Her heart swelled at the thoughtfulness. He was one of the good ones, she’d always known that. But the way he spoke, the warmth in his gaze and in his deep voice was enough to make her forget all the reasons she’d made up about why she couldn’t be with Ethan. Not that he’d still want to. She’d come up with stupid excuses each time he’d asked her out. Now he was just being a decent guy. She’d be silly to be reading into it. “Well thanks…you didn’t have to. I don’t want us to start being a burden, and as for Dani—feel free to ignore her. Once you start answering her demands they’ll only escalate.”
He smiled warmly at her. Good lord, the man had the power to charm the socks off her just by smiling. “Well, I was also told that you like a late afternoon coffee.” He handed her a red cup, and she admired the white snowflake design.
She accepted the cup, a warmth and tingle sweeping through her as her fingers brushed against his, which had nothing to do with the hot beverage. “Thank you, this smells so good.”
“I figured since you drink so much of it you should have the good stuff. It’s organic, single origin. Roasted locally.”
“What flavor?”
He made a face that was both arrogant and adorable at the same time. “No flavors. Real coffee. Try it.”
She took a sip and moaned, closing her eyes as the rich flavor hit her. “Sooooo good,” she whispered. Ethan’s garbled cough made her snap her eyes open to look at him, but he was busy sipping his own coffee. She forced a casual expression on her face, holding her cup a little closer. “So what do you think of Haven House?”
Ethan looked away for a moment, but not before she caught a flash of something in his eyes. Right. Of course this wouldn’t look like anything much to someone like him.
“Never mind, silly question, right? I’m sure this looks like nothing special.”
“It’s special,” he said. His voice almost sounded harsh and his gaze was intense on hers. “That kid you were talking to looked like he was only fifteen or sixteen.”
She nodded. “Yeah, Max. He’s one of the newer kids. Really nice, I can feel it. Sometimes I get a feeling about people, you know? Even if at first they’re kind of rude or cold, I can sense who they are underneath.”
He didn’t say anything for a long moment, those brown eyes of his filled with a depth that made her want to know how much more there was to him.
“Is this your office?” He flicked his chin.
“What gave it away?”
“The Christmas tree, the empty coffee mugs, and the picture of Danielle on your desk. Also, you were standing right in front of the door.”
She laughed, watching as his gaze wandered the room. She stood aside so he could walk in. “I guess it’s a little different from yours, huh?”
He filled up the small space, hands in his pockets, gaze on hers. “I like it,” he said in a low voice, the barest hint of a smile on his face. Her heart started to race, and she walked into the space with him. She was drawn to that expression in his eyes, the affection, or whatever it was that was reeling her in. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Allie. I think what you’re doing here is incredible. I think you’re gifted. I think you’re practically a damn saint.”
“I don’t think you’re supposed to swear and say saint in the same sentence,” she said, babbling because somehow Ethan was now standing within an inch of her. The craziest thing was that she couldn’t be sure who had approached whom. And right now she really didn’t care, either. Also, his praise was a little too much to handle. Ethan smelled like the outdoors and a hint of some fresh, clean cologne. His hair was now mussed up and he looked delectably male and gorgeous up close.
“I gave up trying to impress the higher-ups a long time ago,” he said in a way that seemed to hint at something. She couldn’t pursue it, because her phone vibrated. The sound was jarring in her quiet office. She swallowed hard and forced herself to back up a step and glance at the phone.
“Ugh. It’s my sister. She wants to know if you’re coming home with dinner soon.”
Ethan smiled, and all of a sudden it was like the moment was lost, her questions fading. Ethan’s undivided attention was disconcerting in all the best ways. “You can tell her yes. I stopped and picked up food, too. I’m parked out front.”
“Thanks, but seriously. You don’t have to do all this.” The noise from the dining room increased, and the sounds of chairs scraping against the floor signified dinner was starting. She was done for the day.
He shrugged. “It’s not a big deal, Allie.”
“Actually, it is. I also need to speak to you about some sort of repayment plan—” She stopped talking, because he sounded like he was choking.
He gave her the full-on, intense Ethan stare that robbed her of her voice. “You’re not paying me a damn thing.” His voice was low and filled with warmth…delicious, single-estate, dark-roast-organic-coffee warmth.
“You cannot give a teenager access to that kind of money,” she whispered, moving closer to him so that no one would overhear. She made it a point of never talking about money or dressing too showy, which wasn’t usually a problem. But even today she’d been self-conscious in her designer gear, at least it had been casual.
“Don’t worry about it. Dani got everything you needed?”
Allie nodded. She found herself standing close to him as they walked to the front door. Every time she stood this close to Ethan he managed to evoke feelings of safety and excitement, both of which were foreign feelings for her. His cashmere coat clung to his broad shoulders, and his trademark blue tie peeked out from underneath. Everything about him exuded wealth and power. Things that should mean nothing to her, except they also symbolized how hard he worked and how talented he was to be able to build a company from nothing. She darted her gaze away from his face, which was looking far too appealing this close. His five o’clock shadow seemed to only highlight his strong, lean features, and framed a gorgeous mouth.
He placed the tray of coffee on the front desk. She reached for her coat, but Ethan had already intercepted and was holding it for her. She stepped into it and felt as though she were stepping inside a decadently warm bubble bath that was scented with Ethan. She tried not to sigh at her stupidity and picked up her new bag.
He held the door open. “Ready to go?”
She nodded. “Yeah, thanks. I’m wiped,” she said, grabbing the tray before they stepped out into the cold night air. She hugged her coat closer and walked with him to his car. Somehow he’d managed to find parking on the perpetually packed street. Minutes later they were pulling away from the curb and she was feeling the intimacy of the small luxury car around her. Ethan shifted gears and drove through the city streets with a confidence that she added to her growing list of things she was impressed by.
“Did you manage to salvage your day after we ambushed you?” It felt odd to be sharing details of their day. They usually hung out in the company of Jackson and Hannah, not really on their own, and certainly not like this.
He nodded. “Yeah, how about you?” He pulled into his parking spot in the underground garage. He retrieved two bags from Whole Foods as well as his leather laptop bag and swung it over his shoulder.