One Night with the CEO Read Online Free PDF

turned, his friend was doubled over, hands on his knees. Mark spun around and jogged backward. “You okay, Ethan?”
    Ethan sucked in air and squinted at him. “I’m fine. The real question is, are you okay? Did I just hear you correctly?” Ethan straightened and walked toward him. “If I did, the apocalypse must be upon us.”
    Mark took that as a sign they wouldn’t be running the rest of the trail, so he whipped off his T-shirt and swiped it across his sweaty chest. “I’ll be honest, your engagement to Gracie has something to do with it. It got me thinking about my own future. Maybe it’s time to stop messing around and find a wife.”
    Ethan picked up a rock, threw it into the canal, and walked beside him. “Interesting.”
    Mark watched the rock skip across the water and disappear. He expected honesty from Ethan. Always. But the pensive look on Ethan’s face suggested his friend was holding something back. “Go ahead and say what you’re thinking, E.”
    Ethan sighed. “Let me preface this by saying, I’m not judging you, just noticing things. You’re a bachelor. Rich. Relatively good-looking. You’re obviously discreet, too, because you don’t talk about your sex life all that often. And the next thing I know, you’re talking about finding a wife. Not a girlfriend. Not someone to fall in love with. A wife. As though you have to check some box that fits into your life plan.”
    Damn. When Ethan described it that way, Mark saw his point. And maybe he was going about this all wrong. But last night’s festivities, from his run-in with Karen to Ethan and Gracie’s engagement, had spurred him to want to work on his own love life, and he couldn’t shake the sense that he needed to be quick about it. Otherwise, he’d end up like his father. Alone. Still pining for someone he should have stayed away from. The trouble was, he’d been dodging a serious relationship for so long he didn’t know where to begin.
    If he tried to cultivate a relationship on his own, he’d resume his old habits and use his busy work schedule as an excuse to avoid spending any meaningful time with a woman. A ride on his boat? Easy. A weekend trip to Paris? Not a problem. But a sustained effort to talk to a woman and get to know her? Clueless.
    Then it had occurred to him. If Ethan and Gracie were involved, they’d force him to make an effort; if nothing else, he’d follow through to avoid pissing them off. Accountability. That’s what he needed.
    Ethan cleared his throat. “Mark.”
    “Yeah?”
    “You’re a planner. I get that. You even schedule your relaxation time down to the minute.”
    “C’mon, man, you’re exaggerating.”
    Ethan stopped and gave him a wide-eyed stare. “Oh, yeah? What’d you tell me this morning about when you needed to get back?”
    Mark thought about it and mumbled his response.
    Ethan laughed and cupped his ear. “Excuse me? What was that?”
    “I said I had to be back by ten thirty-five.”
    With a triumphant gleam in his eyes, Ethan slapped him on his shoulder. “Exactly. Not ten thirty. Not even a quarter to eleven. Ten thirty-five. Every minute of your life can’t be planned. That’s not how it works. And if my experience with Gracie taught me anything, it’s that you can’t plan love.”
    “I know that, E. I’m not trying to plan love. I’m simply trying to do things a little differently this time. And I’m man enough to admit I need help. Yours and Gracie’s, specifically.”
    “I’m flattered, man.” Ethan waggled his eyebrows. “And you came to the right person, too. I’m a bit of a connoisseur when it comes to matters of the heart.”
    “I know this, E. In fact, if you weren’t committed to Gracie, I’d date you myself.” Mark wrapped his arm around Ethan’s shoulder. “Plus, you’re so fucking hot, I can’t stand it.”
    Ethan rested his head on Mark’s shoulder and batted his eyelashes. “Really? Tell me what makes me so hot. I’m not fishing for