eyond Desire Collection

by JS Scott, M Malone, Marie Hall, et al

  “Have there been other times?”

  “What other times?”

  “Kerri! What have we been talking about? Your fainting.”

  “No.”

  “You got it checked out though, right?”

  Kerri sighed. “Yes, Mother.”

  “Hey, I was worried. You’re not exactly the fainting type.”

  “I just forgot breakfast and had low blood sugar a couple of times. That’s all.” Not the full truth, but close enough. She hated fudging with Natalie, but her crappy health wasn’t something she wanted to discuss. She hadn’t flown out to the States to bemoan her horrible cholesterol or half-dead liver or the years of damage the stress from her life as an investment banker had inflicted on her. But she couldn’t really blame her job for all of it. Most of the stress had come from her family. Harried as she’d been at work, it was the job that had kept her sane.

  And now she didn’t have that job anymore. Damn Barron. After eleven years, why the need to see her all of a sudden? It wasn’t like they ever had a warm, lovely time together.

  But there was no way she would’ve been able to continue at Goldreich Stanley. Not after he’d marched through its expensive lobby like a ram, mindlessly homing in on his target—her.

  Barron Sterling always got what he wanted. It was his right as one of the richest men in history, a man who was on a first-name basis with every top politician and kingmaker in the world.

  “You’re not even thirty. Skipping breakfast shouldn’t make anybody faint,” Natalie said stubbornly.

  “It was on top of a really light dinner the day before. But since you sicced Ethan on me I’m sure I won’t be able to escape with a salad tonight.” Kerri narrowed her eyes accusingly. “He said he’d pick me up for dinner.”

  “Good. I asked him to sort of watch over you and keep you amused.”

  “Amused, huh?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why him?”

  “Because despite what you said, he’s exactly your type. When you say ‘manageable,’ what you really mean is somebody you can get rid of easily when you’re through. He’s not clingy or emotional. Alex told me he’s never seen Ethan with the same woman for more than a year. And most importantly, you’ll be less likely to call in to check up on things at the office if you have someone to distract you.”

  “I’m sure Global Strategies’ second-in-command has better things to do than babysit. But all right.” Kerri raised her right hand. “I solemnly swear I will not call the office to check up on things. Even if I don’t have some man hovering over me.” She didn’t have an office to call, of course, but she didn’t want to talk about that with Natalie right now. They could do the whole info-dump face-to-face after her honeymoon.

  Natalie shook her head. “The problem is I don’t believe you.”

  Kerri sighed again, putting a little extra oomph into it this time. Still, she had no one to blame but herself for Natalie’s lack of faith. Kerri couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a vacation free of a conference call or some other corporate task. “Seriously, Ethan’s too…something.”

  “What the heck are you talking about?”

  “He’s too intense. Too charismatic. Too distracting and unnerving and—”

  “He’s handsome and tall and fantastically popular among women, and he’s not too whatever. Just relax and enjoy him while you can.”

  “Only ’til you’re back in the States. The day after tomorrow, right?”

  She nodded. “We should totally do something fun.”

  “Absolutely.”

  “You don’t have to go back for at least a week or so, right?”

  “Nope.” I don’t have to go back for, like, forever.

  “Good. See you soon.”

  Chapter Three

  Kerri took a short nap and then started rummaging through her bags, getting increasingly antsy. What was she supposed to wear for dinner? Nothing seemed exactly right, and Ethan hadn’t said a word about what kind of restaurant they were going to.

  Good lord. She couldn’t believe she’d gotten herself roped into what was starting to feel like a real date. Both Ethan and Natalie had made it sound like he was just “amusing” her for a couple of days, but Kerri couldn’t shake the feeling that it was turning out to be more, at least as far as Ethan was concerned.

  She finally fished out a pale champagne-colored top and put it with black trousers. The sleeveless tunic was plain except for some sparkly beads around the bust, which made the outfit just fancy enough if Ethan decided to take her someplace really upscale.

