Chapter 14: Chapter 14

Ethan's POV

Once the last speech is given by the CARMA owner and it's time for people to move around, I get up quickly and head for the door leading to a small corridor that overlooks the city.

Putting both hands on the banister, I bow my head and try to breathe slowly.

Every time.

Every time this event held.

Every time they talked about dad.

I raise my head and look up at the sky and inhale the night air.

After April had held my hand, I had felt the pain leaving, but I just need to clear my head.

All this is my father's dream, I can't ruin every night by letting the pain get to me. No matter how much they talk about him...

I'll be here to help charity.

I hear footsteps behind me and I know Trevor has found me, like he always does.

"Ethan?"

Her voice is soft and cautious and soon she is beside me.

When I look down at her, her green worried eyes are staring back at me.

"Are you okay?" April asks.

"Yeah." I say and slowly, her hand touches mine and when I turn to face her, her other hand is on my face.

Oh, God.

I put my hand over hers and hold it against my face, feeling her warmth.

"I'm sorry about your dad." She whispers and naturally, I hated the pity I got when people found out.

But with her hand to my face and her other hand holding mine, her words had the smoothest effect to my pain in combination with her touch.

"Do you want to go back in now? Trevor and his parents are waiting for you." She says slowly and I nod, still mesmerized by her touch.

Holding her by the hand, we make our way back into the hall where Trevor is standing with Bianca and his parents.

"Are you okay, honey?" Amanda, Trevor's mum asks as she studies me.

"I'm fine." I say, noticing how Clyde looks at April then back at me.

"You said you have some questions for me?" He says to April and she nods eagerly with a smile as she takes her purse from Bianca and takes out her recorder.

For the next hour, we walked around and she got ask Clyde, the CARMA owner and one more sponsor.

"Happy?" I ask when she turns of her recorder and smiles at me.

"I already thanked you for this right? Because I'm about to jump up and down with grattitude." She says and I laugh.

Taking two long  tubes of champagne from a passing waiter, I hand her one.

"This is all too fancy." She says with a giggle as she sips.

"We can just...." my voice trails of when I notice an all too familiar blonde head of hair walking towards us.

"What is it?" She asks, following my gaze as Emma walks over to us.

"Emma." I greet, like I always do whenever I see her. One word and that's it.

"Ethan. After years of our parents being partners you end up bringing--"

She turns to April,

"Her." She says, blue eyes glaring.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" April says and I try to lead her away but she doesn't move an inch as she stares at Emma.

"Who am I ? I think the question is who are you?" Emma says.

April smiles brightly and I watch as she says,

"I'm April Skye, the girl here to create awareness and help for charity, making the world a better place. And you're the girl that wishes she could do this."

She turns to me and surprises me by planting her lips on mine and I surprise myself by kissing her full lips back.

So much for waiting...

When the kiss is over, Emma is staring wide eyed and April says,

"So, who are you?"

Emma is silent, her jaw hanging open.

"Yeah. I thought so too. Cheers." April says and leads me away.

For some unknown reason, I can't help the pull I feel to this feisty, little red head.

" Oh my God." She says with a laugh when we're out of ear shot and I smile at her.

"I cannot believe I just did that. I'm so sorry if this ruins your business partnership." She says looking at me and I laugh.

"It doesn't. The business is with her dad, not her." I say, waiting for her to apologise for the kiss to or get angry but she is keeps laughing.

"She was being such a prude." She says.

"I never knew you had it in you."

"Me neither." She says and giggles as she sips her champagne and we make out way over to where Trevor is standing with Bianca.

"Just a heads up, Emma is around." He says and I shrug.

"I think April's got it covered." I say and she laughs again, eyes twinkling.

Each time I heard her laugh, it was like a new melodic sound getting softer and softer.

The announcer comes back and we are all seated when he says the sum is up to 150 million.

After the vote of thanks to all sponsors and the participatory suivenir of gift baskets, we head back to the limo.

"So do we drop you off at your dorm?" I ask her and she bites her lip, thinking.

"Oh, come on April. We always go back to the apartment, take some beer and head to the roof top. Plus you left me when you never came back, do you know how heartbroken I felt?" Trevor says, clutching her hand and Bianca and April laugh.

"You don't have to listen to him." I say to her but she shrugs.

"I guess it won't hurt to stay for some time, plus I've got the answers I need for my report."

She turns to me now.

"You don't mind, do you?" She asks and I want to laugh.

"Why would I?" I say, turning to her and I realise her eyes are fixed on mine. Somehow, they looked darker and drew me more than ever.

I had been trying all night not to stare so much at her after the kiss, because her eyes cast me in a spell I never want to leave.

