Well, it had just arisen.
And surprisingly, she felt no panic at all. Not even an iota. Maybe her life was in such chaos that she’d developed a resistance to any new shocks, or maybe it was the safety of the night, and being here with EJ. Maybe things would be different in the morning, but right now the slip-up didn’t seem to be all that big of a concern to her. However, he still looked really worried. Probably because pregnancy was the least of people’s concerns these days. She took a deep breath.
“Listen, I was tested years ago in school, and I haven’t slept with anyone since then, like I told you, so you don’t have to worry about catching anything from me.”
The words seemed to add to the distance between them.
“I figured as much. You don’t have anything to worry about in that respect either, from me, but still…”
Charlotte took a deep breath, and couldn’t repress a smile, for some unknown reason. “I know. There are…other risks.”
“You don’t seem all that upset about it.” EJ watched her smother the smile, and wondered at the curious response. Once Millie had forgotten her pill and had nearly had a heart attack when she remembered. It had taken EJ days to calm her down. But Charlotte didn’t seem angry or panicked that he’d forgotten to protect her.
“Well, you know, I guess I’m not. Chances are nothing happened. I heard once that the chances of getting pregnant are really pretty slim, statistically speaking, you know, so many people try for months and years, so it’s unlikely that one time will result in a pregnancy, though that does happen, of course…” She took a deep breath, trying to stem the nervous babble that just seemed to spout.
“I think I’m probably at that safe time of the month, though I can check for sure later. But even if something did happen, I guess I’m okay with it.”
The fact surprised her as much as anyone, and she continued, talking to herself as much as to him.
“I never thought I’d want to have a baby by myself, in fact, I always wanted to make sure I never repeated my mother’s mistakes. But I wouldn’t do what she did. I wouldn’t give up my baby. It would be mine, and we would be our own little family. I wouldn’t be alone anymore, and neither would he or she. I’d make sure of it.”
He saw something flicker deep in her eyes as she spoke the words and he leaned in, kissing her softly. It was the only thing he could think of to do, and there was only one thing he could say.
“You wouldn’t be by yourself. I wouldn’t leave you alone.”
He meant it. He’d made a mistake, and he would take responsibility for it. But was there more than that going on here? He fell back to the pillows, processing what had happened, and how the hell he could have let it. He’d never slipped up like this once before—never—and he didn’t know what to feel.
It had only been a day, and everything in his life had changed. He wasn’t the kind of guy to abandon his responsibilities—but wasn’t that exactly what he’d done with Millie and his family? What of the carefree lifestyle he enjoyed? Was he ready to give that up? Did he love Charlotte, or were they just dealing with the moment?
All questions he couldn’t answer right now. He cast a glance at Charlotte. She seemed unperturbed. Cool as a cucumber.
“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see, but I think we should still strive to be, uh, careful from now on. The situation isn’t exactly uncomplicated at the moment.”
She propped herself up on her elbow, staring down at him. “Okay.” She leaned down, flicking her tongue over a flat brown nipple. “So there’s going to be a ‘from now on,’ huh?”
He couldn’t believe the effect she had on him, and his dick twitched in response to her caress.
“I think I’d like to see what could happen once we get out of all of this mess.” It was a nice, noncommittal answer.
“Me, too.” She yawned, curling into him, and wrapping herself around him in way that made him feel in a way he never really had before. Did he love her? Was that possible? He didn’t know, but whatever they had, for now, it was enough.
EJ STEPPED FROM the shower, his body tensing in immediate alert. He heard noises in the kitchen, looked across the room and saw that Charlotte was still asleep. Someone was in the house.
As he reached for the gun he’d left on the table by the bed, Charlotte’s eyes popped open and he quickly lifted a finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet. There was another rattling sound from downstairs, and she slid to the side of the bed, grabbing a robe he’d put out for her and quickly donning it.
EJ whispered for her to stay put and he slid from the room, hugging the wall as he made his way down the hall that looked down over an enormous great room, with its two-story vaulted ceiling and floor-to-ceiling view of the Atlantic coastline. He heard another clash and figured whoever was down there didn’t know the house was occupied or didn’t care, because they weren’t being particularly quiet. It sounded like they were looking for something.
Sidling down the steps, he slipped quietly to the corner of the room by the kitchen, and caught sight of Charlotte standing in the doorway of the main bedroom, watching him closely, his cell phone gripped tightly in her hand.
While he wished she would stay put, he appreciated having her at his back, if only to dial 911.
It was then that he heard the familiar spitting of “SugarHoneyIcedTea!” that followed a huge clash of pans, and he swung around the corner, letting the gun fall back to his side with a whoosh of relief as he met the beautiful jade glance of his little sister, Grace.
Grace was the only one he knew who spelled out “shit” as a harmless acronym when she wanted to curse. Like his mom, Grace was a southern lady, though recently she’d been proving herself as one hell of a businesswoman as well. He grinned at her, setting his gun safely on the granite counter and pulling her into a bear hug.
“EJ! You scared me half to death.” She caught her breath, laughing as he squeezed her, pulling her up off her feet as he’d always done since he was able.