  She took a small bottle of foundation and a dark eyeliner and applied them. Both were samples she’d gotten a while back, then stuffed in her makeup bag and promptly forgotten about. Who would’ve thought she’d ever use them?

  Twenty minutes and a pair of three-inch stilettos later, she was ready.

  Almost.

  Putting on her pearl earrings, she stared at herself in the mirror. She didn’t usually give this much care or thought to her appearance. She wore things that looked good and made her feel strong, and she didn’t usually bother with more than a little powder, mascara and lip gloss.

  Kerri contemplated her reflection. The careful makeup made her eyes pop and her mouth look moist and inviting.

  Did she want an affair? Well…not really an affair since she wasn’t planning to spend much time in Virginia, and it sounded like Ethan was very much needed here to man the fort at Global Strategies. She’d always wanted to spend some time in California. See what kind of jobs were out there. Unlike a certain friend, she didn’t have a billionaire husband and needed a steady paycheck to afford the little luxuries she liked to indulge in, like pretty non-work clothes and cute shoes she’d never find an occasion to wear. But most importantly, she needed a long-term distraction, something to keep herself busy with.

  A repeat of their one-night stand wasn’t totally out of the question. It’d be hot to spend another night with a man as attractive and physical as Ethan.

  So what would that make it? A two-night stand?

  Her doctor had told her to take it easy and avoid alcohol, stress and anything strenuous—good lord, his instructions had made her sound ready to keel over any minute—but he’d never said that she had to abstain from sex. She was overstressed with poor blood work, not dead.

  A part of her wanted to know if Ethan was as good as she remembered. She’d occasionally thought her boyfriends had been lacking in the bedroom department, particularly when compared to Ethan. But she could be romanticizing the memory, making it more intense and satisfying than the reality. The night she’d succumbed to Ethan hadn’t been just any night. The emotional impact of playing at an event celebrating a newborn child had left her unusually vulnerable and most likely magnified her feelings.

  So do him again and find out for sure.

  Not a bad plan. Once she proved to herself that Ethan was just like any other man in bed, she’d regain her equilibrium and control over the situation. The words out of his mouth would no longer feel like they dripped with innuendo.

  There was a knock, and after peeping through the hole, Kerri opened the door. Ethan stood before her, looking relaxed in a button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of crisp khakis. He gave her a slow once-over, the weight of his gaze grazing her like a kiss. As her nipples stiffened, she was glad she’d chosen one of her more conservative outfits.

  “What happened to your hair?” he asked.

  She sighed. “It was a wig.”

  “Is this a wig too?”

  “No. It’s my real hair.” She smiled to herself at how annoyed her family’s PIs would be by now.

  “And Kerri’s really your real name? Like, for real?”

  Despite herself, she laughed. “Okay, I deserved that. Yes, I promise. Everything you see before you is the real me.”

  He nodded as he studied her coppery hair, bright as burnished pennies. “I like the real you. So, recovered from the trip?�
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  “Feels like it. An afternoon nap can do wonders.”

  “Just imagine. Now you can nap every day.”

  “Until I get a new job.”

  He tucked a wayward tendril of hair behind her ear, his fingertip brushing the crescent curve oh-so casually.

  She suppressed a delicious shiver.

  “You could always negotiate naps into your contract.” He extended an arm. “Shall we?”

  She rested her hand inside his elbow and matched his long stride, her high heels making the job easier. The silk of her pants brushed her legs as she walked; her thighs and calves prickled with Ethan’s nearness. His dark cologne seemed to invade her. It was the same scent he’d worn seven years ago. Good god. She couldn’t believe she still remembered how sexy he’d smelled, down to the exact undertone.

  Outside the lobby, he opened a door to a sleek Aston Martin for her. She cocked an eyebrow. “Is this for me to drive around town after you bring me back?”

  He laughed. “Uh, no.”

