Claire
After another night of little sleep between sex sessions, I woke up to see Ethan with a cocky grin on his face. I was cuddled into his chest, and he cupped my naked butt.
“What?” I furrowed my brows at him.
“You were murmuring my name in your sleep.”
“I was?” A slow burn crept up my neck.
He kissed me on the forehead. “Yep.”
“No I wasn’t. You’re lying!”
He laughed. “You were! But don’t worry, it was cute.”
I pushed my face into his chest.
Ethan laughed some more. “Want some coffee?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, I’ll go start it.” He stood up, then stopped and gazed around the room.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m not sure what I’m supposed to wear.”
I started laughing, got up, and pulled a pair of his boxers out of my beach bag. “Here.”
“You had these and made me free-ball it at the bonfire last night?”
“Yep.” I licked my lips and grinned.
Ethan laughed. “What else do you have in that bag?”
“A pair of shorts and a t-shirt for you, another outfit for me.”
His head snapped over. “What kind of outfit?”
I laughed. “Nothing exciting, horny boy. Now go make me coffee! The grounds are in a Ziploc bag in the cabinet by the sink.”
“You're so bossy!" He grinned at me.
"I think you like me being bossy."
He kissed me again and left the room.
I pulled my clothes out of the bag and threw them on, then walked out to the kitchen. “Looks like another beautiful day.” The sun shone brightly outside the window, and the lake sparkled once again.
Ethan was pouring water in the coffee maker. “I think we should go kayaking after breakfast.”
“I’m up for that. But we’re almost out of condoms. I didn’t pack enough.”
“You didn’t get enough last night?” Ethan smirked.
I shrugged.
“We can go back to the main house tonight. Meg packed four big boxes in my bag.”
I grinned. “Why am I not surprised?” I could almost hear Meg saying, If you don’t try, you can’t win.
My stomach started growling. I went over to the fridge and pulled out some eggs and bacon. I turned to Ethan. “You hungry?”
“Starving.”
I set the food down and put my arms around his naked torso. “I have a confession to make.”
He squinted down at me. “What’s that?”
“I can’t stand touching raw meat.”
His head rolled back, laughing. “Is that your way of you telling me I’m on bacon duty?”
“I make amazing toast!”
He reached down and kissed me, then slapped my ass. “Okay, you’re on toast duty. I’ll make the bacon and eggs. I’m going to go put the rest of my clothes on.”
I gave him a pouty stare. “But I like you best like this.”
He laughed. “I bet. But if you want your bacon, I’m putting on clothes.”
I threw my hands up in the air. “Okay, you win. Deal.”
“Wow, that didn’t take much. You must really love bacon,” he teased.
“Ha, ha!” I slapped his ass with a dishtowel. “Go change.”
He went into the bedroom and changed. I went and turned some music on. Ethan quickly returned, and we got to work. It wasn’t long before we were sitting side by side at the picnic table.
I took a sip of my coffee. “I’ve been thinking…”
Ethan looked over at me. “About?”
“How to prove Dan is in on this.”
Ethan put his fork down. “Claire—”
I put my hand up. “Hear me out first.”
He took a deep breath. “Okay, I’ll hear you out.”
“We know the list of banks and the registrations on the accounts. The FBI knows. We know that he forged your name on a bogus contract to get access. The FBI knows.”
“But there’s no hard evidence for any of this.”
“I know what I saw, Ethan,” I sternly told him.
He put his hand on my thigh. “I don’t doubt you, Claire. I’m only saying, the FBI doesn’t work that way.”
“But Piper and Creedie know me well enough to know that I’m not leading them astray.”
“Do they?” Ethan quietly asked.
“Yes, I think they do. And that’s why I think they’ll agree to let me set a trap.”
“Claire—” His voice was stern again.
“We need a trap, Ethan. We have enough information to set a trap and clear your name.”
“I won’t put you in danger. I don’t want to keep having this conversation, either.” Ethan’s face was slightly red with anger.
“I understand that, and I won’t be in danger. Let’s think of a way to set a trap and take him down.” I pulled his face to mine. “You need to be free. We need to be free.”
