“Do you need to kiss me in front of someone else for some other business deal?” Amy asked.
“No, it would be just for you and me, if you’d like that. Believe me when I say I’m not going to try anything. I might give you a hard time, but it’s only because you seem to get a real kick out of it.”
“It’s fine,” Amy replied. She shook her head. “You can sleep in the bed with me. Just behave yourself. And don’t say some crap about being my husband.” Amy walked back over to her suitcase and grabbed herself a t-shirt and some shorts to sleep in. She grabbed a pair of boxers from Ethan’s suitcase and tossed them to him. “Put these on while I’m changing.”
As she changed, Ethan said, “If I were your husband, Amy. I’d want nothing more in the world than to lie down next to you and wrap my arms around you as we drifted off to sleep,” he said. “Nothing sexual. Not that at all. I’d want that deep down comfort of not being alone. I’d trade the rest of it away in a heartbeat for that.”
After quickly changing in the bathroom, Amy came back into the room and got into bed. The bed felt so cold around her, but she could feel the hint of heat from Ethan lying next to her. “If you promise not to make a move on me, you can put your arm around me,” she said. “I’ll let you make that trade.”
“Smartest deal I’ve ever made,” Ethan said. Her turned toward Amy and placed his hand on her shoulder, slowly sliding his fingers over her arm. There was a gentleness to his touch that she hadn’t expected. Despite his usual boldness, he held her like he was holding a priceless work of art. The smoothness and care of his touch made Amy regret telling him not to try anything. As Ethan wrapped his arm over her stomach and nuzzled his nose against her neck, Amy wanted nothing more than to see what he would do next.#p#分页标题#e#
“You know, if you don’t watch out, I think you might start to like me,” Ethan whispered. He started to say something else, but he trailed off before Amy could make sense of his words. Within a few moments, he had fallen fast asleep.
I think I already have, Amy thought. As she listened to his rhythmic breathing, Amy couldn’t help but smile. The room was still cool from having been open for so long, and a chill still hung in the air, emphasizing the warmth of Ethan’s body against hers. She loved the way he had draped his arm over her as he drifted off, and she loved how warm and safe she felt with him beside her.
She wondered what she would have done if Ethan had made another move on her. A thrill ran through her core as she imagined Ethan sliding his hands over her hips to pull her tighter against himself. She imagined his light touch against her inner thigh and his lips against her neck. Though she was warm now, she felt a quick shiver as she reminded herself not to get carried away in fantasy. And, for the first time, she decided that maybe, just maybe, she’d consider seeing where things went over the rest of the trip. As she closed her eyes, she knew she’d sleep well.
Chapter 12
The next morning, Amy woke alone. There was no sign of Ethan in the room. Even his half of the bed seemed like it hadn’t been slept in. She wondered for a moment if she had just dreamt the whole thing, but then she turned over and saw her wet bathing suit on the bathroom floor. The whole thing seemed like a blur in her mind. She almost felt hung over, like she had been intoxicated the night before on the idea that she and Ethan could actually have something together. Instead, she was left alone again.
A moment later, Ethan came back through the door, holding a tray. “Morning, sunshine,” he said as he walked across the room. “Hank had a meeting with his lawyers in town this morning. They’re going over a few of the finer points of the potential deal I thought maybe you and I could spend some quality time together. I brought you breakfast in bed because, well, I think you’ll need your energy.”
Amy looked at the tray of food, and, as she sat up in bed, she wondered what exactly Ethan had in mind for her. Then she looked at what he was wearing: snow pants and a long sleeved shirt. “No more snowshoeing,” Amy said.
“Of course not,” Ethan said as he placed the tray down on Amy’s lap. “I’m going to teach you how to ski.”
“You what?” Amy replied. Snowshoeing was one thing, but skiing, downhill, that was another. “Trying to kill me off already?” She smiled at him. “And here I thought you were starting to like me.”
“Easy, Amy,” Ethan replied. “It will be fun. Hank has a private slope. I’ll teach you myself. All the gear is ready to go. You really slept in this morning.”