Chapter 28

Ethan wasn’t avoiding me. He was just too busy.

That’s what I was telling myself anyway. After that kiss, something changed. But we’ve kissed before, I didn’t understand what was so different about that one.

Ethan wouldn’t tell me, he had his walls put back up and he was spending a lot of time with Mars in his office working on some project. I wasn’t a big fan of Mars after what Sarah told me about his plan, but I couldn’t do anything about his partnership with Ethan.

Luckily, a lot of my freetime was spent with Frank. The tutor Ethan hired me to teach me how to behave like a proper Luna. I didn’t have time to think about what Mars and Ethan were doing or why Ethan was so stressed all the time.

When Frank first came to the house, my eyes bulged from my skull. He was beautiful.

He looked like a music idol or a model, with silver earrings, dark hair, and a sharp jawline. He was tall, too, but not too tall. If you told me he was designed in a lab to be the most aesthetically pleasing person ever, I would have believed you.

“Ava?” He called over to me, breaking me from my thoughts, and beckoned me over to the table we were sharing in Ethan’s library.

“Can you tell me what this fork is used for?” He held up a small, thinly shaped fork. I studied it for a moment, thinking back on our lessons over the last week.

“The fish fork?” I answered, a little unsure, but still fairly confident.

“Exactly!” His face broke out into a large, proud smile. I beamed at the validation.

“I’m a pro, I know,” I teased, pretending to boast. Frank shook his head with a chuckle.

“Alright, our lessons in cutlery have been going well, let’s see how your dining manners are coming along,” Frank placed two plates on the table and organized the utensils properly.

“Are you pretending to eat?” I asked, sitting down at one of the plates. Frank looked down, puzzled, then let out a laugh.

“Of course not, I forgot to bring a snack to the lesson today. I was going to pick up a cake on my way here, but it must have slipped my mind.”

“Oh! No worries, I made a coconut cake last night!” I shot up from the seat and ran to the kitchen to bring it back for the two of us, “I’m a baker.”

Frank’s face lit up when I placed the dessert in the middle of the table.

“This is very impressive.” He nodded, cutting a piece for myself and him. I blushed, a little bashful, as he had me take a seat in the chair opposite of him. “Now, eating is a very important part of business. Many meetings will take place over dinner, you can’t afford to embarrass Ethan in front of the other alphas by being a slob.”

I listened intently as he continued, lecturing me on the proper way to engage with guests during a meal, and knowing when to speak and when to stay silent during conversations.

It was all very useful information that I tried to implement in our practice meal. Frank was speaking, describing proper spoon usage, when he took the first bite of the cake.

He had to stop his lesson, eyes going wide as he swallowed.

“Wow,” He breathed, staring at me in surprise.

“What?” I asked, worried that there was something wrong.

“This cake is amazing!” I took another bite, larger than the last one. “You said you made this?”

“I did, I am usually the manager at ‘Torte Reforme’, it’s a pastry shop and bakery right beside the Blue Moon Group building downtown.” I blushed a little at the compliment, excited to be able to share my creations again. I missed working in the shop and seeing people enjoying my food.

“This is incredible, no wonder you’re the manager.” He finished his slice of cake and cut another piece for himself. “You are incredibly talented.”

My face broke into a wide, toothy smile.

Ethan liked my pastries, he always complimented them and praised me for my work. Sometimes, though, I was worried he was only paying me compliments because he was my husband so he had to.

“I’m glad you like it,” I grin, bowing my head slightly in thanks.

“Wow, I completely forgot what I was saying,” Frank laughed, wiping the corner of his mouth with a napkin.

I told him I couldn’t remember either, causing us both to chuckle.

“Let’s end the lesson here for today, then. We will start another lesson tomorrow.”

Frank left, and I was cleaning up the mess from the tutoring when Ethan walked into the library.

“Ava have you seen that cake-” He stopped when he saw the half eaten treat on the table. “Oh.”

His face deflated a little, looking disappointed.

“There’s still some left!” I picked up the platter and urged him to take the rest of it. “I’m sorry I didn’t know you would want any.”

Ethan smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes, and he thanked me. I wanted to ask him why he needed it, if he wanted to sit with me and share it, but he spoke up before I could.

“How are your lessons going?” He asked, awkwardly.

“Very well, thank you. Frank is wonderful,” Ethan’s expression hardened slightly, but he didn’t say anything more. He nodded his head and thanked me again for the cake, retreating back to his office.

I wanted more than anything to understand what was bothering him, but I didn’t want to press him too soon.

The next day, at the usual time, I entered Frank's library Frank and I had been studying in.

The lights were dimmed, the room glowing with several lit candles, and soft jazz music played from a speaker somewhere. Frank was standing in the middle of the room. He had moved all of the furniture to the side, creating a large open space to walk in.

“What’s this?” I asked with a breathy laugh, in awe of the transformation.

Frank held out a hand, beckoning me towards him. I walked until I was standing in front of him. The toes of our shoes were only a few inches apart.

“Welcome to the next chapter of our lesson plan.” He smiled, taking my hand in his own. I let him hold me, and he used his grip to pull me even closer.

He grabbed my arms and arranged them so that they were looped around his neck. His own hands were gripping the dips between my waist and my ribs, pulling my body closer to his own. My chest was brushing against his as he looked down at me, a sparkle twinkling in his eyes.

“Frank?” I asked, confused by what was happening. Was this part of a lesson or was he trying to make a move on me? I never thought of him romantically before. Did I do something to give him false hope?

He shushed me, pulling my hips closer to his own. I gasped at the movement.

“Now, let’s get to the fun part.” He whispered in my ear.