California Secrets

by Jules Bennett

  “Oh, Stella is all set as soon as I give her the go-ahead,” Dane laughed.

  Ethan couldn’t recall the last time he’d heard his brother laugh. The foreign sound actually had Ethan smiling himself. They’d waited so long to claim their own happiness, their destiny.

  The chime from the private elevator echoed through the open penthouse. There was only one visitor he was expecting, and she was overdue.

  “I’ll keep you posted,” Ethan promised. “Give Stella my love.”

  He ended the call and slid the cell back into his pocket, trying to pretend he wasn’t anxious to see Harper step through that sliding door.

  She’d kept him waiting, likely out of spite. For reasons he couldn’t explain, he found that sexy as hell.

  Ethan remained by the bar, resting his elbow on it and forcing himself not to react when she came in.

  Moments later, the elevator whooshed open, and there she was. All sexy in a little floral skirt that wrapped around her hips, paired with a bright blue tank. The simple yet skimpy outfit showcased those lush curves even better than the dress she’d had on earlier, and while he might not know her well, he knew she’d changed on purpose. The little minx.

  She stared at him across the penthouse, silence filling the space. Finally, she broke eye contact and started across the room like she belonged here.

  “Dinner is cold,” he told her as she passed by the domed plates on the dining table.

  Harper ignored the table and moved into the living area, where she took a seat on the white sofa. She sank down and propped her long, dark legs up on the glass table. Her red-polished toes brushed the edge of the floral arrangement that the cleaning staff frequently changed out.

  “I already ate,” she stated, crossing her ankles and meeting his gaze. “I hope you didn’t wait. I got held up.”

  Likely waiting him out just to prove she could.

  “I didn’t wait,” he lied.

  He hadn’t eaten a bite. He’d been frustrated by her absence, worried over the pregnancy news, irritated at Robert for being so damn late. Too many emotions and not enough space in his head to store them all had soured his appetite.

  “I wasn’t late on purpose.” She flashed him a grin as if she could read his mind, which only furthered his irritation. “I ran into a couple who couldn’t find their restaurant, so I escorted them. Then when I left there, I ran into a little issue with a bellhop who was a little less than friendly, so I tried to smooth that over with the guests.”

  Ethan wouldn’t put up with anything less than a loyal employee who respected each visitor that passed through their doors. He would make sure to keep an eye out and ears open for that subpar bellhop. He’d already been making mental notes of stellar employees he’d encountered. And the less-than-stellar ones.

  “What made you intervene?” Ethan asked, taking his tumbler and crossing to the living area.

  He rested his hip against the sofa across from where Harper sat. She stared up at him and shrugged.

  “I think everyone should be treated with respect, and I figured the employee might be having a bad day. I was just trying to help.”

  Interesting.

  “And did everything get worked out?” he asked.

  A wide smile spread across her face. “Of course.”

  “So you design and you play referee.” Ethan took a sip of his bourbon. “What other secrets do you keep?”

  Harper laid a hand over her belly, and Ethan swallowed. No surprise there, but everything else about this woman was a mystery. He didn’t know her, not in the ways a man should know a woman who was going to have his child.

  “I think a few secrets are necessary, don’t you?” she asked.

  Considering he kept quiet about his true reason for being there, he would have to agree. But still, he didn’t like not being in the know about everything that affected him. Shouldn’t he know everything about the woman who was going to have his baby?

  “I think there’s more to you than what you show,” he replied.

  “That’s a coping mechanism.” She dropped her feet to the floor and crossed her legs, the move easing up the slit in her skirt. “Care to tell me what keeps your secrets bottled up?”

  “Coping mechanism is a valid reason.”

  She’d completely nailed his reasoning for keeping his cards close to his chest. The little tidbits he uncovered kept revealing how their lives paralleled.

  But right now, he wanted to intersect. Those legs all on display were tempting him to the point he was ready to unwrap that skirt and show her just how much he craved her.

  “You’ve got that look in your eye,” she murmured.

  He gripped the tumbler. “And what look is that?”

  Ignoring his question, Harper came to her feet, propped her hands on her hips and stared back without making a move toward him.

  “You invited me here for sex,” she said, crossing her arms and doing amazing things to her breasts in the process. “Dinner is a given.”

  “Well, you’re here.”

  The corner of her mouth twitched, and he knew she wanted to smile. He had her. She couldn’t dodge his advance, and she wasn’t even trying. That wasn’t vanity talking—it was the truth. And in all fairness, he was just as drawn to her...not that he’d admit any such thing.

  “I’m here to discuss our child,” she retorted. “We do have an obligation to make some sort of plan and keep our clothes on during the process.”

  “I’m well aware of what we need to do. When are you seeing a doctor?”

  “Tomorrow,” she told him. “Everything is set for this initial checkup. I’ll have a few tests and an ultrasound, too.”

  Ethan started to close the distance between them. “Is there a problem?”

  “Relax.” Harper held up her hands and shook her head. “Routine testing. It’s all perfectly normal during a pregnancy.”

