A Picture's Worth
Copyright© 2026 by Evie Olivia Niven
Chapter 11: For Good Behavior
“Look! Look! No hands!”
I don’t know which one of them is more amusing, Bea thought, smiling to herself as she watched Ethan trot across the yard after Aria and Spots. The little girl had released the reins and was waving her hands around, laughing. Ethan was, of course, frantic. He should realize what a good thing it is, Bea thought, shaking her head. Aria is strong enough to hold on with her legs. Granted, Spots wasn’t going any faster than a lazy walk, but it was probably more than the girl could have hoped for, years or even months ago. Ethan told her that the doctors were hopeful.
He caught up with Aria and scooped her, shrieking and flailing, out of the saddle. Laughing, Bea ducked between the fence rails to join them. She thought it was a little unfair of Ethan to resort to tickling when Aria couldn’t escape, but he was just paying her back for nearly giving him a heart attack. He’s going to make a wonderful father someday, Bea thought, smiling up at him as he settled Aria on his hip. She could feel her heart start to beat faster and wondered just how deep she was getting herself in here.
“No fair, Ethan!” Aria said, pouting. “Come on, put me down.”
“It’s getting late,” Ethan said, reaching back with a free hand and grabbing Spots’ reins. “Time to go inside.”
“You just wanna go be alone with Bea,” Aria muttered, folding her arms across her chest and looking sullen. “I can tell. You keep looking at her.”
Ethan went silent all of a sudden. Curious, Bea glanced at him. Is he blushing? she wondered, fighting back a smile. He remained silent the whole time he was untacking Spots, and she just watched him, listening with half an ear as Aria chattered on about her day. I really can’t help it, Bea thought, her fingers itching to push back the hair that had come loose from Ethan’s ponytail. I just want to touch him ... Aria was far too alert, however. Already she was looking back and forth between them, mischief in her eyes.
“So Ethan said you were sick and that’s why he didn’t come to see me those days,” Aria said. That sure caught Ethan’s attention. “Does that mean you stayed at his place? Or did he stay at yours?”
“Aria, there’s such a thing as going too far,” Ethan warned, as he picked her up off the tack box. “I don’t appreciate you being so rude.”
Aria blinked at him, obviously startled. No doubt Ethan rarely scolded her, if ever. Looking contrite, she went quiet as he carried her back up towards the main building. This is a little awkward, Bea thought, glancing sidelong at the two of them. I hope this doesn’t cause a problem between the two of them. It didn’t seem to, though, because before they reached the house, Aria was chattering away again, this time about something else. Ethan let out an exasperated sigh, but the little girl didn’t hear it.
Glancing over, Bea saw the smile on his face. As frustrating as Aria could be at times, he still adored her. He’s great with kids, she thought, as she followed them down the hall. Now all he needs is practice with women. Or woman, because she wasn’t going to let anyone else get near him now. Bea watched him as he settled Aria on the bed, finding a certain fascination in the grace of his movements. She hoped the little girl was right; that Ethan wanted to be alone for a while.
“So, are you going to ask me to have dinner with you?” Bea asked, a half-hour later, as they stepped into the still warm evening air. She leaned against Ethan’s side and was pleased by the shy way he put his arm around her shoulders.
“Well, I was thinking of eating in,” Ethan told her. “Do you mind?”
Bea snorted. “Mind?” She looked up at him, her eyebrows raising. “If I’m reading this right, you’re asking me to go with you to your apartment for dinner. All alone in your apartment, me and you, some food, all cozy ... am I right?”
Ethan didn’t answer, but he didn’t deny it either. His cheeks turned a little red, but she could see the hint of a smile touching the corners of his mouth. As their second honest-to-goodness date, just the two of them, with no other people and no interruptions, the two of them had gone out to breakfast this morning. Afterward, Bea had decided to go with him to see Aria. She really didn’t want to part just yet, anyway, she thought, as she climbed into his car. And to get to go back to his place and have dinner...
After a bit of playful debating, they decided to order pizza. It wasn’t what Bea would call romantic, but Ethan swore there was a place not far from his apartment that made the best Sicilian pizza in the world. As soon as they were in the apartment, he got the phone to call. Bea paused near the door, pulling off the light cotton jacket she was wearing. Winter was almost completely gone, with only a trace of it left in the air. She’d worn a short, clingy dark blue dress and had enjoyed Ethan staring at her all through breakfast.
