Page 15 of Fake Married to the Grumps

“Let me go!” Panic shoots through me when he forces me down onto my seat again.

“That’s enough!” Ethan’s stern voice thunders around us as he walks toward us, and I exhale deeply. The pent-up breath I didn’t realize I held whooshed out of me and a sense of calm settled after.

The stranger next to me instantly drops his hand from my shoulder.

“Fun’s over folks. You should leave the lady alone.”

“Excuse me?” He laughs. “And who are you?”

“I’m her husband,” Ethan's eyes narrowed into tiny slits that make him look fierce. There’s a twitch in his jaw as he moves closer to me again and gently tugs me to my feet.

“She’s coming with me,” I hear him say before he lowers his head to the side of my neck and whispers. “Right babe?”

The feeling of his hot breath on my skin makes me stiffen. Ethan’s nearness is all I can feel or think about. I melt into his embrace and ignore the warning bells in my head, yelling for me to stay away from him.

“Yes,” I stutter, my breath hitching in my throat. “I … Uh … We should go back to our suite, honey.” I place one hand on his chest and angle my body towards him. “I’m tired, anyways.”

Ethan nods before taking out cash from his wallet and handing it over to the amused bartender.

He doesn’t take his hand off my waist as we head back to the resort. The elevator ride to our suite is laced with tension, and my heart is pounding loudly.

I’m only aware of him—his scent, his warm touch that seeps through the fabric of my light chiffon blouse and heats my skin. Ethan holds the door open for me to get into our suite and faces me once we are inside.

His serious expression stays on for a long moment before we both burst into laughter. “That was good, wasn’t it? Playing the protective husband?”

“It was,” I agree with a snicker, then straighten my shoulders and stand on tip-toe before mimicking Ethan in a deeper tone. “I’m her husband … You’re coming with me. I haven’t seen you that serious in a while.”

More laughter erupts around us, and mine ends with a breathless sigh as warmth spikes to my cheeks. I love how Ethan’s eyes dance as he looks at me again. His lips press together as silence slowly assumes the air and turns the moment serious.

“Thanks for looking out for me,” I hold on to his gaze. Heat spikes to my cheeks and I flatten my palms over them.

“I always look out for you,” Ethan replies in the same hushed tone I used. “You know that.”

I do know that.

Regardless of Ethan’s playboy nature, he has always taken care of me.

I move to walk past him, but he slides his hands around my wrist to bring me closer to him again, then fixes his gaze on my lips.

“You should know, Nelly, that the thought of those men putting hands on you nearly drove me insane with anger. The thought of anyone touching you has always riled me up.”

“Why?” The question slips out of my lips in that moment of weakness, and my heart pounds, causing a slight ache in my chest.

Ethan’s eyes search mine, holding on till I’m drowning in his mesmerizing depths. “Because you’re innocent, Nelly, and I’ve always wanted to protect you.”

A knot tightens in my throat, stifling my breath as his eyes search mine, and I know I should back away at that moment and put some distance between us, but it’s like I’m frozen in time.

“I’m not that innocent,” I defend, gasping when his fingers brush over the sides of my face. My eyelids flutter close on their own accord, and I lightly sigh as I lean closer to his touch.

“You are,” he insists breathlessly. My eyes snap open again to find him peering down intently at me.

I finally find my words when he lifts a hand to stroke my cheek. “Ethan,” I murmur, licking my lips quickly. “We agreed, no touching.”

It sounds more like I’m reminding myself more than him. Ethan inches closer to me, increasing the unrelenting desire I feel for him.

“Ethan …”

“Stop me right now, Nelly. Tell me you’ve not thought of this too … You’ve not wondered what it’ll feel like … What a moment of weakness would be like if we just …” His words end in a sigh as he dips his head to the crook of my neck and inhales sharply like he’s trying to fill his insides with my scent.

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