Page 34 of Chasing Hope

This is Ethan you’re talking to,she felt compelled to remind herself.

‘I’m on my way back from Pune and the highway is jammed as a truck carrying a fleet of cars broke down, due to which there is bumper-to-bumper traffic. This may take an hour or two to clear. I’m worried about Phoenix. He tends to get anxious if he’s left alone for longer spells. Aarav is in Chennai, my grandma is on a picnic with her church group and Ravi, Phoenix’s dog walker, ditched me at the 11th hour.’ He sounded worked up. There was a slight shift in his breathing. ‘And you were the only one left.’

‘Jesus man, you need to make more friends.’ Hope’s mouth twitched. ‘Come on, it’s Phoenix, obvio I’ll do it.’

‘Obvio?’

Hope sighed. ‘Obviously.’ She stretched the word as if that would make it all the more clear.

Ethan sighed. ‘How difficult is it to say the entire word? God, you wannabes are murdering the English language.’

Hope narrowed her eyes. ‘Hello Mister. Who are you calling a wannabe?’

‘Alright. Alright. Jesus, cool your jets.’

One minute she dreamt of fucking him six ways to Sunday and the next she wanted to knock him over the head with a hammer.

‘Also, please water my plants. I water them everyday at 3:30pm sharp.’ Thrown off guard, Hope flung her head back and burst into a roaring fit.

‘I don’t get what’s so hilarious.’

Hope’s shoulders shook. ‘Don’t sweat. It’s not like your plants will hold it against you if you water them at 3:31pm.’ His grunt implied he didn’t take too kindly to her attempted joke. The man was so meticulous about anything and everything. Hope, on the other hand, thrived on chaos. One more reason for her to stay the hell away from him. They were poles apart in every aspect.

***

‘Phoenix. I swear to God if you do not stay put till I wash off this muck from your body I’m going to ground you for a week. No more treats for you and no more visits to the beach.’ Phoenix stared at her wide-eyed like she was Hitler incarnate. Hope tore her gaze from his puppy-dog eyes before she caved in. She squeezed out a coin-sized dollop of shampoo in her palm and lathered Phoenix’s body one more time.

‘You have been a very bad boy today.’ Phoenix whimpered and rubbed his nose to her cheek. Hope stopped short of sighing. The boy needed to be taught a lesson in proper public etiquette. ‘You frightened poor Bella. The Shih Tzu was a quarter of your size.’ Hearing Bella’s name, Phoenix wagged his tail and sniffed Hope. Hope assumed she still carried remnants of the female dog’s scent. ‘You could have behaved like a gentleman and approached her with grace and poise. But no. You chose to charge at her like she was the only female dog left on planet Earth.’ Hope missed Phoenix’s grin as she twisted around to grasp the hand spray.

What made her think taking Phoenix to the beach would be a good idea? Ethan had texted her saying he would be further delayed as the roads had yet to clear up. The man had major trust issues. He even cross-checked the time she watered his plants. At precisely 3:33pm Hope sent him a video of her doing the needful. His reply was a GIF of Tom the cartoon character banging his head against the wall. Hope laughed and sent him back a GIF of Jerry clutching his stomach, rolling on the floor and laughing his ass off.

No one ever told her that tending to plants could be so therapeutic. Hope loved spending time in his garden. The lushness of the place glowed with good health. Hope wanted to make the most of the beautiful weather. Therefore she suggested they go for a walk on the beach. Phoenix took to it immediately, wagging his tail in excitement. Shortly, they were strolling alongside the shores peacefully, until Phoenix spotted Bella. Then, Lord help her, all hell broke loose. Phoenix went berserk and tore out of her hold, charging towards his catch. Baffled, Hope raced after him. She closed in on him but not before Phoenix reached his prey and drove her into the sea. Hope should have not bothered with exfoliating her body that morning. Phoenix gave her a full-body spa treatment by dragging her through the mud. Long story short, Hope had a lot of apologising to do to Bella and her parents for Phoenix’s uncouth behaviour. Soon she and Phoenix dragged their wet and shabby selves home.

Hope huffed out an exhausted breath while towel drying Phoenix’s coat. “Now go out the balcony and get some Vitamin D while I get to the task of collecting your hair before it clogs the drain.’ Feeling refreshed and looking like a million bucks, Phoenix shook himself, showing off his regal golden coat. ‘God, you’re so full of yourself. Like father, like son.’ No kidding, Ethan bore the same lofty traits. Smiling, Hope buried her nose in his neck and sighed. ‘All thanks to you I need to take a shower too.’ Phoenix sniffed her and backed away. Hope levelled him with a glowering look. ‘Gee thanks, this is the appreciation I receive for all my hard work?’ Phoenix grinned and his step had a bounce to it as he sashayed out of the bathroom.

