Page 110 of Some Kinda Romance

54

SERENITY

After another great night together, I left Dash’s apartment in the morning and headed home to get ready for work. I took the back exit from his building, relieved that the paparazzi weren’t there waiting for me. They never were when I stayed at his place and it was a welcome break.

It also reminded me that I still had to arrange those viewings to look at options for a new place, but my brain felt like cotton candy today, so this probably wasn’t the time. I was too caught up in being sweet on Dash.

I laughed at myself for the thought, but it was true. I’d never connected with anyone like I did with him, and I almost couldn’t believe how good things were between us. When I’d first met him, I thought I was going to hate working with him and I knew he’d hated me on first sight too.

Our relationship had changed so much since then though, and even if I wasn’t ready to admit it, the idea of the big L-word had been popping into my head more and more often recently. And he was great in bed, which was a plus since my attraction to him only kept growing.

I’d even admitted to him last night that I felt like I’d never really had sex until him. He blew my mind every time, and then after, he blew it again simply by taking an actual interest in me. We’d been talking for months, and yet, we still talked for hours every time we saw each other without running out of things to say.

Back at my apartment, I got ready for work and left quickly so that I wouldn’t be late, but my head was still filled with thoughts of Dash and I didn’t watch where I was going. As I waved at the security guard in the lobby when I walked out, I smacked into someone. Hard.

I jerked my gaze up, groaning internally when I saw who I had run into. “Ethan? What are you doing here?”

He scowled at me. “I came to talk to you. Let’s go inside.”

I shook my head, taking a step back and planting my hands on my hips. The glare of the sunlight out here hurt my eyes, but I didn’t reach for the glasses on top of my head. I didn’t want it to look like I was shielding myself or hiding from him.

“I really don’t have time for this right now.” I went to brush past him, but he stepped into my way again, blocking me as he gave me a pleading look.

The scowl was gone, his features suddenly soft again as he stared into my eyes. “Please, Serenity. Just hear me out? I’m worried about you. Dash isn’t who you think he is.”

“Thankfully, that’s none of your concern.”

“He’s using you,” he said emphatically, keeping his voice down and himself in my path. “All he wants is fame. He admitted it to me the other day. That’s why I was so shocked when I left his office. He told me he was using you for his own gain. You have to believe me. I’m just trying to look out for you.”

I blinked up at him, not believing him for a second and wondering why I had for so long. Pushing past him, I looked back at him over my shoulder. “Leave me alone, Ethan. I thought Dash had made it clear to you the other day when you tried to intimidate him too that we were done. You and I are over and I’m not scared of you anymore. Accept that we’re done and move on. Now leave me the hell alone.”

As I left him behind me, I realized that the paparazzi camped out outside my building had caught it all and I even heard some of them laughing about Ethan getting yelled at in public. Good. I hope his image is seriously wounded after all this. People really need to see who he truly is.

I got into my car and headed to work, trying to put the whole debacle behind me. Julie grinned when I walked into my office, handing over a cup of coffee as she sat down in the chair opposite my desk. “Finally, you’re here! I’ve been waiting for ages. The Montrellis are so happy with us. I thought I should come give you the good news in person. They’ve already referred us to three other couples they know who have recently gotten engaged.”

“That’s awesome.” I smiled, taking the coffee from her gratefully and slinging my purse off my shoulder. “I would’ve been here earlier, but I ran into Ethan on my way out of my building.”

“What?” Her expression morphed immediately from pure happiness to unadulterated hatred. “What did he want this time?”

“To convince me that Dash was using me,” I said before giving her a quick breakdown of what had happened.

Triumph flashed in her eyes when I was done. “That’s great. I’m glad you finally put him in his place and in public. Let’s just hope it sticks this time.”

I pressed my hands together in a praying motion and nodded. “Let’s hope. How’s everything with Diana’s wedding? We’re still on track, right?”

“We’re still on track,” she assured me. “Everything is perfect. Stop worrying about it. It’s going to be awesome.”

As I nodded, I pulled my phone out of my purse, continuing a conversation I’d been having with Dash. We texted back and forth all day while Julie and I worked, and eventually, she plucked my phone out of my hand.

“You haven’t stopped talking to him or about him since you got here,” she said. “Could you be in⁠—”

I cut her off. “We’re not saying it. It’s too early for that.”

Although I’d been thinking about it myself earlier, I didn’t want to say it yet. I just wanted to enjoy the moment.

Julie laughed as she arched an eyebrow at me. “Fine, I won’t say it, but I know you are. I can tell. You deserve to be happy, my friend. Just make sure he keeps treating you well.”

“I will,” I said softly. “I don’t think it’s going to be a problem, though. He really isn’t anything like Ethan and I have a direct line to his mom. She told me to call her if he messes up again.”