The soft knock on my office door was followed immediately by it swinging open without permission.
"Morning, boss," Aiden drawled, strolling inside with the same irreverence he'd shown me since college.
I didn't even look up from the documents I was signing. "Learn to wait for a response after knocking."
"Good morning, Mr. Blackwood," came another voice.
My head snapped up at once.
That voice.
Well, well, well. Look who found me.
Standing in my office,impossibly, absurdly,was the very man I'd been trying not to think about every damn night for weeks. My hot stranger. Except now he wasn't a stranger at all.
"This is Ethan Pierce," Aiden said, dropping lazily onto the couch across from me, like he hadn't just detonated a bomb in my life. "Your new bodyguard."
My insides were doing things I would never have admitted out loud. I was so close to laughing at the universe for its twisted sense of humor.
"Mr. Pierce here will make sure you feel safe wherever you are." Aiden continued with a little too much smugness. "He's the best. Exactly like I told you, probably even better and Good at what he does."
Oh, I knew he was good at what he did. Very good. I bit down a smile that threatened to form on my lips, because right now was definitely not the time to recall flashes of how good his hand felt or how well our bodies would fit perfectly together.
Ethan stood tall, dressed in a fitted black suit that clung to his frame in ways that made remembering far too easy. His expression was sharp, professional, like a mask he'd snapped into place. Not a flicker of recognition crossed his face. Not a twitch, not even a slip.
So that was how he wanted to play it? Pretend?
Fine. Two could play at this game.
"Well, my work here is done," Aiden announced, standing again and brushing invisible lint from his jacket. "Ethan will be staying in an apartment in the penthouse, so you can call him when needed."
"Wait… what?" Ethan and I said in unison.
Aiden just grinned, eyes darting between us with an almost conspiratorial glint. "It's for your good, Alex. Don't forget you've got that meeting with Grey Tech in an hour." He blew me a mocking kiss before disappearing out the door, leaving the air thick with silence.
I turned to Ethan, already savoring the way his jaw ticked as he stared back at me.
"You can just call me Ethan," he said flatly, his voice low and clipped.
"Pierce works fine for me," I countered smoothly. "Sit down while I clear my desk."
"I'll wait outside," he replied instantly, already turning toward the door.
So cold. I could still work with that.
It was kinda funny.
"Suit yourself," I said, grabbing my phone and calling ,Clara my secretary, to pick up the signed documents. My eyes lingered on Ethan's broad shoulders as he stood at attention near the door, back straight, hands clasped behind him like a soldier.
Like he hadn't practically rock a part of my world a few weeks ago.
By the time we left for the Grey Tech meeting, my patience was fraying, but my amusement wasn't. Ethan walked two steps behind me, his posture rigid, his eyes scanned the lobby like a hawk looking for its next meal.
In the elevator, it was just the two of us. The mirrored walls reflected his silhouette tall, tense, and infuriatingly attractive.
"You're good at ignoring me," I murmured, breaking the silence.
"I'm not here to entertain you, sir," he said without glancing my way.
Ouch. Ok fair enough.
"Sir?" I echoed with a smirk. "You weren't calling me that when you..."
His head snapped toward me, eyes saying a lot of things all at once. "Don't."
I leaned back against the rail, lips curving. Oh, this was going to be fun.
The elevator doors dinged open, cutting off my next remark. Ethan strode out first, scanning the lobby, his hand brushing discreetly near his jacket where I suspected a weapon was holstered.
The sheer control of him,it was maddening. And it made me want to shatter it even more.
At the Grey Tech meeting, Ethan stayed by the wall, silent and watchful. Every time I glanced at him, his eyes weren't on me but on the exits, on the strangers in the room, on anything except the man who he should be looking at, who is obviously me.
He thought he could ignore me or I would back down easy, well ,he thought wrong.
After the meeting, we rode in the car together. Cass is back to being my driver thankfully, but Ethan had insisted on sitting beside me in the back. His presence filled the entire car, his shoulder brushing mine when the car turned sharply.
"Relax, Pierce," I said softly, leaning closer. "You're wound so tight, I'm surprised you can breathe." he smells really good.
"I'm doing my job," he replied without looking at me.
My lips curved into a slow smile. "That's one way of putting it."
His jaw tightened. Oh, he heard the insinuation. Good.
I reached for my phone, deliberately letting my fingers brush his thigh as I did. He went rigid, but didn't move away. His self control was impressive. Almost enough to fool me into thinking he wasn't affected.
Later that evening, Aiden called me, his tone far too gleeful.
"Ethan's apartment is all set up. Right across the hall from yours. Convenient, right?"
I rolled my eyes even though he couldn't see me. "You're insufferable."
"Maybe. But you're welcome."
I hung up before he could say more. Aiden knew I was a tad bit attracted to Ethan, so to him he was trying to set me up with my new bodyguard, if only he knew.
The thought of Ethan so close,just a door away, was exciting. Dangerous, but exciting.
I found myself lingering in the hallway longer than necessary when I returned home, waiting for him to arrive. And when he did, carrying nothing but a single duffel bag, he didn't even glance at me as he unlocked his new door.
I couldn't resist.
"Make yourself at home," I said, leaning casually against my own doorway.
His head tilted slightly toward me, "I'm here for work, not comfort."
I smirked. "Yeah, yeah. Keep telling yourself that and whatever you want to believe"
For the first time since he'd arrived, his composure cracked,just slightly. His eyes flicked to mine, heat flaring before he smothered it under ice again.
Got you.
I stepped closer, lowering my voice. "Tell me, Pierce… how long do you think you can keep acting like we haven't met before ?"
His lips parted, but no words came. For one perfect, charged second, the air between us vibrated with the memory of that brief but unforgettable encounter. His control faltered. And then, just as quickly, his mask slammed back into place.
"Goodnight, Mr. Blackwood," he said, his voice like steel
He shut the door between us. Not giving me the opportunity to say more.
But I'd seen it, the slight slip and the undeniable spark.
This wasn't over. Not by a long shot.
My Shameless new life goal is to get Ethan pierce into my Bed.