I laughed nervously. “Well, I think it’s a little late for that, Dad. Ethan’s pretty special like I said. We spend a lot of time together. He really listens to me and I feel truly…happy with him. He understands me.”
Dad got quiet for a minute. I think he was shocked to hear me talk about a man like I really cared. And I shouldn’t have been too surprised either. Ethan was the first in a long line of firsts with me.
“What is this Ethan’s last name and what does he do for a living?”
“Blackstone. He’s thirty-two and he owns a private security company. He’s so paranoid he has me assigned to a driver so I won’t take the Tube to get around. All the influx of people for the Olympics has him nervous. So you don’t have to worry about my safety at all. Ethan is a pro.”
“Wow, that does sound serious. Are you…are you guys sleep—in a relationship?”
I laughed again, this time feeling sorry for my dad in his obvious discomfort. “Yeah, Dad. We’re having a relationship. I told you this one’s special.” I waited into the silence on the other end of the phone and started warming tortillas. “In fact he won some big poker tournaments in the states about six years ago. I thought you might have heard of him.”
“Hmmmm,” Dad muttered. “Maybe, I’d have to check.” I heard some muffled talking in the background.
“I should let you go, Dad. You’re working and I just wanted to say hi and tell you what’s been happening with me. I’m doing well and things are good.”
“Okay, Princess. I’m so glad you called. And I’m happy if my baby girl is happy. Be safe and tell your new boyfriend if he hurts you he is a dead boyfriend. Don’t forget. And give him my number too. Tell him your dad wants to have a little man-to-man with him sometime. We can talk about poker.”
I laughed. “Right. Will do, Daddy. Love you!”
Ethan walked in just as I ended the call. He had a six pack of Dos Equis and a predatory smile on his face. I’d given my key to Neil who passed it along to Ethan so he could get in downstairs. He plunked down my key and the beer on the counter before asking, “Did I hear you telling someone you loved them just as I came in?”
I grinned and nodded slowly. “It was a man too.”
He came up behind me at the counter, his hands to my shoulders and started rubbing. I leaned into his hard body and let myself enjoy the massage. “That bloke is one lucky fellow then. Wonder what he did that was so special.” He peeked down at the food sorted out in bowls and snagged a piece of cooked chicken. “Mmmmm,” he said as he savored it, his mouth at my neck.
“Well he read me bedtime stories. Combed out my wet hair without snagging and hurting. Taught me how to ride a bike and how to swim. He always kissed my boo-boos when I got scraped, and most importantly, opened his wallet frequently, but that wasn’t until later.”
Ethan grunted, “I can do all those things for you and more.” He stole another piece of chicken. “Especially the more part.”
I smacked his hand away. “Thief!”
“You’re a good cook,” he murmured against my ear. “I think I must keep you.”
“So you do like my Mexican dinner. I see you went with the theme and brought us Dos Equis. Smart move, Blackstone. You’ve got potential.” I started moving bowls to the table.
“Dos Equis is from Mexico?” He made a noise and shrugged. “I just chose that one because I like the ads…the most interesting man in the world.” He grinned malevolently and helped me transfer the rest of the food.
“A liar and a thief.” I shook my head sadly. “You just blew all your potential, Blackstone.”
“I’ll change your mind later I’m sure, Bennett.” He grinned over at me from the sink where he washed his hands quickly and then opened two beers for us. “I have an abundance of potential,” he said wiggling his eyebrows. Ethan delivered my Dos Equis and looked over everything set out on the table, head tilted in perusal. “Help me out here. How do I put your chicken tacos together, which smell very nice by the way.”
I couldn’t help laughing at him. The way he said ‘tacos’ in his British accent cracked me up. And how he worded things too. It just made me laugh.
“What’s so funny? Am I amusing you now, Miss Bennett?”
“Here let me fix it.” I showed him how to put on some chicken, the corn salsa, a drizzle of sour cream, a sprinkle of shredded cheese and a couple slices of avocado on the tortilla and fold it. “You’re just adorable that’s all, Mr. Blackstone. That accent of yours—it makes me laugh sometimes.” I handed him his taco on the plate.
“Ahhh, so I went from losing all my potential to adorable in a very short time. And just by speaking.” He accepted the plate and waited for me to fix mine. “I’ll have to remember that, baby.” He flashed one of those million dollar Ethan smiles at me and took a sip of his beer.
“So go ahead and take a bite. Give me your verdict and be aware that I will know if you lie to me.” I tapped my head. “Super powers of deduction.” I picked up my taco and took a bite, moaning in over exaggerated sounds of pleasure and arching my neck back. “So delicious I feel hot all over,” I purred across the table.
Ethan looked at me like I’d just sprouted devil horns and swallowed hard in his throat. I knew he would get me back later for the merciless teasing. I didn’t care. Ethan was fun. We had fun together and that was part of what I loved about him. Love. Did I love him?
He lifted the taco to his mouth and took a bite. He stared at me as he chewed and swallowed. He wiped his mouth on a napkin and looked up in contemplation, pretending to count on his fingers. He took another sip of beer.
“Well, let’s see…” He focused on me. “Chef Bennett, I give you a five on execution. Laughing at me got you a five point deduction right out the gate. I think a six on presentation—all that moaning and thrusting at the dinner table was a bit unfair, don’t you think? And a nine-point-five on taste.” He took another bite and grinned. “How did I do?”
He was so handsome sitting there at my table, eating the tacos I’d made, and sweetly telling me he liked my cooking, and just being Ethan, that I knew the answer to my question all in an instant. Did I love Ethan? Yes. I do love him.