Summer’s smile grew. “What do I say? Let’s go watch some whales!”
* * *
Ethan couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about. Twenty-four hours into his big Alaska adventure and he was bored. “There is seriously something wrong with me,” he mumbled as he strolled over to join the line of people getting ready to board the boat that was going to take them whale watching. He had decided to take the afternoon tour so that he could sleep in a little, and while he was refreshed, he still wasn’t overly impressed with what was going on. “Definitely something wrong with me.”
More than one beautiful woman had shown interest in him in the last hour alone while he had been getting his ticket for the excursion, and although it should have been something that interested him, it didn’t. He didn’t want to be with another woman, not now. Maybe not ever. After having spent the night with Summer and making love to her, Ethan knew it would be hard to replace her with someone else. You just didn’t find that kind of connection, that kind of chemistry, that often. If ever.
With a sigh, Ethan looked around at the people he was going to be spending the day with. It was amazing that in a room full of people, Ethan had never felt more alone. Everywhere he looked he thought he saw Summer. He knew that was impossible because she was back in Portland, working, taking care of her dog…having a life. Meanwhile, here he stood, nursing a cup of coffee while juggling his rain gear, binoculars, and a camera while imagining her laughter.
“Great, now I’m hearing things,” he mumbled and took the last sip of his coffee. When he heard the same laugh again, he stood up a little straighter and looked around. Not more than ten feet away from him stood a woman who could easily be Summer’s twin. Her back was to him, and before he could catch a glimpse of her face, a voice came over the loudspeaker announcing that they were getting ready to board the boat.
Crap.
With no other choice, Ethan moved along with the group and couldn’t help but get caught up in the excitement of those around him. This wasn’t his usual activity, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to enjoy himself.
He just needed to put a little extra effort into it.
Working his way through the crowd, he found a position out on the deck. This particular boat only took about thirty passengers out at a time, so it wasn’t particularly crowded, but it seemed like everyone was here with someone and he was the only person going solo.
Trying to push “One Is the Loneliest Number” from playing in his mind, Ethan focused on the water and doing his best to keep a somewhat positive attitude. He had four hours of whale watching ahead of him, so he needed to drum up some enthusiasm about it and tried not to imagine Zach pointing and laughing at him for doing something so tame.
An hour into the tour, Ethan was feeling the chill from the water and decided to go inside and grab another cup of coffee. So far there hadn’t been much to see in the way of whales, but the scenery had been breathtaking. Closing the door to the deck behind him, he looked around and saw that the line for snacks and drinks was relatively short. There were only two women ahead of him and as he stepped closer, he heard that laugh again.
Summer’s laugh.
He was slowly going insane. How could he possibly keep hearing her, picturing her wherever he went? Why was his mind playing tricks on him? Why was…? And then it hit him. His mind wasn’t playing tricks on him. As he stepped closer, Ethan realized that the woman he heard laughing was Summer and that Gabriella was with her.
Unsure of what to do, he continued to stare. What the hell were the two of them doing in Alaska? Why weren’t they back in Portland? He knew that Gabriella had to take her vacation time when Zach was on vacation, but why didn’t Summer—or Gabriella—mention that they were coming to Glacier Bay? And to that end, why had they come all the way to Glacier Bay? This wasn’t exactly the kind of vacation he would have imagined the two of them taking.
And why not? Summer was an athletic woman who enjoyed the outdoors. Ethan just had no idea Gabriella was the same way. She seemed more of the luxury spa variety. He had to wonder whose idea it was to come here. Had they gone to Denali first in hopes of trying to stop Zach again? Or him?
Only one way to find out.
No sooner had the thought entered his mind than two men approached Summer and Gabriella. He stood back and fumed silently as one of the guys said something that made Summer laugh. Hell no. There was no way he could stand by and watch her get hit on by some other guy. He was just about to make his move when the four of them took their drinks and walked back out on the deck.
“Can I help you?” the snack attendant asked, and Ethan was torn between grabbing the coffee he had come in for or chasing after Summer. “Sir?”
Quickly he ordered his drink and then went back out onto the deck. Everyone was oohing and aahing and it didn’t take long for Ethan to realize that this was their first sighting of a humpback whale. It was really something to see, but Ethan only had eyes for Summer. He slowly approached where she and Gabriella were standing with their new friends. Gabriella spotted him first and he watched as she nudged Summer in his direction.
“Ethan?” Summer said, her eyes wide with surprise. “What are you doing here? Why aren’t you on the climb with Zach?” She stopped speaking and quickly looked around. “Is he here too? Did you both decide not to go?”
That was it? That was all she had to say to him? His gaze bore into hers as he took in her sporty attire. She had on snug-fitting jeans, boots, a quilted vest, and some sort of colorful scarf that wrapped around her neck several times. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she had just a hint of lip gloss on.
“Ethan?” she asked again as he continued to stare.
“Did the climb get canceled because of the weather?” Gabriella said to fill the awkward silence.