She caught him watching her now, his eyes intent upon her as he spoke into the phone. Smiling, Bea made her way slowly over; by the time she reached him, he could barely speak. When he hung up, he gave her a look that was irritated, amused, and full of desire all at the same time. She leaned against the counter and looked up at him, stifling a laugh when he cleared his throat and pulled back suddenly.
“They said about half an hour,” he told her, rubbing the back of his neck in a gesture of discomfort. “Um...”
“Don’t worry, Ethan,” Bea said, reaching over and laying a hand on his arm. “I’m not going to eat you or anything...”
His eyes widened. “Uh ... I don’t think ... that might not be ... um...”
Laughing, Bea stepped around the counter and came up against him, reaching up to catch his face in her hands. She drew his mouth down to hers for a quick, gentle kiss, and sighed when he rested his hands lightly on her hips. He’s adorable, she thought, teasing the line of his jaw with the tip of her finger. I would never have thought I’d find myself this enamored of a man who’s so shy. Well, maybe shy wasn’t the right word, but Ethan wasn’t the kind of bold she usually went for, either.
“You know,” Bea said quietly, “I’d kind of like to stay here tonight...”
Ethan’s eyes widened again. “Is ... is that a good idea?”
“I don’t mean like that,” Bea said, rolling her eyes. She leaned her head against his chest and sighed. “I ... I just want to stay here with you. I don’t want to go home...”
She hated sounding so vulnerable, but she really didn’t want to leave. Even if she slept on the couch, she just wanted to be near him. After Drake and Alanna had gotten together, Bea had, of course, stopped sleeping over at Alanna’s place. It had gotten so lonely, and those few days she’d spent with Ethan had been so nice. To her surprise, his hands came up and tangled in her hair, forcing her head up. She stared into his dark eyes, her heart beating a little faster at what she saw there.
“I’m just not sure it’s a good idea,” Ethan said, his voice soft and slightly husky.
Bea smiled. “I don’t expect you to be a perfect gentleman, Ethan,” she responded, a teasing lilt in her voice. “In fact, I hope you aren’t.”
She stood on her toes and pressed her mouth to his briefly. He didn’t say anything as she pulled away ... not even ‘no’. Looking over her shoulder, Bea caught the look on his face. Despite his obvious embarrassment, there was a smile touching the corners of his mouth. He’s going to let me stay, she thought, happiness flooding her. She turned and, without really thinking about it, threw her arms around him. And much to her pleasure, Ethan held her.
It was almost three o’clock in the morning, and he couldn’t sleep. Ethan pushed his reading glasses back up onto his nose and glared at the computer screen. Working on the group home’s accounts certainly cooled his fire some, but it was far from interesting. It was just impossible to sleep with Bea curled up in his bed next to him. Somehow, Ethan had convinced himself that letting her stay would be fine; he could sleep on the couch, and she could use the bed. Except that she’d had other plans, so they’d ended up in the same bed.
First, he’d tried a shower to cool himself off. As soon as he’d stepped out of the bathroom and seen her curled up in his bed, however, he’d gotten all fired up again. Ethan had only taken enough time to pull on his robe. Now he lounged in the comfortable leather computer chair, trying desperately to focus. His mind kept wandering into the bedroom, and then his body would want to follow. “I didn’t have any problem sleeping when she was sick,” Ethan thought, sighing. “But then, she was sick. What I wanted most was for her to get better. Now…”
“Ethan?”
Her voice did a number on him; that was for sure. Already semi-aroused from thinking about her, his body hardened at the sound of her voice. Sucking in a deep breath, Ethan spun the chair enough to face her. She’d gone to sleep in that tight, short little dress she’d been wearing, which was now pushed up around her thighs a little bit. How any woman could look so sweet in a dress like that, with her hair looking as though it was tousled from sex, he wasn’t sure. Any other woman would probably look trashy, but no matter what she wore, there was something about Bea.
“What’s wrong?” Bea asked, her voice a soft, sleepy purr. She pushed her hair back from her face, a gesture so unbelievably sexy that he was growing painfully hard from watching her. “Can’t sleep?”
Ethan shook his head and shrugged. “I guess not...”
“I didn’t know you wore glasses,” Bea said, taking a step closer to him. He lifted his head as she came near and even smiled when she took his glasses off. “You know, you’re just full of surprises.”
“If you say so,” Ethan muttered.
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