California Secrets

by Jules Bennett

  Carmen had always had a grand vision of their business. Harper had been reluctant at first when Carmen asked for her help, worried she wouldn’t measure up to her sister’s amazing talents, despite Carmen’s high praise on small projects.

  But after her sister was killed in a robbery six months ago, Harper knew she had to step up and take over. It’s what her sister would’ve wanted. Carmen would’ve had faith in Harper. Harper just needed to have faith in herself...which was how she landed at Mirage.

  She’d decided to start here because her father owned the adults-only resort. He wanted to do an overhaul and, though she’d first met the man when she was twenty, she was trying to have a relationship with him. Trying...and somewhat succeeding.

  Robert Anderson was a man who traveled and worked all over the world. Seemed business was more important to him than family, but what did she expect? He hadn’t even known she’d existed for two decades, so she shouldn’t have expected him to jump into the role of doting daddy. Yet she had expected just that.

  Her sister was all she’d truly had in life, and now that she was gone, Harper craved any semblance of family. Her free-spirited mother gallivanting around the globe didn’t count.

  Harper wasn’t sure what all her father did for a living, but she knew he was in real estate. And he’d been willing to give her a chance with one of his most prestigious properties. Having Mirage in her portfolio would seriously help boost her business.

  And she would carry out her duties to prove to her father, to herself and to her sister that she was capable...despite starting a family much sooner than she’d ever planned.

  “What’s going through your mind?”

  Ethan’s sincere question filled the room, and she turned to face him. She couldn’t help but laugh as she fiddled with the gold bracelet at her wrist.

  “I have no idea,” she told him. “I have so many thoughts, but I do want you to know that I don’t expect anything from you. I won’t make you do anything you’re not ready for. I’m a big girl—I can handle anything thrown at me.”

  Wow. Her little speech sounded strong, though she felt anything but. Yet, despite her anxiety, she couldn’t let the fear win, because that’s not what Carmen would’ve wanted. One tragic event after another had made her steely when it came to pain and reactions, but she wasn’t about to let Ethan into her past, into her mind and all the reasons why she wasn’t flipping out right now.

  “Listen,” she began, shoving her wayward curls over her shoulders. “This is a lot to think about. We’ll just take some time to process and then talk later. I know we haven’t gotten too personal with our information, but I will be here for at least another month, probably longer. And even then, I’ll be coming and going quite a bit.”

  She’d never told him her reason for being here. Their physical relationship left no room for small talk or the get-to-know-you phase. Everything would change now. They’d have to dig into each other’s lives, because now they were bonded forever.

  When Ethan continued to stare at her across the room, Harper figured she should go and leave him alone with his thoughts. She wasn’t sure what to say right now. Her purpose for coming to his room had been to tell him the truth, but she hadn’t thought much beyond that.

  Harper pulled in a shaky breath and started across the penthouse. The moment she stepped by him, Ethan’s arm snaked out and caught her around the waist, his hand curling around her arm. Sliding his thumb over the inside of her elbow, he stopped her with that one simple, arousing gesture.

  Her body responded, just as it always did to his tantalizing touch and heavy-lidded stare. Ethan Michaels was a potent man, and now she had to figure out how to shift from looking at him as a fling to seeing him as the father of her child...which wasn’t going to be easy, considering she didn’t know basic things like his middle name or even where he was from.

  “You’re not leaving,” he told her. “We may not figure out all the answers now, but I know one thing for certain.”

  Why did his tone sound like a promising threat?

  Ethan’s eyes held her as breath caught in her throat. “You’re not doing this alone. I will be part of this baby’s life...and yours.”

  Two

  Ethan might not know how to handle this situation, but he sure as hell knew he wasn’t about to walk away from responsibility. This was a child...his child. His family life may be uncertain and in shreds, but deep down, at the end of the day, family mattered more to him than anything in this world.

  Wasn’t that why he was here to begin with? Every action he’d taken over the past twenty years had led him to this moment, all for the sake of his late mother and her wishes.

  No matter what might come of him and Harper, that child was his future, and he would provide and be part of his or her life.

  “I don’t want a relationship just because I’m pregnant,” she stated with a defiant tilt of her chin.

  Ethan released her arm but didn’t back away. She was quite adamant about this whole casual, uncommitted relationship status, which was perfectly fine with him, but each time it had been mentioned or hinted at, Harper had a flash of hurt in her eyes.

  Who had hurt her? What had she gone through to bring her to this point? More importantly, why did he care to make it his business? He’d known about this baby for all of five minutes, and already his mind was playing with him. He had his own past hurts to focus on. Not that he wanted Harper to be in pain—he’d never want that—but he couldn’t afford to get swept into her world and risk losing sight of his goals.

  “I never said anything about a relationship,” he countered. “But we’re bonded together whether we like it or not.”

