STEAMPUNK ROMANCE: An Innovative Clockwork Steampunk World Adventure: The Complete Collection Boxed Set (Mystery Suspense Romance Short Stories)

by Haven, Rose

  She fell to the sofa in a heap, so much like the young woman he used to know. “It’s Sabrina now. I’m sorry Vance. I didn’t plan it, just so you know.” She looked up into those oddly colored eyes that had been so full of love for her at one point. “I drifted in the ocean for a few days and when I was finally rescued I saw the news and then I realized I didn’t want to go back. I couldn’t go back. It was too much pressure. You know me. I was never cut out to be the wife of a powerful guy like you.”

  Vance nodded, not in agreement but just to show he was listening. “I get that, I do Zoe but dammit those boys cried over you, they had nightmares and called out for you! I would have let you go no matter how much it hurt me, but you left them too and that I just can’t forgive.”

  “I know. I just wanted to see them, ya know? I hoped after all this time I could be a part of their lives but I see now that it’s too late.”

  The library doors opened to reveal Chase and Jackson standing side by side, Ethan behind them silently offering his support with a hand on each shoulder. “Chase may want to talk to you ‘down the line’ but I’m telling you now that I don’t want to see you or hear from you. Go back to your new husband and your new kids and be happy with that.” Chase and Ethan looked at him, surprise in their eyes. “Cade,” was all he said in explanation.

  Three heads turned at the sound of the metal wheels of the serving cart before Galina appeared at the end of the hall. She smiled at the Silver men and spoke softly. “I thought maybe a few treats would make this easier.” She looked up hopefully and smiled in relief when each man took several cookies and cupcakes from the cart.

  Chase winked at her as he walked away. “This one’s a keeper bro, make sure you hang on to her.”

  Jackson grabbed her around the waist and kissed her sweetly. “I am keeping her. Forever.”

  She sighed dreamily. “And ever.”

  THE END

  ETHAN

  The Unforgettable Billionaire Brothers

  Obsession Book Three

  Violet Walker

  The Unforgettable Billionaire Brothers: ETHAN

  Chapter One

  Ethan Silver wasn’t ready to move on. He wasn’t ready to leave behind the family business, to not see his brothers every day. But he would. He would because his father had made it impossible to stay. He’d tried to do the whole marriage thing once before and it had blown up in his face, confirming that he was not cut out for a normal, traditional life.

  After the betrayal of Zoe, now known as Sabrina Santangelo, Ethan knew for certain he could never place his trust in a woman. Hell this situation made him almost relieved he had seen his dead mother with his own eyes or he’d be in a world of torment right now. He went in search of Vance and found him sitting in his office staring out onto the grounds of Silver House. “Hey Dad, you got a minute?”

  Vance turned at the sound of his middle son’s voice and sighed. He wasn’t ready to have the conversation he knew was coming. The return of his dead wife would only make Ethan more resolute about leaving Silver Enterprises rather than finding a woman to love. Her being deceitful, he knew, only solidified his belief that women couldn’t be trusted to stick around, a painful lesson his son had learned early and never forgotten. He looked up into those violet brown eyes they shared and felt his heart rip in half. “Sure son, come in and have a seat.”

  Ethan walked easily to the couch opposite his father and sat. They stared at each other in tense silence before he finally spoke. “I really appreciate you taking me in when my mother died. I would have ended up in foster care otherwise.”

  Vance waved away his son’s gratitude. “It was nothing son, we’re family.” He had the grace to flush when Ethan shot him a look of disbelief. It was no secret that Vance had known about Ethan even before he was born, but had chosen to ignore him, to pretend he simply didn’t exist. It wasn’t something they talked about but they both knew it was true.

  “Anyway I do appreciate it and that you paid for college and gave me a start in my career. Because of that I’m going to give you enough time to find my replacement so I can train them. I have two candidates I think will be a good fit. After that I’m leaving SE.”

