Page 25 (1/2)

I don’t bother denying the obvious But I do say, "You should be pleased Most women wouldn’t have a clue hoesome it is that you own one of those babies"

He narrows his eyes, contemplates my words "Okay, you’ve convinced me"

We enter the house, then walk down a short, winding hallway that leads to a huge, state-of-the-art kitchen Now, I love cooking as irl--probably even et back to the garage says everything you need to know about ry?"

"Not really The ice creah calories to keepthe fact that I ate an entire pint of Cherry Garcia by ain,to knohat hit therin is wicked as he propelsroom with a table that will sit twenty-four comfortably I don’t even knoenty-four people I’d want anywhere near me, and Ethan throws intimate dinner parties where he doesn’t even have to put a leaf in the table to entertain that les the mind, and underscores just how different we are in so very, very many ways

Ethan doesn’t seem to notice my discomfort at his friend and furniture situation He’s too busy throwing open the huge double doors thatrooed out here"

Relieved because his words don’t sound sexual in the slightest--not that I actually thought he would ju--I’m still a little wary as I walk out onto hispool directly in front of ues in the exact sa swi?" I ask cautiously It doesn’t sound like that bad an idea, actually I’m a little sticky from a sunny afternoon spent at the zoo, and the pool does look inviting

Except Ethan has crossed to an outdoor closet at one end of the sht side of the property And he’s not pulling out swi out wetsuits

"Even better," he tells "

Chapter Seventeen

"But I don’t kno to surf"

"Don’t worry I’ll teach you"

I glance out at the ocean, which I have a perfect view of from his patio, by the way Not to mention fro up so all over the place, and I feel more than a little bit of trepidation My athletic prowess isn’t great at the best of ti, pissed-off ocean seems like a really bad idea

But Ethan looks so excited, so happy, that I can’t just say no I am the one who asked how he handled the pressure, after all And besides, I may not trust the ocean, but I do trust Ethan to keep me safe He won’t letrooure out how the hell to put on a wetsuit over the new bikini I found in one of the drawers It seems self-explanatory, but the truth is it’s a lot y, and no o where it’s supposed to Instead, it sticks in theplaces until I’m about to scream with frustration

Ethan knocks on the door more than once, just to check if I need help, but there’s no way I’up s nohow many other women he’s loaned this wetsuit to--and how much better they et it sorted out, or at least as sorted out as I can h too hard when he sees ers, two surfboards next to hi was I in there, anyway, if he had tie into his wetsuit as well?

Deciding to chalk it up to the fact that he obviously has way izing for keeping hi He’s the one ants to do this, after all I’m the one who is about to risk death si to do it in an ill-fitting yelloetsuit

So not my finest hour

Ethan doesn’t coestures for me to come closer Which I do, warily I’m not sure I trust the look on his face

But all he does is graba little Suddenly it see--front and back--feels a lot better

"Thanks," I tell hi hier under azes ht before he bends down and brushes his lips across mine

Then, before I can even process the taste and feel of hi the way to the very edge of his property

I guess I thought we’d go through the front and back down to the beach that way, but here, on the edge of the cliff, Ethan has another surprise for me: a rocky set of stairs carved into the cliff itself that leads down to a small, private beach alcove

Here, in some of the most prime, most expensive beachfront property in the world, Ethan has his own little slice of paradise And it’s perfect

Ethan drops his surfboard close to the water and I do the sa in his eyes

"Not even a little bit," I answer

He laughs, then positions et on it," he tellstook place in the water"

"Not until after you learn the proper foret down there"

He’s not playing around, so I do what he says, stretching out on ht, because then he’s kneeling next tome to inch forward, than inch back