Perfect Bastard (by Mary D. Sant) novel Chapter 106

Chapter 106: The Agony of

Anticipation

ELLIE

“Shall we?” he said, starting to walk down the sidewalk.

“Honestly, I’m not sure if this was a great idea. Do you really think

we’ll be able to talk in this freezing weather while running?” I caught

up to him, walking by his side.

“Why does it feel like you’re trying to run away?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

As we walked through the streets of Manhattan toward the park, I couldn’t help but admire the colorful Christmas lights adorning the buildings and lamp posts. They created a magical atmosphere and gave the city a special glow.

Christmas was my favorite time of year, and being with Ethan made the moment even more magical.

A chill settled in my stomach–not just from the magic of the

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Chapter 106: The Agony of Anticipation

moment, but from wondering what the future had in store for us.

We’d only been running for five minutes, but my lungs were already

burning, as were the muscles in my legs. The cold I had been feeling

had almost completely disappeared. Gasping for breath, I slowed

down, my heart pounding in my chest.

Ethan was already a bit ahead when he noticed I had stopped

running. Stopping, he turned back and jogged toward me.

“Are you okay?” he asked, not looking the slightest bit tired, not even

out of breath.

“How is it possible that you’re not tired?”

“I’d say I’ve got a lot of pent–up energy. To be precise, two months‘

worth,” he said, unable to hold back a sly grin.

I rolled my eyes, laughing inwardly.

“You men can’t go a single second without thinking about sex, can

you?”

“Fine. I’ll pretend I didn’t notice you staring at the front of my pants

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this morning.”

Oh my God. How did he…

I pressed my lips together, trying to suppress a smile.

“I wasn’t doing that.”

I felt my cheeks heat up. Thankfully, it was cold enough to hide the

real reason they were flushed. But it wasn’t my fault that, even in

freezing weather, he couldn’t hide that thing.

“I thought we needed to be honest if this was going to work,” he said,

biting his lower lip.

“Maybe you should wear tighter underwear.”

“Believe it or not, I’m actually wearing a pair right now.”

“Okay, enough. Can we talk about what we really came here to

discuss?”

“Sure, but you don’t need to pretend you’re not missing a ride on the

scariest and riskiest roller coaster in the park.”

“You still remember that.” I laughed.

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“How could I forget? You were so cute, all shy and scared.”

“Okay, okay. This isn’t helping us stay on track.”

“All right. Where should we start?”

I thought for a few moments as we continued walking along the trail.

“First, are you absolutely sure you want to do this? Because… I don’t

think I could handle going through that again.”

He took a deep breath beside me, as if the weight of my words hit

him.

“Hearing you say that still makes me feel horrible. You have no idea

how sorry I am for putting you through that.”

“I just need to know you’re sure this time.”

His brown eyes met mine, shining with some emotion.

“There’s nothing I’m more sure of than this. You have no idea what I felt when I thought I’d lost you… or how hard it was to spend all that time away from you.”

Honesty. That was the emotion in his eyes, along with a hint of guilt.

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“Actually, I think I have some idea,” I said, smiling.

“Are you finally admitting you missed me?”

“Yes, and not just the scary ride.”

“I’m glad to hear that. So, what do we do now? Do I need to talk to

your parents again before I can take you to bed and keep you there for

a month?”

“Haha, funny. Actually, even if this is turning back into a relationship,

I think we should still take it slow.”

“Take it slow… You want to turn this into some kind of lab

experiment? Make me your little lab rat and see how I perform,

whether I’ve really changed? Is that it?”

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“I just… thought you’d understand why…”

“It’s okay, I’m joking. I don’t mind being your little lab rat, as long as

you wear a nice low–cut top under that lab coat and some heels, too.”

“Pervert.”

“It’s the least you could do since I’ll be under evaluation.”

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“Right now, you still seem like the same bastard as always.”

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“Great. And you still seem like the same crazy scientist who decided

to hate me for wanting to have sex with you.”

“Oh, you have to admit that was pretty asshole–ish.”

“To me, it just seemed like an opportunity.”

“Oh my God. We talked for two minutes, and you thought it was time

to ask me to have sex with you? You didn’t know anything about me.”

“I didn’t need to. I’d already noticed the most important thing.”

“What?” I stopped, curious.

He stopped too.

“You were hot,” he said with a shrug, trying to hold back a smile.

My jaw dropped. What a jerk! Taking a step toward him, I pushed him,

pressing my hands against his chest.

“You’re such an asshole!”

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He laughed, trying to steady himself, then wrapped his arms around

my waist, pulling me toward him as he laughed.

Gorgeous and a bastard.

That was all I could think as I watched his smile.

“Bastard!” I tried to free myself from his grip, pushing against his

chest–not that it was what I really wanted.

After all this time, my body was practically melting just from being in

his arms. Being so close to him, feeling his warmth, set my skin on

fire in seconds.

“And yet, you’re the one who knocked on this bastard’s door,” he said

smugly, his laughter fading. “Why?”

“Yeah, maybe I’m the idiot,” I replied, still mesmerized by his gaze.

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“No… you’re beautiful.”

His lips were inches from mine when the sound of footsteps

approaching on the trail broke the moment, snapping us back to

reality.

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A guy ran past us, ruining the mood.

“I think we should wrap this up. It’s getting late, and we both have to

get to work,” I said.

“Yeah, let’s go,” he agreed, releasing me.

We walked side by side again.

“What are your plans for Christmas?” he asked suddenly.

“Well, I haven’t planned anything yet, but I was thinking of traveling

to spend it with my parents.”

“Do you think they’d mind if you didn’t go?”

“I don’t think so. Aren’t you spending it with your family?”

“No. Well, yes, we’ll have lunch together, but I’d like you to stay with

me.”

“You want me to have lunch with your parents?”

“Only if you want to. Or we could just have dinner. I could cook

something for you.”

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“Hmm, now that’s interesting. But if you’d said you’d be cooking

naked, that’d be an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

“I think I can arrange that.”

We laughed.

“So, is that a yes?” he asked.

“Yes. I already know your parents, though I doubt they remember

me.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

*

When we reached my door, Ethan insisted on coming up, even though

I’d told him it wasn’t necessary.

“Well… good job. See you Sunday?” I said.

“Just Sunday?” He looked confused. “We could have dinner tonight,

and we still have all of tomorrow.”

“I actually have plans with the girls tomorrow.”

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“All day? What about dinner tonight?”