Chapter 33: Chapter 33

"Not gonna happen, Ana," she muttered as she dropped her undergarments in the top drawer and shut it wall her might. "Yeah. Bastard will be lucky to get into my pants at all."

"What's going on?"

Ana screeched as her hand flew to her chest. "Kate! Mia! How did you two get in here?" she asked breathlessly.

"What's with the slamming of the drawers?" her friend shot back, ignoring her question.

"It's called frustration, Kate," Ana snapped.

Kate looked at Mia. "Your brother won't bang her," she explained.

"Kate!" Ana was mortified that she'd shared that bit of information with Eric's sister—who she'd only just met.

"Well, it's true. There's no use sugarcoating it. But don't worry," Kate said as she grabbed the next drawer before Ana could slam it; she shut it herself much more gently. "Lucky for you, Mia here has decided that a pseudo-bachelorette party is in order. Which I think is a great idea. You need a night away from Eric."

Ana planted her hands on her hips. "Tell me how that could possibly help, Kate, because I haven't been near Eric!"

Kate turned to Mia. "She'll be fine once we liquor her up."

"Liquor's not going to solve my problems."

"Well, it's gonna try," Kate informed her as she looked her up and down. "Do you have something else to wear? Something a little more...sexy, maybe?"

Ana sighed. "I have my coat closet outfit."

"Ooh, that is absolutely perfect for tonight!" Kate exclaimed excitedly.

Mia's brows drew together in confusion as she looked from Kate to Ana. "Coat closet outfit?"

"Have a seat, Mia," Kate said as she patted her future sister-in-law on the back a few times. She winked at Ana over her shoulder. "Boy do I have a story for you."

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"I should go talk to Ana," Eric said. "She's probably pissed at me." And he couldn't deny it—he wanted to see those damn fuck-me eyes again.

"She didn't say goodbye?" Elliot asked.

"What?" Eric shot back, suddenly panicked. Had he been so much of a jerk she'd skipped out on her best friend's wedding?

"Mia decided they should do some sort of girls night to celebrate Kate's last weekend of being single," Elliot informed his younger brother. "I thought it was stupid and tried to con them into letting us go, but she was adamant that it be 'girls only.'"

"Where'd they go?" Eric demanded.

Elliot shrugged. "It was some big secret," he answered.

"And you just let them go?"

"Let them?" Elliot asked in amusement. "Have you met my fiance? I don't let her do anything, Eric. She does what she wants."

Eric raked a hand through his hair. "We have to find them."

Elliot shook his head. "I'm not crashing girls night. I like my private parts too much for that. But I do think we should get out of this stuffy hotel room."

"Hey, I own this stuffy hotel room," Eric said dryly.

Elliot grinned. "Let's go get something to eat. I'm starving."

Eric nodded. "I supposed we should invite Ethan." He hissed Kate's brother's name, then almost smacked Elliot when he grinned.

"Ethan when with Kate."

"You're fucking kidding me," Eric snapped.

Elliot shook his head. "Said they needed someone to cut them off when the time came."

This night just kept getting better and better.

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It was nearly midnight when Eric's cell phone rang; he was alarmed to see Mia's name pop up on his screen. "Mia?"

"Eric?" she shouted into the phone.

"Mia, I can barely hear you," Eric said. "Is everything OK?"

"No!" she wailed. "I—I don't know where we are, but it's really creepy. Kate's surrounded by men, and Ana is up on stage singing something about someone hitting her with their best shot, and the big guy in the black leather looks like he might take her up on it."

"Where the fuck is Ethan?" he asked.

"In the men's room."

His sister's voice was so forlorn that Eric's heart started racing. "Mia, I'm on my way. Leave your cell phone on so I can track it. We'll be there as soon as we can."

"Holy shit!"

"Mia-"

The line went dead before he could say anything else, and Eric jumped to his feet. "We gotta go."

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Eric was glad he'd had the good sense to have Taylor accompany him on the trip; he was like a NASCAR driver with the limo. They were barreling through the streets of Santa Barbara at a breakneck speed through neighborhoods Eric had never seen.

"I'm going to find Ana," he said. "Jose, you find Kate, and Elliot—you find Mia."

"What about Ethan?" Jose asked.

"I don't give a fuck about that little punk," Eric spat, though that wasn't entirely true. The bastard had gone under the guise of keeping the women safe, and he hadn't even been able to manage that. The only thing Eric wanted more that Ethan's head on a platter was to know that Ana was safe.

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Mia was the easiest to find—as soon as they walked inside, she rushed at them.

"My job is done," Elliot stated with a proud grin.

"There's Kate!" Jose said, disappearing further into the depths of the seediest bar Eric had ever set foot in.

