California Secrets

by Jules Bennett

  Sliding the cell back in her pocket, Harper made a mental note to tell Ethan about the appointment when she met up with him later. And that was just absurd. Going back to his penthouse for dinner like they’d been doing, like they were just going to continue this fling as if nothing had changed.

  Talk. That’s all they could do tonight. There would be no sex. In fact, she’d find the ugliest thing she’d packed and wear it. Granny panties, too. Nothing sexy at all was going into that penthouse suite.

  Actually, Harper should probably tell him they’d have dinner in one of the main restaurants. That would be best all around. They needed to curtail their desires. They’d had sex—amazing, toe-curling sex—but now it was time to move on and figure out what was best for all three of them.

  First, she needed to learn more about the man. How cliché could she be? Meet a man, have a fling and still know nothing about him. Of course, she knew that if her sister was here, Carmen would likely buy Harper a drink and toast to the fact Harper had finally let loose and had a good time...then she’d promptly follow that up with some very real advice on how to embrace this new role of becoming a mother.

  Of the two sisters, Harper had definitely been the more responsible, the more structured one. Carmen had taken after their mother with a little more of a free-bird mentality. Harper had never let loose...ever. She’d been so structured—until she came here.

  But now more than ever, she’d need that structured mind-set to get through the project and her pregnancy. She needed a timeline and some type of plan for the future. Raising a baby while trying to grow a business would be a challenge, she had no doubt. But she wasn’t going to worry about that now. Millions of women worked and raised children. Harper had no doubt she could and would do just fine.

  Harper slid open the door to the hallway and jumped.

  “Ethan,” she gasped. “What are you doing here? This area is closed off to guests.”

  If his wide eyes were any indication, he was just as surprised to see her.

  “So why are you here?” he countered.

  Harper chewed the inside of her cheek and considered how much to share. He’d find out everything at some point anyway, right? They’d well surpassed the fling stage.

  “I was actually hired to revamp this resort,” she confessed. “That’s why I’ve been here so long—and will be for a while longer. I need to be part of each step and oversee the progress.”

  Ethan stared at her for another moment, his brows drawn in as if trying to figure something out. Silence settled between them, and she wondered what could be so interesting about what she’d just said.

  “So you’re an interior designer?” he asked.

  “By default,” she half joked. “My sister was the truly brilliant designer, but she always said I had a good eye. She opened Two Sisters Design a year ago and begged me to join her, so I did. And then... Well, you know she passed, so here I am.”

  Ethan remained silent as he shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. The quiet air seemed to crackle around them, and she hated this awkwardness that settled between them.

  “And that’s enough of my backstory for now.”

  She hated the tension that had slid between them. She had no clue how to act or what to say around him, which seemed rather odd considering they’d spent nearly every night together over the past month. Flings were messy, they were confusing, they were...

  Harper mentally gave herself a slap in the face to wake up. She wasn’t having a fling anymore. She was having a baby with a man she barely knew. Which raised the question of his presence here now. Had he followed her?

  “What are you doing here?” she asked again.

  Ethan shrugged. “Just wandering around.”

  “This whole area is closed off.” The manager knew who she was and allowed her access to any part of the resort. “How did you get in here at all? The door to this whole portion is coded.”

  “Code?” he asked with a shake of his head. “The door was wide-open when I came through. I wasn’t aware it was closed off.”

  Harper couldn’t tell if he was lying or if the door had in fact been left open. He had no reason to lie that she knew of, but she was sure she hadn’t left the door open. Something was off, but she couldn’t exactly say if it was Ethan or not.

  “So, you’re revamping the entire resort?” he asked, glancing over her shoulder into the open ballroom. “That seems like quite the undertaking for one person.”

  “I’m up for the challenge. Besides, I have a team that will come in and do the physical work.”

  No need to tell him this was her first solo gig. She couldn’t treat this as a rookie project. Now more than ever, Two Sisters needed her entire focus.

  Ethan took a step toward her, and that focus tilted. How could a man wearing a pair of well-worn jeans and a T-shirt be so damn attractive? Oh, yeah. Because she knew every inch of muscle tone that lay beneath those clothes.

  He slid the back of his knuckles across her cheek. Harper’s breath caught in her throat as she closed her eyes and relished in his touch. When would she get over this? Would his touch always make her body tremble, her head foggy, her belly tingle?

  “Ethan,” she whispered as she focused back on his hungry gaze. “We need to stop this.”

  “That’s impossible,” he countered, bringing his other hand up and framing her face. “The attraction won’t stop just because we say so. Is there a rule that I shouldn’t want you just because you’re pregnant? Because I want you now more than ever.”

  More than ever. In their month-long fling, she’d come to crave him more than anything, so she understood his need. They matched each other so perfectly in the bedroom. Never before had she experienced anything like Ethan Michaels...and the man was quite an experience.

  “You can’t say things like that.” She was going for a scolding tone, but for reasons she ended up sounding breathless.