In awe of the massive bathroom, über spacious and full of natural light, Hope’s gaze roved around appreciating the grand design. Rustic nickel-gap wood panelling set the scene for this cosy-meets-luxe bathroom. A dark grey floating vanity added depth and warmth to the space. Opulent white floor-to-ceiling Italian marble perfectly contrasted with the grey Spanish marble flooring. Hope pried her eyes away from the sleek soaker tub as wild-ass images of Ethan screwing her brains out imploded her mind. The longer she stayed in his bathroom the riskier it was for her sanity.

As if electrocuted by a live wire, Hope hurriedly stripped and jumped into the giant-sized glass cubicle. Warm water rained down on her as she quickly lathered her hair with Ethan’s shampoo. Hope’s breath got entrapped in her throat and her knees nearabout buckled as his powerful scent filled the enclosed space. Desire pumped through her. Sexually wounded and emotionally frustrated, Hope hurriedly rinsed her body and grabbed the towel from the metal rack. Her hands shook as she made several turns wrapping the fluffy white towel around her.

Running away from his figmental hold, Hope surged out of the bathroom and slammed the door shut, sealing in his mystical presence. Radiant sun rays beckoned her and Hope scurried towards the balcony. Only once she stepped into the green lusciousness did she allow herself to relax. She tipped her head towards the sun and drew in a long breath. An ornate scent of roses washed over her. Ah, this was what heaven would be like. Several enigmatic moments later, a low growl from Phoenix broke her sense of trance.

‘What?’ Hope swung her annoyed gaze at Phoenix. He gave her a sharp bark followed by another growl before he clenched his teeth, tugging the corner of her towel. ‘Oh for the love of God, I’m just borrowing Ethan’s towel, it's not like I’m going to take it with me to the grave. Don’t act like a jealous lover.’ Hope grasped the folds as Phoenix tugged harder. ‘Jesus Christ, Phoenix. Stop acting crazy.’ The tug of war between them continued for a few more seconds before Hope puffed out an aggravated sigh. ‘Fine. I’m so upset with you right now it’s not even funny. You’ve been a bad,badboy today. Wait till Ethan hears all about your shenanigans. I’m sure Daddy is going to ground you for your rudeness.’ Satisfied with her lecture. She let go of the towel and jammed her palms on her waist. Brimming with annoyance, she stood stark naked amidst all the greenery with the sunlight pouring down on her.

‘Have I mistakenly walked into the Garden of Eden?’ Hope gasped and shifted her angry glare at the open French window. Surprise washed over her as Ethan’s gaze clashed with hers. Her heart bulldozed into her chest as his dark, intense eyes gallivanted along her exposed body, searing a firestorm inside her. A corner of his mouth hitched up. ‘Cause you sure as hell remind me of Eve.’

Chapter Twenty- One

‘Don’t do it. Don’t do it,’ Ethan growled under his breath. ‘Just one short peek,’ Ethan lied to himself as his eyes drifted over the bewitching image of the siren encircled within soft clouds of foam. Ethan’s pulse, heart and breath hustled to work in their proper order. Overpowering emotions caused a ruckus inside his brain. Damn, that mouth, pulling off the perfect pout, made him want to jump her bones right there in the bathtub. Her flushed ivory skin, bathed in a warm glow, brought him to a state of frenzied rapture. ‘You weak, pathetic son of a bitch,’ Ethan grunted, glaring at his weak-willed dick.

On the positive side, at least his alter ego was getting a good amount of action. Hope and MM were on the brink of forming a meaningful bond. And Ethan felt powerless in reducing its impact and urgency. He sighed, scrubbing his hands over his haggard face. There were no two ways about it. Hope had not only stolen his peace of mind but she also loitered very close to seizing his heart. Her determination to save those girls was worthy of admiration. He applauded her grit to make the world a better and safer place to live in. Much like himself. Significantly, for Ethan, that sparked the connection between them. Their thoughts worked in tandem.

A guilty conscience did not allow him to move things forward with Hope. At the same time, keeping things platonic between them proved to be a hellish task. Regretfully, his body rebuffed the warning signals his brain shot out. Lying to Hope was no longer viable. Ethan had to come clean with her. Right now, on the other side of the wall, she sat thinking MM was a saint. But she had no idea he was a bastard taking advantage of her.

‘What?’ Ethan asked as he answered his persistently ringing phone.

‘Did you spill the beans already?’ Aarav sounded equally pissed. Ever since Ethan made the biggest blunder, telling Aarav about his trysts with Hope, he was after him like a dog with a bone to let the cat out of the bag and reveal his true identity to Hope.

‘Stay the hell out of my business,’ Ethan said, ticked off that Aarav had added fuel to the fire of his reproachable thoughts. ‘Just ‘cause you have one, you don’t have to be one.’ The jerk laughed.

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