“Same back atcha, little sister. Didn’t you see my car?”
“I did. But when I came in, I called your name, looked around and didn’t see anyone, and figured you were out fishing or something.”
He must have been in the shower or sleeping like the dead. Luckily he and Charlotte hadn’t been up to anything more noisy.
Grace eyed the gun on the counter. “Is there a reason you were on high alert?” She studied him. “And while you’re welcome anytime, I’m a little surprised to find you here.”
EJ looked back over his shoulder, wondering where Charlotte was; it hit him that she might think he was still downstairs with a burglar. He walked to the doorway to signal to her that it was okay, but she wasn’t there anymore. She’d gone back into the room, apparently.
He assumed she’d heard their conversation and knew everything was okay. Ironically, the one thing he didn’t want right now was more cops showing up at the door. Not until he had Charlotte out of the line of fire for last night’s shooting.
“Uh, Gracie, I’m not here alone.”
His sister arched up one well-groomed eyebrow.
“Really? That’s news.” She looked discreetly over his shoulder. “Who’s the lucky girl who finally dragged you away from your computer?”
“She was a suspect.” He held his hand up as the brow reached higher. “Was. I’ve been investigating her, but things got complicated, and then they got dangerous. I couldn’t think of anywhere else safe to go last night.”
“You know you’re always welcome, EJ. You don’t even have to ask.” She looked toward the doorway again before meeting his serious look with her own. “But I take it this is some serious trouble?”
“Her home was broken into, her brother’s missing, and an officer was shot last night. Then some guy tried to grab her but luckily I got there in time. I want to stay out of sight until I know what’s going on.”
Grace’s hand flew to her lips, her eyes dark with concern.
&n
bsp; “Shot by whom?”
“We have to find out.”
“And they could still be after her? After you?”
“It’s very possible. Probable.” He met her eyes. “If I’d known you would be here, I wouldn’t have come. You know I’d never put you—”
“Oh, EJ,” she said, cutting him off. She knew what he was going to say. She always did. “I’m not worried about me. Someone shot at you?”
Her arms were back around him tightly, and he knew he’d scared her. He set her back, his hands on her shoulders, tipping his forehead next to hers.
“It’s okay. I didn’t even get a scratch.”
“I hate this.”
“It’s part of the job.”
“I know. I can still hate it. Sometimes I wish you were still running Beaumont, instead of me.”
He didn’t bother hiding his shock. “What do you mean? You’re kicking ass down there. No one’s going to argue your leadership.”
She laughed lightly. “No one except Jordan.”
EJ fought the urge to smile, knowing his kid sister would not appreciate it. Jordan Davis was her teenage love, and the man she almost married. But Jordan was a traditional kind of guy who didn’t envision his wife getting an MBA—from a school up north, no less—or running one of the largest shipping companies in the U.S. Grace had done both. And she would do more, EJ knew.
Since Grace had taken over leadership of the company, and Jordan had bought a spot on the board, sparks had flown between them again, but EJ knew Grace could handle it. But just in case she couldn’t, EJ would handle Jordan himself. He liked the guy—and he believed Jordan’s feelings for Grace were genuine—but no one was going to crush his little sister’s dreams or deny her talents, not even a man who claimed to love her.
“Well, he just has to get used to the idea, and he’s only one vote.”
“I worry he’ll sway the board.”
“Don’t worry. Just do your job. It’ll work out. I’ve been hearing rave reviews. You’ve been the shot in the arm that the old place needed.”
“Really?”
Her worried brow cleared, and she smiled, her eyes on something—someone—past his shoulder. He turned to see Charlotte, still dressed in the robe and looking a little tired, but so beautiful that he forgot himself for a moment and stared. Grace cleared her throat, and EJ saw the patches of color stain Charlotte’s cheeks, and shook himself out of it.
He crossed the kitchen, taking Charlotte’s hand in his and bringing her in, keenly aware of his sister’s sharp observation.
“I’m sorry, darlin’—this is Grace, my sister. We were just catching up.” He looked at Grace. “This is Charlotte Gerard. A…friend.”
Grace stepped forward, hand out, her smile genuine. EJ knew his sister was probably curious, and worried, but she’d never forget her manners.
“Morning, Charlotte. I hear you’ve had a tough couple days. Well, you two are welcome here as long as you need to be. I’m just here for the day. I figured I could work from here and get away from the office for a change.” She looked at EJ. “How about some breakfast?”
“I’ll cook.”
“I was working on it.”
“So I heard. But I’ll do it. Let me just see what you’ve got here.” He looked through the paper grocery bag, pulling out Danish and eggs, sausage and fruit. Not bad, though Grace was not exactly known for her culinary skills. She’d probably burn the fruit.
“Um, EJ?” Charlotte broke into the easy back-and-forth between sister and brother, and he smiled, wanting her to feel comfortable.
“Yeah, darlin’?”
“I should get dressed, but all I had with me was the dress, and that’s ruined. And I need to make some phone calls—people are expecting me this morning. I’m already late for several appointments. And Phoebe. I don’t know how I am going to explain the dress, but I have to do something.”