  “Why? Because you’re trying to lie to yourself and pretend you don’t want me, too?”

  She couldn’t lie to him, and she shouldn’t be lying to herself. She had to face every obstacle head-on.

  “I just think...”

  Harper shook her head and stepped away.

  “I can’t think when you’re touching me and looking at me like that,” she stated more firmly.

  His lips quirked as he took another step toward her, then another until he’d backed her fully into the open ballroom. Without a word, he reached behind him and slid the doors closed, the smack of the wood echoing through the room.

  “You love every second of my touching and looking.”

  That throaty tone sent shivers through her.

  “We’re having a baby,” she stressed, as if he didn’t already know. “You said yourself that changes things between us.”

  “It changes the timeline,” he stated, reaching for a curl and wrapping it around his finger. “It means we’ll be part of each other’s lives forever. But it sure as hell doesn’t change anything else.”

  Harper tipped her head and stared up into those bright eyes. She could get lost in them, and on several nights, she’d done just that. There was something so powerful and mysterious about Ethan that she’d never been able to put her finger on. She’d wondered what brought him here, what kept him here, and now she really wanted to satisfy her curiosity.

  Before she could dig deeper into this man who’d swept into her world and turned it upside down, he eased down and captured her lips. Ethan slid one hand through her hair and the other hand over the small of her back, pressing her body into his.

  The response was instantaneous as the familiar tingle swept through her. Harper gripped his biceps, just trying to hold on to some sort of stability. This kiss was no different than the others. Every one created an arousing sensation that slithered from her head to her toes and made her k
nees weak.

  Ethan spun them until her back came in contact with the wall. Wedged between two rock-hard surfaces, Harper arched against Ethan’s chest as his lips traveled from her mouth down the column of her throat. She tipped her head to the side, giving him more room to work even as a niggling voice in the back of her head kept telling her all the reasons she shouldn’t be doing this.

  Harper really wished that voice would shut up and just let her enjoy the moment. Ethan’s hands bustled up the skirt of her maxidress. That voice grew louder, telling her to put an end to the madness.

  “Need you now,” he murmured against her ear. The warmth from his breath sent even more shivers coursing through her.

  There was a clatter as something fell to the floor and tapped the side of her foot. She ignored it.

  Then ringing sounded through the room. She ignored that, too, because Ethan’s talented fingertips cruised along the edge of her panty line and silently promised delicious things.

  The annoying ring persisted.

  Her cell.

  “Wait.” Harper pressed her hands to Ethan’s chest. “My phone.”

  “Leave it,” he demanded.

  She pressed a bit more until he muttered a curse and took a step back. Her dress fell back around her legs and she tapped her pockets, frantically searching for her cell before realizing it had fallen to the floor. Harper grabbed the phone and turned away from Ethan before she managed to control her shaky hands enough to look at the screen.

  Of all times for this call.

  “I have to take this,” she stated over her shoulder.

  Without another word, she walked toward the wall of windows and accepted the call. Her hands shook and her body still hadn’t caught up with the fact there was nothing fabulous on the verge of happening right this minute.

  “Hey,” she answered, trying to catch her breath. “I’ve been wondering when I’d hear from you.”

  “I’ve been a bit busy,” her father said. “But I just boarded my jet and wanted to touch base. My assistant mentioned you wanted to change some things from the original design.”

  “I do. In fact, I sent not only the new ideas but a new budget.”

  All correspondence for the renovations was supposed to go through her father’s second in command. She didn’t ask why—Harper was just glad to have the job.

  “Good work,” he praised. “I’ll take a look at everything, but I trust your decisions. I’ll have my assistant get with you about the new materials so you will be ready when your crew arrives. She mentioned next week sometime?”

  “That’s right,” Harper confirmed. “I can’t wait for you to see my vision.”

  Harper glanced over her shoulder, not surprised to see Ethan staring back at her. She turned her focus back toward the window.

  “And when are you coming exactly?” she asked.

  “Soon,” he promised. “But I want you to go ahead and get started. Bring in however many people you need, and I’ll okay the budget. I know I wanted to approve everything, but I simply don’t have the time and I believe you’ll do right by my resort.”

  A thrill shot through her at the idea of starting to bring her vision to life in a matter of days. After months of waiting, wondering if she could live up to her sister’s vision and hopes, now was Harper’s chance to prove to everyone, especially herself, that she was worthy of this position her sister had trusted her with.

  “Everything else going smoothly?” he asked. “I trust your upgraded suite and the staff are nothing short of perfection.”

  “Oh, yeah. Everything is fine.”

  I’m just pregnant by a virtual stranger from a heated fling, but that shouldn’t hinder my ability to choose paint swatches and lighting fixtures.

  “I can’t wait to see you,” she said, smiling and wanting happiness and excitement to come through in her tone. “Hopefully soon.”

  “Hopefully,” he repeated in a monotone voice. “I have to run. My assistant will be in touch.”