  Vance wanted to cry out “don’t go!” but he didn’t. It felt like Ethan was saying goodbye and he couldn’t let that happen. “Don’t be hasty Ethan, you never know what could happen.”

  He looked at the hopeful look on the old man’s face and for a minute, he wished he could give Vance what he wanted so he could keep his life as it was. But he knew he couldn’t. He wasn’t cut out for love and marriage and all that crap, a lesson he wasn’t eager to repeat.

  Once upon a time Ethan had loved a woman, twice if you counted his mother. He’d loved Toni with his whole heart and he thought—mistakenly—that she loved him too. But he learned the hard way that women were as fickle as the love they proclaimed to want and couldn’t be trusted. He still remembered the second worse day of his life as though it happened yesterday.

  Ethan was all smiles now that he was officially about to be an MBA graduate. He was dressed in his cap and gown and multi-colored cords signifying his high academic achievements. His smile brightened when he spotted Toni, or Antonia Chesterfield, as her new business cards introduced her. Toni had graduated yesterday with her MFA and already had a job as an art buyer for a few of her father’s millionaire friends. Together, Ethan was sure, they would rule the world. “Hey Toni.”

  She looked up at him with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes but Ethan ignored it. “Hi Ethan. Congratulations.” She fingered the cords dangling from his neck and gave his chest a brief pat.

  “Is everything okay?”

  Toni shook her head, “Just adjusting to life as a real adult. You know, no more classes, study sessions and frat parties.”

  A sense of unease washed over Ethan as he took in her stiff posture and her inability to look him in the eyes. He figured she was uneasy about their future because they hadn’t talked about it. But he was ready to put her mind at ease and unleashed the smile that always made her melt. “Well in the spirit of adulthood I think the time has come for us to talk about our future.” This time her smile was genuine and he knew he was on the right track.

  “I do too.”

  “Me first,” he said in that usually cocky manner of his.

  Her hazel eyes widened and years later he would recognize it as fear rather than the surprise he thought it was. “I think we should break up.”

  At the same time Ethan said “Will you marry me?” His thoughts cleared first. “What do you mean you want to break up?”

  Toni’s shoulders sagged and his blood ran cold. “Ethan you’re a great guy but let’s face it, we’re too different. I come from old money and your family is worth less than a hundred million.”

  “And?” He could hear the defensiveness in his voice, that sharp razor that cut the air.

  “And I need someone more suited to me and my lifestyle.”

  “Your lifestyle?” He was incredulous. “You haven’t made one dollar yet and you already have a lifestyle?”

  “My father is very wealthy, more than yours anyway.” She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him.

  Ethan noticed the blond country club cutout walking towards her. “I guess you’ve already picked out someone with a few more zeros in his trust fund?” She nodded and Ethan decided she wasn’t worth fighting for. Wasn’t worth another minute of his time. “Okay then.” He walked away. Away from Toni and away from love. Away from any more foolish notions of happily ever after.

  He hated thinking about that day but he was glad he had because it would make his resolve stronger when Vance inevitably tried to change his mind. Again. He shook his head, “Dad it isn’t going to happen. I’m leaving SE and that’s final.”

  “No I don’t accept that Ethan. Look I know I didn’t do right by you for many years and I’m so damn sorry about that, I truly am. But I don’t want you to go and neither do your brothe
rs so just think about it. Just because they found love right away doesn’t mean you have to.” He smiled into the fire burning in the stone hearth. “You’ve always forged your own path son. I don’t see why this has to be any different.”

  Ethan stood and began to pace between the sofas. “It is going to be different. I’m not falling in love or settling down. Ever. It doesn’t matter how nice and sweet and beautiful and kind the woman is, I won’t love her. If I do, I won’t stick around. I just won’t.” He looked down at his father, fragile and greyer than he had been last year. His eyes were watery and worried and Ethan knew he could ease that worry, if nothing else. “Don’t worry Dad I’m not going anywhere. I won’t be at SE but I’ll always be around and I’m still a Silver.”

  “I hope you don’t go anywhere Ethan. You belong here with me and your brothers. And their women,” he smiled.