His eyes had scanned half the establishment before he felt a thump on the side of his head. "Wha—Mia! What the hell was that for?" he asked as he rubbed the side of his head.

"That was for the coat closet incident," she announced. "I can't believe your lack of manners, Eric Miller. Mom would be absolutely mortified if she knew about that."

"Mia—I'd be absolutely mortified if mom knew about that. Now where is—oh, fuck."

Mine. The word pounded inside him with a ferocity that shocked the hell out of him. He had half a mind to take her back to the hotel and give her exactly what she wanted—to remind her that she belonged to him. Or if she wasn't already aware, to enlighten her. He marched up behind the guy in the leather and hadn't even come to a stop when she noticed him.

"Eric!" Ana said animatedly, jumping down off her bar stool. The guy in the black leather—who had a good three inches and sixty pounds on him—wasn't nearly as thrilled.

"Who are you?" the guy demanded.

"Her significant other," Eric bit out as he took her by the arm. "And we're leaving." He started dragging her toward the door, but she wasn't able to keep up. He turned around and glared at her. "How much have you had to drink?" he demanded.

"Hmm..." Ana said as she put a finger to her chin and considered her answer.

"It wasn't a trick question, Ana."

She giggled. "You called me Ana. Does that mean you're mad at me?"

"I'd rather not discuss this here," he said.

"Oh! One beers, a rum and diet coke, and seven...no eight..." She sighed heavily. "Some shots of tequila."

"You had that much tequila?" he asked angrily.

"But you said tequila is always a good idea," she reminded him with a pout that he shouldn't have found so damn sexy.

"Yes," he agreed as he tightened his grip on her arm and headed outside—at a much slower pace this time so she could keep up. "When you're with me, or tucked in the safety of your apartment with Kate," he admonished. Never when there were other men around! "And not when you're wearing..." He looked her up and down as he walked blindly on—the coat closet incident flashed through his mind as if often did—and felt his cock jerk. "That."

"Eric," she said as she came to a stop. He turned around and gave her a questioning look. She launched herself at him with much more agility than she'd walked out of the bar with, and wrapped her arms around his waist as she rested her cheek against his chest, sighing contentedly. "You smell delicious."

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Delicious. Eric was still grinning as he walked into Ana's room. No one had ever referred to him as such before, and he was surprised that it thrilled him so much.

Ana dropped her room key on the table and headed straight for her bed. She flopped down on the mattress, then kicked her shoes off and pushed them to the floor. "It's bright in here," she said.

Eric made his way to the bed and sat down beside her, dimming the lamp on the nightstand. "You are not going to have a good morning."

She opened one eye. "Am I going to have a good night?" she asked hopefully.

Eric laughed. "Sure. If we can get some water and ibuprofen into you."

"That's not what I meant," she said, as her other eye opened.

"Ana-"

"Is it because of the lawyers? Is that why you won't sleep with me?" she asked.

"The lawyers?" he asked in confusion.

"Well, I know they frown upon this sort of thing," she said matter-of-factly.

"Frown upon?" Eric asked with a smirk.

She sighed in frustration.

"It's not because of the lawyers, Ana."

"They, why?" she pressed.

"Ana..." Eric took a deep breath before he spoke again. "I didn't get you the job at The Lux."

She studied his face for a minute, and if he'd had an unlimited amount of guesses on what her next words would be, the ones that came out her mouth would never have been among them. "I think we should have sex now," she said with a sigh.

"Ana...did you hear me?" he asked.

"Yes!" she wailed as she rolled over and buried her face in the pillow.

"Then..."

"I can't talk about that, Eric," she said, her voice muffled.

"Ana-"

She suddenly flopped over onto her back and sat up. "It means I was a bitch to you for nothing," she said. "For nothing. I was mean to you, and I came storming into your office, and-"

"Yeah, and it was fucking hot," Eric informed her.

"What?"

"You came in guns blazing, Ana. I don't think anything has ever turned me on so much in my entire life."

She blinked as she gazed at him. "Are you...kidding?" she asked.

He shook his head.

"Well...are you turned on right now?" she asked timidly.

"Ana...we can't. You need to let this sink in," he insisted as he stood.

"Eric," she moaned. "The only think I want sinking into me is you!"

She moved to her knees and crawled to the edge of the bed until she reached him, and then grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him closer.

"Eric, please," she whispered as one of her hands clenched the fabric covering his chest; she laced the fingers on other hand through his hair and pulled his face down until his forehead was resting against hers. "Please," she whispered again, her breath soft against his mouth just as she lifted her lips to his and gave him a pleading kiss. "Please."

When her lips met his again, Eric felt any ounce of resolve he might have had left drift away.