  He disconnected the call, and a little twinge of sadness clipped her heart. He didn’t seem excited to actually see her, only concerned with the renovations. Granted, he’d gone over two decades without having a child, so she had to cut him some slack. Carmen had a different father and had actually had a relationship with him.

  But Harper had been in Robert’s life for several years now, and he still hadn’t fully embraced fatherhood like she’d hoped.

  Especially now, she wished he’d be a little more...well, just a little more. Anything would give her hope they might eventually get to a loving relationship. Was he even capable of that?

  She knew he’d been married years ago, but his wife had passed unexpectedly. Since then, Robert had remained single. Maybe that death had made him wary of further relationships. Maybe if she reached out to him in that regard, by listing their commonalities, perhaps then he’d open up a little more.

  But since their first meeting, he’d been distant. They’d randomly meet up for dinners when he came to town or he’d call once a month to check in, but she usually got the impression he was doing so because he felt he should and not because he actually wanted to.

  “Everything all right?”

  Ethan’s question pulled her from her thoughts. Harper spun around and forced a smile.

  “Fine. That was just my father.”

  No need to mention her father owned the resort. Ethan didn’t strike her as the type looking for money, but it was still best to keep some things to herself for now. Besides, it wasn’t like she was some kind of heiress. She wasn’t expecting anything from Robert—except for the chance to build some kind of emotional connection.

  Another chime sounded through the room, and this time Ethan pulled his cell from his pocket. He glanced at the screen, sighed, then shook his head.

  “I need to deal with this,” he told her. “Come to my room tonight.”

  That potent stare from several feet away was no less powerful than when he touched her bare skin with those big, strong hands. He always made her feel delicate...something she’d never felt before in her life.

  “You already ordered me to be there,” she reminded him, pretending like he didn’t affect her. “If I’m free, I will come, but not because you say so.”

  Ethan chuckled as he started closing the distance between them. “You’ll be there.”

  He stepped into her, laid his lips across hers and just as quickly stepped back.

  “See you at seven.”

  “You said eight earlier,” she reminded him.

  He shot her a smile. “I want you sooner.”

  With a cocky whistle, Ethan turned and walked from the room, leaving her standing there irritated and completely turned on. Not that she’d ever let him know how much he affected her. Of course, someone as confident as Ethan probably already knew.

  Well, she’d show him. She may be having his baby, but that didn’t mean she had to jump at every command. She didn’t know any other woman he’d had dealings with in the past, but Harper prided herself on being independent and unique.

  Ethan Michaels might have finally met his match.

  Four

  “I guess he’s held up in Barcelona,” Ethan said, swirling the ice sphere in his bourbon. “The longer I wait, the more pissed off I get.”

  Granted, his edginess could have something to do with the fact he was still reeling from the bomb of impending fatherhood—and from the way that seven o’clock had come and gone over an hour ago without Harper arriving in his room.

  He wasn’t going to chase her down, and he wasn’t going to beg. He’d never begged for a woman in his life, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to start now...even if she carried his child.

  “You’re sounding a little edgier than usual,” Dane stated.

  His twin’s statement pulled Ethan back. He set th
e tumbler on the bar and flattened his hand on the counter. Ethan thrived on control, especially over his own damn life, but here he was watching it play out and all he could do was wait.

  “I’m fine,” he ground out.

  “Trying to convince yourself?” Dane asked.

  “I just want this to be over and for me to have my resort back,” Ethan insisted. “That’s all.”

  He wasn’t ready to announce the pregnancy.

  “As soon as you do, Stella and I want to get married,” Dane moved on. “We don’t feel it’s right until all this is settled. Plus, it will give us another reason to celebrate.”

  Dane deserved the happiness. Hell, they both did. After nearly twenty years of planning, working their asses off to regain money and power after having it stolen, this reckoning was long overdue.

  “You keeping out of trouble while you wait on your family reunion?” Dane asked.

  “Nothing I can’t handle.”

  Maybe a lie, but whatever.

  “Do you even know her name?” Dane chuckled.

  Oh, he knew her name. He’d moaned it enough times while he learned every inch of Harper’s curvy body, and damn if he wasn’t itching to touch her again. Hell, he was in trouble. Not just because of the pregnancy, but because he’d let himself get agitated by a woman. He’d let her under his skin just enough that he was getting cranky without her.

  Sex muddled the mind. That had initially been the reason he’d used it. He’d wanted that foggy state to numb the pain; he’d wanted to disappear outside reality for a time.

  But Ethan had never been in this type of situation, and he refused to lose control over his emotions or get swept up in some spiral of feelings.

  “I’ll take that as a no,” Dane replied.

  Ethan pulled himself from his thoughts and cleared his throat. “I’ll keep you posted on Robert, but I’m expecting him very soon. Go ahead and make those wedding plans.”

  Just the words wedding plans sent a shiver of terror through Ethan. He supposed some people went for that type of lifestyle, but he was just fine without a binding piece of paper, thank you very much.