  “You’ve gotten your way withh two out of three sons, you should be happy.”

  He nodded, a satisfied smile on his face. “I am happy. I just want you to be happy too.”

  “I am perfectly happy without a woman.”

  “Ah, yes. Just imagine how much happier you would be with a woman.”

  Chapter Two

  “I’m going away for a little while.” Ethan’s words were economical and robotic as he spoke to his family over breakfast a few days after his talk with Vance.

  “Going on a tropical vacation so you can find yourself one of these?” Chase smiled at Brooke, holding up her hand to kiss it.

  Ethan’s mouth kicked up to the side, unable to hide the grin at his brother’s happiness. “No. I’m just taking some time off before I return to finish my time at SE.”

  “What!”

  “No!” Chase and Jackson screamed at the same time.

  Ethan wiped his mouth and sat his napkin on the plate before him. He shook his head because, dammit, he knew his brothers wouldn’t let him go so easily. “Don’t act surprised, it doesn’t become either of you. There was never a chance in hell that I was going to take up Vance’s ridiculous challenge so, I’ll stay until a replacement is hired and trained. Then I'll go.”

  Chase turned a dark glare on his father. “Dammit dad, put an end to this now!” Brooke startled at his words but continued to run her hand up and down his back, either to rein him in or offer comfort.

  Jackson stood and slammed his napkin down on the table. “You’re just going to let him go aren’t you?”

  Vance shrugged even though his inner turmoil belied his ambivalent response. “At some point a man must forge his own path. Ethan has chosen his path so all we can do is support him.”

  “That is such bullshit and you know it!” Jackson slammed his fist on the table, making Brooke and Galina gasp in surprise. “This isn’t Ethan’s path, it’s yours. You made this idiotic decision and its forcing Ethan out of SE!”

  “I made conditions and Ethan has decided not to meet them.” Chase and Jackson stared at Vance, disgust written on both their faces while they muttered expletives. He knew his sons would be angry with him for a long time but they would get over it. He hoped.

  “I guess it doesn’t matter that most of that wealth you’re dangling in front of us was earned while Ethan served as CEO?” Vance shrugged and Chase swore under his breath. “Then I suppose I’ll have to forge my own path too.” He stood and pushed his chair back.

  Ethan stood and spoke, halting his brother’s steps. “Just because I won’t be at SE every day doesn’t mean we won’t see each other or hang out. We’ll still be brothers, just not coworkers.” He looked around the room, taking a second to look at his family, including the newest additions. It would hurt not seeing these people on a regular basis, over lunch and corporate functions, or simply sharing chocolates with Brooke at her desk. He may never get to do any of that again anytime soon. Who knew where his new life would take him. “I’m going for a ride. I need to clear my head,” he finished abruptly.

  Inside the Silver House stables Ethan went to his favorite chestnut Arabian, Buttercup. A long ride around the property would help him calm down and wrap his mind around what his life would look like a month from now, a year from now. Would he still be here or would he be on the other side of the country? Would he start his own business or work for a competitor of SE? He had no fucking clue what he would do, he hadn’t planned on not leading Silver Enterprises into the future. Under his leadership and with the help of his brothers Ethan had made SE more successful than it had ever been.

  Horses had always been his refuge from the moment he set foot in Silver House. He would spend hours helping brush and feed the half dozen horses in the stables. He would go to the stables to think, to not think, and really to just be alone. Today he wanted time on his own to clear his head and feel the wind against face while he put Buttercup through her paces. The longer he rode the more time he had to get used to walking away from his family business. It would never be easy but it was now part of his new reality so Ethan did what had always done, move forward. Just like he did when he found his mom dead in the bathtub when he was eleven years old and just like he did when he was brought to this massive property for the first time a few days later.

