The Sweetest Summer

Chapter Fifty-Nine - Golden

Ethan didn't snore, didn't move, didn't really even breathe wrapped around me all night. Eli'd always tossed and turned and snored deeply until I shoved him over. It was almost as if, even in sleep, he was larger than life.

Early the next morning, Ethan had to leave for some sort of meeting, but had given me free range of his home - including his kitchen.

I'd fried bacon and scrambled eggs I'd found in his wall-sized fridge. A fridge that was surprisingly well stocked for a man. There were rows upon rows of eggs, and gallons of milk, and cooked chicken, and cut up containers of fruit. Everything was healthy and orderly. Not like the one moldy container of leftover Chinese food in my fridge in New York, or my water and soda stash in my fridge in Malibu. 

Maybe if I stayed with Ethan long enough, he could teach me his ways. I sighed at the possibility of months of rest-filled nights with a sexy musician wrapped around me.

I shook myself a little. I'd only been Ethan Hawthorn's girlfriend for less than twenty-four hours, and I was already planning for the fucking white picket fence. I needed to get a grip, and fast.

My black strapless EVOL two-piece bikini fit a little tighter than usual as I pulled it out of my suitcase and over my breasts. I'd packed the swimsuit on a whim, in case Ethan had a pool, and boy did he ever...

The slider off his master bedroom held nothing back, and I stood awestruck at the view. The city of Los Angeles sat below me, nestled in a dense layer of smog, while the Pacific Ocean glittered brilliantly to my left. City and ocean views?! I didn't have to grow up in L.A. to know this view, along with this massive modern house, was worth several million dollars.

I sprayed on some sunscreen and fanned out the black striped beach towel I found in Ethan's bathroom. Time to find out why Ethan Hawthorn had this much money...

My iTunes account loaded quickly, and I purchased Ethan's most recent album, the one hanging a hundred yards away in his office. The reviews were fantastic, which wasn't surprising, given its platinum status.

While the little blue wheel turned and downloaded, I appreciated the view again. The pool was an infinity edge one that seemed to drop off the side of the earth. The rest of the backyard was just as serene. There was a small area of grass with two looming palm trees, and a hammock strung between the two. Past the hammock sat a line of hedges that seemed to sprout all the way to the heavens, shielding the backyard from the neighbors view. The whole thing was so luxurious, so private, so ding!

Download complete. I greedily clicked on the first song. Paradise. A dark piano melody greeted me and goosebumps immediately erupted on my skin. Ethan could play the piano?! My eyes wandered to the matte black gothic one sitting in his living room. I imagined him sitting there, shirtless and hunched over as he played, his eyes closed and swaying a little to the melancholy melody he was creating.

"They say paradise is a place in time,
but darling I say it's getting lost in your eyes.
The pushing and pulling and otherworld divide, gives me nothing like being caught between your thighs."

I blushed fiercely. Hollywood's Playboy.

"Paradise, paradise, baby. Lost within my mind. Paradise, paradise, baby I'll take you there tonight."

Holy shit, this was good. Suggestive and unapologetic, a dynamic combination with the smooth grit in Ethan's voice. The song came to a gradual end and the next single began. I glimpsed at the screen. Malibu Dreamin'

"California dreamin' is a way of life, a way to escape all the bad shit in your mind. The needles and the nights that you couldn't get quite right.