Chapter 1 of Everything You Want<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\nFantasizing about a black hole appearing inside her Brooklyn apartment and swallowing her, Bri\u2019s heart fell for the hundredth time.<\/p>\n
Maybe it was a mistake. Maybe she was overreacting and Will blocked her on all his social media accounts by accident.<\/p>\n
Is that even possible?<\/p>\n
Brianna knew the answer.<\/p>\n
She needed to make different choices in her life. Better ones than she made tonight.<\/p>\n
Easier said than done.<\/p>\n
Still tingling, Bri rolled onto her side. \u201cHey, don\u2019t fall asleep.\u201d<\/p>\n
The broad-shouldered man beside her was not Will Abbott, CEO of Titan Media, and her ex-boyfriend. Nor was he the return to order her life cried out for.\u00a0But he smiled. The kind of smile that kicked up torrents of lust and apprehension in her belly.<\/p>\n
A delectable distraction from her heart being shredded to pieces, Ethan lazily opened his eyes. They were deep blue and determined.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m ready for round two whenever you are. If that\u2019s what you\u2019re thinking,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The pit in Brianna\u2019s stomach doubled. Moments earlier, he brought her over the edge. Their exertion left traces of sweat on her forehead and an ache her body demanded he satiate again.<\/p>\n
Long before he spotted her at the bar, Bri sized him up. The tallest of two blondes in a five-man entourage, Ethan walked into the club dressed in a pair of dark jeans she couldn\u2019t take her eyes off of.<\/p>\n
By the time he whispered his name in her ear, she knew she\u2019d take him home.<\/p>\n
Ethan\u2019s performance lived up to his promises and her wildest fantasies from the cab ride to her apartment.<\/p>\n
If she wasn\u2019t still reeling, she could fall for him. Thankfully, her head reminded her he’d overstayed his welcome.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you like your eggs?\u201d Ethan asked, making the prospects of eating his breakfast sound like a stroll through Paris in June.<\/p>\n
Ethan possessed genuine underwear model looks. The man oozed sex appeal like she couldn\u2019t believe. Did he really need a reservoir of charm, too?<\/p>\n
Bri suppressed a smile and said, \u201cI\u2019m serious. You can\u2019t stay the night. Or any other night.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow come?\u201d he asked, cool and easy-breezy.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t something she advertised, for obvious reasons, but Bri liked bravado in men. Will downplayed his. Alan, her billionaire client, personified it. Ethan had it in spades. Too bad for him she needed to curb it before it caught like wildfire and burned her bed with her in it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m flying out in the morning and I haven\u2019t even packed yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ethan\u2019s thick brows quirked up. \u201cYou a flight attendant?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did I say about asking personal questions? Tonight was just fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were serious?\u201d<\/p>\n
Perplexed, his beautiful boyish features contorted into a delicious frown. Even confused and annoyed, he couldn’t make himself less appealing.<\/p>\n
Stay focused. \u201cYes, I was serious. This has zero chance of repeating. You should probably get going and consider it me doing you a favor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Good job, girl. Solid comeback.<\/p>\n
If Ethan had half a brain, he\u2019d take her advice. He\u2019d climb back into those black jeans and hustle into the first Uber back to Jersey.<\/p>\n
He raised himself onto one elbow and came close, his gaze searching her eyes. Bri broke their stare, preferring to take in his full lips.<\/p>\n
Another bad idea.<\/p>\n
Fresh memories of him kissing between her thighs resurfaced, tempting her to forget he was a slight detour before she and Will got back together.<\/p>\n
Ethan\u2019s fingers took another tour of her naked skin. He trailed them down her arm, hopped from the tip of her elbow to follow the curve of her hip. Bri relished the contact. His touch acted like an incendiary, reigniting the explosive desire she had for him.<\/p>\n
Damn him. He wasn\u2019t going to be smart.<\/p>\n
He leaned in for a kiss and Bri didn\u2019t resist because she planned on being susceptible to the slightest coercion tonight.<\/p>\n
This misadventure wasn\u2019t an accident.\u00a0It was a choice. A chance to forget how fucked up things had gotten with Will.<\/p>\n
She shouldn\u2019t have tagged him on that racy picture of herself wearing his old t-shirt and not much else.\u00a0It was stupid, but she was desperate. And after feeling the sting of Will\u2019s digital rejection this morning, she needed an escape from the hurt. Nothing more.<\/p>\n
Except now she wanted more.<\/p>\n
She wasn\u2019t prepared to admit failure yet, though. Even while she considered maybe she was the one who shouldn\u2019t be smart tonight.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs Brianna really your name?\u201d Ethan said. His rough voice contrasting with his soft kisses.<\/p>\n
She nodded, then groaned against his lips as a low, persistent hum droned from behind her.<\/p>\n
These days, Alan\u2019s phone calls were the most frequent and the most reliable, especially after midnight. She knew it was him calling now, but she stayed inside the daydream with Ethan.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want you again, Brianna. What do you really want?\u201d<\/p>\n
Not much. Just everything she had.<\/p>\n
