Page 20 of Lost Without You
He could use a cold shower, but exercise would do.
“Of course.”
“You’re sure? With those heels, I don’t want you to hurt yourself,” he murmured.
The mention of her heels gave Ethan another excuse to glance down and appreciate the beauty of the woman who had captured his undivided attention.
“Please, I’m a New Yorker. I can walk all day in these things and still have energy to spare.” She winked at him, and all the blood in his body rushed south.
Ethan could think of lots of dirty ways to expend all of Rachel’s excess energy…
The elevator doors opened to the lobby and Rachel walked out first. His eyes were riveted to her lush ass, framed in crimson silk that looked as soft as her skin.
Stop eye fucking your client.
Ethan took a deep breath and willed himself to calm down.Show some control.
His lustful craving was shattered by the noise of guest chatter in the lobby, and he welcomed the distraction. As he and Rachel squeezed their way past a raucous group of twenty-somethings, Ethan heard the overexcited chatter about which restaurant they should visit first, which Broadway shows they were excited to experience and where the best clubs were.
Quite a few of them turned and stared when Rachel walked by. He couldn’t blame them, and he wondered how in the hell he was going to survive the evening. His jeans were constrictive, his heart was pounding overtime, and he was pretty sure he’d already sweated through his shirt. The professional line between them had suddenly vanished and Ethan was finding it tough to feel any kind of guilt over it.
The concierge opened the door for them, and the brisk evening air was a welcome reprieve. With her impressive heels, Rachel matched his height and his gaze directly aligned with hers. He ruthlessly ignored his instinct to lean closer.
“Ryker texted to say they’ve arrived and have ordered a few dishes to start.”
“Perfect,” Ethan paused. “Have you talked to your mother? Is she okay?”
“I called her this afternoon,” Rachel replied as she glanced at him. “She’s better. For the first time in a long time, she sounds hopeful that we’re going to get answers.”
“I hope so. I haven’t heard from Lane yet. It may be days before we do, maybe longer, so you and I need to sit down tomorrow morning and map out a plan from here on out.”
“That’s fine. But for tonight, let’s leave that behind and focus on having a good time,” she replied as they continued to walk.
New York City at night overwhelmed Ethan. There was still a shit ton of traffic whizzing by, and the sidewalks were packed with people, theatregoers, and the like, heading to restaurants and bars.
As they turned a corner, a pink neon sign in the shape of a flamenco dancer caught Ethan’s attention. Then he recognized the name beside it, this was the place.
“Here we go,” Rachel said as they walked into a dimly lit restaurant that was buzzing with the hum of chatter and clinking silverware.
Twenty or so tables were scattered in the space, each filled with patrons. Pink lamps gave a warm glow to the space that was intimate and perfect for date night.Shit, don’t think about dates. It’s dinner. With friends.At the back of the room were booths on each side, a sleek bar, and a dance floor in the middle.
Rachel spoke to the host, and they were guided through the crowd to the back of the place. Ethan spotted Wes right away, his blond head leaning back, his laughter echoing loudly. He was holding hands with his husband, Ryker, and the resemblance to Rachel was obvious. The same long, dark hair and blue eyes, except Ryker’s were framed in dark-rimmed glasses. Ryker was smiling at Wes like he was the only one in the room.
That’s love right there.
It had been so long since Ethan felt like that about a woman that he started to wonder if he’d ever feel that way again. A sadness washed over him until Rachel turned her head and smiled at him, kickstarting his heart.
“I have arrived! Now the party can finally get started!” Rachel declared loudly as Ryker stood up and hugged his sister.
“Ethan, so good to see you again,” Wes reached across the table and shook his hand.
“You, too, Wes, how’ve you been?” Ethan replied.
“Great. We’ve got a new book releasing in a month, so we’ve been working like mad. Ethan, I’d like you to meet my husband Ryker,” Ethan reached over to shake Ryker’s hand.
“Nice to finally meet you in person,” Ryker murmured as they all sat down.
“Wes has texted so much about you, I feel like I already know you,” Ethan smiled in return.