Page 22 of In Bed with the Enemy

I took a long sip of my red wine, hoping it would do something.

"It's been a long time since I've been able to eat stuff like this with company," Ethan admitted as he made his way over to me, pushing the cart towards the sofa.

"Don't you want to eat at the table?" I asked, gesturing to the large dining room table off to our right.

"Nah," he said. "Grilled cheese and fries feels like an 'in front of the television' dinner. Don't you think?"

I smiled and nodded my head. What he had done was order the exact same dinner he must have seen me eating at the hotel bar a night ago. It was definitely not fancy, and it also showed that he noticed.

He removed the lids and handed me one of the plates. I took it, balancing it on my legs as I watched him take the first bite of his sandwich.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked him.

"'Cause I'm hungry. Aren't you?" he asked, a confused look on his face.

"No, I didn't mean dinner," I clarified. "I meant, like, this. Pancakes, helping me, all of it."

Ethan put his sandwich down and looked at me. He shook his head just a little bit and sighed. "I don't know honestly. It confuses me as much as it confuses you. I guess that, even after the way we've treated one another these last few days, I still very much like being around you. It's hard to explain."

"Try?" I asked, putting a french fry into my mouth. Ethan did the same.

He nodded his head. "Okay. I will for you."

He was silent for a beat, obviously thinking about what he wanted to say before he began to speak. "I don't feel quite so lonely when I'm around you. Don't get me wrong, I'm around people all the time. It's almost non-stop. But, no matter how many people I'm surrounded by, I never feel like I can really connect with any of them. All of them are there, not because of me, but because of what I can do for them. You're not like that. I don't think you can do anything for me, really."

"Gee, thanks," I said, putting more food into my mouth.

Ethan chuckled. "No, not like that. What I meant to say is that you're on the other side. In some ways, that makes me able to relax around you."

"Do you have any family nearby?" I asked him. "People who are in your life other than because of business?"

Ethan shrugged. "My brother, Harrison, he's around. But, he's a few years younger than I am. Hasn't really figured it all out yet, if you know what I mean. Still running around town. Not really my scene anymore."

"The gossip columns would love to say otherwise."

"Mostly old photos or photos taken out of context," Ethan replied.

"Oh," I said, trying to ignore whatever those words were making me feel.

"No one else?" I asked him.

Ethan shrugged. "Both my parents are gone. Grandparents, too. But, even when my Dad was still around, it was always just me and Harrison?"

"What do you mean?"

Ethan took another bite of his sandwich. "I mean," he said with his mouth slightly full. "My childhood was pretty awful."

"It was?" I asked him.

He nodded. "I wasn't allowed to be a kid. I was raised to be a CEO. Sort of takes the fun out of being a five year old. And my father wasn't particularly nice. He was old school if you know what I mean," he said, patting his fingers to his cheek.

My eyes widened at what he was insinuating.

"I was able to protect Harrison from the brunt of it, though. So, that was good."

"I never knew," I confessed.

"No one does," Ethan replied. He shook his head slightly. "I don't know why I tell you these things. I haven't told this to anyone, and yet, here you are. And I'm just spilling my guts to you."

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