  Beneath that steely look in her dark eyes there was a hint of vulnerability and fear. She wasn’t quite as calm as she led him to believe, but he’d be more worried if she wasn’t scared. Hell, he was terrified, but there was nothing that would pull him away from his child or the woman carrying it.

  His mother had been a hardworking, single mom. Ethan couldn’t ignore the parallels here.

  He would have Robert Anderson out of the picture and this resort back in his possession before his baby was born. Timing and persistence were everything right now.

  “How long are you staying?” she asked. “We probably should dig a little deeper into each other since, well...”

  She was more than welcome to go ahead and dig, but he would only feed her enough information to pacify her curiosities until he had his personal life all straightened out. No need to involve her in his family affair, which he was quite certain would get messy.

  “I have no set plans.” Partial truth, but all he was willing to give. “I’m here for as long as I want to be.”

  Harper’s brows drew in. “You’re so vague. Please tell me you’re not married or running from the law.”

  Ethan laughed. “I’m not running from the law, and isn’t it a little late to ask about a wife?”

  “I assumed you didn’t have one before we hooked up, but now I feel I should know the truth.”

  Ethan shook his head. “No wife, no girlfriend. I have a twin brother in Montana, and that’s all the family I have. Well, he’s getting married soon, so I guess I’ll have a sister.”

  Harper’s gaze darted down to her clasped hands, and he thought he saw that flash of hurt again, but maybe not. Maybe he just couldn’t read her well enough quite yet. He knew exactly how to read her in the bedroom, but now, well...this was completely new territory. Trying to get a bead on women emotionally had always been foreign to him.

  “What about you?” he asked.

  Harper shifted her attention back to him. “I have a father that I met when I was twenty. My mother is a little eccentric and floats from one spot on the globe to the next. I’m not sure what hemisphere she’s in half the time. I had a sister, but she passed away six months ago. She was...every
thing to me. I’m still trying to figure out how to do life without her.”

  Well, damn. Not what he thought she’d say. He’d pegged her for someone with several siblings, doting parents that all gathered around a big table for each holiday. He figured she was here as a loner to get away and have some time for herself.

  But instead, she was alone. Like him.

  Oh, he had Dane, but since their mother’s death, nothing had been the same. For nearly twenty years, an invisible wedge had separated them, and Ethan was hoping that by getting their mother’s resorts back, maybe they’d find closure and get back that relationship they’d once had.

  So, his twin was getting a wife and Ethan was getting a child. Not at all what he’d envisioned when they’d started this journey.

  “Sounds like we have something in common besides physical attraction,” he told her. “Loss of family is... It’s rough.”

  Harper tucked a dark curl behind her ear and nodded. “I’m keeping this baby.”

  She laid claim like she dared him to argue. He had to admire a woman who wasn’t afraid to say exactly what she wanted and made no apologies about it.

  “I assumed,” Ethan replied. “If you hadn’t wanted to, I would have tried to change your mind. Family is everything to me.”

  Harper pursed her lips then blew out a sigh. She stepped back from him and headed toward the patio doors once again, only this time she opened them and stepped on out into the sunshine. Ethan followed her, having no clue what to say or do. For the first time in his life, his confidence, his control slipped.

  No, that wasn’t true. His control had slipped when his mother died and Robert stole everything from him and Dane. Ethan had vowed to never feel helpless again—which was why he was taking this revenge head-on.

  Ethan moved in beside Harper and rested his arm on the railing. The ocean breeze lifted her curls from her shoulders and sent them dancing in the wind. His body responded, immediately recalling how those strands glided over his bare skin.

  Damn it. He shouldn’t be lusting after her now, but, well...he couldn’t help himself. Knowing she was carrying his child made her even sexier, and he hadn’t thought that was possible.

  “It’s clear that you want to be involved, but I need you to know that I really don’t expect you to be there every minute.”

  “Duly noted.”

  She turned her attention to him for a brief moment, but then she glanced back to the ocean. “So what now?”

  “I’ll bring a doctor to the resort to make sure you and the baby are healthy.” Damn. He was a selfish idiot. He hadn’t even asked the obvious question. “Are you feeling okay?”

  Harper nodded. “Tired and nervous, but that’s all.”

  “Don’t worry. I’m going to take care of you both. I’ll have the doctor here by the end of the day,” he stated.

  Harper laughed as she jerked her gaze back to him. “Do people normally just jump when you snap your fingers?”

  “Yes.”

  Shaking her head, she turned away from him and crossed to the chaise. “Well, I have my own doctor, and I’ll call her to see what to do.”

  She took a seat and stretched out, lacing her fingers over her abdomen. He immediately envisioned her in a few months with their child growing. Emotions flooded him—anticipation, worry, uncertainty, excitement.

  “I meant what about us now?” she asked. “We’re not exactly a couple, and this certainly changes things between us.”

  “Nothing about this attraction has changed,” he replied.

  Ethan had to force himself to remain still, to not cross the balcony and take a seat on the chaise and pull her into his lap. They had never been alone this long without touching. The ache inside him grew with each passing minute, but they both needed to process this life-altering moment, and Harper needed space. Hell, so did he, but he still wanted to use sex as a distraction...just like he’d always done.