  She climbed inside and ran her hand surreptitiously along the stunningly beautiful dashboard. This wasn’t just a car. It was a pinnacle of design and engineering.

  Ethan maneuvered the vehicle out and onto the highway. He drove with absolute control, and she felt she could trust him with her life. The sensation sent equal parts thrill and fear through her, and she cleared her throat.

  “So whose BMW was it?” she asked.

  “Natalie’s. A present from Alex because he thought she needed something other than her Audi convertible.”

  “What was wrong with her Audi?”

  “Not a damn thing. But the trunk is a little small.”

  “I can’t believe she gave me her brand new car to drive around in.”

  He shrugged. “She’s not here to use it.”

  “Yeah, but usually friends lend each other clothes. Accessories. Maybe a cell phone.”

  “Usually friends aren’t married to billionaires who’re determined to spoil them rotten.”

  “And who couldn’t wait to marry her so she could be his in every way.” Kerri half-slumped, half-leaned back in her seat. Ethan’s casual comment splintered something in her heart, something she’d never suspected was there. She didn’t care about money or the billionaire treatment; she’d been born into one of the wealthiest families in the world. But a fierce longing surged when she thought about the emotional bond that Natalie obviously had with her husband.

  Kerri wanted a bond that strong with a man who’d love her the way she was, thought the sun rose and set on her…but she was also self-aware enough to know she was unlikely to have that want fulfilled. She had no idea how to deal with emotional entanglement. She’d never learned how to be on the receiving end of love, never learned how to love in return, the give-and-take of a confident woman who knew she deserved closeness and affection.

  She believed people could learn and change, but she didn’t think she could ever change this aspect of herself. It was something as innate as her eye color.

  “You all right?” Ethan asked.

  “Just a little hungry. Speaking of which, what’s for dinner?”

  “Something home-cooked, unless you object.”

  “Not at all.” She made her tone light and airy. “I haven’t had a home-cooked meal in ages.”

  “Not big on cooking?”

  “Eh, living alone… Too much of a bother. Besides, the last thing I want to do is cook when I finally get some free time.”

  He gave her a look. “What’s the first thing you want to do?”

  “Relax, enjoy a few drinks, not think about anything. Great for de-stressing.”

  Your mind, perhaps, but not your liver, the irritating little voice that sounded remarkably like her doctor’s reminded her.

  Fifteen minutes later Ethan parked in the underground garage of a glitzy condominium tower in Arlington. He helped her out, and they rode an elevator with mirrored walls to his penthouse.

  The instant the door to his penthouse opened, the aroma of Italian food wafted out. A fabulous blend of thyme, rosemary and oregano mingled with tomato sauce and cheese made her stomach growl with impatience.

  “Hope you like lasagna,” he said with a grin so unexpectedly boyish and charming it pierced her heart.

  “Oh, absolutely.”

  He went to the kitchen and checked on the oven. “Done in ten more minutes.” He slid an aluminum foil-wrapped, oblong object into a smaller oven below.

  Curious to see Ethan’s home turf, Kerri checked the place out while he was busy among his stainless steel kitchen appliances. An impressively long, floor-to-ceiling glass wall started from the kitchen, stretched into the dining room and wrapped around the living room in a fluid curve. This high up, she could see a glimpse of the Potomac and the pale spire of the Washington Monument. Dying sunlight spilled through the glass like liquid gold. Elegant rugs covered the gleaming hardwood floor, all of them looking thick and luxurious. There was a skylight in the cathedral ceiling above.

  Built-in shelves crammed with books, movies and a few framed pictures surrounded a giant fireplace. Kerri purposely avoided looking at the photos and instead noted the expensive TV and sound system. Of course, she thought. There was a vase full of crimson roses and baby’s breath on a table by one of the couches. Overall, the place was warm, inviting and not at all like a bachelor pad cliché. Or like her old place in Hong Kong, which had been Spartan and functional.

  There was no hint of a housekeeper. She glanced at Ethan, who was still in the kitchen arranging various serving dishes. “Did you cook all that yourself?”