I don't know how long we stare at each other before someone clears their throat and she blinks, then looks away.

After several minutes, the limo parks in front of the building and we walk out.

"You okay?" I ask her when we get into the elevator and she turns to look at me with a sort of excitement.

"I'm just really glad about the event and everything. My research has gone better and I'm just happy."

I raise a brow at her enthusiasm and she adds,

"Plus I had fun. Thanks." She says in a lower voice and I nod, trying to think good thoughts apart from how easy it would be to take off her gown starting from that darn, teasing lace tied at her cleavage.

We get into the apartment and she takes her shoes off, while Trevor gets the beer and I pull off my jacket, rolling the sleeves up.

"Just so you know," She says, walking over to me with a shy look,

"I'm terribly scared of heights." She completes and laughs when I give her a look.

"You're kidding."

"Honestly, I can't even stare out your window from here. This place is about 50 storeys high."

"40." I correct her with a look but she still laughs and protests,

"40 or 50. Its still freakishly high."

"April. I'll be there with you, remember? We'll all be there, there's nothing to worry about. Plus there's a protective caging around about 8 feet high. Okay?" I ask her but she is just staring at me again.

Dammit don't look at me like that.

I was a minute away from tearing that darn dress that has been teasing me all night when Trevor comes with the beer.

"Okay, let's go." He says, nudging me when I roll my eyes as April grabs her purse and we all head to the elevator.

Once we get to the highest floor, we take the staircase leading to the roof.

"I never get tired of this place." Trevor says when we get to the roof landing, walking slowly around.

"This is amazingly terrifying." April says as I lead her slowly to the edge where the metallic caging is protecting us.

"See?" I say to her and she laughs a little and looks at me.

"It's like a tiny view of paradise." She says and I nod, trying to avert my gaze from her full lips.

Trevor walks over, carrying our beer.

"I feel like a king here above all these city lights." He says and hands us each a beer, and April laughs while I take the beer from him.

"I've never had a night like this, so many bizarre things happening all at once. Its a terrifying kind of excitement." She says, opening her beer and drinking from it.

"So all this is new to you?"

She nods,

"Yes. That's one of the reasons I want to be a journalist. Imagine the kind of places and bizarre things I'd see. Both exciting and terrifying."

"And where does the kiss stand?" I blurt out like an idiot. Surprisingly, she just drinks her beer and and turns to me,

"Both. Are you mad at me for it?" She asks.

Just the opposite.

April's POV

"No." He says with a smile and for the hundredth time that night, I get caught staring into those eyes that turn from grey to dark grey when he looks at me like he wants to rip off my dress.

We stay there for another hour before I realize it's already 12.

"I...um, I have to start going." I say to him and try to ignore the disappointed look in his eyes as he nods.

"Sure, I'll just let Trevor know." He says and walks over to where they are.

"I really hope I see you again." Bianca says as she hugs me and I follow Ethan to the elevator.

Once we're inside, he turns to me.

"Do you want me to drop you or...." his voice trails off again as his eyes turn a darker shade of grey, almost black.

I can feel my legs turn to jelly at his look.

"Fuck it." He mutters and has me against the elevator wall in an instant, kissing me. His touch sends bolts of fire through every nerve of my body.

I moan, aching for more as he deepens the kiss and his tongue slips in, teasing me senseless.

I grasp his hair and pull him closer, needing more just as I feel his hand on the front of my dress.

With one tug, the lace comes undone and my cleavage is exposed completely.

Quickly, he trails hot kisses down my neck and collar bone as I arch my back.

His hand slips in the front of my dress and grasps my breast as I let a loud moan escape, tugging his head lower and arching my back.

His mouth is on my other breast, teasing and tugging and I moan louder.

"Ethan." I gasp, and his mouth is back on mine with his hands on my breasts...

Then the elevator dings and he pulls away immediately and I pull my dress back up, tying the lace when the door opens. The lobby is almost empty but I grab my purse from the floor and hurry out anyway into the open air.

Ethan is beside me in an instant and he studies me warily, while I bite my lip, thinking of what to say.

"I'm sorry." He says, beating me to it and I turn to him.

He was sorry?

I close my eyes, remembering the last time we had kissed and I had pushed him away.

Exactly.

Because this was wrong, right?

These sudden passionate moments were very wrong no matter how good they feel..

Or how good his touch feels on me.

Shut up.

"April?"

I turn to him with a smile, still pondering whether I should regret this or not.

"Goodnight, Ethan." I say and leave the parking lot, trying with every will power left in me not to look back as I get into a taxi.

Stop pondering.....

This is just another type of trouble.

A dangerous, passionate, kind.

And it's wrong. Very very wrong.