He scanned my eyes and then closed his, briefly. “I’m open to it if it doesn’t involve you. I will not put you at risk.”
“Okay. Let’s start thinking about how to trap him.”
“One more condition.”
I searched his eyes. “What?”
“We think about it after this weekend. I only want to enjoy you while I have you.”
I nodded. I could agree with that.
Ethan
Claire and her trap. Ugh! I dug the oar deep into the water and tried to release some nerves. I’d told Claire I would consider a trap and that I didn’t want to think about it until after the weekend, but it was all I could think about.
I didn’t trust Claire to stay out of this. My gut told me that she would try and weasel her way into trapping Dan, and it had my stomach doing flips.
It wasn’t that it didn’t make sense. We did know some very pertinent information, but trapping Dan was risky.
If only the FBI would do their job.
The FBI was so convinced I did it that I highly doubted they were taking Claire’s claim about Dan seriously. And especially Creedie, now that he knew I was sleeping with her.
I cursed myself again for getting her involved in this mess.
“Hey, you in a race?” I heard Claire yell out.
I turned to look behind me and saw she was pretty far behind. “Oh, sorry.” I didn’t realize I was going so fast.
I stopped paddling and waited for her.
“Want to tell me what’s going on?”
I smiled over at her. “Nothing. I haven’t worked out today and got a little carried away. Sorry. I’ll slow down.”
“Ethan…” She looked at me like she didn’t believe me.
I pointed to a cove. “Let’s go check that out!” I tried to sound chipper.
We spent the next few hours exploring the lake and got back to the boathouse. Claire and I carried the kayaks back into the shed. We spent the rest of the day floating around on a raft, swimming, and sunbathing on the beach.
It was late afternoon, and clouds started forming. “Claire, I think we should close everything up and head back. It looks like it’s going to rain.”
“All right, I’ll go grab the bags. You lock up the shed and get the cooler. Liv told me to leave all the towels and sheets in the boathouse for the cleaners to take care of.”
“Sounds good.”
We quickly packed up, locked the boathouse, and we were back in the Land Rover.
I glanced at Claire. “You know the way back?”
She tapped her head. “It’s all in here.”
I leaned over and kissed her. “Your gift is incredible.”
She beamed at me.
We started driving and were about halfway back when Claire’s burner phone rang. I gazed at Claire nervously. “Who knows your number?”
“Only Ben.”
My gut did a dive.
“Hello,” Claire cautiously answered, her eyes locked on me. She put her hand over the phone. “It’s Ben.”
I furrowed my brows at her. Why is he calling?
“What do you mean?” she asked into the phone.
I glanced at her and saw her face go white. I stopped the car and turned to her.
“But we gave them the information—”
My mouth went dry.
“Monday morning?” She closed her eyes.
What is happening?
“JJ Parker? Yeah, I know him.” She took a deep sigh. “Okay. I’ll be there.” She hung up.
“Claire, what’s going on?” I swallowed the bile that was coming up in my throat. Something was wrong.
“I’ve got good news for you. You are no longer a suspect.” She forced a smile onto her face.
“Why do I feel like there’s bad news coming?”
She gulped. “I’m required to be in JJ Parker’s office at nine a.m. Monday.”
“Who’s JJ Parker?”
“The criminal attorney that Ben secured for me.”
“Claire, why do you need a criminal attorney?” I seethed through my teeth.
Her lip started shaking. “Dan Crane has sent notice to the FBI that I infiltrated his clients’ files and embezzled five point eight million dollars from Knight Property Management client accounts.”
I slammed my hand on the steering wheel. “No!” I shouted.
I opened the door and got out of the Land Rover, crouched down, and tried to keep the contents of my stomach in.
“Fuck!” I screamed as I stood up and started pacing. My hands grabbed my hair so hard I could have ripped it out.
Claire got out of the car. “Ethan!” She put her arm on me.
I spun toward her. “I’ll turn myself in. I’ll tell the FBI I did it.”
“What? Ethan, no! Don’t be stupid!” Claire cried out.
