said, gritting his teeth. “I’ll let her decide whether I stay or go.” He then looked over at me, raising a brow. I looked over to Ethan, and saw his jaw twitching. He was extremely mad. I didn’t know what to do.
I looked at Paul and saw the pain in his eyes. While I was glad to see he seemed remorseful, it still didn’t do much to make me want to talk to him. Ethan started tapping his foot, which brought me back to the issue at hand.
“Paul, I think it’s best you leave. I will be at the office on Monday. We can catch up on business then.”
I didn’t miss the pain in Paul’s eyes before he recovered and put a blank look on his face. He looked at me, then at Ethan, before standing up. Ethan had a look of victory on his face and while I understood it, it still bothered me.
“If that’s what you want, Aly,” Paul said as he started to turn away. All of a sudden, Casey appeared out of nowhere and slammed into him, knocking him against the table. I gave a little cry when a few drinks spilled on me.
“There you are, baby,” she slurred, barely keeping her balance holding onto him as he righted himself. He gave her a look of annoyance as he turned to grab a few napkins and handed them to me. Ethan intervened and got them before I did, helping me wipe away the liquid on my dress.
“Just get her out of here, Pierce,” Ethan seethed. “I’ve got things under control here. You’re not needed.”
Paul started to say something back to him, but looked at me and reconsidered. I shot a glare at Casey then nodded at Paul to go.
“I’m sorry, Aly,” he said. “For everything.” He turned and grabbed Casey, pulling her after him.
Tears sprang to my eyes as Ethan and I wiped at my dress. Mortified, I turned my head away and tried to gain some composure. Ethan sat down next to me and gently finished wiping off my dress, then the table. Trisha stood there staring at us, then excused herself to go to the restroom.
Ethan put his arm around me and leaned over. His warm breath brushed my ear when he spoke. “It’s okay,” he whispered, rubbing his hand down my arm. I looked over at him and his eyes drew together when he saw the tears.
“Aly,” he whispered. “Don’t cry over him. He’s not worth it.” He pulled me into a hug and held me tight. I let the tears fall down my face as I hid my head in his chest. Seeing Paul tonight shattered me. Memories of our tryst on his desk flooded my head and I cried even harder. This pain was indescribable and I wasn’t sure I’d survive it.
“Shh,” Ethan soothed. “It’s okay. Don’t let him get to you like this. I’m here.”
I finally calmed down and lifted my head, sniffing then wiping my nose with the napkin I still held onto. Ethan smiled down at me and softly brushed my cheek.
“Do you want to dance?” he asked.
I sat there for a minute, thinking. I saw Trisha approaching and while all I wanted to do was get up and move elsewhere; I knew he was really here with her. I shook my head and nodded toward her.
“You came here to get to know her better. Dancing with me would only take away from that. I don’t want her to get the wrong idea about us either, Ethan.”
He turned and looked at Trisha. When she reached us, she slid in next to him. She looked over at us with a questioning look in her eye.
“Hey, Trisha,” Ethan said. “Would you mind if I took Aly out on the dance floor for one quick dance?”
I looked at him in shock, then at Trisha. She smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “No, of course not. I’ll just sit here and order another drink.”
I felt bad for her. I knew she was unsure of what was going on between Ethan and I. I wanted to somehow assure her that it was nothing, so I smiled at her and shrugged.
“Well, okay. If you’re sure.”
“I am,” she said.
She scooted out of the booth to let Ethan and me out. He grabbed my hand as we walked to the dance floor. The electricity his touch had been giving me ignited again and I wanted to curse, especially because they were getting stronger.
We got