Author's note: This chapter has mature content. If you'd rather not read, please skip the section between the 3 asterisk signs (***).
Enjoy!
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"Well?" Ethan raised his eyebrows, waiting for Dana to tell him what the detective had said.
"They couldn't get him." She said dejectedly. "I am very worried. He will retaliate. He knows people. Hell! His brothers are into smuggling drugs and god knows what. He will know how to get back to me for this."
Ethan watched the desperation take over her. He crouched in front of her and held her hands in his. "Worrying about it is not going to get you anywhere, okay? I will exhaust each and every option to make sure this guy gets locked up for good."
Even though he was consoling her, Ethan could feel the worry and dread rise within him.
"I just wish things were different. So we could concentrate on the present...on us. You know?" She bit her bottom lip and stared at him for a second before asking, "why are you doing this?" He shot her a confused look. "Why are you being so nice? Why are you helping me out like this? It would be so easy for you to walk away," she said with a nervous chuckle.
"Because I like you, Dana. I think I've made that a little more than obvious. Don't you think?"
"Why?"
Ethan laughed under his breath. "All I know is that you're different, Dana. You're are different than the rest of them. I like you because you are not afraid of being you. Because you are the first decent woman I've met who's smart and sexy, stupid and funny at the same time."
She cocked her head to the side. "Stupid? What kind of compliment is that?"
"That's the only thing you heard?" he asked, quirking his brow. "Yeah, actually the truth is that you're quite silly. Can't argue there." He joked, shrugging his shoulders.
She punched his shoulder and got up from the couch. "Where is my top?" She had suddenly remembered that she was still in her bra.
"Why do you need clothes?"
She turned around and gave him a blank look.
"No, seriously. You look sexy this way." He reasoned.
She faced him completely with her hands on her hips. "Oh yeah?"
"Ohhh yeaaah"
She burst out laughing at the funny, exaggerated face he made. "Who's being silly now?" She commented, turning away from him and grabbing her top from the floor. With every passing second though, the worry seemed to hit her two fold. "This is really bad." Rubbing her hands on her face, she sat down on the floor with her elbows resting on her knees. "I'm scared, Ethan."
All signs of amusement had left him as he watched her demeanor change. He sat down beside her quietly. A second later he said, "the only way out is through. I wish I could make it all better. Please know that I'll try my best. You have me and by extension everything I have. It's going to be okay."
He rubbed his hands on her arms to soothe her. She leaned into him and rested her head on his chest. The silence was comforting so they didn't say anything.
The sudden ringing of Ethan's intercom drew their attention. They shared a look before Ethan got up to answer it. As he did so, Dana threw her top on while keeping her eyes focused in the direction where Ethan went.
"Ethan, it's me, Detective Ross. I'm here with a couple of other agents. May we come back up?"
"Yes, of course." Ethan responded, letting them upstairs.
Both him and Dana stood by the elevator door as the detective and his team arrived, accompanied with an elevator man who nodded at Ethan before the doors shut.
"Folks, I apologize for what happened tonight. He was alerted by his driver though a distress signal. He knew we were coming. None of my agents were injured but we did end up taking his men down. We'll be getting as much information from them as possible."
They settled down in Ethan's living room as the detective continued, "I highly recommend that both of you have a bodyguard on you at all times. I also suggest moving to a private, more secure location. He knows about where both of you live."
"Yes, I think those are good ideas." Ethan agreed, looking at Dana to make sure she was with him. A nod from her let him know that she felt the same way.
"I have another suggestion that you may not like. But please have an open mind. I suggest separating for a little while. Live in two different locations. It'll decrease the chances of both of you getting compromised at once."
"I'm not comfortable with that."
"I know, Mr. Salvay but-"
"Not happening. We'll leave the city tonight, if you want. But she stays with me."
Dana placed a hand on his arm to get his attention. "Can we talk about this for a second?" She asked, implying that they talk in private.
He grabbed her hand and held it between his hands. "Dana. I'm sorry. But this topic has no room for discussion." Even though it sounded like he wasn't giving her a choice, his eyes looked at him pleadingly, willing her to listen.
With that, it was decided. All that was left to discuss was how they'd leave New York without alerting William.
They had all night to let their families know that they had to leave. Bianca and Luke were highly alarmed and spoke with the detective for what seemed like hours, trying to get on the same page.
Dana called her mom to let her know that she needs to cancel her weekend trip to come see her. Rather than telling her the truth, she told her that she had a work trip scheduled. The less people knew, the better. She also wanted to keep her mom out of it for her own safety.
They were given secure phones that weren't supposed to be used for anything else but communicating with each other or someone on Detective Ross's team. This also meant that Dana would have to stop all interactions with Jake. She knew he'd be hurt, but understood that it had to be done.
She hadn't been in frequent touch with him ever since he was hospitalized. She had a lot of questions for him about where he'd been and the details on William's attack on him. Detective Ross confirmed that he would be getting in touch with him about it. Every little detail helps, he said.
Maybe it's best that he stays away. It'll keep him safe, she thought to herself. She opted for dropping a quick goodbye text to him without giving any details.
The next day, they used two agents to double as Dana and Ethan and make it seem like they left together to go to his office.
An hour later, they left his place separately, dressed up as building security.
All of their belongings were going to be brought over to a safe house in Poconos, Pennsylvania, over the next couple of days.
Dana was the first one to arrive at the house. She cracked her knuckles as she paced, waiting for Ethan to join her.
When she saw him walk through the front door, she took a deep breath and smiled at him. She was nervous about sneaking out and successfully "disappearing". There was so much that could go wrong, she thought. She knew that even though Ethan didn't show it, he was on the edge too.