  “Yes. And just so you know, you’re about to be treated to the Lloyd family’s super-secret sauce. I don’t make it often.” He pulled a large bowl of salad from the oversized fridge and came out to place it on the pale blue glass-top table. It was already set with elegant white dinnerware and a dark vase full of fresh calla lilies. A bottle of Merlot had been uncorked, the wine left to breathe.

  Given how self-assured he was, this dinner was going to be either a complete train wreck or mind-blowingly delicious. She could guess which since this was Ethan in the kitchen. He exuded a confidence that said he knew exactly what he was doing at all times. He’d probably led a charmed life from the moment of conception: a loving home, adoring parents, siblings he was close to, fabulous friends…

  As a general rule, Kerri envied people like that. She’d never experienced a loving home or any of the rest of it. No siblings, for one. Her mother had been bipolar, giddily happy one minute, sobbing and tearing her hair out the next. Her father was dead, and her grandparents, ostensibly charged with raising her, had shipped her off to a European boarding school as soon as she’d turned three, and no one seemed to consider that she might have wanted to stay in the same place for a few years at least. Every time there had been a report of an accident or crime, her mother had found out about it and panicked. “That could’ve been Kerri!” she’d say and have an episode. So Barron would put Kerri in a new school. Going through an entire grade in the same place had only happened once. More often than not, she’d been transferred after a quarter or semester—admissions policies never really applied to her since Barron always got what he wanted—and she’d never had an opportunity to get to know anybody. She’d gone through almost every elite boarding school in Europe, and hadn’t returned to the States until she’d been accepted to Yale.

  But it was hard to begrudge Ethan, with his quick grin and those sharp eyes that warmed when he smiled. If not for his personal charisma, she might have been able to resist him way back when.

  He served dinner. She took a bite of the lasagna and actually moaned. “Oh my god. If the business world ever implodes, you can always make a living as a chef.”

  A fiery look crossed his eyes quickly—so fast she almost missed it. “Glad you like it.”

  “Where on earth did you learn to cook like this?”

  “Like I said, the recipe’s a family secret. My grandmoth
er taught me. She was Italian, living in the Midwest with the farmer of her dreams, and decided I was good enough to learn how to make lasagna right.” He slid her a big glass of the Merlot.

  She sighed, wanting a taste, but purposefully dug into her salad and lasagna instead. Her doctor had been very specific. And she knew herself. If she took even a sip, it’d turn into a glass, which would then become two, maybe even three if she felt particularly indulgent.

  Ethan didn’t miss anything. “You don’t like Merlot? I have other options.”

  “No, I’m sure it’s fine. I’m just trying to not drink. The flight left me a little dehydrated.”

  He accepted the explanation and turned the talk to current events. He was a great conversationalist. He read widely, had traveled everywhere—more than she had—and had varied interests.

  And it was fun to talk about things other than work. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been able to do that with someone. But then the banking world was insular, almost incestuous, with everyone knowing everyone and everything.

  Ethan gradually began to narrow the topic of conversation. He was good, and made it seem natural, but she had years of experience parrying this sort of thing.

  “Where did you grow up?” he asked.

  “Here and there. Mostly in the States and Europe.”

  “Military family?”

  She smiled to herself. “Definitely not.” Her mother was too unpredictable, and her grandfather enjoyed his creature comforts too much to go without. “How about you? Where did you grow up?”

  “Mainly Houston, though I spent quite a bit of time in Nebraska.”

  “Where your Italian grandmother lived with the farmer of her dreams.”

  He pointed his fork at her, signaling that she’d guessed right. “Later I attended an out-of-state boarding school until I started college.”

  One boarding school. Singular. Lucky for him he hadn’t been transferred at every whiff of negative news on TV.

  He pierced a piece of sun-dried tomato. “Why did you choose to work in Hong Kong when you grew up in the West? You graduated from Yale and went to Wharton from what Natalie said.”