  Only this time that default mode wasn’t going to be the best option. He had to care, had to put himself out there, at least a little, because he was going to be a father.

  The idea nearly had his weak knees buckling. What did he know about parenting? His mother had been a saint putting up with twin boys, but she’d suffered a fatal stroke when they’d been teens. The only father figure he’d had around was Robert Anderson, and that had just been for a handful of years and had ended when the bastard stole everything from Dane and Ethan. So this was going to be one area he had to learn all on his own...a vulnerable spot to find himself in.

  Harper swung her legs over the side of the chaise and came to her feet.

  “Listen, I have some things I need to do today,” she told him. “We both should take some time to process, and I will contact my own doctor.”

  “I will—”

  Harper held up her hands. “I don’t deal well with anyone trying to control me—that’s going to be the first personal thing about me you need to understand. I can take care of getting my own health care. I promise not to leave you out.”

  Ethan didn’t like it, but he understood her need to be in charge of her own body. Now he didn’t stop himself from crossing the patio. He did, however, use all his willpower to prevent himself from reaching for her.

  “Come back tonight,” he told her. “Eight. I’ll have dinner ready.”

  Her dark eyes leveled his. “You don’t seriously want to keep this up.”

  Ethan took another step until their bodies lined up perfectly, then he framed her face with his hands and covered her lips with his. She arched against him and let out a little moan, the same moan that always drove him out of his mind. This time was no different.

  Just as quickly as he’d started the kiss, Ethan released her and took a step back.

  “I’ll see you at eight.”

  Ethan moved back into the penthouse and headed toward the bedroom. As dramatic exits went, that wasn’t the best. But, considering they were in his suite, he couldn’t exactly leave.

  He waited until he heard the elevator chime her departure before he sank onto the edge of the bed. What the hell had he gotten himself into?

  He’d always prided himself on keeping all emotions and people out. That was how he’d lived for the last twenty years, but he was going to have a hell of a time continuing on that path. Harper needed him, and so did their child. That slap of reality had Ethan more afraid than anything. Was he even capable of opening up? Could he be what a child even needed?

  Money was one thing—he had plenty of that and could offer everything Harper and a child could ever want. But he wasn’t going to be a hands-off dad...he just had no clue how to open his heart just enough for his baby and not get hurt.

  After being shut down for so long, Ethan wondered if any of this was even possible.

  Three

  Harper clutched the notepad and pen as she circled the open ballroom once more. She would’ve already had all the last-minute notes she needed had her mind not been preoccupied volleying back and forth between redecorating Mirage and decorating a nursery.

  Focus.

  She had to remain true to her sister’s dream and to this job. Yes, her life had taken a complete twist from what she’d planned, but she wasn’t going to get off course. She had a job to do, and what type of mother would she be if she just gave up on her commitments whenever life got difficult or scary?

  There. See? She was already thinking like a parent...not that she knew much about that role. The closest thing she’d had, her one and only life support, Carmen, had been taken much too soon. Harper would give anything to have her sister/parent/best friend here to offer advice or a hug. Harper could definitely use a consoling hug right about now.

  Tears pricked her eyes, and she cursed as she blinked them away. Getting upset wouldn’t change a thing, which was why she needed to focus and stay on track.

 
Harper jotted down a few more last-minute notes as she slowly made her way around the open space once again. This room was currently closed off from the rest of the resort. From what Harper could gather, when Mirage first opened, there had been quite a few extravagant dances and receptions here. She wanted to bring this room back to life and compete with the newer resorts that had opened recently.

  The resort was beautiful; the location demanded nothing less. But there were areas that had been overlooked and neglected for a few years, and she was overly excited, if a bit nervous, to revamp the entire place and polish those hidden gems back to a new sparkle.

  She’d already done all of her designs and had everything ready to go. But the nervous worker inside her wouldn’t let her rest. She wanted to look at each room, making sure there were things she hadn’t forgotten.

  This would undoubtedly be the most pivotal project she may ever take on. Perfect timing considering she was also taking on the most important role of her life...mother.

  Harper glanced to her notes and realized in all her wanderings over the past couple of hours, she’d managed to doodle a baby rattle on the paper.

  She’d always been one to leave random drawings on her work, but she truly had no idea she’d done this on her sketches and notes about the ballroom.

  Good thing she was the only one who would see these, right?

  Just as Harper started to leave the grand ballroom, her cell vibrated in her dress pocket. With her free hand, she pulled it out and stared at the text from her doctor’s office confirming her appointment.

  She’d make a quick day trip to LA and be back here and on the job, hopefully before her father arrived. She really wished he’d get here, because there was only so much she could do without getting his approval. Oh, she’d love to have free rein, but he wanted to give one final okay to everything before she was let loose with the funding to start tearing up all the old to replace with new.