Ethan wished they’d all just go away. Except for Summer. She was here. He was here. Clearly it was a sign that they were allowed to have more than one night, more than one stolen night. Finally he said, “No, Zach’s not here. No, the climb didn’t get canceled. I decided not to go.” He watched as Summer’s eyes widened at his words. “I couldn’t.” Then he watched as she swallowed and nervously looked from him to Gabriella and back again.
“Why are you here?” she asked quietly.
“I could ask you the same thing.”
“If you two will excuse us, we’re going to watch the whales,” Gabriella said, walking over to the rail with her two new friends.
“I don’t understand, Ethan,” Summer said. “Why didn’t you go with Zach?”
He shrugged. “I don’t think I ever really wanted to go on the climb. It wasn’t until we got there that I realized how much I didn’t want to.”
Disappointment swamped her. It wasn’t because of her that he didn’t go; it was something else. “Oh.”
Reaching out, Ethan tucked a finger under her chin. “Everything you said made sense, Summer. You were right. There was no way I could go with a clear conscience. I’m sorry I couldn’t talk your brother out of it, but as you know, he’s pretty stubborn.”
She nodded but couldn’t speak. Just the simple touch of his finger and she was lost. She glanced over at Gabriella and noticed the two guys they’d been talking to had moved on. Summer sighed. As much as she wanted to stand here and talk to Ethan, spend more time with him, she had come away for a girls’ trip with Gabriella. Just her rotten luck.
“Well,” she began as she took a tentative step back, “I guess I better go and join Gabriella.” She’d shown more enthusiasm on her way to a root canal. Her gaze lingered on Ethan for longer than it should have. “Would…would you like to join us?”
The immediate answer was yes, but Ethan looked over and saw Gabriella now waving off a couple of new guys. It made him jealous as hell to think that if they hadn’t run into one another, Summer would be spending her afternoon with them. “
I’d like that very much, but I don’t want to be the third wheel.”
“Third…?” And then she got it. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Gabriella looking out at the water with her binoculars. “Come on. It will be fun.”
There were other activities Ethan would rather be participating in with Summer, and whale watching wasn’t one of them. Rather than argue the point, he changed the subject. “Where are you staying?”
“Oh, we have a room at the lodge.”
“You didn’t mention that you were coming here when I saw you.”
Summer blushed at the memory of the last time he’d seen her. “It really was a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing. Gabriella actually arranged it. After all of her research for Zach, she was curious what the big draw was for Alaska. We both had some time off coming to us, so we figured we’d check it out.”
“Hopefully you won’t be disappointed,” he said with a smile.
Summer couldn’t help but smile back. It was on the tip of her tongue to say that it would be impossible to be disappointed now that he was there and could share it all with her. Taking a step closer to Ethan, she was just about to ask if he had dinner plans when Gabriella called out to them.
“Come on! You guys are missing all of this. It’s amazing! I’ve seen at least two whales already!”
“I guess that’s our cue,” Summer said softly as she turned to walk over to the side of the boat. When Ethan didn’t immediately move, she reached out and took one of his hands in hers and tugged.
It might not be exactly what he had envisioned for the two of them, but for right now, Ethan would gladly take what he could get.
* * *
When the tour ended and the boat docked, Summer felt happier than she had in a long time. Between the amazing sights they’d seen and being able to spend time with Ethan, she was feeling very content.
“Did you have anything else planned this afternoon, Ethan?” Gabriella asked, and if Ethan didn’t know better, he’d swear that she was onto him and his feelings for Summer. She kept nudging Summer closer to him, and if anything, she seemed pleased that he was there.
“I actually hadn’t given it too much thought. I was just planning on playing it by ear. How about you? Do the two of you have plans?” The question was meant for the both of them, but he only had eyes for Summer.
“We had planned on just relaxing and then going for dinner. You’ll join us, won’t you?” Summer asked.
“Of course,” he said. While he knew he couldn’t ask Gabriella to stay behind, that didn’t stop his mind from wandering to how he could possibly find a way to be alone with Summer. For now he’d bide his time.
The three of them made their way back to the lodge, all the while talking about the things they’d seen while out on the boat. Summer talked excitedly about her plans for a scrapbook and how she was looking forward to taking more pictures over the course of their stay, which led to her sharing about her brief attempt at being a photographer for a small magazine back in New York.
“You’re certainly eclectic in your career choices,” Gabriella said. “And you’re fortunate that you have so many talents.”
“Please, you’ve got us all beat in the talent department,” Summer said as they walked into the lodge. “I’m still trying to find the one thing that I’m really good at so I can stick with it. You found your niche. You’re the lucky one.”
Gabriella blushed and then cleared her throat. “I’m going to grab the new Cosmo and a couple bottles of water from the gift shop. You want anything?”
“No thanks,” Summer said, but her attention was solely on Ethan.
“So,” he began, “what time were you thinking about going to dinner?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t think we have reservations. What about you?”
He took a step closer. “I had kind of planned on ordering room service and just hanging out in my room. So I’m flexible.”
“Oh. Okay.” She was nervous and didn’t quite know what to say. The thought of having dinner with Ethan in his room was beyond appealing, but she knew it wasn’t going to happen. “I…um…I guess I’ll talk to Gabriella and we’ll call you when we have something planned.”
