since it I’d bought it and had it redone.”
“It’s nothing like what I’d expect a rock star’s house to be,” Mandy said wryly, inwardly warmed to think she’d really been the first he’d brought here. None of his groupie girlfriends or latest squeeze and not even one of his band brothers. She still hadn’t come down from the high she’d got when he’d first told her how he felt about her. She’d never been a grown man’s crush either; not that she knew of and certainly no rock star’s fantasy. Not her – curvy, plain-Jane Mandy. Her sisters would freak out if she told them what Ethan had said to her. They’d just die.
“Oh, there are a few rooms I could show you that pays homage to my dark, troubled side,” Ethan said with a smirk as he mixed them each a dry martini. Mandy hesitated slightly before accepting her glass. She’d never been much of a drinker, but Ethan insisted. “Try it. I make the best of them this side of the coast. You need to live a little, baby.”
Mandy blushed. “Don’t call me that.”
Ethan merely grinned even wider, leaning in to growl close to her ear, “Why not?”
And then before Mandy’s lower body could turn completely to jelly from his closeness and the delicious smell of his cologne, he drew back, the blue of his eyes now darker rimmed, mysterious. He changed the subject.