“Getting started is the hardest part. I am certain it will go easier once you are back at it.”
“Canning said the same thing. We’re in the same boat, him and I. His novel has been stalled for years, and he wants to really give it a go and finish it.”
“It must be nice to have friends who are also artists,” she said wistfully.
“Yes. We’ve supported one another through the highs and lows. Back in the day, the fellows attended my concerts, and I went to their exhibitions and readings.”
While Xenia had eyes only for Ethan, she could imagine that the three handsome gentlemen must have stolen more than a few hearts.
“You must have been popular,” she teased.
“We were.”
No false modesty there.
She couldn’t help but inquire, “With the ladies especially?”
He arched a brow. “Are you asking about my past lovers?”
Admittedly, she was curious. Of late, she’d found herself thinking about the relationships he’d had in the past…and whether he’d been in love.
“Was there anyone you were serious about?” she asked tentatively.
“I had casual liaisons. Nothing lasting. I was also engaged, but that ended when we discovered we did not suit.”
As she digested that information, he asked, “Why don’t you ask the question that is really on your mind?”
“What question is that?”
“You want to know if I have been in love.”
She took the bait. “Have you?”
“No,” he said solemnly. “Not yet.”
His emphasis on “yet” and the way he squeezed her shoulders made her toes curl.
“My parents, you see, have always been unfashionably and madly in love,” he went on. “Their relationship sets a high bar for the rest of us. One day you’ll meet them, and you’ll see what I mean.”
I am going to meet Ethan’s parents?
Yearning and fear wrung her insides. On the one hand, she wanted to meet the rest of Ethan’s family…to know the people who were closest to him. On the other, she was his servant, and they were having an illicit affair. While they’d managed to hide their relationship from his naïve young sister, his parents might not be as easy to fool. They would undoubtedly disapprove of her and might even insist Ethan break things off.
Why are you worrying about Ethan’s parents? You’ll probably have to run before you get a chance to darken their door. Don’t fool yourself into believing that this affair can last.
“What about you?” he asked.
She blinked, so absorbed in her inner conversation that she’d lost track of the actual one.
“My parents fought constantly and if they were ever in love, it didn’t last?—”
“Not your parents, pet. You. Have you been in love?”
She hesitated, but their intimacy felt so good that she didn’t want it to end.
“I thought I was in love once,” she admitted.
“With that follower you mentioned?” he asked intently. “Tell me about him.”