Ethan nodded. “I guess you could. Or…”
“Or what?”
He leaned in close, close enough to watch her pupils dilate and close enough to inhale the sweet scent of her. “Or…you can come with me.” He gave no other details because it was all implied right there.
She wanted desperately to say yes; it was like getting a second chance at your perfect fantasy. Could she really walk away from that? One look at Gabriella and she unfortunately had her answer. “I…I can’t.”
His eyebrows shot up at her response. “What? Why?”
“You and I both know why. I didn’t tell anyone about last weekend, Ethan. I’m here now with Gabriella, and she’s definitely going to notice if you and I leave together. And besides that, we’re sharing a room. She’ll definitely notice when I don’t come back.” Somewhere in the back of her mind, Summer knew this was for the best. She just wished it didn’t hurt so much.
Ethan took a step back and nodded. He didn’t want to pressure her or make her uncomfortable. He’d only recently come to grips with how he felt about her; maybe he needed to take some time to let her get to know him as a man and not as just a friend of her brother’s. “I understand. I guess I’ll see you at dinner.” He didn’t move; hell, he barely breathed. It wasn’t hard to see the indecision on Summer’s face, but in the end, she turned and walked over to the gift shop. He didn’t move when she stepped out of his sight, and he didn’t move when Gabriella turned in his direction.
“Are you out of your mind?” Gabriella hissed as soon as Summer came and stood beside her.
“What are you talking about?” Summer asked wearily as she picked up a magazine and began to flip through it.
“Care to tell me why you’re standing in here with me reading Men’s Health when you could be off somewhere with Ethan?”
Summer looked at her in shock. “Me and Ethan?” she squeaked. “Are you crazy? Where…whatever gave you that idea?”
Gabriella threw her head back and laughed, a full, throaty sound that made people turn in their direction. When she was able to catch her breath, she faced Summer. “Seriously? You are seriously asking me that question?”
“Yes.”
Gabriella shifted her purse from one shoulder to the other. “Okay, let’s start with the fact that you watch him at the office all the time.”
“I do not.”
“All. The. Time. Secondly, he watches you just as much.”
Summer’s eyes widened. “He does not.”
Gabriella nodded. “All. The. Time. Hell, he’s standing there doing it right now. Why don’t you do us all a favor and go enjoy yourself?”
“But what about—”
“I will be fine hanging out by myself. I think I’ll have dinner sent to the room and enjoy eating dessert in bed.” When Summer tried to interrupt, she stopped her. “My lips are sealed, Summer. No one will hear about this from me.”
“But what about Zach?”
Gabriella actually frowned at the mention of her boss. “What about him?”
“You work for him. If he finds out about this, he’ll freak out.”
“Please. Your brother freaks out about a lot of stuff, and like I said, he won’t hear about it from me. If he asks me if I know anything, I’ll deny it with my last breath.” She smiled. “Go. I know you said you weren’t interested in hooking up with anyone, but I get the impression that statement didn’t include Mr. Reed over there.”
Summer was afraid to turn around. “Is he really still standing there?” she whispered.
Gabriella nodded. “And watching you like he can’t wait to have you for dessert.”
Summer smile
d. “Then I guess I shouldn’t make him wait.”
“Atta girl! Go get him!”
Summer slid the magazine back onto the rack and hugged Gabriella before turning and facing Ethan. His expression was fierce, and she knew in that instant she was going to make the most of every second they had. Their night together had been too short. She was going to take her time with him and not let him leave until the very last possible second.
Taking a steadying breath, she checked her hair and fixed her scarf before she met his gaze and walked over to where he stood. When she was standing right in front of him, she stopped and looked him in the eyes. “You mentioned something about coming with you.” She put a little extra emphasis on the word “coming” and watched a small smile tug at his lips.
“I did.”
“Is that offer still on the table?”
His smile grew. “Sweetheart, that offer is anywhere you want it to be.” Without another word, Ethan reached out and took Summer’s hand in his and led her toward the bank of elevators in the lobby. Tension rolled off his body. If he wasn’t mistaken, there was a slight tremble coming from Summer.
When the doors opened, he was relieved to see they were alone. Tugging her inside, he pressed the button for his floor, pulled her into his arms, and crushed his mouth to hers. Now that he knew the feel of her, the taste of her, Ethan was surprised it didn’t dampen his need for her. She fit perfectly against him as her lips opened and her tongue darted out to mate with his. Turning her so her back was against the wall, he rubbed his arousal against her and nearly groaned when Summer’s hand reached between them to touch him. He wasn’t sure they’d even make it to his suite. If it were up to him, he’d stop the elevator and take her right here, right now, in the elevator, against the wall.
He heard the bell signal their arrival, and he nearly sagged with relief when he realized it was his floor and there weren’t other guests waiting outside the elevator doors. It was torture to move away from her, but Ethan knew the sooner they got to his suite, the sooner they could resume what they’d started.
Meant for You Page 8