“I’m not letting you take the fall for this shit,” I told her through my gritted teeth.
There was a massive bolt of thunder, and rain started pouring down on us. “Ethan, no. This isn’t the way to handle this!” she screamed through the rain.
“We should have stayed away from each other,” I shouted.
Claire grabbed my arm. “Ethan, no. I was set up to take the fall before our first meeting. This doesn’t have anything to do with our relationship.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Yes, I do. I saw it!”
I stopped. A massive streak of lightning flashed above us as more rain gushed all over us. “What are you talking about, Claire?”
“I just realized. I saw it.”
“Saw what?” I shouted through the rain.
“Get in the car, Ethan,” Claire yelled.
I grabbed her arm. “Claire, tell me what is going on.”
Lightning tore through the sky once more.
Claire yelled, “Get in the car, Ethan. You’re going to get us killed.”
“Fine,” I yelled, and let her pass by me.
We both got in the car, soaking wet.
“Claire, start talking.”
She started shaking. “The day before I met you, I saw the transfer of the account on his desk. My name was on it. I glanced at it, and Dan saw me. He claimed he was switching banks, and all employees needed shell accounts to get their paychecks. I didn’t think about it at the time, and it only came back to me right now.”
“Did you sign anything, Claire?”
She shook her head.
I picked up her burner phone. “Ethan, who are you calling?”
I didn’t answer her.
“Hello,” Ben answered.
“Tell me what we’re going to do about this,” I demanded.
“You’re going to get off this line, stick to our plan, and meet me at nine a.m. Monday at my office.”
“That’s all you have to say about this?”
“I’m hanging up now. Don’t deviate or you’ll make things worse.” Ben hung up the phone.
I slammed the phone against the steering wheel.
“Ethan, stop!”
I looked and saw Claire was crying.
“You’re scaring me right now.”
I closed my eyes and took some breaths, trying to calm myself down.
“Tell me where to turn,” I told her, pushing the gear into drive.
We quickly got back to Tom’s, and I pulled into the garage. I grabbed her bag and got out, went around her side and opened her door, then grabbed her hand to pull her out.
“Ethan stop, please.”
I turned to her. “What?”
She started sobbing.
Oh shit. She’s probably scared, and I’m acting like a crazy man.
“Claire, I’m sorry.” I pulled her into me. “I’m so sorry.”
She kept crying.
I picked her up and carried her into the house. “Shh. It’s going to be okay. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
“That’s what I’m scared of. You’re acting crazy right now. Please, let’s just calm down a minute,” she begged me.
I got to the couch and sat down. I pushed her hair out of her face. “Okay. I’m sorry,” I whispered again.
She nodded, leaned over me, and grabbed the house phone off the table behind me. She started dialing.
“Who are you calling?”
She held up her finger for me to wait. A few minutes later, “It’s me. We’ve got a situation. We need to be back tonight.”
I stroked her cheek.
“We need two new burners as well. Can you bring them?” She paused. “Thanks.” She hung up.
“Who was that?”
“Liv. She’ll get the jets ready and will text me what time the driver is picking us up.”
“I’m going back with you.”
Claire looked at me. “No, Ethan. Now more than ever, the rules are needed.”
“Damn it,” I seethed again.
Claire grabbed my face. “Ethan, calm down. I need you to stay calm. Whatever Ben tells you to do, I need you to do. Don’t do anything unless you get Ben’s approval. I mean it. Tell me you understand, and if you really care about me, you’ll promise me this.”
I rolled my eyes to the ceiling. I didn’t like her demand. “Fine. I understand, and I promise you.”
“Thank you.” Her lips found mine, and I quickly responded to her.
She pulled back. “Remember I told you that this hadn’t gotten started yet?”
My gut flipped. I briefly closed my eyes.
“Well, it’s officially started, and I need your head in the game.”
Claire
Keep your head in the game, Claire. Keep your head in the game.
We were in our room, and I threw my few items in my carry-on. Liv texted that the driver was going to pick us up shortly.
Ethan’s bag was zipped up and ready to go. He was pacing the bedroom.