  “How do you know so much already?” he asked.

  Harper laughed, and he hated how he suddenly felt like an ill-prepared moron. How was he not on top of this and more in control? He’d have to do some research and read up on pregnancies and babies. He had a feeling he was about to get an education he’d never planned on in his life.

  “For one thing, I’m a woman, and I’ve had pregnant friends,” she started. “We like to discuss such things over fancy dinners. Another thing, when I called my doctor, the nurse went over month by month what to expect during the appointments. I took some notes, but I also remember what she said. There’s a lot that they test for, just as a matter of routine—checking the boxes to make sure there are no surprises.”

  Routine. Okay, he could handle that.

  What the hell would he do if something went wrong? He knew absolutely nothing about babies or pregnancies. When he got together with his friends, it was to discuss his nightclubs or a limited-edition bottle of bourbon they’d purchased. On occasion they’d discuss trading in their jet or their car for the next upgrade. But never, not once, had the topic of children come up.

  “I want to be with you during the doctor’s visit.”

  Harper stared at him for a moment, and he thought she was going to argue, but ultimately she nodded.

  “I assumed as much,” she said. “I wouldn’t keep you out. No matter how all of this happened or how shocked we are, we’re in this together if that’s what you want.”

  “I want to be in my child’s life.” A ball of emotions rolled through him. “My mother passed when I was a teen, and I never knew my real father. There’s no way I’d abandon you or this baby.”

  A soft smile spread across her face. She tipped her head, and he couldn’t identify the look in her eyes.

  “What?”

  She took one step forward, then another. “You haven’t shared much about your life. Just hearing you open up without me asking...it
just means so much now.”

  There was no way to go through this with her and not get personal. As much as he kept his heart guarded, his life to himself, he couldn’t be completely closed off to Harper. But he would have to decide how much to share and when to do so.

  Once the resort reverted back to him, he wouldn’t mind telling her everything. Right now, though, he just needed to focus on Robert.

  But he still wanted to get to know more about Harper—especially when it came to her connection to his resort.

  “Did you get any more planning done today?” he asked. “When we parted, you were talking about the ballroom.”

  “I called in my team, and we’re going to get started.” She positively beamed when she spoke. Obviously decorating was her passion. “The ballroom won’t be where we begin, though. I’d like to start with the lobby, because I want the first major impact to be the focal point of the resort. I want guests to believe they’ve stepped into another world when they arrive.”

  Could she be more perfect?

  For the job and to be the mother of his child. Not for him. But the vision he’d gotten a glimpse of was exactly how he wanted to renovate his mother’s dream. All of this was falling into place so perfectly. Robert would foot the bill for a grand redesign just in time for Ethan to take over.

  Oh, the victory was going to be sweet.

  “And what are your thoughts for the lobby?” he asked, crossing to take a seat next to her on the sofa.

  She stared at how close he sat, hip to hip, but not reaching for her in any other way. Yeah, he was just as surprised by his restraint, but the talk of the resort trumped his desires...for now.

  Harper’s eyes darted back to his face. “You want to talk about my work?”

  Ethan stretched his arm along the couch behind her and nodded. “Yeah, I do.”

  He didn’t need to justify his reasons. She’d already mentioned she wanted to get to know more about him, and turnabout was fair play. Besides, he’d rather start with her...with Mirage.

  Harper’s dark eyes narrowed before she shook her head and eased back into the cushions. “I was thinking of a water wall, something tranquil and serene. I want the guests to immediately relax, and water is proven to do that. Decorating isn’t just about what looks pretty—it’s about making people feel good about an experience.”

  Ethan listened to her, watched how she spoke with those delicate hands. Her eyes shone in a way he hadn’t noticed before. The more she discussed the style, the more he knew his mother would have loved everything this resort would become.

  And that was ultimately what he wanted. Of course he deserved to have this place back in his name, but once he was in charge, he had every intention of paying tribute to the remarkable woman who’d started it all.

  He remembered her favorite color being green. Somewhere, in some place, he had to incorporate that shade. Perhaps in the Caribbean-themed restaurant or the Italian one. Something classy with green and white, maybe a touch of gold.

  “You’ve put quite a lot of thought into this,” he told her when she stopped talking and he’d logged his thoughts for later. “You ran through nearly every detail and didn’t once look at a note in your phone.”

  Harper’s mouth spread into a wide smile—the action sent a sucker punch right to his gut. How the hell did a grin have his breath catching in his throat? She’d flashed a saucy smile at him before, but nothing like this. She genuinely beamed.

  “Because I have a vision and it’s all in my head,” she explained. “Every aspect of what I want to do with this place is like a living piece, and there’s no way I’ll forget a single one of them.”

  “But...you do have everything documented. Right?”

  Harper rolled her eyes and laughed. “My sister would come back and haunt me if I didn’t have everything documented and backed up.”

  “Did you work long with your sister before she passed?”

  Damn it. He hadn’t meant to ask. That was too personal, and a question that would only lead to exposing vulnerability.

