Exclusively His

78: Who's The Boss? (Part 1)

It was June fifth, and breakfast had never been busier. With so much to do (wedding planning, birthday planning, etc) I had invited everyone over. And by 'everyone' I meant the whole gang. Caia, Sarah, Malachi and the kids, Zunaira and Caleb as well as Sonya and Riz. Elena and Damien were already here. Luckily, Lena managed to convince Damien to take a week off from work. That man, just like my soon to be husband, was always working.

There we were, all gathered around the large, glass table near the kitchen. Of course, when we were all together we acted like immature children rather than adults. But, it was fun. It had been a while since we could all sit down and have a good laugh, not to mention celebrate. Nailea was sitting beside the Bianchi twins, teehee-ing and chattering away.

"Nailea Rose," I arched a brow, tapping my foot with hands on hips. "I would like you to do more eating and less talking."

Nailea nodded. "Yes, mama,"

Ethan swooped in from behind, spinning me around and off my feet as I yelped.

I tapped his chest. "Put me down, Calaway!"

"Sorry kids," Ethan shrugged, putting me down. "Mummy thinks she's the boss."

"Excuse me?" I gasped in disbelief as the kids giggled. "Malachi, tell Ethan who the boss is around here."

Feeling victorious, I turn to face Malachi who replies: "Ethan, you're the boss."

"What did you say?" I shriek. "Malachi, you're supposed to be on my side!"

Achilles and Evie join the kids in the joke.

Alright, fine. If that's how they wanted to play, I'll go with the flow. Mischeviously, I head to the kitchen fridge, retrieving the murder weapon before going up to Ethan and hiding it behind my back.

I gasped softly. "Oh, Ethan," He spins around to face me, puzzled as ever. "You have something on your head."

And just like that, I pulled the egg from behind my back and cracked it on his head, rubbing the gooey yoke into his pompadour.

We all hoot with laughter, except for one irritated Ethan, who glares at me with dark, diluted eyes. Uh oh, he's not going to let this go...

I dashed out of the kitchen, as the vengeful Ethan Calaway chased after me, yelling: "Oh, you're going to get it!"

Running around the breakfast table, I realise if I run past him forward, he'll easily catch me. So, I decide to run upstairs after Evie scowls and tells us not to run around the breakfast table. At this point, I am absolutely dying with laughter. Ethan is the opposite of a quitter, he's not giving up unless he catches me. I sneak back down the stairs and use the garden as my getaway. But, it's very open and I know that clumsy me will make too much noise hiding behind the bushes. In the distance, I see the newly built barn in the shadows of the garden and race through the bushes and inside. After closing the barn door, I clutch my chest and catch my breath.

Aphrodite stares at me with hooded, minty green eyes. I couldn't help but chuckle. It was as if she was thinking: 'what a crazy woman'. Aphrodite was the newest addition to our family, one of the world's most majestic horses. As well as being extravagantly beautiful, she was also an extravagantly rare and very uncommon breed: a golden akhal teke. She was large, coated with almost creamy-golden fur. Her mane fell delicately to her side as well as her bushy, long and straight tail which she often moved. She wore the name 'Aphrodite' well, with elegance and pride, her chin held high.

"There, there," I cooed, grabbing grooming brush and combing her softly. "I think we lost him."

I'm such a jinx. After I had finished grooming Aphrodite, I put away her brush until I heard a clang at the other end. Shit! He was looking for me.

I grabbed the hose, hiding behind a large wooden fence. Ethan was walking down the barn, searching for me. It was obvious that there was no way out of this. To get to the main entrance of the barn, I would have to run past him. Instead, I gripped onto the hose, jumped out screaming and sprayed water at him, highest pressure. He roared, reacting to the coldness as he now stood, soaking wet in front of me.

I turned off the hose and cackled. "Oh, Ethan. You're all wet!"

He snatched the hose out of my hand, growling. I was ready to sprint and run, thinking he would spray me and hose me down too. Boy, was I wrong. I realised, playful Ethan was no longer playful. His face was slightly red, his eyebrows creased and tilting downwards as he glowered at me in fury. He was pissed.

"Ethan, are you okay?" I asked, in a concerning tone. "If I went too far, I'm sorry. I was just messing with you!"

I ran up to him, wrapping my arms around his neck as he continued frowning at me.

"Oh, baby," I pouted. "I'm sorry!"

Suddenly, fast, hard and frigid water wet my backside. I screamed, caught in surprise, not only by how sly Ethan was, but how cold the water was. Ethan chuckled evilly.

"OH MY GOD!" I protested. "You...asshole, I can't believe you guilt-tripped me to get me back!"

"You should see your face right now," He chortled.

I take off a sandle and aim, launching it at him. "I'm still the boss, you're just a sore loser!"

Ethan stood there, nonchalantly for a moment after gripping even tighter on the hose. Slowly, he made his way toward me.

"Did you want to repeat that?" His eyebrows perked up. His tone was deep, musky and low. Abruptly, I felt as if I had gone from powerful and strong to helpless. Completely helpless. Stammering coyly, I gradually took steps backwards, betrayed by a tall wooden fence that stopped me from escaping. Ethan's muscular body hovered over me, his size intimidating me as his eyes switched from warm, soft caramel, to lustful ones. His pupils were so diluted, it were as if he had been possessed by a supernatural being. That was when I knew, the both of us would not leave this barn for a good half an hour at the least.