  He hardly ever thought about his mother anymore. Not that he didn’t love her, but she couldn’t be bothered to stick around for him so he didn’t dedicate much of his headspace to her. His mother had taught him a valuable lesson about the fallacy of love and the changeable nature of commitment. It had taken him a long, long time to feel safe at Silver House and to believe Vance would let him stay until he was ready to go, but he had. He’d given him a room in the same wing as Chase and Jackson, paid for college and made him earn his spot at SE.

  Now he was leaving it all behind anyway.

  Ethan turned Buttercup around and headed back toward the stables. Once there, he brushed the horse down slowly, giving her a few apple chunks before leaving the stables. He stopped in the kitchen for water and found Brooke stealing a few of Galina’s cookies. Caught, she gifted him with a wide smile that always seemed to come so easy to her. Chase was a lucky man to have a woman like her by his side, Ethan just hoped it lasted. “You have a visitor.”

  Ethan looked up at her nervous words. “For me?” She nodded. “Who is it?” When she shrugged, his curiosity got the better of him and he headed for the sitting room. He would have liked to have a shower to wash away the stink of sweat, horse and hay but since this visitor was unexpected and uninvited they would just have to deal with it.

  His slow confident walk came to a quick halt inside the doorway of the sitting room. The black head of hair was shorter now than it had been years ago but the straight posture and slim neck gave her away. It was the last person he ever wanted to see again, especially this week. “What are you doing here Antonia?” The dainty neck spun around to reveal not Antonia but her younger sister Freddie. “Freddie.” His tone was a mixture of relief and disappointment that quickly turned to suspicion. “Why are you here?”

  Fredericka Chesterfield took in the sight of a grown up Ethan Silver and what a sight it was. The man was even bigger and sexier than he had been when he dated her sister. She’d had a celebrity sized crush on the young man with the unusual eyes and a penchant for saying what was on his mind. Even in anger he was gorgeous, but especially so in faded jeans revealing a pair of sinfully sculpted thighs, a fitted flannel clinging to his arms, his back and chest deliciously curved and fire spitting from every pore. Goodness the man was a work of art. “It’s good to see you again Ethan, if under these less than pleasant circumstances.”

  For the first time Ethan took in her face. Freddie had grown into a stunning woman, even better looking than her sister who had always been considered the beauty. They had the same black hair but Freddie had velvet green eyes and freckles dotting her face. She was a tiny woman and with her pixie haircut she looked like a sexy little fairy. She also looked…sad. He crossed his arms and kept his gaze trained on hers, not willing to repeat the question.

/>   Her smile didn’t reach her eyes and her gaze no longer met his. She sighed heavily and closed her eyes. “I don’t know how to tell you this Ethan, especially with the way things ended with you and Toni…,” she trailed off, hating to remind him of the awful thing her sister had done.

  Ethan laughed bitterly. “What happened Freddie, did Paul gamble away his trust fund and poor little Toni was hoping I still carried a torch for her?”

  Her eyes widened. “Yes he did, actually. But that’s not why I’m here.”

  Something in her eyes made his legs suddenly feel weak and he made his way to a chair across from her and stared for a long minute. Elbows resting on his knees he took the bait. “Fine Freddie tell my why you’re here, then.”

  She thought of all the ways to give him this news and figured Ethan would appreciate the direct approach. “Toni is dead.” His expression was blank revealing not even a moment of remorse and Freddie knew this meeting might not go as she had planned.

  “I’m sorry for your loss Freddie, really. But what does any of this have to do with me?”

  Freddie attempted to tuck a few wispy strands behind her ear, still unused to the short cut. She pulled her phone from her purse and swiped a few times before handing it to Ethan. He took it from her reluctantly but she watched him closely as he took in the first image. His eyes narrowed then scanned the image top to bottom, back up and down again. He sent her a questioning gaze. “Keep going,” she encouraged with a barely visible smile.

  Ethan’s breath caught in his throat at dozens of images of a little boy with those trademark violet brown eyes he shared with his father. The little boy had his strong patrician nose and those heart-shaped lips he hated until he was about fourteen and girls told him how much they loved kissing him. He looked exactly like Ethan did at five or six years old. “How old is he?”