  “Not long enough,” she murmured, her smile instantly fading. “I believe everything happens for a reason, but I just can’t fathom why she was taken at such a young age. I mean, surely there was so much more for her to accomplish. You just don’t realize how fragile life is until someone intimately close to you is gone. That sounds clichéd, but it’s true.”

  Ethan had experienced those very same thoughts for so long after his mother passed. He knew that pain, knew that aching void that nothing or no one could ever fill.

  Ultimately, that’s how he ended up living a reckless life, stumbling into owning and operating a string of profitable nightclubs and making billions. Yeah, everything happened for a reason, but he’d give it all back to have his mother.

  “Then accomplish it for her,” he finally stated.

  Harper chewed her bottom lip for just a moment. Some women did that as a coy way to flirt, but he knew her well enough to know she wasn’t playing some cutesy little game. Her thoughts were on her sister, on their business. Her loyalty and commitment were admirable traits, and as much as this whole baby news was still a shock, Harper had qualities he’d want his child to possess.

  “I plan on doing just that,” she confirmed. “Every job I take will be done in her honor. I won’t fail, because I refuse to even allow the thought to enter my mind.”

  “Spoken like a true businesswoman.”

  Harper laughed and came to her feet. “I don’t know about that. I never had my heart set on business, but I am creative and enjoy using my mind for work. I sort of just stumbled into the business part.”

  “That’s how the best companies get started,” he explained. “I never thought about going into business, either. Yet here I am.”

  Harper tipped her head to the side as her dark brows drew in. “And what are you, exactly? Jet-setting playboy tycoon?”

  Ouch. That wasn’t what he’d expected her to say. Clearly he hadn’t made the best impression. Even though her description was dead on, he still didn’t like the words coming out of her mouth.

  Now he had to show the mother of his child—and prove to himself—that he was so much more. Because he was, damn it.

  It was time for him to step up his game...and maybe open up that bank of emotions he’d kept on lockdown for nearly two decades.

  Five

  Maybe she shouldn’t have thrown out such a label. From the pained expression on his face, she wasn’t sure if he was reeling from the insult or trying to figure a way to defend himself.

  “Ethan, I—”

  “No.” He held up a hand. “I’d say you’re accurate. I work hard, I play hard. I won’t apologize for the man I am. But at the same time, I’m not heartless and I’m not a bastard. I enjoy all aspects of my life, and sometimes I use coping mechanisms.”

  Sex. He used sex to cope...but what pain was he masking? Who had hurt him?

  “Back to business,” he said, circling around. “Because that’s something where we can relate. I stumbled into my area as well, but after ten years, I’m damn good at what I do, and I couldn’t imagine anything else.”

  “Nice dodge on your personal issues,” she half joked.

  With a mock nod, he smiled, and that gleaming grin had her nerves curling low in her belly. She had to remember even though he used sex as a line of defense, he still used it. She couldn’t fall for his charms simply because he was irresistible and she carried his baby.

  She’d done her fair share of using when it came to this fling...which was all the more reason to keep mentally reminding herself what this was and what it wasn’t.

  “So what is it that you do?” she prodded when he said nothing.

  “I own nightclubs on both the East and the West Coasts. I’m acquiring a bistro in France, and I’ve been sniffing around a couple of pubs in Sco
tland. I plan to branch out globally and make a big impact.”

  Harper tried to hide her surprise. “Impressive résumé. I wouldn’t have thought international business.”

  “Is this a job interview?” he asked with a quirk of his brow and a naughty grin.

  “It wasn’t, but since you’re the father of my child, maybe we should dig deeper.”

  His smile slowly faded as the muscle in his jaw clenched. “My mother passed when I was a teenager, my stepfather was a bastard and stole my inheritance, and my twin brother is engaged. Oh, after the military I landed in a nightclub, got completely drunk for reasons that don’t matter, and somehow that actually did turn into a job interview, which ultimately gave me my start as a business owner. And that brings us up to date.”

  Harper listened to the very abbreviated version of Ethan’s life and figured he’d hit every highlight of what had caused him pain. But she opted to home in on the one area she hoped wasn’t so crushing.

  “You have a twin?”

  Something in his dark features softened. “Dane. He lives in Montana on a ranch.”

  Harper laughed. “Quite the opposite of your beach-bum life.”

  “Quite the opposite of me,” Ethan muttered in agreement. “He’s kept to himself since Mom died, so the fact that he met someone who could penetrate that wall... She must be amazing.”

  “You don’t know her?”

  Ethan shook his head and came back to his feet. “We haven’t met. Dane and I have been working on a project for a while that has kept us apart. We email or talk on the phone, but I haven’t seen him for a few years.”

  There it was again. That pain.

  Ethan paced to the wall of windows and stared out at the moonlight shining down onto the ocean. Harper knew she couldn’t let this moment pass.

  “You know, my sister has only been gone six months, and that void is unlike anything I’ve ever known.”

  Harper rose but didn’t cross to him. She just felt like she should be on level field or be ready...for whatever.