Page 37 of The Bargain (Dalton Family #2)

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Ethan

I wake before dawn, on my back, with Sofia curled into my side, and I don’t even think about moving.

She’s changing me , I think. No other woman ever made me savor every second with them the way she does.

And the truth is that had felt normal, which I know now had a lot to do with how I allowed Anna in my life.

It felt as if marriage was a business endeavor.

And now I know better.

The right person feels different.

Sofia feels right and different, and I’m going to do my damnedest to hold onto her, including winning over her father.

Spanking her, holy fuck, she’s sweet and sexy, and the way she gave herself to me, the way she trusted me, only makes me want to earn that trust on every level.

As for New York, she’s right. I need to go back, which I already knew and planned, but there’s a part of me that still wants to head straight to Paris, where I can keep her the hell away from my family.

I think she’s far more capable than the average person of checkmating anyone who crosses her, regardless of them holding the Dalton name or not.

Sofia shifts out of my arms and rolls to her side.

I follow her, wrapping my arms and body around her, only to have her press her backside against me, a little sound escaping her lips.

And not for the first time this very night, I think, this is where I belong , right here, holding Sofia , and I’m in no rush to start the new day.

I close my eyes, and the next time I wake, my alarm is going off and the sun is a burst of fuck-me with brightness.

I groan and shift to realize Sofia is gone, and when I push up to my elbows and hunt for her, I find her exiting the bathroom, a pink silk robe clinging to delicate curves.

“Morning,” she says, a shy quality to her voice.

I shift to a sitting position using the headboard to rest against. “Morning. Come back to bed.” I motion for her to join me.

“It’s late. Seven-thirty already. We have to make our appointment at the passport office. They emailed me and said to be there right at nine. If I come to bed, I don’t know if we’ll make it.”

“Good point, but I’m not sure I care.”

She laughs. “You have to care. We need to get you to New York. Also, Harper texted me. I’ll have my contract today for sure.”

“I told you.” My cellphone rings, and I grab it from the nightstand to find Anna calling, gritting my teeth at the idea of talking to her.

“I’m going to make coffee,” Sofia says. “Take your call.” She’s already headed for the door, and I grunt and throw away the blanket, sitting up and not even thinking about answering the call. I’ll be there tomorrow. I’ll talk to my father and my brother about whatever is going on, not her.

The minute the call ends, it starts ringing again. I grimace and pull on my pants before walking toward the bathroom. I’ve just turned on the shower when my cell starts ringing again, and I’m at my limit. My temper is hot when I finally answer. “What, Anna?”

“Why are you so hostile?”

“ What do you need?”

“Your brother—”

“You already have him.”

“Don’t be a smartass. Grant—”

“I’ll be there tomorrow. I’ll handle him then.”

“Where are you now? Why didn’t you handle him already?” she snaps. “He’s not right, Ethan. This deal he’s made must have gone south. He’s pacing. He’s not sleeping. He’s all jittery, so I think he’s on something.”

Sounds like Grant , I think. When the going gets tough, he reaches for an outlet, and apparently Anna isn’t it anymore. “If you’re this worried, go see my father.”

“He won’t listen to me. You know that.”

“I don’t know anything about your relationship with my brother or my father,” I say, my tone as uncaring as I feel.

“I know you’re bitter—”

“Move on. I have.”

“If you’re no longer thinking with your cock, think with your wallet. He’s gotten Dalton in bed with the wrong people, and you’ve done nothing about it.”

“You’re confused if you think my time with you was about some undying desire to fuck you. It was a business transaction that went bankrupt.”

“You’re such a dick.”

“Yeah, well, go suck my brother’s a little longer, and maybe you can control him again. If not, talk to my father.”

“No reason to be so crass.”

“I’m just speaking the truth.”

“If you think you’re not implicated in this mess, you’re wrong,” she snaps. “We’ll all end up in jail if you don’t find a way to get him out of this.”

“Sounds to me like you’re scared, and it makes me wonder just how involved you really are, Anna. My guess is, you were behind whatever my brother is into, until it went south. I’ll be home tomorrow night. If things are as bad as you think they are, talk to my father.”

“Ethan—”

I hang up and set my phone down, shed my pants, and walk to the shower before stepping under the warm water, my hands settling on the wall, my jaw locked.

I do not love Anna. I never loved her. A normal person, however, would break up with their ex and part ways, not sit across from them at Christmas dinner.

She seems to revel in the divide between me and Grant.

Sofia’s right, though. I need to fix my family.

It’s what my mother would want, but they have to want to come together, and I’m not sure that’s an idea grounded in reality.

As for Grant, he’s fucked up. He’s always been fucked up.

I’m not sure I can blame my father for worrying over Grant, who’s clearly easily led astray, but the way he’s going about managing Grant isn’t working.

He’s crashing and burning. And if Anna is legit, and not full of bullshit, he’s taking us with him.

The door to the shower opens and closes, and Sofia steps inside—gorgeous and everything I need right now.

I catch her to me and fold her close. She laughs and pushes me against the wall.

With her hands planted on my chest, she studies me, understanding in her face. “What happened? What’s wrong?”

“Family stuff. Fucking Anna. She says Grant is high and in a shit storm of trouble. I don’t know what to believe.”

“Then we need to leave tonight for sure. Maybe right after I get my passport.”

“No. Your father matters. We stay until we get him straight.”

She pushes to her toes, her now wet, naked body pressed to mine, and plants a kiss on my mouth. “We have to find a way to take care of both.”

We .

The way she uses the word “we” feels right in ways I don’t expect, and yet deep down, I already know where this is headed. “Yes,” I say. “We do.”

Her lips curve, and she reaches down and wraps her hand around my cock.

“You seem ready for a distraction. Why don’t I help you with that?

” With that, she lowers herself to her knees and presses her mouth to my stomach, her hands on my waist, while I can think of a better place for them and her mouth.

“Have I mentioned you have abs of steel, and that’s really hot? ”

“No,” I say, my voice rough, my body aching with the need for her hand again. “You have not.”

“Well, you do, and it is.” She wraps my erection right at the base. “Everything about you is impressive.” She licks my cock, and holy hell, her tongue is my version of life gone right, and I’m too on edge to hold back or be gentle. “Suck me, baby.”

“You’re so impatient,” she teases, not at all put off by my urgency, and her tongue is back in action, every muscle in my body tense and waiting for what she’s denying me.

Payback is hell, indeed. She draws the head into her mouth and then twirls her tongue around it, and her sweet little mouth is about as hot as her sweet little pussy.

She is everything a man wants. Dirty and sexy for me and me alone.

Prim and perfect for everyone else. That’s hot.

When she finally closes her lips around me and slowly takes me all in, my hand is on her head, holding her there, and when she starts pumping, licking, and sucking, I decide if I die right now, I’m a happy man.

And she isn’t even done with me. She sucks me off, and she seems to like it. The way I like pleasing her.

When it’s done, and there isn’t an ounce of tension left in my body, I look down at her still on her knees, and I think I might fall in love with this woman.

She might think it’s a ridiculous time for me to have that realization, but I’d argue it’s the perfect time.

It’s the moment that she was on her knees and brought me to my knees.

It’s when I had ten problems, and they all went away because of her.

And it’s when she showed me that no matter how shy about some things she is, she’s not shy about me.

She’s the perfect woman.

I drag her to her feet and turn her to the corner, my hand on her face. “My turn.”

“We don’t have time.”

“We’ll make the time. And just so you know, you’re mine. And a man should take care of what’s his.” With that, it’s my turn to go down on my knees, and I proceed to lick her until she’s crying out my name.