Page 171 of When We Ignite

The next morning felt like waking up to a dream. It started slow, with Ethan soft and pliant in bed. He kissed me awake, and within ten minutes, I was back inside his body. He let me hold his wrists again, and I kept it going for the better part of an hour, in no rush to end it for either of us.

Afterward, as we caught our breaths, I dipped my toes back into reality, checking my messages from Aria. Even so, I allowed myself to be as affectionate as I wanted. I pulled Ethan into the shower with me, taking my time to wash every inch of him. My hands worked through his hair, and I kept him close, savoring the quiet intimacy.

We had room service delivered, and as Ethan settled into the chair beside me, I tugged his legs onto my lap, draping them over mine. I sipped my coffee, my hand lazily caressing his skin while I checked emails. Ethan kept shooting me curious glances, his lips twitching like he was suppressing a question. I met his gaze with nothing but smiles, letting the comfortable silence linger between us.

Aria helped me rearrange my schedule for the week, giving me as much free time with him as possible. By lunchtime, we picked Ethan up, and I took him shopping. He teased me mercilessly about my “shopping addiction,” laughing as I searched for things I knew he’d like. It didn’t escape my notice that he still wore my bracelet every day. While he wasn’t looking, I ordered a custom-made gold chain for him, set to be delivered to New York.

Back at the hotel, arms full of shopping bags, Ethan was already itching to head out again. He was relaxed, happy—his smile easy and effortless, such a stark contrast to the day before. I found myself constantly trying to pull more of them from him, drawn to the way he lit up.

Every time I took a work call, Ethan listened intently. He’d been doing that for a while now, but lately, something had shifted. He wasn’t just curious—he wasinvested. He asked sharper questions, challenged ideas, even offered insights that were surprisingly on point. It never failed to amaze me how quickly he picked up on things, how naturally he understood the way power moved through business.

It wasn’t just casual interest.

I could see it, even if he hadn’t fully admitted it to himself yet—he was starting to piece together what he wanted for his own future. And I had a feeling my world, the one he was slowly learning to navigate, had more of a pull on him than he realized.

The next couple of days followed the same rhythm—easy, full of laughter, filled withus. And I could say with certainty that I had never been as happy as I was in those moments with him.

* * *

Henry arrived on Saturday, and even though I was a little reluctant to share him, Ethan was happy to see him.

We went out for drinks in the early afternoon, and I watched them chat animatedly, passing around Ethan’s vape, while I wrapped up work calls.

“Just bars and restaurants,” Ethan was saying as I hung up.

“What was that?” I asked, setting my phone down and lacing my fingers with his.

“I asked if you’ve been to any clubs,” Henry said, taking a drag and glancing at our joined hands.

“I do that for you, not for my idea of fun,” I replied dryly.

Henry chuckled. “Well, then do it for me again,” he said, widening his eyes dramatically. “It’s corporate espionage.”

I turned to Ethan. “Do you want to go, darling?”

Ethan looked back at Henry with a smile. “Sure.”

Henry gave us a puzzled look. “I’ll make some calls,” Henry said, pulling out his phone. “We could hit a couple of places.”

“Whatever you like,” I said, lighting a cigarette and pressing a quick kiss to Ethan’s hand.

“You know what I’ve never done?” Ethan said suddenly.

“What?”

“Gone to a gay club.”

Henry snorted. “Figures. Fair warning, Spanish men are far more aggressive than Americans, and you look like bait.”

“He’ll be with us. It’s fine,” I said dismissively.

When Ethan excused himself to find the restroom, and as soon as he was out of earshot, Henry gave me a pointed look.

“What?”

“Nothing. You keep surprising me, that’s all,” he said with a shrug.

“With Ethan?”