Her life had never been boring, but a sharp upheaval in its natural flow coincided with the moment she affixed her name to a contract from Alan Mitchell. Every day since felt like she was losing control over every part of her life.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to answer my phone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, you need me inside you again. Right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Between his mouth and his firm grip on her ass, Ethan had already won the argument. Perhaps he sensed the victory because he let her off the hook. He backed away. They stared at each other like a couple of fighters in a ring and she prayed Ethan saw the same conviction on her face she saw on his.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to make a call,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, was that your boyfriend? You never mentioned him when we were dancing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStop trying to know my business.\u201d She fired a warning glance, and in return, his smugness ballooned. \u201cIt\u2019s time for you to go, Ethan.\u201d<\/p>\n
He shrugged. \u201cOkay. I can\u2019t say I didn\u2019t try.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tossing aside the blanket, he fled her bed. Although she shouldn\u2019t be thinking about how marvelous his ass looked, she admired the view as he stepped into his jeans and yanked them up his muscular thighs. He opted not to zip himself up, but he snapped his shirt off the floor and shuffled back over to her.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo I at least get the honor of giving you my number, princess?\u201d<\/p>\n
His tone was somewhere between derisive and teasing.<\/p>\n
\u201cLook, Ethan, we had a nice time. You\u2019re sweet and if the circumstances were different\u2026maybe we could see where this could go, but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Bri hated telling him goodbye like that, but she shouldn\u2019t want him to stay. He wasn\u2019t a part of her future and he was better off staying that way.<\/p>\n
Ethan\u2019s blue eyes sparkled in the warm lamplight and she felt compelled to tell him more.<\/p>\n
\u201cLook, my boyfriend dumped me, okay,” she said. \u201cWe were in a long and meaningful relationship and if I\u2019m honest with myself, I\u2019m still pretty hung up on him. So, no staying over and no next time. I\u2019m a fucking mess right now and nothing about us will end well. I\u2019m sorry, but I told what to expect out of this and you said you understood.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded, possibly recalling his own words. \u201cSo, why don\u2019t we keep it simple?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKeep what simple?\u201d His eyebrows quirked up again, and Bri scoffed. \u201cYou mean just hook up whenever. Like…friends with benefits? Except we don\u2019t even know each other. One-night stands only last one night, Ethan.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, I\u2019m not looking to get hurt here, but I’m not gonna lie either. I don\u2019t want to walk away from this.\u201d<\/p>\n
All four years of high school, she dated one guy. They parted ways when she moved to Manhattan for college and he stayed upstate. Guys came and went, but scratching by to eat and making sure she didn\u2019t lose her scholarship consumed the next four years. After that, Will came along.<\/p>\n
\u201cPut my number in your phone,\u201d Ethan said. \u201cCall me whenever.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her phone interrupted them again. Bri sighed loudly. Reaching behind her, she plucked the phone from the nightstand. Underneath it was Alan Mitchell, gazing up at her. The magazine cover called him the Money Whisperer and proclaimed him one of Wall Street\u2019s most brilliant minds under forty. The brash new king old media should fear.<\/p>\n
Bri chose both the tie and the watch he wore for that photo shoot. He looked fucking amazing. Alan always did. She could feel him judging her. Still, Bri couldn\u2019t take her eyes off his handsome face.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor a minute there, I thought you were reconsidering taking my number, but I guess not?\u201d Ethan said, and she snapped back to the present. \u201cGo on. Make your call. I can wait.\u201d<\/p>\n
He took a seat on the bed. As Bri walked out on him, it occurred to her she hadn\u2019t casually dated in a while. She was out of practice and she might be in over her head.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Alan answered on the first ring. \u201cTwo missed calls. You couldn\u2019t have been asleep,\u201d he said in a relaxed voice.<\/p>\n
Alan thrived on long days. She didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople tend to be sleeping at one in the morning,\u201d Bri said. \u201cEven in Manhattan on a Friday night.\u201d She glanced at the gap in the bedroom door, wondering what Ethan was doing. \u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI just landed. I\u2019m about to get in the car.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow was Florida?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was hot. As usual.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd your parents? Ernesto? How are they?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the year they\u2019ve been together, she learned Alan inherited his money from both sides of his family\u2014the prestige too. His parents lived in Palm Beach. He visited them occasionally. Whenever she couldn\u2019t fend off her curiosity, he would answer questions about them, but Alan never brought them up in their conversations until recently.<\/p>\n
At the moment, his responses were getting shorter. A sure sign he was growing impatient.<\/p>\n