"Alright," Detective Ross said, rubbing his hands together as he stood before the couple and his own team of agents. "The next couple of weeks might be tough. But keep a low profile. No social media. No phones other than the ones you were given. My team will use this time to track his moves, his attempts at contacting either one of you. Catching this guy is not only important for your safety but also for the safety of our society. We don't want someone like him roaming around free. So I assure you, we are personally invested in this."
"Will your team also ensure the protection of our family members? I don't want that son of a bitch going after any of them," Ethan added.
"Absolutely. We have a security detail stationed at your brother and mother's house. Same for Dana's mother's place as well, except, her bodyguard will be undercover, per your request and consent. She will not know she is being protected."
Dana nodded.
"Excellent. Let's give you a tour of the place and get cracking."
*3 weeks later*
It had been almost a month since Ethan and Dana had been off the grid. With access to just each other's company, they bonded like never before. It was easy to pretend that this was their life. Living under one roof, doing everything together.
The only reminder of the reason why they were there in the first place were the two agents stationed outside the house at all times and their daily check-in with the detective.
They had hoped that William would resurface and try to contact Dana again. But after that night, he had just...disappeared.
"I don't know if I am happy or sad about it," Dana thought out loud, as she and Ethan cooked dinner one night. "Not even a beep from him? It's surprising and so unlike him. I was hoping to see him behind bars for good."
Ethan stayed quiet. He felt exactly the same way. It would have helped squash the constant worry in the back of his head. He wanted nothing more than to go back to their lives where he could date Dana without hiding the fact from anyone.
When he looked up from the chopping board he realized she was looking back at him.
"How long have you been staring, you creep?" he chuckled.
"Why? You have a problem?" Dana challenged, turning away from the stove to face him.
Ethan did the same after putting the knife down and wiping his hands on a kitchen towel.
"You can stare at me all day long, honey. It does wonders for my ego."
Dana raised her eyebrows. "You're way too cocky, Salvay. Someone needs to check you."
"I'd love for you to check me." His flirty suggestion lead her to bite her lip to control her smile.
When was the last time she'd made him uncomfortable? It's not fair that he was always the one making her squirm.
With that idea in her head, she walked closer to him with a confident look on her face.
"You know..." she trailed a finger down his chest, "...you don't have to be so indirect. If you want me, all you have to do is ask."
With his intense gaze on her, he leaned in so his face was mere inches away from hers.
"I want you", he whispered, flicking his tongue on her lips, as if to taste her.
That move sent a wave of fire through her. He was being undeniably sexy and all she wanted was for him to have his way with her till they both were satisfied.
Stay strong, she willed herself, while mirroring the lust in his eyes.
"Cool," she said a second later, turning away from him. It wasn't possible, but she swore she could feel his burning eyes on her back.
"What?" Ethan's head was spinning a little from the adrenaline, the possibility of being inside her and the confusion at her sudden change in mood.
"I've always wanted a pet. I was just testing you for the role. See if you can follow every command," she shrugged as she stirred the soup on the stove, waiting for a burst of reaction from him.
Normally, Ethan would throw a solid comeback, turning the tables on her with his wit, so that she was the one squirming.
But before she could wonder too much, he was behind her, trapping her against him and the stove as he went to turn it off.
"Pet, huh?" he whispered in her ear. "How about we play a little game, figure out who exactly is the pet here."
He pushed the straps of her camisole and bra down her shoulders and buried his face in her neck.
***
Dana's inhaled sharply, and grabbed his forearms as they wrapped around her waist. They backed away to the kitchen island right behind them. With a quick move, he sat her down on the surface, capturing her mouth with his.
Her hands busied themselves, one buried in his hair as the other bunched his T-shirt in a fist.
"Take this off," she broke away from the kiss for a brief moment, wanting to feel his naked chest underneath her hands.
A few moments later, they both were half naked with their clothes on the floor, locked in a passionate embrace. She rubbed herself against him, feeling immensely satisfied when he started getting hard. It felt as though just the anticipation would be enough to make her heart burst.
There came a point when they were so aroused, Ethan grabbed her and slid her off the island so he could carry her to the bedroom.
"No..." she moaned. "Right here, Salvay. Do me right fucking here."
Was it even possible to get harder, he wondered briefly with a scrambled state of mind. All he knew was that he had to have her. There was no turning back.
He slid her yoga pants off along with her panties and rubbed her gently, feeling a surge of hunger when he felt her wetness.
"I need you right now," he barely got the words out as he switched to rubbing himself against her.
She nodded, looking at him briefly before watching as they both joined together. It felt so good, Dana couldn't help but throw her head back and moan loudly.
"Fuck," Ethan cursed, at the friction and as he watched her face, finding the 'O' she made with her mouth incredibly sexy.
"I want you like this, around me, every second of every day," he said through clenched teeth, thrusting his hips.
She grabbed on to the edge of the island for support, feeling herself getting closer.
"Ethan," she almost cried. "I'm so close. So close..."
He knew it before she said it. Her body gripped him tighter and she panted, unable to keep her eyes open. He pulled her close so their foreheads touched.
"Let go, love. I'm here. Just let go."
The pleasure and the feeling of being safe in his arms aroused powerful emotions in Dana that she couldn't help but let flow through her. Her body shuddered as she had the most rocking climax of her life.
And something about him coming with her was so beautiful, it took her breath away.
***
A couple of hours later, they laid in bed, wrapped around each other, talking about their fears, dreams and what they hoped for the future.
Even though neither one of them said it out loud, they knew that it was impossible for them to exclude each other from their lives to come.
Dana knew that there was no going back to the life before Ethan just like he knew he could never feel this deeply about anyone else.
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Author's Note: *Phew* Let me know your thoughts below, folks. This is obviously no where near the end. There is more to come!