He read the slight embarrassment in her features, and anxiety about missing her obligations. He wanted to just cross the room and hold her, kiss her and let her know she could relax.
“It’s probably better if you stay out of contact for the moment, Charlotte. You can square things when you get back.” He looked at Grace, stemming any objections from Charlotte. “We had to leave in a hurry—do you have anything here Charlotte could borrow?”
Grace nodded and took Charlotte by the arm, leading her from the kitchen. “I’m very sure I do. Let’s go look and leave EJ in the kitchen to work his magic.”
EJ smiled, watching Charlotte’s hips hugged by the fabric of the robe as she walked from the room and he wished he could be working his magic in the bedroom instead, but he was better off making breakfast for the moment. Easier said than done. His mind returned to the passionate encounter they’d shared just hours ago, how she’d tempted him, and how he lost control, coming so hard that he’d seen stars for a few seconds.
And maybe forging a connection with this woman that was going to last much longer than he’d ever intended.
Arranging items on the counter, he tested the thought again that he and Charlotte could have conceived a child, and found it only left him with a warm sense of…something. He liked the feeling. He liked Charlotte—more than liked—and he liked the connection they had. He frowned then, cracking eggs into a bowl.
But what if she had more doubts in the clear light of day? What if her easygoing attitude changed once everything was said and done?
Well, they’d talk. For now, it was best to let sleeping dogs lie. But when he went out, buying condoms was one of the things on his must-do list. While there were more important things to think about than sex at the moment, obviously, he couldn’t believe they’d resist each other for long. Especially if the stirrings he felt down yonder while watching her exit the room were any indication.
9
CHARLOTTE WASN’T SURE HOW to deal with the sudden appearance of EJ’s sister. She was tired, a little sore and sticky from making love with EJ, and unsure what Grace really thought of finding her brother in the house with a strange woman.
But Grace Beaumont was the epitome of friendliness and polite to a fault, searching through the dressers and closets until she pulled out several selections from which Charlotte hoped something would fit. It wasn’t hard to see that Grace was several willowy sizes smaller than she was.
“Hopefully you’ll find something there that you like. It’s mostly summer clothes and dresses. The espadrilles are well-worn, and hopefully will be comfortable until you can get your own clothes.”
“I appreciate it.” She looked down at the robe, then back up at Grace. “Everything has been such a blur.”
Grace’s expression was sympathetic. “It sounds like you’ve been through the ringer, you poor thing. Last night must have been very frightening for you.”
Charlotte’s head snapped up. “You know?”
Grace nodded. “EJ told me, not much detail, but enough to know you are both involved in something pretty awful, and…”
Grace smoothed the bed covers, busying her hands while letting her thoughts drift off.
“And?” Charlotte prompted.
“Well, I hate to pry, but it’s obvious only one bedroom was used last night.”
Charlotte felt the blush travel from the roots of her hair to the bottoms of her feet, and wasn’t exactly sure what to say.
“I’m sorry, Charlotte—this is none of my business. I just worry about him, and he, well…you must be very special.”
“Why do you say that?”
“EJ wouldn’t just bring anyone here, to a family place, even if he was in danger. And besides—” Grace smiled faintly as she looked Charlotte in the eye “—I could see something in the way he looks at you. When did you two meet?”
“Just a few days ago.”
“Oh.”
“But we talked online quite a bit before that.”
“On the computer?” The hint of disbelief in Grace’s voice snuck through even though Charlotte b
et she was doing her best to be nonjudgmental. She was just worried about her brother, and that was one thing Charlotte could very well relate to.
“Yes, I run an online…business.” She didn’t know how Grace would react to knowing she read tarot cards regarding people’s love lives, so decided to generalize. “EJ came to the site pretending to be a client, though he really was just investigating me….” She shrugged helplessly. “But I’m not guilty of anything. It’s complicated.”
“Do you…love him?”
“It’s a little soon for that, I think.”
Charlotte looked away as she saw Grace’s features lighten. But Charlotte knew that if she were honest, her heart had already traveled a long way toward loving EJ. Time didn’t make a difference to her when it came to those kinds of things—she’d loved Ronny before she’d even met him. But she also realized that most people thought love was dependent on a clock or a calendar, and she didn’t want to make Grace feel uncomfortable. She was being so nice, considering she’d just come here for a quiet respite from work only to discover her brother hiding out with a strange woman in her home.
Still, even if Charlotte did love EJ, she wasn’t about to share it with anyone else when she hadn’t even told EJ. Especially his sister who, while obviously being a very nice person, seemed relieved that things were not serious between them. Though she was sure Grace was too polite to say so, Charlotte could feel the awkward tension between them across the room. They were just very different people shoved together in a strange situation.
“Thanks for being so nice, and sharing your clothes. I don’t want to seem ungrateful, but I really need to get in the shower.” Charlotte smiled in what she hoped was a friendly, casual way.
“Yes, of course. I’m sorry. I guess I’ll see you down at breakfast?”
Flirtation Page 11
