Chapter Seven

"WHAT did you say?" Theresa asked shrilly, taking a step closer to the bed. Her eyes danced with laughter, and she appeared to be having a very difficult time trying to not smile. Ethan sank as far as could beneath the covers, wishing he could just curl up and die. Get as far away from Theresa Lopez- Fitzgerald as he could.

But there she was, standing not even four feet away from him, on the verge of laughter. Ethan had once again been made a fool by this girl, and it was grating heavily on his nerves.

Revenge on her should have been easy enough. And his revenge was to have been sweet. Make Theresa his slave for awhile. Have her at his beck and call. Drive her crazy with his requests. But noooo, she had to be wearing that ridiculously flattering skirt, and she had to sit down right where he was able to catch a glimpse of that skirt riding up her thighs.

He once again looked like a fool. Unintentionally, he had given Theresa the lead in their little game. He couldn't blame anyone besides himself for losing this round.

He could blame his mother for the soup incident- he just wanted to shut her up so he could eat his soup in peace. He could even blame Theresa- after all, if she wouldn't have been eavesdropping in on his conversation, she wouldn't have lost her temper, thus dumping the soup over his head.

But this time…this time, he could only blame himself, and his raging hormones.

Oh, and Theresa's legs, and that damn black skirt which exposed just enough skin to keep his mind in the gutter for days.

But, Ethan knew, deep down, that even if she was wearing her baggiest sweatpants, just the scent of Theresa was enough to put every nerve in his body on sensory overload…

"Aaahem?" Theresa cleared her throat, waiting for a reply. Ethan raised his head up a bit, his gaze meeting hers.

Bad idea, Crane, he thought miserably as all train of normal thought flew out the window as his eyes met hers... her warm velvety brown eyes, which stared at him almost seductively…

"I, uh, guh-oh," was all he could manage, much to Theresa's amusement. She let out a peel of laughter, causing Ethan's cheeks to warm up with embarrassment.

Ugh! You are such and idiot, Crane! he thought to himself, wishing he could figure out what it was about Theresa that managed to get to him so much.

But he knew it would be impossible to pinpoint such a thing, because he had a feeling that it was everything about Theresa Lopez- Fitzgerald that managed to get to him. Her eyes. Her hair. Her smell. Her laughter. Her…

Theresa's laughter died down as she sauntered over to the bed, and perched herself beside him. She smiled, a flirtatious smile, her soft hair brushing lightly against his shoulder. Ethan shuddered slightly at her touch, willing his mind to stay focused on getting back in the lead, not on the way he felt when her eyes looked so deeply into his…

"Don't be embarrassed, Mr. Crane…I'm sure you're hungry for something," she cooed, putting emphasis on her last word. She leaned in closer to him, fluttering her endlessly long eyelashes at him.

She was driving him crazy.

And she knew it.

Theresa sighed, a sexy little sigh that caused Ethan's heart to speed up to an almost an unbearable pace. And when she ran her index finger lightly down his bare arm, all was lost. Theresa now held the upper hand in this game, and there was no way that Ethan would ever be able to win again.

"No, what was it that you were hungry for?" she asked in a throaty whisper, her lips mere inches from his.

Oh, why was she doing this to him? Had he really done anything that deserved this sort of torture for a punishment? And Ethan knew, by the glimmer in Theresa's eyes, that she was enjoying every second that she teased him.

"Um, food?" he squeaked, inching away from her. To his dismay, she scooted even closer to him, stretching out on the bed, resting one arm on the other side of his body. Her arm brushed against his bare chest, causing Ethan to inhale sharply.

In a matter of seconds, she could be laying on top of him.

And Ethan prayed to God that she would.

"Are you sure that you said food before, Mr. Crane? Because, if you were wanting something else, I'd be more than happy to oblige."

OH, GOD.

His breath jagged rasps, Ethan's eyes darted around the room, trying to find something- ANYTHING- to look at other than Theresa Lopez- Fitzgerald, and her beautiful eyes.

Then, he felt her hands caressing his face. Her soft, so soft hands. Guiding his face closer to hers.

What he was hungry for…what he was craving was barely an inch away. Theresa's lips. THERESA. If he could just bring his mouth closer to hers…

Ethan slowly lowered his eyes, and brought his mouth closer to hers. He could practically feel their lips touching…

"Are you sure you wanted food? I mean, I could get you something to drink, if you'd like, if you were thirsty. Would you like some orange juice? Or maybe a glass of milk?"

Ethan's eyes flew open, and there, standing before him, was Theresa, arms crossed against her chest, a smug smile on her gorgeous face.

"Maybe you'd like some coffee. Or, I could get you a soda…"

Groaning under his breath, Ethan collapsed against his pillows, silently cursing himself.

Theresa knew the affect she was having on him, and was using it to her advantage. She was totally playing him, and he had fallen right into her trap.

The tables had been completely turned on him.

So much for having Theresa for a slave.

"I'm, uh, fine for now. Um, I'll just, uh-"

"Pick out something to wear, press it just the way you like, unpack, get cleaned up, and meet me in your mother's study in about an hour?" Theresa interrupted, smiling brightly.

"Uh-yeah."

"All right, I'll see you in an hour. Oh, and Ethan?"

"Yeah…?"

"If you could, would you please stop by the kitchen and ask Cook to warm up one of those apple pastry things that she makes? I'm famished!"

And with that, Theresa strutted out of the room, leaving Ethan completely shell shocked, and in dire need of an ice cold shower.