bathroom door quickly and reached for the door handle, but it turned before she touched it.
The door swung open and her plan to reach the bathroom unseen was clumsily shattered. Ethan stood before her with a towel wrapped around his waist. His sandy blonde hair swept across his forehead in dripping strands. His wide surprised eyes locked in on hers and she immediately noticed how unbelievably blue they were.
“Uh . . . hi,” he said a little awkwardly.
“Hi.” Alaina was suddenly very aware that Ethan had no shirt on—finding it hard to shift her focus from the indentions of muscles in his waist just above the towel—and dropped her gaze, finding something extremely interesting to stare at beside her left foot. “I’m sorry. I’m . . . uh . . . not used to having to wait my turn for the shower. I’ll give you a minute.”
She turned to race back to her room, all too eager to get away from this situation as soon as possible, but Ethan spoke before she could move.
“No, it’s fine. I’m all done in here. I wasn’t sure what everybody’s schedules were so I just took my chances. It’s all yours. I’ll get out of your way.”
Still refusing to raise her gaze, Alaina let out a quick, “Thanks.” Ethan stepped around her into the hallway. She was shutting the door behind her when she heard him speak again.
“Are we still on for today?”
Alaina concentrated on moving her gaze to Ethan’s eyes only . “Sure, I’ve got the day off. I'm just going to clean up and then I'll be down.”
Ethan gave a slight grin and nodded as he turned for Ben’s room.
Alaina closed the bathroom door and breathed in the steam that still filled the room from Ethan’s shower. A nice aroma of floral and cologne filled her senses; she guessed a combination of her body wash and his shampoo.
One thing Alaina knew for sure. She was going to have to get used to sharing the top floor with someone other than her brother—which meant being much more careful with what she walked around wearing.
After a quick, reinvigorating shower, Alaina made certain that the hallway was clear before making her way back to her room to get ready to spend the day with Ethan.
Chapter 6
Ethan
Ethan’s unexpected encounter with Alaina had taken him by surprise. Did her skin always look that fresh? She had to have just woken up, right?
Ethan descended the narrow staircase to the lower level of the house as an old familiar smell filled his senses. He hadn’t smelled anything that good in a long time. Granny Mae’s homemade biscuits and chocolate gravy. There wasn’t a five star restaurant anywhere that could beat that breakfast.
“Good morning, lil’ E!” Granny’s smile lit up when Ethan entered the kitchen. The darkness of the previous night had vanished. Bright rays of sunlight lit the room through the double glass doors that exited to the small garden out back.
Ethan felt like a little kid again. He flashed back to days of storming down the staircase and jumping into one of the island bar stools. Granny always made his favorite breakfast when he came to visit. Even after five years, she hadn’t changed a thing.
Had he really only been there for less than a day? The realization slapped him square across the cheek—it was happening.
The effects of the Fairhope black hole.
Ethan could almost feel the sick pull in his stomach from being sucked back into this place, this life . . . this lifestyle. He loved his Granny, but he had moved past this. He had worked his butt off to move past all of this.
He needed to get out of there, and quick.
“Are you hungry, sweetie?” Granny asked. Silent Ted sat as silent as ever in a stool next to Ben, who was greedily spooning chocolate gravy to his mouth like he was eating pudding. “Oh, of course you are. You’re thin as a rail. I swear those big shot music people don’t feed you enough. Get over here and eat. I made your favorite.”
For a split second, Ethan wanted to run,
The door swung open and her plan to reach the bathroom unseen was clumsily shattered. Ethan stood before her with a towel wrapped around his waist. His sandy blonde hair swept across his forehead in dripping strands. His wide surprised eyes locked in on hers and she immediately noticed how unbelievably blue they were.
“Uh . . . hi,” he said a little awkwardly.
“Hi.” Alaina was suddenly very aware that Ethan had no shirt on—finding it hard to shift her focus from the indentions of muscles in his waist just above the towel—and dropped her gaze, finding something extremely interesting to stare at beside her left foot. “I’m sorry. I’m . . . uh . . . not used to having to wait my turn for the shower. I’ll give you a minute.”
She turned to race back to her room, all too eager to get away from this situation as soon as possible, but Ethan spoke before she could move.
“No, it’s fine. I’m all done in here. I wasn’t sure what everybody’s schedules were so I just took my chances. It’s all yours. I’ll get out of your way.”
Still refusing to raise her gaze, Alaina let out a quick, “Thanks.” Ethan stepped around her into the hallway. She was shutting the door behind her when she heard him speak again.
“Are we still on for today?”
Alaina concentrated on moving her gaze to Ethan’s eyes only . “Sure, I’ve got the day off. I'm just going to clean up and then I'll be down.”
Ethan gave a slight grin and nodded as he turned for Ben’s room.
Alaina closed the bathroom door and breathed in the steam that still filled the room from Ethan’s shower. A nice aroma of floral and cologne filled her senses; she guessed a combination of her body wash and his shampoo.
One thing Alaina knew for sure. She was going to have to get used to sharing the top floor with someone other than her brother—which meant being much more careful with what she walked around wearing.
After a quick, reinvigorating shower, Alaina made certain that the hallway was clear before making her way back to her room to get ready to spend the day with Ethan.
Chapter 6
Ethan
Ethan’s unexpected encounter with Alaina had taken him by surprise. Did her skin always look that fresh? She had to have just woken up, right?
Ethan descended the narrow staircase to the lower level of the house as an old familiar smell filled his senses. He hadn’t smelled anything that good in a long time. Granny Mae’s homemade biscuits and chocolate gravy. There wasn’t a five star restaurant anywhere that could beat that breakfast.
“Good morning, lil’ E!” Granny’s smile lit up when Ethan entered the kitchen. The darkness of the previous night had vanished. Bright rays of sunlight lit the room through the double glass doors that exited to the small garden out back.
Ethan felt like a little kid again. He flashed back to days of storming down the staircase and jumping into one of the island bar stools. Granny always made his favorite breakfast when he came to visit. Even after five years, she hadn’t changed a thing.
Had he really only been there for less than a day? The realization slapped him square across the cheek—it was happening.
The effects of the Fairhope black hole.
Ethan could almost feel the sick pull in his stomach from being sucked back into this place, this life . . . this lifestyle. He loved his Granny, but he had moved past this. He had worked his butt off to move past all of this.
He needed to get out of there, and quick.
“Are you hungry, sweetie?” Granny asked. Silent Ted sat as silent as ever in a stool next to Ben, who was greedily spooning chocolate gravy to his mouth like he was eating pudding. “Oh, of course you are. You’re thin as a rail. I swear those big shot music people don’t feed you enough. Get over here and eat. I made your favorite.”
For a split second, Ethan wanted to run,
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