“Ethan, stop pacing. You’re freaking me out.”
He stopped. “Sorry.”
“Please, sit down.” I pointed to the space next to my suitcase.
He sighed and sat down. I finished throwing my last item in the case and zipped it up. Ethan grabbed me around the waist and pulled me between his legs.
I ran my hand through the side of his hair. “Well, maybe next time we can play bingo or something,” I joked.
He didn’t smile. “Claire.”
I bit my lip and blinked back tears. God, I’m going to miss him so much.
Pulling my face to his, his soft lips met mine. His tongue slowly danced in my mouth, and his arms pulled me tight to him.
“Ethan, I…” I started to cry.
He put his forehead to mine. “Shh. I’m going to call you every day. Okay?”
I nodded.
“We’re going to get through this, and then we’ll be together.”
“Promise?” I whispered.
His lips met mine once more. “I promise.”
The doorbell rang. Ethan groaned.
I stepped back, and he grabbed our bags. We walked down the stairs and met the driver, got in the car, and started making our way to the airport.
I sat on Ethan’s lap. I pulled a condom out of my pocket. “Be with me one more time…” I trailed off.
Before I wind up in jail.
Ethan grabbed my face and pulled me in. I inhaled his sandalwood-and-leather scent. I quickly unzipped his shorts, and he popped his hips up and shoved them down to the floor before he reached back and took off his t-shirt.
Removing my clothes, I quickly straddled him. His warm hands made their way to my back, and I once again thought about nothing except him.
He nibbled my earlobe and whispered, “I love you, Claire,” as I sank onto him.
The car wound through the mountain roads as Ethan and I made love, whispering our promises and adorations to the other.
Our arms gripped each other, and we lazily rolled our hips as our tongues drifted in and out of each other.
“Don’t forget about me, Ethan,” I whispered to him.
“Not possible,” he whispered back.
His hands grabbed my hips and started moving me faster. The girth of him filled me up and sent tiny ripples throughout my lower region.
I pushed my knees into the seat and started bouncing down on him harder as my breathing got shorter.
So warm, I thought as he hit my sweet spot and stole my breath. I whimpered against him.
“That’s it, Claire,” he murmured as he started thrusting into me harder and deeper.
“Ethan...please...oh...oh,” I started screaming as he continuously hit my g-spot and tidal waves of pleasure coursed through me.
He brought his forehead to mine and locked our eyes. Our lips were both trembling as we sat on the verge of our explosion.
With one final shove of my hips, he exploded within me, bringing me to my ecstasy. I completely shattered on him as he continued to pound into me through his high.
We stayed in each other's arms. As we started to catch our breath, Ethan pulled my face back to his. “I mean it, Claire. I love you.”
“I love you too, Ethan.”
He kissed me—one last, heated kiss. The car stopped, and we realized we were at the private airport. We quickly started to get dressed. He was about to put on his t-shirt when I stopped him. “Can I keep your shirt? I want to be able to smell you.”
He laughed. “What do I get to keep?”
I handed him my panties.
“Now I’m definitely a perv.”
I laughed.
The driver knocked on the window. Ethan rolled it down a few inches. “Could you bring my duffel bag to me, please?”
“Sure.”
Ethan quickly had his bag and pulled out a new t-shirt.
There was another knock on my side of the door. I rolled down the window. “Hey, Liv.”
“Hey! Here are the burners. I programmed your numbers in each. Claire, we need to leave so we aren’t in Teterboro when Tom’s jet arrives.”
I grabbed the two burner phones. “Give me a minute?”
“Sure.” She smiled and left.
Ethan and I stared at each other. I leaned into him one last time and savored his heavenly mouth. “Don’t forget, you promised to call me every day.”
“I won’t forget. Be careful, Claire.”
“I will. Don’t do anything stupid, Ethan.”
“I won’t.”
Now, why did I not believe him?
With tears in my eyes, I gave him a final peck on the cheek, got out of the car, and walked over to the jet. Turning around one last time, I blew him a kiss, walked up the stairs, and got into the jet.
I wondered if I would ever see him again.