Straight to business then.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, no more small talk. What time is Reggie picking me up?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll tell him to give you an extra hour. If you need it that is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grinning, she asked, \u201cWhy me? You\u2019re the grumpy one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alan let a breath out slow. \u201cI\u2019m worried. Ernesto looked frailer than my last visit. His spirit was high, though. Like always. If anyone I know can beat cancer, it\u2019s him. My mother had a wonderful time showing me off to her friends,\u201d Alan continued. \u201cI played golf with my father every morning, but I\u2019d rather not rehash it. Tell me you missed me. That\u2019ll make me feel better.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the few personal trips where he didn\u2019t invite her, Alan departed for Miami last Sunday. By Tuesday afternoon, he was calling her several times a day.<\/p>\n
They talked for hours. About everything and nothing, too.<\/p>\n
\u201cBri, you\u2019re being coy? Why is that?\u201d He paused, then asked, \u201cDid something happen while I was away? Did I interrupt something just now?\u201d<\/p>\n
She opened her mouth to jab at his ego, but told him what he wanted to hear. What he paid her generously to tell him in moments like these. \u201cI thought about you all week, even though I was trying to think about anything else. I missed you.\u201d<\/p>\n
A part of her had missed Alan a lot, so admitting it was easy enough. Conveying a longing for him? That was just how they were together.<\/p>\n
It was everything Alan wanted.<\/p>\n
After a moment, he said, \u201cI believe you, darling.\u201d Then a comfortable silence settled over them.<\/p>\n
The mint green digits on the microwave\u2019s clock flipped one minute closer to morning.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlan, I need to get some sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, me too. All right. I\u2019ll see you tomorrow. Oh, and Bri, why don\u2019t you call Reggie and make the arrangements. We\u2019ll leave for Bermuda whenever you\u2019re ready.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWait. What did you just say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou heard me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAny time I want?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAny time you want. I\u2019ll wait for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
When she dragged Ethan into the cab, she feared Alan might swoop in on his private jet and summon her to his brownstone. She worried she\u2019d need to make excuses and lie to a stranger to accommodate his whims.<\/p>\n
Bri ended the call and headed back to her bedroom. Ethan\u2019s black jeans were crumpled in a new pile on the floor while he sat in the middle of her bed, legs bent, with his cage-fighter\u2019s arms resting on top of them. His head popped up when she stepped inside the room.<\/p>\n
Bri joined him on the bed, crawled to him on all fours. He welcomed her into an embrace and she nestled between his thighs, wrapping her arms around those broad shoulders.<\/p>\n
\u201cStill here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy\u2019s that?\u201d Bri asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m swallowing my pride and begging you to let me stay. Again,\u201d Ethan said, holding on to her waist with a set of calloused hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow come?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, I thought about what you said, and I figured you probably won\u2019t give me your number. There\u2019s also a chance you\u2019re making up this story about flying out tomorrow just to get rid of me, so I want to use every minute I can to make you regret kicking me out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you really think I\u2019ll cry over you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTry me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
There was something in his eyes that drew her to Ethan. Something that one taste couldn\u2019t satisfy. Not completely.<\/p>\n
Bri studied his face. It was a little odd, fractionally asymmetrical. Like he broke his nose, and it never set back in place. She wondered what the story behind that might be.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t making it up. That was my boss. Calling me to finalize travel arrangements. And I wasn\u2019t lying about not having a boyfriend. I don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNever again?\u201d<\/p>\n
She smiled. \u201cNo. Not never again. Just not now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood,\u201d he said, then kissed her.<\/p>\n
His mouth was greedy and the same heady feeling Bri experienced in the club swallowed her again. Her yearning for this man refused to subside. She was drowning, and she liked the feeling.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo. Can I stay?\u201d Ethan mumbled against her throat.<\/p>\n
Her head wanted to regain control, but her heart wanted to stay in the fantasy with Ethan a little while longer.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d she whispered, giving in.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hello, I’m Serena James Chase, author of contemporary and fantasy romances, including my billionaire romance saga which has a hot new release called ‘Everything You Want’. Its equally heartwarming sequel, ‘Everything You Need’, is coming to Amazon May 2022 and my sexy enemies to lovers series will debut later this year. My romances are fun,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9078,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,1071],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","category-serena-james-chase"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9077","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9077"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9077\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9079,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9077\/revisions\/9079"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9078"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9077"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9077"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9077"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}