Mr. King [Book 1]

Thirty-Two

It had been two long days since Ethan arrived at the apartment. Katherine wouldn't have minded so much if he didn't feel the need to comment on how 'beautiful' she was every time he saw her.

It didn't really come as a shock to her when Mr. King spent as much time as he could at the apartment during those days, working out of his office instead of the boardroom where he should have been. It made her wonder if it was his way of keeping tabs on Ethan being around her. Even if it wasn't, she appreciated his presence.

On the third morning, Mr. King was forced to go into the office because of a mandatory meeting. He left Mr. Roberts at the house that day, which was odd since he never traveled without his head of security. He took Mr. Bates, one of the other security guards, with him instead. It was confusing to her, but it only cemented the idea in her head that Mr. King was keeping tabs on Ethan.

Katherine tried to do her best to ignore Ethan while she went about her duties around the house. But when he showed up in the kitchen shirtless as she began to prepare Mr. King's dinner, she was caught off guard. He had a towel hanging over his shoulders, looking sweaty and out of breath like he just got done working out.

"Can I help you with something, Mister... uh, Ethan?" She asked, realizing she didn't know what his last name actually was.

"Cox," he offered.

"Excuse me?" She asked, looking at him, feeling immediately confused.

"My surname is Cox," he elaborated.

"Mr. Cox," she acknowledged out loud, nodding her head in comprehension.

"I'll take a glass of water," he told her with a world class smile.

"Sure," she said quietly as she reached into the cupboard to grab a glass. When she turned back around she noticed Ethan's eyes on her backside.

"I'm not a piece of meat, Mr. Cox," she snipped. Ethan looked up into her eyes immediately and gave her a sly smile.

"Sorry. I can't help it, beautiful. You are just so... appealing," he apologized insincerely, suggestively biting his bottom lip as he watched her.

Katherine walked to the fridge and filled the empty glass with filtered water from the spout on the door, trying her best to ignore him. She knew she would have to hold her tongue as best she could since he was her boss' brother.

"Here you go, sir," she said with a polite smile, walking toward him before handing him the glass of water.

"Thanks, love," he said, making sure his fingers slid against hers as he grabbed the glass.

"Please, call me Ethan. No need for such formalities, love. I'm not my cold-hearted brother," Ethan said with a roll of his eyes.

Katherine nodded and walked back toward the stove, stirring the pasta in the pot. When she turned back toward the sink to wash the lettuce for the salad, Ethan was standing right there looking at her.

"If you don't mind, I need to work," she said, timidly looking over at him.

"I don't mind, love," Ethan countered, reaching out to tuck her hair behind her ear.

She immediately flinched back. Why was he touching her?

"Oh, sweetheart. There's no need to be afraid of me," Ethan cooed, smiling provocatively at her.

"I'm not afraid of you," she told him sternly, pressing her hand firmly against his chest to keep a healthy distance between them.

"Good," he said, reaching out a hand to rest it on her waist.