this wasn’t a dream. And two, Ethan Parker was actually in my bed.
Chapter 5
Bella
The next morning, I drifted into consciousness in that way you only do when you know in the back of your mind that you don’t have to go to work, and I basked in that feeling for several moments, just appreciating the fact that I didn’t have to think about what I was going to wear to the office, or how I was going to get there, or whether I was already running late.
Because generally, my mornings went just like that. Jump out of bed, rush to the shower as I’m planning my outfit for the day—and trying to figure out whether I remembered to buy new pantyhose to replace the ones that tore or not—and then rushing through the door the moment I have shoes and clothes and makeup all in the right places, glancing at my watch as I lock the door and trying to figure out whether I have time to get the subway, or if I have to spend the extra money on a cab to get to the office in time.
Look, I know most people have this fantastical idea of New Yorkers. That they all live within walking distance of work and that they put on tennis shoes to walk through the city, then switch to their heels when they get to the office, and that they’re constantly on their phones and making Big Plans for Big Things.
But when you’re a junior associate at one of the biggest law firms in New York? Yeah, when you’re in that position—and you didn’t exactly come from money—it means you can’t afford to live close to the building where you work. Because the building where you work is in a way, way nicer neighborhood than the one in which you can actually afford rent.
It also means you do every damn thing you can to make sure you’re not late. Like, ever. Because you can’t afford to lose the job.
So, back to the story where I’m not worrying about any of that. Instead, I was lying in bed thinking about how I could get up instead and just go downstairs to get coffee and maybe a croissant, and then take the day to hang out in the park or even go shopping, read a book, do a crossword puzzle…
When suddenly I realized that someone else was in my bed with me.
I did an amazing acrobatic thing where I actually jumped out of bed from the laying-down position and landed with a spin, my heart hammering away in my chest and my brain spinning through all the things I’d ever heard about self-defense. I didn’t have any weapons in the apartment, but I did have a convenient lamp right next to my bed that I thought would do the trick, and I was heading right for it when I actually looked at the person who had been in my bed next to me.
Oh. My. God. Ethan Parker.
And then I remembered all over again, like flipping Groundhog Day. The court case. The decision coming down in my favor. The bar—and Ethan complimenting me. Joking about how he’d like to hire me away from my firm. Asking me about my family. Telling me about his.
Too many mugs of cider. Too much ‘girl, just live it up this once’ coming from what had to have been my libido speaking right to my consciousness. Too many eye-sparkling, teeth-flashing grins from Ethan.
And one very, very bad idea to bring him home to my dinky apartment.
“Oh, God,” I groaned out loud, frozen to the spot with shock at what I’d done.
Because I’d actually slept with Ethan Parker. Like, multiple times. And worst of all, I didn’t even remember if we’d used protection or not.
He’d also, I realized suddenly, gotten up in the middle of the night and fixed my toilet. In a bathroom that I hadn’t cleaned because I hadn’t known I was expecting company.
The embarrassment was almost too much for me to handle, and my knees wavered a little bit. Then I realized that I’d spoken aloud—and further, that I was naked—and he started shuffling around like he was about to wake up. Which meant he’d see me standing here, naked and watching him sleep like some sort of creep.
Oh God, oh God, oh God.
I made a frantic dash right for my bathroom, kicking my bedside table on the way by and almost breaking my toe, and yelping in the process. By